Full disclosure: this campground has WiFi so there is no reason that I don't have pictures up from today other than shear laziness. I don't want to get out the computer, the camera, load pics, choose pics, makes posts, post... I'll probably get to it in a day or two and then hopefully use the ride home to get things somewhat squared away. If we have to run the generator I can use the power cord for my laptop and get the pics at least sorted a little bit.
The wet weather of Wyoming (isn't alliteration fun?!) followed us into the canyons of Colorado. The morning at the hotel was pretty laid back. Time for a little breakfast, swim time for the kids and Tom, pack up a bit, and then on the road south. It was a nice drive down into Grand Lake (near the West entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP)) - even got to see some snow-capped peaks in the distance.
We got into Granby, the town just before Grand Lake for a late lunch at a little place called the Chuckwagon Cafe. Nice food, good atmosphere. From there we planned on heading to Adams Falls for a little hike that is just inside the National Park. I'm wasn't sure where the trailhead was so I figured we'd just go to the entrance, get a map, and then see where to go. Before we got to do that, we came across several cars stopped alongside the road and got to see our first bull moose of the trip! After a few pics from a couple of different angles, we continued to the Visitor Center to get a map. Instead of a park map, she gave us a separate Adams Falls map because we had to actually go back out of the park, through Grand Lake, and to a trailhead on the edge of the park.
The trail wasn't long (.3 miles) and didn't seem to gain much in elevation but there was a lot of ups and downs. They did have stairs carved in to the steep spots, so it was a relatively easy walk in. The Falls were interesting; they cascaded down several levels before making a 90 degree turn and continuing their fall. We could have hiked up a little offshoot trail a bit to see a couple of bull moose in a meadow but Sophie was dead set against that one! So, back the trail we came and on to our campground.
We are camping at Elk Creek Campground tonight just outside the National Park. Nice little place; they did warn us that moose like to bed down just behind our site so we'll have to be on the lookout for that. Word on the street is that they are not very friendly when startled. The kids LOVE this place because they have a little playset with slides and swings, a little playhouse, and a creek that they could walk in. Sophie said THE most adorable thing when we first went down. A little girl, about 6 or so, was going to let Sophie in the playhouse but said to Max (who was trying to come in too) "You have to stay out; only girls are allowed." Sophie replied, "This is Max, he's just 2 and he wants to come in too, can he come in?" It worked! The little girl let them both in. It was so sweet how Sophie addressed the situation and not only included her brother but did so in a polite manner. Oh my heart just melted!
There was another girl at the creek (she said she just turned 9) and she encourage the kids to take off their shoes and go in to look for a crawfish. After checking with me if they could (good kiddos), the kids took off their shoes and ventured into the water. Sophie was petrified that she was going to step on a crawfish (I'm certain she doesn't know what they are, but anyway...) so she would usually jump out at the first sign of life. Max liked the water but thought it was cold (it does go further up his legs that Sophie's so he was clambering in and out. One time too many, he slipped on the shore and got a bit wet so we had to return to the camper for a new set of clothes.
Dry clothes on, we returned to find even more kids at the play area. Sophie was in heaven - Max tried to tag along too but they were all playing pretend (mermaids and hunters) and he didn't have the patience/understanding to really get into it. I think he was just excited every time someone ran by him. Sophie tried to play a little, but she didn't like the idea of someone hunting her so she let them know that she didn't want to play that. The kids were so nice, they included her on the periphery of the game and she didn't have to worry about someone "getting" her. The highlight of Sophie's evening though was when one little girl came back with homemade little foam necklaces for the 3 girls. Sophie was just beaming that these two older girls were including her and even gave her a necklace. One happy kiddo. I'll have to get a picture of her tomorrow wearing her necklace. She put in a place of honor right next to her bed tonight.
So that's it for the night. One load of laundry (Max's mudslide necessitated that) and then off to bed. The plan is to take off fairly early tomorrow and head through the park along the scenic Trail Ridge Drive. Then it's off to Loveland (a little bit of a detour) to get our rental car, and then on to Jellystone. Not quite sure about our site but it was the last one available (and there wasn't a lot to choose from in Estes (at least according to the internet)) so it's gotta be fairly good. We do have sewer hook up, so at least we won't have to dump on the way out on Friday morning.
Last leg of the journey but still have some amazing stuff to see. Really enjoying the hills/mountains around here and can't wait to see what RMNP has in store for us!
