Mountain Man

As the 4th of July holiday, loomed near, Daddy envisioned a last minute camping trip to Colorado. We decided to do it - without a reservation or a solid plan ...and drove on up there in the RV. The kids were great sports, as they always are, and it proved to be a most excellent idea. Thanks Daddy! We ALL needed that! We considered it a "sign" that while eating Chinese food the night before we left...my fortune read: "Visit a Park. Enjoy what Nature has to Offer." YES! We did exactly that!



We decided to stop midway to Colorado, in Goodland KS, and stayed at a very nice KOA campground. After sleeping, showering, and playing on the playground for a bit...we trekked on to our final destination.



Rylan spent the entire trip reading himself stories. He sat calmly between naps in his carseat and read. He takes after his Mama, with a clear passion for books!



We lucked out by reaching Moraine Park Campground in the Rocky Mountain National Park and finding a campsite open for our use. We'd pinpointed this park after reading about it in a book which gave it the highest scenic rating out of all the sites in that vicinity. We learned, however, that the park was considered "full" throughout the weekend and we'd have to play a gambling game on whether we could get a campsite for the following nights. This would require us to put our names on a waiting list, hope someone decided to leave early - or better - cancel a preexisting reservation, which provide us an opening for another night's stay. This point made it convenient that our children wake up at the crack of dawn each day as we could easily walk down and be the first on the waiting list. :)



We took many hikes. Most were uneventful, however on the second day we decided to trek a few miles to Fern Lake. It was a glorious warm day and we were decked out in shorts and loving it. The weather appeared so peaceful and calm that we opted not to pack our rain gear for the hike.
And.....about 2.5 miles from the campsite..it started pouring. COLD rain.




The trek back was a bit nerve wracking, and a nice couple who had a spare plastic poncho gave it to us, which we ripped in half and made a cover for each of the kids. Mama & Daddy were cursing themselves as we walked back, teeth chattering. The walk back took forever. We saw some wiley coyotes who were stalking our campgrounds, and some marmots who were sunning on a rock just before the rains came down.



Finally, we made it back, warmed up in the RV and sat by the fire once the rain let up. The next day, when attempting another hike along the river, we packed up all the rain gear. And, of course, we celebrated a dry and uneventful hike. We celebrated with smores that night.



We ventured into Estes Park for a breakfast at a quaint little restaraunt and wandered around the cute little city. Everyone daydreamed about living there.... That's us. Always dreaming. At the campsite, Rylan greatly enjoyed wandering, exploring water puddles, rock formations, and playing with Kenzie's many pairs of sunglasses. During hikes, he was very content in the backback - just admiring the scenery.










Our trip ended with a final night in Moraine park at a 3rd lovely site. We departed early in the morning and began the longer trek back home...with nearly non-stop driving. Kenzie "babysat" Rylan by reading him stories and feeding him milk and snacks. The trip went extremely well, and will hold special memories for us all, I'm sure.