Day 11

Dave and I were up early determined to catch some color out over the mountains from the meadow. The day before Dave had found the trail down to the meadow so we headed back there a little earlier today. There wasn't much color left by the time we got there but the glow of the morning was just beautiful.

We headed down the Cub Lake trail a little ways to explore. This trail is so perfect for an early morning hike so we'll just have to come back one day!


Once we climbed back up to our campsite I jumped on getting some breakfast ready and Dave worked on getting the car emptied for our ride into town later. He woke the kids a few minutes before we were supposed to set out on our hike with Grammie. Dave decided to take a half day off work to explore some of the trails with us!

We found a shuttle stop a bit closer on our hike down earlier in the morning so we went back that way. As we were going down the last 100 steps the shuttle whizzed up to the stop. We ran as fast as our old feet could carry us, but we were too late. I thought I remembered the shuttle looping back by after a few stops so hopefully we wouldn't have to wait too long. Luckily we did miss the bus because we were able to take a few minutes to read all about a fire that not too long ago that practically wiped out that entire area. Ryan also spotted this little American Pika guy!

The shuttle did indeed come back by so we hopped on and entertained the entire bus with a game of Contact. We made it to the Bear Lake trail relatively early but it was already very full of casual hikers. Grammie grabbed us a interpretive trail book and we began our loop around the lake.

As always we learned SO much!  We learned about the original buildings and schoolhouse in the area, glaciers, lichen, aspen and spruce trees, area birds, fish and beavers, as well as all about the mountain peaks we could spot in the distance.  We also learned alot about the big fire in 1900 that burned most of the forest in the area and that was so hot cracked granite boulders around us. All from a careless campfire.

There's me taking this pic below!

Once we were finished with the loop the kids found the display of moose and elk antlers, big horn sheep horns to imagine how strong these animals area to carry them around all day. The antlers Brayden has is 8 pounds!!










Next up we headed to Alberta Falls. The ranger I spoke to suggested we walk down to the falls then over to Glacier Gorge to catch the shuttle for a more level hike instead of coming back up then way we came. We were all up for not having a tough climb out!

On our way Dave spotted this mushroom that looks like it came out of the Alice in Wonderland movie!

And of course more of these guys were watching our every move.

At every turn the water just kept getting louder and louder. We kept getting glimpses of the bottom section of the falls as we walked around waiting to see the top. Before too long we were there!

We sat and checked out the power of the water and calm of the view while the kids climbed around the rocks looking for more chipmunks and a way to get to the very top. Before too long we were all at the top enjoying a spectacular view of the mountain range. We stayed up there long enough for Grammie to decide to come up too.  Before she turned around I told her what I so often tell the kids, "Don't ever forget this!".

And of course the kids just had to test out the water route on the way back.

Our hike back out to the shuttle was easy and quick so before we knew it we were back on the bus headed to the campsite. While Grammie and Laney left the shuttle to walk through the campground, the rest of us decided hike back up to our campsite the beautiful the way we came.

We loaded everyone up in the car once we got back and drove the few minutes to Estes Park. After dropping Dave off at the library to work Grammie and I went to the park for a picnic with the kids. Lola was really enjoying being out and about with us.

I traded our picnic bag for my backpack and camera at the car after we were finished and met everyone at the playground. I told the girls I'd seen a beaver with two babies on my way back so we raced over there and I was met with eye rolls and "Mooooooooommmm!" when they found the fountain sculpture. One day they'll think all of this is funny maybe. Or maybe they will torture their kids the same way! They were thrilled Grammis spotted this Little Library though. Having our library at home has been so much fun for them to watch people enjoy and they enjoy peeking in different ones too!

All the kids enjoyed hopping up on this saddle placed there to honor a man who had been such an intergral part in the growth of Estes Park. We ducked into a few t-shirt stores to find our souvenirs then headed to get some homemade ice cream. The kids all picked flavors I wanted so I gave up and ordered a standard chocolate peanut butter. It was delicious and we all enjoyed sharing a little bit with Lola.

Shortly before Dave was to be finished working we went to the library for me to catch up with a little of Girl Scout work. Once he was finished we headed to one of the local breweries Dave had researched that was kid and dog friendly with a delicious pizza joint next door. As we were leaving the parking lot we noticed a few elk standing on the sidewalk with their heads in the bushes eating. We'd heard from Amy about how this is a very common occurence especially in September. We thought of getting a picture but I'm thinking not many would enjoy picture of elk butts!!

The kids played Star Wars trivial pursuit while the adults were able to chat with some locals about our trip and plans for the next few days. Lola was definitely the hit with everyone stopping to pet her as they walked by. The pizza was excellent and the beer was even better!

As we were driving home we noticed a few cars pulled over to the side of the road - a sure sign of wildlife activity! As we parked we saw three male elk off in the trees having their dinner so we decided to take a few pictures.

We thought we'd been very fortunate spotting these three and the two in town until we turned into our campground. There were just a couple more hanging
around there!

We saw quite a few magpies jealous of all the elk attention trying to obstruct all the traffic.

What a wonderful end to our stay in Rocky Mountain National Park!! We returned to the park with some time to get things reorganized before our exit the next morning. We had just enough time to make it to the ranger program which was about the different hikes in the park. This ranger had hiked all 355 miles of the trails in the park and was showing pictures and giving advice about each of the trails. If only we'd met him the first day!

We said goodnight with full bellies and smiles ready to be on the road to our next spot. The kids had already started a countdown to the eclipse and we were getting so excited!

Day 10

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.

The kids bounced off the bus happy to see me and I finally found out what happened. As the kids were kicking a pine cone they'd accidentally turned back down the loop where our sites are instead of out the campground toward the shuttle. They'd also stopped for a little bit to watch a coyote sneak through all the sites. They didn't realize where they were until they were almost already back to our campsite. And that was probably about the time I got on the first bus. It was so good to see everyone after becoming so worried!


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!

Day 9

Today was a day for Dave to go into town and work so we got up pretty early to get things going. There was only one problem. I thought he grabbed my keys last night. He thought I had them. We looked in the tent and around the campsite. We looked in the car. I mentally retraced my steps 50 times. Dave looked over by the Cadenas campfire. We finally came to the conclusion that I'd left them in Amy's chair by the campfire and she'd brought them into her car when she'd cleaned up.

There was nothing we could do as all the computers, food, grill, etc were in the car! So once the girls peeked out of the tent they put their sweatshirts on and we went for a walk. We hadn't really had time to explore the night before with setting up, cooking, and going to the program so it was nice to walk around and get our bearings.

We were talking about the kids and Ryan remembered seeing them around my neck (I keep them on a lanyard during trips) as I was helping them set up their beds the night before. But just as we got back to the campsite Dave noticed Amy was up. I walked over and asked but could instantly tell by the look on her face if they were there she didn't know about it. We climbed into the kids' tent without trying to disturb a sleeping Brayden too much to find them.  We dug and flipped things around and emptied bags, but they just weren't there.  I was getting more and more frustrated each time they didn't turn up.

Grammie always provides AAA service for me so if they were in my car I could call, but my wallet was in the car. Dave has a set of keys for my car, but they were zapped in the great storm of Oklahoma and currently sitting in a container of rice in Grammie's RV. As I was about to sit down and throw a tantrum Dave emerges from our tent with my keys in his hand. He's always the hero!

Within about 10 minutes I was serving hot chocolate and cooking bagels. According to my phone it felt like 43 degrees this morning!! The Cadenas girls joined us for breakfast and watched all the GoPro videos of all of us going down the sand dunes. Once we were finished, dishes cleaned, and we were all dressed, I left the kids to play while I ran Dave into town to work. Originally our plan was for him to hang out at Starbucks and anywhere quiet with wifi to work. By the time we got into town the local library was open so I dropped him off there as he'd read the wifi was good there. The kids had a blast while we were gone playing on the rocks behind our campsite. I believe they were hiding from Brayden.

I headed back into the park and got all of our backpacks ready for a hike. We were lucky enough to have the Cadenas girls along for a hike to Emerald Lake. This was one of Amy's favorite hikes and it absolutely did not disappoint! They taught us a new word game along the way called Contact that I just know will become a family favorite.







This was a beautiful hike from Bear Lake up quite a bit of elevation through a series of three lakes. Each one was so different and beautiful! We came first to Nymph Lake.













Laney was having some issues hiking with the elevation so we made sure to stop quite a bit for her to catch her breath.


















While the other kids kept the Contact game going. I promise Luna is deep in thought not angry!

Amy and I were able to catch up along the way about their adventures on the road and the adjustment to their "stick house" now that they were living in Boulder. We really miss them in Florida! Next up was Dream Lake with a few stops along the path around it. The water was so clear and the backdrop was stunning. These pictures don't even begin to do it justice.

The kids were all lined up here trying to get one of the resident begging chipmunks to climb on them. I'm completely against people feeding any wildlife and there was an adult giving them peanuts here.

This made the chipmunks quite active in search of more, but definitely not something we do. So we had the talk again about why even when they seem so hungry and they're soooooooo adorable it's not a good idea. Not to mention they could bite. He is adorable though.

Last but definitely not least was Emerald Lake. The lake was a beautiful emerald green as you would expect and we were even closer to the mountain backdrop. The glaciers seemed so close that with a little climb we could touch them!

Shortly after we got there the kids were exploring the rocks and I was summoned to quickly come over and take a picture of a napping chipmunk. My gut told me either this was a practical joke on me or on them. They led me to the rocks to find a chipmunk laying on his back with his feet relaxed in the air. Ryan was certain it was napping because his tail was moving. I looked at a couple who happened to be sitting a little ways behind him and the guy laughed shaking his head with the "Eeeeeee no" look on his face. The tail was only moving when the wind blew across the lake. It's not fun to break that kind of news to enamored kids.

After letting the kids explore for about an hour and shooing chipmunks off my shoes, out of my pockets, and off my backpack we decided to head back. The Cadenas family would be heading back home for a big birthday celebration so we didn't want to keep them too long. Once we got back to the spot where our cars were parked we said our goodbyes.

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The kids were excited we were driving into town until I turned into the laundromat. We were nearing the end of our clothes supply since I'd missed a couple sets the last time so it was time. They were even more bummed once they realized the laudromat didn't have wifi. We hauled out the game box and Kindles and settled in for some time watching our clothes spin. I took the opportunity to write and power up my phone. We were camping in a spot these next 4 days without any electricity. After a day of withdrawal, it is absolutely wonderful to be able to relax in nature without any connection to anything. But it's very difficult to update a blog under those circumstances!

Dave let me know he would be finished soon so I transferred the clothes into the dryer and went to pick him up. He happened to be walking up the road toward us and somehow got my attention to stop. We grabbed some wood and ice then waited for the giant dryer to finish its job.

Once we got back to the campground, Grammie already had dinner going. Reason #473 why we love her with us! After cleaning up we headed to tonight's program at the amphitheater all about owls. We all learned so much! And now we all want pet owls.

Ryan would be back with Grammie tonight now the Cadenas girls were gone so the kids assumed her sleeping bag and sleep mat as added joint comfort. Dave and I bundled up for another cold night in the Rockies.