We've been to some pretty places, but this takes the cake. Everywhere we turn, here in the northern Rockies, at the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park, there are carved granite peaks; it's like being surrounded by Yosemite, before you even pay to get into the park. Here are some pictures--they only show you what was to be seen right in front of the camera, though; you can't see how grand it is when you turn your head a bit.
The town of Estes Park has a creek running through it; here's one of the spots where kids can wade in the very cold water. Here's another:
bighorn sheep
This lake has a gravel path that is easy for kids to walk around. There's a bunny under the tree (Katie is trying to find it).
Here are Mark and Katie up around 12,000 feet:
And at the continental divide:
elk--we saw lots of them, some of them quite close to the cars
We'll be leaving tomorrow for Boulder, but we'll be in Colorado for a few more weeks. It feels great to be here. We looked at a $500,000 house the other day, alongside the creek here. It was bigger and much more expensive than we need, but it was tempting. Hardwood floors, big fireplace, gorgeous kitchen, a walk into town... this is the dry side of the Rockies, so they only get a foot or so of snow in the winter. Summers are amazing, with highs in the 70s or 80s, lows nice and cool. it's totally gorgeous.