RED(rum), WHITE(water), & BLUE(birds)- A Grand Finale TR to Our Year of the National Parks

[HouCuseChickie]

My hubs grew up down the road from that location. His family moved a bit farther away when he was around 5, but they still lived up in the mountains. (I've also seen the location in your photo, up on Lookout Mountain.) Small world!

That's so cool that they're from the area and you know these locations. It's really beautiful up there!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Day 2 continued...

So, here we are, driving into Golden. We saw this neat firm (insurance, I believe) that converted what appears to be an old gas station...

We thought about touring the huge Coors brewery, but it was getting to the end of their tour day and the line was massive. I also can't drink beer anymore, so it wasn't as appealing. It was around then that David started getting cranky about his hair. He meant to get it cut before the trip and never found the time...so, I was tasked with finding him a place. And there was a Great Clips right nearby! So, on day 2 of vacation...we stopped to get his hair cut...and I think the ladies at Great Clips thought we were nuts! I mean, I know people go to swanky spas and get their hair done on trips...but us...Great Clips! Ha!

On the way out, David also noticed a cheese place in this strip mall. It's like he was tormenting me...knowing I can't have it. Still...it looked pretty good!

We decided to head back into the city...and saw this pink Caddy along the way. I figured Mary Kay, but she was a realtor.

I can see the stadium, so I know we're getting closer.

Beer bottle bus stop, anyone?

We decided to drive over to the Union Station area since it's really not that far...

Oh...and we saw a TON of these in CO.

Back to the hotel...and even the parking garage elevators have the same quirky humor.

And this is how we know we're in our lobby! Hahahaha

We went back to the room to rest for a bit. I had been doing well, but we were obviously in even higher altitudes for our day adventures in the foothills, and my body was starting to protest a bit. Sam and David went back out to throw the softball around a bit, since she'd be having team tryouts right after we got back, but K and I hung back at the room.

After some rest (ok...nap time), we decided to go to the restaurant Kendall was hoping we'd go to on the previous night. Ya know, the one that caused her mini fit! It was only a few blocks away from our hotel and right on the 16th Street Mall section...so it was a good and easy choice for the night.

It was a bit warm, but we decided to sit outside. I tried getting pics of the pianos out on the street, but it never came out.

Dinner wasn't bad and I loved the rock stream sinks they had in their bathrooms.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

After dinner, I was still pretty drained and not quite right, so I went back to the hotel and K joined me. I took a few sunset pics from the room...although, not quite sure why I did it with my phone vs. the big camera.

Sam and David decided to walk around a bit while K and I hung back at the room. Some (most) of the pics are a bit blurry...but I love that Sam wanted to capture the spirit of the lights and artsy elements at night. In her defense, she's using my old camera which isn't great in the dark.

(love how they light up the cranes)

When they got back, we all decided that we wanted dessert, but weren't up for anything restaurantish, etc. So, we decided to hit the supermarket. I mapped us to King Soopers, which I thought was going to be the nicer one we went to the previous day, but I guess I didn't look very closely. This was in a different area that was closer to downtown. While it's an issue in all cities, the area of Denver we were in was loaded with vagrants. The King Soopers we went to must have issues with all of them along the water at the nearby park (especially since the parking is enclosed and likely a good sheltering spot). In any event, they had all kinds of security and it was pretty creepy. It was bad enough stepping over people on sidewalks, but the supermarket setting made us all pretty uncomfortable. On the plus side...it turns out that King Soopers is owned by Kroger. Not only was the store filled with all kinds of familiar Kroger goods, but I was able to use my discount card. BONUS!

We went back to the room for dessert...brownies and jelly beans for the kids, gluten free vegan cookies and frosting for me and David had beer. And thankfully, we all slept better this night.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

That's it for now. Day 3 is coming up, where we say our good-byes to Denver for a while and head up to Estes Park, CO.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

DAY 3

I was up early again to hit the gym. This time, I was on the elevator with a bunch of families (different since most of the clientele seemed to be business/conference people) and one of the moms noted it was good I was being all healthy. I laughed about being in training, but it was still nice.

Since we were checking out today, we decided to push back breakfast a bit so we could explore a bit more. First, we hit the art center right across the street...

(tought to read, but thisis the opera house)

(more blue trees)

Yeah...the kids decided to race each other a bit.

I thihk Kendall just gave up.

And yeah...she's in her shirt from the day before because David wanted her to do softball stuff, so my thought...if she's going to do athletic things...let's get mildly dirty clothes fully dirty vs. going into new clothes. Hey...I'm not used to traveling with a laundry plan vs. packing enough for the full trip...but I was trying...since I didn't want to need to rent a Suburban!

We hung out for a few more minutes...waiting for K to walk back to us.

And then they both had to climb up for a better view...

While I didn't take any pics, we even visited a MCM art exhibit with one of the local colleges.

After that, we walked a bit in the other direction because David wanted to try and get to some mall we'd seen while driving. I got one pic in before I decided I just wasn't feeling it and went back to finish packing. I did take a few pics on the way.

Pool is pretty neat!

The vents we passed on the way make noises...some just sound like a rushing stream while others made people get down to see if someone was trapped inside.

Sam had the other camera with her, but this is pretty much all I got from their little walk...

When we met back up, we checked out (a little disappointed there were no Rockem' Sockem' Robots in our room)...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

...and then headed to the restaurant in the lobby for a meal. We were there just in time for breakfast, but were more interested in lunch...so we waited a couple of minutes so we could partake in the lunch menu.

Personally, I loved the decor! Oh...and you can all see that Sam is now in clean clothes. LOL

The kids started out with some crazy drink that was topped with cotton candy...

And then it was food for all!

Kendall had been drooling over the grilled cheese and tomato soup since the day we checked in, but was a bit disappointed that the soup was more like creamy tomato basil sauce vs. soup.

After our lunchish brunch, we waved goodbye to the Curtis and Denver and started making our way to the first real stop on our trip...

As you can see, we're heading towards those snow covered mountains that seemed so far off in the distance while in Denver. This was taken after we got off of the interstate and started on the main road that was going to take us into Estes Park.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Going to continue with Day 3 in these next handful (and then some) of posts. This is probably it for today since I have three dishes to make for a softball team/family party tomorrow, my younger one is having a sleepover, I'm still doing some back to school prep for Monday, I need to rest up for my 8 mile run tomorrow (going to be an early one since we're supposed to hit 102 and went up to 103 today in our neighborhood)...oh, and it's kind of my birthday today! Not that I'm doing much for that. LOL

DAY 3 continued...

My big camera was all packed up for our drive to Estes Park, so I was relying on my phone for photo documentation of the drive. Sam had the kids' out and got a few things, but it was all kind of random. The big camera will come out and stay out for the bulk of the trip once we get there though...and this is also where I start going into crazy photographer mode. So, if you thought there were a lot of pics in Denver...it's nothing compared to the rest of the trip. As for this drive portion, I was also navigating and getting an earful about how I should be watching the map vs. just listening to the commands. So, I missed pics of things I wished I'd been able to get.

(I recall taking this because we were so close to Rte 66 in December and never actually got to it)

This one geo feature right here reminded me of Billings, MT.

We drove through a cute little town named Lyons, but I got nothing but this since I was navigating...

Sam didn't get much here, but she did get the cool cars...

We both got some as we were cutting through the foothills...

And the closer the mountains seemed to look, the closer I knew we were to Estes Park.

Starting the last leg in...

Looks like we're here!

The lake looked sooooo inviting, but I knew we weren't staying on this side of town. So, more dirving to do.

Sam got a fun picture of some kind of art...

The pictures actually stop after this because I had to navigate us to our hotel and the kids were busy looking around. The navigation on my phone sent us the wrong way and then it was having a hard time catching up, which got David all kinds of cranky. So, I had to focus. There was also a ton of traffic in the main town area, so I couldn't really do much but watch the map and direct. I picked a place closer to the park entrance, so lots of navigating.

Once we did arrive, I took a few pics around the place...

(drives me nuts when he puts his shoes on the bed!)

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Not the most exciting accomodations, but it had that mountains vibe and we were within walking distance of the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. Oh, and the kids must have liked it, because they immediately crawled into bed for a mini-nap. It's a pretty quick drive from Denver (maybe about 1.5 hrs), but I guess they were also a bit worn out from the morning.

Side note...this is the first place I've stayed in probably decades that gives you physical metal keys!

After we got a little bit of rest, we headed out to check out the town, but first...as stop at the nearby convenience store...that was sort of bunch of stuff...as well as a nice spot to look towards RMNP. Part of me wanted to head into the park on day 1 in Estes Park, but I wanted to stick with acclimation plans. Estes Park sits a little bit higher than the areas we were in back in the Denver foothills, so baby steps to work up to the park.

After Sam explored some of the art for sale...

...we started our drive into town- ready to embrace the crowds.

It was a bit crazy, but we managed to find parking and went out to explore. I'm not sure which is which at this point, but the Big Thompson River and the Fall River run thorugh downtown Estest Park, so you have beautiful water wherever you go. This flanked the entire parking area, but also keeps going through town...

But it's time to explore the shops (and there are A LOT of them)...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Lots of taffy!

Someone got a treat!

And we start walking some more...

Disney stuff!

I cannot resist a Christmas shop!

They're also set for Halloween!

And it wasn't all holiday stuff...we came pretty close to leaving with totems. Glad we didn't, because we found them online for so much less.

More taffy!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

This rock shop was pretty awesome! Rocks, fossils, and all kinds of fun stuff. I probably took too many pictures in here. I kind of regret not getting a little something for me here as well.

(I sooooooo want one of these sinks!)

(I just love these things)

Strolling again...

More candy and goodies...

More shopping and walking...

And more sweet goodies!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

(I kind of overdid it with pics in here...and kept looking for Mickey apples- LOL)

We went into this one place that was more of a whiskey tasting spot, but they also had tons of sauces.

The kids really liked this cute little shop.

And I regret not buying a shirt here...these are my kinds of humor.

We came up on a spot that's sort of a town square, which is kind of a relief, because I was sort of over going into shops.

I also found a hawk flying in circles above us.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

David and Sam also spotted this rooftop spot for food. We debated about it, but never went...

It may be a bit out of order, but I later found that Sam took a bunch of pics of a pigeon. I guess she's never looked much at pigeons since you don't see many in our neighborhood. Still, she thought this must be some kind of rare pigeon because of his metallic markings on his neck. Kids!

Making our way into the green square area...

We explored a bit and were hoping to climb to the top to see the structure, but Kendall picked the wrong shoes and was not up for it. As you can also see, we're pretty close to the Hotel Stanley at this point...and there have been bear sightings in the area.

Not sure why, but I had to take a pic of this police vehicle too...

We walked a little bit more and also got some water, but decided it was time to hit the other side of the street while heading back towards the car. At least the public buildings have all kinds of pretty flowers.

I did spot this hummingbird checking out the landscaping, before we crossed the street. I can't blame him...it's pretty. See if you can find him too! My entire family missed him...which will seem kind of interesting when I get to the animal spotting jokes of this trip.

The back portion of the shops on the other side follow the river...so we opted for that route for a bit.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Somewhere along here, we also had to find a sporting shop for David. I bought him new joggers before the trip...and by before...like a day before. He kept putting it off and had me go out and just buy something in his size. They were a bit narrow through the heel and were rubbing some blisters. Bandaids were useless, so we found him moleskin. And then we started walking some more...

Everyone must be in a good mood, because both kids were willing to pose!

And still walking...I know, I just don't stop with the pics!

We hit a few more shops...

Very dog friendly. LOL

Almost back to the car and the rushing water just isn't getting old!

Looked at the aspens with tree graffiti..

 

[HouCuseChickie]

And then we decided it was time to head back to our lodging...and I took a few random pics on the way...

Oh, and before I forget...Sam got pics of a few things I missed from this part of the day.

Coming up...dinner at a pretty place, wildlife surprises, and a sunset visit to the lake.

 

[MinnieM123]

Nice pictures of the Estes Park area. The various shops look nice, too. I don't recall much of that when we went there years ago, but we used Estes Park more to sleep and eat. (Also, at the time, we had our dog with us, so we tended to avoid downtown areas, as she would not have been allowed in stores, etc.) Our destination up in that area was the 4th of July Mine trail (Arapaho pass, Roosevelt National Forest). Hiking view were amazing.

Glad you and the family had such a fun time. Looking forward to reading more about your adventures out there in Colorado!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Nice pictures of the Estes Park area. The various shops look nice, too. I don't recall much of that when we went there years ago, but we used Estes Park more to sleep and eat. (Also, at the time, we had our dog with us, so we tended to avoid downtown areas, as she would not have been allowed in stores, etc.) Our destination up in that area was the 4th of July Mine trail (Arapaho pass, Roosevelt National Forest). Hiking view were amazing.

Glad you and the family had such a fun time. Looking forward to reading more about your adventures out there in Colorado!

This was the only day where we really explored the town. I figured it was a travel day, so it was the best time to get out and take a look. Come to think of it...with the exception of park visitor center shops, this was the last time we really did any kind of "shopping." As I was going through my pictures and doing the written portion, it shocked me how much the trip changes after this shopping day. I'm hoping to get in another post tonight.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Day 3 Continued...

I was given the task of figuring out dinner. I hadn't done a ton of research and there were sooooo many options, so it was tough. I found a place with an interesting menu that got really good reviews...it was also right next door. It didn't initially stand out because the sign reminded me of some of the old NJ shore point restaurants that had neon lighting that simply said "RESTAURANT." The place is actually called Bird & Jim, and is named after Isabella Bird and Mountain Jim (https://www.birdandjim.com/copy-of-home)

I even took a little walk around the property of our Inn just to check it out as well as the location of the restaurant.

I still don't understand the sign being right here at our lodging.

The family agreed, so we freshened up a little and walked over. We didn't have a reservation, but they were able to work us into the bar area, which had big cushy comfy seating and gorgeous views. It also had lots of unique little touches, like the fun fabric napkins.

This one is actually looking out from the restaurant into the parking lot of our lodging.

I let Sam borrow some sunglasses since it's pretty bright in there...

Kendall initially lost it because she didn't like the seating. For the rest of us, it was pretty comfy and relaxing...and we eventually got kind of silly.

(I got my glasses back for a bit)

(I think that's David's hand)

Kendall started doing a bit better when Sam let her use the sunglasses I was letting her borrow.

We started with some drinks, and I can tell you this...they do not skimp on the alcohol.

The food was decent...although, not quite sure it was worth the price tag. I get that some of it is wild game and all, but I was mixed on it. Still, it was a nice spot for dinner that kept us from having to fight the crowds in town.

(we consumed quite a bit of water)

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Sharing!

I took a few more pics around our lodging after dinner...

(numbered spaces was helpful for parking)

We weren't quite ready for bed, so we headed back into town to check out Lake Estes at sunset. We drove by the Stanley on the way there (mainly because we went the wrong way)...

Saw a banner for a festival we'd be missing along our wrong way adventure...

And then we got a bit of a surprise in the parking lot of a church we pulled into to turn around...

Yup...it's a young bull elk running through a church parking lot and into a neighborhood.

I may have gone a bit overboard, but it was the first larger animal we spotted this trip. So, we all got excited.

Once we got down to the lake, we got some nice sunset pics (even though the sun is below the hills and mountains) and David and Sam tried skipping some rocks.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

(she really didn't want to take this- she and David were fighting over her footwear)

Just keeps getting prettier!

Ducks...

Skipping rocks...

Meanwhile, someone else was off on a rock fora bit of sulking...

Just loved how the light kept changing...

I also checked out the area I wanted to run, which looked nice, but gave me some concern (more on that a bit later).

We eventually hopped back in the car and then drove up to the Stanley just to take a look.

We opted not to drive in tonight since we didn't feel like messing with the guard shack when we didn't have any business there tonight, but spotted some elk cows and their babies before moving on.

Time to head back to the hotel.

We went back to the room after this, consumed some of our leftover goodies from King Soopers the night before, and called it a night.

Coming up on Day 4- We head into Rocky Mountain National Park for the first time. This was probably my favorite day of the entire trip!

 

[MinnieM123]

I may have gone a bit overboard, but it was the first larger animal we spotted this trip. So, we all got excited.

Nope! You can never have enough animal photos -- I love them!!

We weren't quite ready for bed, so we headed back into town to check out Lake Estes at sunset. We drove by the Stanley on the way there (mainly because we went the wrong way)...

Very cool. (Did you see any ghosts strolling the property as you drove by? )

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Nope! You can never have enough animal photos -- I love them!!


Very cool. (Did you see any ghosts strolling the property as you drove by? )

This is good...because this next day is going to have a TON of animal pics.

No ghosts tonight, but I'll detail our night tour of The Stanley on our final night in Estes Park.