2015.07.01 Traveling to Colorado

 

How does celebrating America’s birthday in the Rocky Mountains sound?  It sounded great to our family when KK and PK pitched the idea to us a couple of months ago.  We are scheduled for 3 full days in Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park.  Sightseeing, fun and relaxation with the family.  Bring it on!

The fun started with us leaving the house at 3:45 am today, so that we could meet the rest of the family at 5 am.  And we did it!  Everybody was very surprised/impressed/flabbergasted.

Less than a mile from our house, I told Stephanie and Marissa to keep their eyes open because we might see some wildlife.  (This is not a lie, as we occasionally see deer across the street.)  Stephanie tells us, “Oh there’s a deer right now!”  “No, those are three pipes sticking out of the ground.”  “Well, I don’t have my glasses on.”  From them on, that became known as Stephanie’s three legged deer.

At 5:00, we pulled into Mom and Dad’s house, where the rest of the family was – Scott, Erin, Miles and Mallory.  We loaded up into our two vehicles and hit it.

KK asked me to lead as we left, and I was happy to do so.  That lasted until we got to Wichita and I took a wrong turn, leading us toward Kansas City.  Guess what.  I didn’t have to lead the rest of the trip!

We stopped for a picnic lunch in Colby Kansas, at Villa High Park.  They had many retro playground toys and rides that any respectable traveler would appreciate.

Picnic in Colby Kansas

Picnic in Colby Kansas

KK brought his selfie stick!

KK brought his selfie stick!

Mallory and Marissa made some friends at the playground.

Mallory and Marissa made some friends at the playground.

The drive west continued.  At one pit stop, KK noticed that a man had an old car on a trailer, so of course he went over to talk to him.  The guy had just purchased an old Plymouth from a 13yo kid.  He said he thought he knew a lot about cars, but this 13yo was like a freaking Wikipedia.  Interest in old cars is at an all-time high in our family thanks to KK and Mallory’s work on a ’66 Chevy truck.  We took it to Bowling Green for a car show last month.

KK talking with the owner of an old car.

KK talking with the owner of an old car.

We pulled into our abode for the next 4 days about 13 hours after we left.  Not bad considering all the stops we made.

I thought the Welcome note was a nice touch.

I thought the Welcome note was a nice touch.

Nothing wrong with the view from the back patio.

Nothing wrong with the view from the back patio.

We unloaded all the vehicles and made a plan for the rest of the evening.  This mostly centered around eating.  We made a huge grocery list, and Scott, Erin, KK and I went to Safeway to stock up.

Erin cooked us up an all-time great meal.  Grilled chicken, with salad and broiled broccoli.  We devoured everything and made sure there were no leftovers.

We also had cake and ice cream to celebrate Stephanie’s birthday from last week.  She doesn’t get to celebrate her June birthday with a jacket on very often.

Stephanie and her Colorado birthday cake.

Stephanie and her Colorado birthday cake.

The birthday girl has an audience.

The birthday girl has an audience.

After the food, Scott & Erin ran back to the grocery store for a few items we missed, and also a quick drive down the main drag in Estes Park.  Erin made a point of showing me some pictures of stores that had a good sale on long sleeve t-shirts.  This could come in handy for my group because they may not have all packed appropriately for the cold weather up here.

Before tucking in, we spent some time figuring out our plan for tomorrow.  It should involve some hiking and driving through the Rocky Mountain National Park.

KK and PK working on our plan for tomorrow.

KK and PK working on our plan for tomorrow.

The Rocky Mountain Road Trip has begun!

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