Our plan today was to hike and get some internet time so after breakfast and taking Dave to work at the library I got ready and filled all the backpacks with water and snacks. We were headed to the hiker shuttle by 10:30 ready to see some of the more popular trails in the park. The hikes were supposed to be relatively easy so we would have time to go to the Discovery Center by our campground too.
As we were walking toward the shuttle stop I realized I'd forgotten the camera in my car. I'd thrown it in the front seat when I'd assumed we'd be driving earlier. I didn't have my phone either since we were with Grammie and I debated that being enough but we both agreed it wouldn't put us back too far for me to run back to our site to grab it. I hadn't run much since February due to a heel issue, so I was hoping this wasn't going to be too painful. As I was running back I was checking out shortcuts for the way back. Since our campsite was on a loop I also debated just running out the other end of the loop to catch up.
After grabbing the camera I ran over the rocks and hill behind our campsite and was back on the road to the shuttle within a few minutes. I was hoping to make it to the stop shortly behind everyone so we didn't have to wait for the next shuttle. Just as I was running up to the stop the shuttle was pulling in - perfect timing! I hadn't seen my four hop on the bus, but there was a bush in the way. The bus driver was nice enough to wait a few seconds for me to catch up and as I jumped on the first step my stomach sunk as they weren't in any of the seats. I told the driver I was looking for my three kids and her face showed instant panic, but I let her know they were with my mom so they were safe so she calmed.
She continued her route and I sat down to wait for them and the next bus. I retraced my steps of the last few minutes trying to figure out how in the world I beat them to the stop. There was only one way they could have gone. And even if they'd stopped at the bathroom, I know Grammie would have stayed outside to watch for me. I thought I understood they were going to meet me at the stop. I kept going over our conversation and looking down the road where I'd come from in hopes I'd see them walking up. Once the next bus came I convinced myself they'd just gotten on the bus and headed to our trailhead so I got on and headed there too.
It didn't feel right but I couldn't imagine where else they could be! As our bus pulled into the area where we would need to transfer buses I searched around for the three colorful backpacks I knew the kids would be wearing. Nothing. I kept going back over my steps and our conversation then hopped on the bus to the trailhead. Once we made it to Bear Lake and they weren't there I became very worried. I went to the ranger station and asked if I could call, but their phone didn't work and all their cell phones didn't have service. I asked for the ranger to radio to our campground to see if they were still there or had seen them. No word at all.
I'd spoken with this bus driver and she was ready to leave so I hopped back on the bus to see if I'd missed them or they had made it to the place to change buses. As we were driving, the bus driver radioed some of the other bus drivers to see if they'd remembered picking them up. One of the bus drivers remembered them getting on her bus and she'd taken them to Bear Lake where I'd just left. I hopped off the bus at the next stop and waited for the next bus back to Bear Lake. I just knew they'd be standing there frustrated wondering where in the world I'd been. But no family.
I sat on the bench in the sun and watched 2 buses go by when I remembered Lola was in the RV and Grammie had left her keys in my locked in my car. I hopped on the next bus back to the campground to make sure she was ok and I would worry about the family after I confirmed she was ok. I kept looking at every bus as we crossed paths to see if I could see any of them but they were all pretty full and pretty much a blur as we passed. I'd left my group for the camera yet this was the only view of the afteroon!
As I got off the bus at our campground I ran back to our campsite imagining them again frustrated with me that I'd gotten separated from them. The afternoon dark cloud was moving in and I knew they would have no place to go if it started raining so I ran faster. As I rounded the corner by our site I realized they were not there at all. And that was when it started pouring.
I grabbed the keys from my car and ran up the hill and made it just inside when the hail started. Lola was very happy to see me and I just sat down extremely confused now as to where in the world they were! I'd grabbed my phone so I called Grammie but there was no answer. I sent her a few texts telling her where I was and that Lola was ok. I sent Dave a text asking if he'd heard from her so of course he was instantly confused and worried.
Once the rain settled a little bit I took Lola out for a walk and tried to figure out what to do next. The conversation with Dave had be more worried so I hopped in the car and drove up to the ranger station in our campground. The ranger recognized her name and told me they'd gotten on the bus around noon. More mystery as I'd gotten on the bus a little after 11.
As I was pulling away, another ranger ran out and said she'd radioed the Bear Lake rangers and they were safe and waiting on me there but were now getting on a bus to come back. All this time we'd been just barely missing eachother. I waited on them in my car by the shuttle stop still trying to unravel the mystery.
With so much relief, we headed to the Discovery Center to enjoy the rest of the afteroon. The theme of the day was water so most of the exhibits were related to how water affects the area. Our first stop was a demonstration of how snowmelt affects the flood plains and why dams are so important.
The kids all enjoyed creating mountains while I checked out the view. The girls made nature journals and we all learned about beavers, water flow, and pollution. The girls even enjoyed fishing for a little bit.
We shopped for post cards and a sticker for my car's roof carrier then we took Grammie back to the campground to hang out with Lola. The kids were excited to get on their Kindles at the library and check their email. I needed to update the blog and charge my phone. The children's area of this library rivaled our downtown library at home so once the kids were finished they grabbed a few books.
Once I had uploaded a day we headed back to the campsite to make campfire nachos. The ranger program tonight was an hour earlier so we had to cook quickly. I had a beer to settle my nerves after the day and we enjoyed a quick dinner. Dave's pile of food looked like some from his favorite restaurants. The best part was the easy cleanup into the garbage.
We headed to the program ready to learn more about the mountains. When we arrived the moderator asked us to form teams and grab white boards. Instantly Dave's ego was sparked and we joked with three young girls in front of us that we were going to beat them and feed them all the wrong answers. Team Marmot was going to win this!
Tonight's program was a trivia game about the Rocky Mountains and the Estes Park area. We definitely weren't prepared for this as we hadn't even made it to the movie or the interpretive hike! Each question it became apparent we were very unprepared as we were not getting a single point marked. We were 0 for 3 and it was time to make friends with the girls in front. Of course they denied us but we humored by the morons behind them. We did end up getting a few points. We may have received an extra point because I held up my white board twice as she was counting.
We ended up losing miserably but had a fantastic time and definitely learned a lot! We walked back to our campsite much happier than we had been during the day and resolved to get a great night's sleep and have a fantastic day tomorrow!
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