I first heard about Estes Park when I pulled
out an old book from the bookshelf at a Bed & Breakfast in Bodega Bay.
The book was titled "A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains" by Elizabeth Bird.
It is a collection of letters Ms. Bird wrote to her sister in the 1870's.
The letters document her adventures as she traveled from San Francisco in
search of a rumored mountain resort in Colorado called Estes Park.
Today's journey to Estes Park no longer would merit a book, or even a letter
home describing it. It is an hour drive from Denver along a populated mountain
highway much like any other. The town may still hold the magical rejuvination
properties that were once said to be there, but if it doesn't, the Rocky
Mountains that it borders certainly do.
We arrived late Friday night at the Spruce Lake RV
Park and appreciated the cold mountain air. We were awakened at 3:30am by
our barking dog, who was concerned about the sounds right outside the motorhome.
A view out the window revealed a small herd of grazing elk. This picture
was taken from our window, the white smudges are the window screen reflecting
the flash.
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Aggression Relief
Our first stop of the day was at the Ride-A-Kart. (Notice the "K" theme
here again.) After a week and a half of close quarters we were ready to get
some personal grievences taken care of.
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Bumper Boats Rule. Nothing quenches the thirst for
revenge like a big tub of water and outboard motors.
This was followed by a two on two water balloon fight with no winners and
four losers.
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Of course, no mano-a-mano is complete without competitive driving. Race 1
began with Eric in the lead, followed by Kevin and me closing the gap. Results
culminated in a grudge match, the result of which is seen on the right.
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Finally, the triathalon ended with a killer mini-golf
game back at the RV Park(!).
The park provides the course for free, but asks for a $1 deposit since so
many kids think it's more fun to whack the balls into the river than it is
to play the game. I am proud to report we got our money back.
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Town Tour
My cousin Greg came up from Golden to see us. You know, I call him my cousin
but his mom is actually my cousin (Hi, Vandra, and thanks for all the email!).
None of us can figure out if that makes Greg my second cousin, first cousin
once removed, or what. If any of you are geneologists please drop me a line
- thanks.
We met up with Greg in a parking lot, and I knew it was him when he drove
up in a red Lexus with the top down. The clue was that it was raining at
the time. ;-)
Anyway, here's a picture of us with him to prove to the family that he made
the trek up (Sarah is behind the lens). The other picture is of Eric at lunch.
I include this because I thought the ordering process was really funny. The
meals came with two side orders and Eric got fries and mashed potatoes. I've
never seen anyone do that before, but the guy loves his potatoes.
