Rocky Mountain N.P–Day 1

The decision to hike in the Rocky Mountain N.P during the week proved to be the right one, it still was crowded but nothing like during weekend days.

We plan to hike in the park for a few days trying to hit the great spots as much as we can especially waterfalls and great vistas.

Today we chose to hike in the Bear Lake corridor,but parking at the T.H was a challenge,finally a car pulled our and we were able to get the parking spot.

At first we took a 2 Mile round trip to the beautiful Alberta Falls ,an easy hike to and exceptional full blown falls at 160’ altitude.

All along the path it was possible to walk on the rocks , see the river run and the falls from different angles,it was a surprise to see the falls running in full swing as there was still snow on top of the mountains.

After a short break we took off to 3  lakes: Nymph Lake at 225’,Dream Lake at 425’ and Emerald Lake at 605’ ,so you can imagine that this 1.8 Miles one way was a climb…but surly very very rewarding.

The trail was very well maintained ,the weather was great till a point when it started to rain ,each water drop like a Ping-Pong ball,but we were ready….and nothing could spoil this beautiful hikes.

On the way we encountered some Elk and Chip Monks , all I supposed are used to people and they just posed for us as if asking “please take a picture of us”…

The hike was not to strenuous and not to long but still I was surprised to see many hikers walking with regular finger sandals  and carrying a small water bottle,I hope they made it OK.

Our picnic took place along the river and it sure was great and tasty at the end of this fantastic day.

This of course did not replace our dinner prepared by Chef Shula and Su Chef Danny (doing the dishes and getting the wine…)

Fresh Solomon,Fresh Salad,Kinoa,Sweet Potatoes and Red Wine….

Loveland Colorado and Benson Sculpture Park

I had a bad 2 days ,severe pain at my lower stomach moved to the lower back,it was like climbing the wall without the ladder, we had our suspicious thoughts but when it did not fade we drove to an E.R in Loveland.

They were very nice  although the nurse had problems finding my veins and kept “playing” around with the needle in 3 different spots till he finally got it, I still have black signs in those places.

After the blood check and the scan,the doctor had 2 things to say :

A.”You have a stone in your kidney”.

B.”It is only 3mm so it will find its way out by itself, we do not have to pull it out”. event we decided to take a day off and do some sightseeing.

First we stopped at the BEER festival in Fort Collins but found out that it was not for us and drove to Loveland Lake for a short walk .

Then continued to Benson Sculpture Park and enjoyed the exhibition very much.

                    

We were “home” by 5:30 PM and are getting ready to hit the road early tomorrow to hike in the RMNP.

Estes Park Colorado

Estes Park is a groomed ,beautiful town at the entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park.

It has everything one can look for ,great main drag with beautiful shops ,restaurants and bars,a river running through the town,lakes,picnic area and magnificent mountain views.

Actually we planned to hike in the RMNP but did not realized that in the weekends the park is packed and the parking areas at the trail heads are full, so we decided to stay in town and start our hiking on Monday, that is what I like about traveling the way we do , it is all flexible…

There was a Norway  festival going on at the main square,we enjoyed watching their folk dancing and  Viking fights,I also found out that many Americans that immigrated from Norway had never visited their home land, all they said was “ my ancestors are berried in Norway but I did not have a chance to visit yet”.

We had to cool off and could not resist this Ice Cream shop,it was really a treat.

At around 3PM we started to look for a picnic table to have our lunch,it was a difficult task and maybe the great selection of food places made it so ,but we did find a great spot next to a lake and enjoyed the scenery as we ate.

The town had a series of big band music in an out side beautiful amphitheatre,it was a while since we had a chance to listen live to big bands,we absolutely love it and nothing better to grab a chair ,sit on the lawn and enjoy this music in the nature.

 

Around 7PM we headed “home” ,I like the peaceful time on the way back from a hike or an event,always with a good music discussing with Shula about the great day we had and how lucky we are to do what we love to do.

It was all the way East  along a river with the sun at our back,this of course is the preferred direction to go  while the sun is low and shiny…

Another great day in Colorado.

Longmont,Loveland Colorado-meetings friends & Family

After 13 years traveling with our 5W it is the  first time we are coming back to the same State…Colorado.

We have been here 10 years ago and made some friends and with the ones that we stayed in touch we wanted to meet again and catch up.

We chose to camp for 3 days in Longmont CO fairgrounds and visit 2 friends and one  nephew.

In 2005 while hiking we meet Warren & Tami ,with them was an 11 year old girl,we walked the hike and talked with them enjoying their company and the the young girl’s behaviour.

At the end of the hike Warren gave me his business card and we stayed connected through e-mails and Skype,now 10 years later we meet a 21 year old lady and had a great time with Tami & Warren.

 

In 2005 we pooled into a C.G at the Grand Canyon ,next to us parked an A class and the owners were trying to get their gas grill going with not to much of a success, so I pulled my grill out and handed it to them before leaving the C.G for a hike.

Coming back in the evening we were invited by David & Cheryl for some drinks and stayed in touch till we met again a week ago…we all got older,wiser and slower but we stayed friends.

My nephew is doing his PHD in Bolder University and it sure was a great opportunity to visit his family that expended from 2 to 3…and now they have a 3 months old baby named Ari.

So here we had 3 days of socializing,catching up and having fun.

Today we moved to Riverview RV park near Loveland and it will be our home till 5th of July,woow it was hard to get a site in such a short notice ,but we did it.

From here we will do side trips to Estes Park and to Rocky Mountain N.P to do some hiking .

Eldorado Canyon S.P CO

This beautiful Canyon is located just 3 miles south of Boulder ,in the space of one mile ,the cliffs of Eldorado Canyon reveal a 1.6 billion year panorama of geologic history and it sure is a great outstanding views.

 

Rock Climbing 

 

And hiking

We started hiking  the Eldorado Canyon trail,the T/H starts near the river and it climbs sharply towards a beautiful meadow with outstanding views towards the high mountains,the first 1/2 a mile is tough and then 1 mile moderate.

 

 

This walk built our appetite and we pulled out our picnic set that is always ready in the truck ,together with our lunch box and some drinks got a great place near the river and enjoyed it while listening to the roar of the running water.

As it was just still early we decided to hike another 3 miles along a levelled trail just above the canyon and have the view of the waters and mountains,we did not feel “heavy” after the meal because it was mostly fresh vegetables with humus and fruits. 

  

It is amazing to have such a nature phenomena so close to the city ,we enjoyed the atmosphere ,the clear air and the cool air coming from the river.

We found that Eldorado Springs ,a small community is located just out of the park with houses directly on the river,it seems special and people keep for themselves in surrounded in this natural beauty.

If the river stays low as this then they will be fine…some of the houses have beautiful gardens and some look like they do not care at all,a strange nice place…

A great park one of many beautiful nature places in Colorado,we are so waiting to explore.