Colorado Part 5: Let Freedom Ring!

We headed up the Trail Ridge Road at the RMNP -- the highest continuous paved road in the U.S. -- in search of scenic views.  The road winds and curves through the length of the entire park starting at Estes Park on the east, reaching a breathtaking (literally) height of around 12,000 feet, crossing the Continental Divide (which marks where water flows east versus west), and ending west side of the park at Grand Lake.

Checking out the views at an overlook.

Another pit stop above the tree-line in the Alpine tundra.  Don't let the sunshine fool you ... it was coooooold and windy way up there.

 Brrrrrrrrrrr!  Max was ready to head back to lower elevations and warmer temperatures!

We headed back down the Trail Ridge Road to the Junior Ranger Headquarters at Hidden Valley.

We were lucky to stumble upon two activities.  First, we arrived just as some park rangers and a group of about 25 visitors where filming a segment for the National Park Service's website.  August 28th was the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.  As I'm sure you recall, a portion of the speech talks about letting freedom ring from various locations across our great nation.  Our group walked up a hill with the beautiful mountains behind us with bells in hand.  One of the rangers read a portion of the speech, and when he got to the part that reads, "Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!", all the kids rang their bells like crazy.  There were a few takes, and the one they ended up using for the website included Scarlett getting bored mid-bell-ringing and asking to be picked up and Max getting hacked off because they ran out of bells and he didn't get to ring one.

[This is where I would insert the link from the National Park Service's website so you could see it for yourself, but the national parks (and website) are currently shut down.  When the Congressional shenanigans are over and the website is back up and running, I'll post a link.]

The next fun activity at the Junior Rangers Headquarters was a presentation by two national park firefighters.  They showed their gear to the kids, did a little fire demonstration, let everyone check out their truck (while some of the moms (and grandmas, I might add) checked out the firefighters), and handed out badges to the kids.

After a picnic lunch, we wandered around Hidden Valley and engaged in Max's favorite activity -- throwing rocks in water.

 Unintentional butt bump while gathering rocks.

On our way back down to Estes Park, we checked out the Alluvial Fan.  In July 1982, Lawn Lake broke through a natural dam and tens of millions of gallons of water rushed down to the valley floor.  The water swept trees and car-sized boulders with it, creating a 42-acre "fan" of debris.    

Chris climbed up to get a closer look.

The water was freezing cold, but Scarlett loved sticking her bare feet in it.

Max ... not so much (which is surprising given that it was the perfect opportunity to engage in rock throwing).

Taking in the beautiful scenery at the Alluvial Fan at the end of a long day.  Note Scarlett's head on Chris's shoulder.  So sweet.

Colorado Part 4: Strawberries, Cupcakes, and Bears -- Oh, my!

You can't go to Colorado without doing some hiking.  But hiking with two toddlers isn't exactly a walk in the (national) park.  So we asked around and decided to do a hike (more like a leisurely stroll) around beautiful Bear Lake in the RMNP (that's the Rocky Mountain National Park if you're not down with the lingo).  Bear Lake delivered with beautiful views, a big snake (!) on the trail, and even a bus ride to the trail head (which may have been Max's favorite part).

Max was ready -- let's do this!

Max points out the sights to Mommy and BB.  (It was drizzling in case you're wondering why BB is dressed like Sponge Bob Square Pants.)

Paw, Grandma, BB, Max, and Scarlett in front of Bear Lake.

The whole gang.

Scarlett points out a big rock she'd like to climb.

Scarlett and Grandma taking cover from the afternoon rain.

Another day we ventured over the YMCA of the Rockies at the base of the RMNP.  That place is amazing.  It has a lodge, cabins, day camp for kids, horseback riding, mini golf, an indoor pool, and all sorts of other fun recreation opportunities in an absolutely gorgeous setting.  Now, I'm no expert on YMCAs, but I'd be shocked if there is a nicer or more scenic YMCA anywhere in the country.

On the agenda for our YMCA visit:  pony rides.  Meet Strawberry ...

... and Cupcake.  (Check out the stylin' hairdo on Cupcake.  Looking good little guy.  Looking good.)

They had a trail that looped through a clearing in the forest for the pony rides.  Scarlett had a blast and would have taken off by herself if we'd let her.  Max was more skeptical and required two handlers (one horse leader and one baby balancer).  Given his reaction to chipmunks and butterflies earlier in the week, I would have expected him to run for cover at the sight of Cupcake, but he managed to hold it together.  

Max decided at some point that he wanted to get down, hold the lead rope, and walk Cupcake around himself.

Max!!!!  Look out for the .... never mind.

"Oh, MAX!!"

Scarlett posing with her trusty steed.  Not sure why Strawberry is giving us the side-eye.

Thanks for the memories, Strawberry!  (Note the sign behind him that says "Please Do Not Pet the Ponies."  While Scarlett pets the pony.  Ok, so that might explain the side-eye.  Strawberry is a stickler for rules, apparently.)

Colorado Part 3: Heritage Festival and the Stanley Hotel

One morning we checked out the Heritage Festival that was taking place at the fair grounds, which included a combination of old west exhibits and a horse show (and a few kid-geared activities like face painting and a petting zoo).  

Checking out the antlers and tepees.  

Petting the pelts.

Scarlett's arrowhead.

Face painting.

Watching the horse show and staying dry during a rain shower.

Building a log cabin (note the work gloves).

Max lends a hand.

Posing with the bear at Mountain Munchies after lunch.

One afternoon we headed over to the historic Stanley Hotel built in 1909.  The hotel served as the inspiration for Stephen King's novel The Shining, which was later turned into the horror flick starring Jack Nicholson.  The adults were interested in checking out the hotel, and we figured the kids would have fun at a monarch butterfly release that they do once a week in the summer.  (They raise the butterflies on site and you can see them at their various stages of development.)  Little did we know that the butterfly release would turn into a bit of a horror show itself ...

Front of the hotel with a storm brewing in the background.

Hanging out on the front porch.

Waiting for the butterflies and throwing rocks into the pond with BB.

Scarlett got to unzip one of several butterfly cages.

I was expecting hundreds of beautiful butterflies to flutter delicately up into the air and head off to begin their lives as glorious Rocky Mountain butterflies.  Instead, they were sort of dumped unceremoniously onto the sidewalk while hoards of kids stomped around trying to pick them up, pet them, and in a few unfortunate cases, smash them.  It was basically a butterfly massacre.  Stephen King may have arranged the whole thing, now that I think about it.

Max wanted no part of it, and put his finely-honed clinging skills to the test once again.  Perhaps he was imagining the butterfly with a tiny little axe and a maniacal grin running through a hedge-maze.  (That happened in The Shining, right?  Except obviously not with butterflies.  I think.)

Post-butterfly release, with (mostly) smiles all around.  Probably the happiest of the bunch were the handful of butterflies who actually managed to survive and escape from the Stanley Hotel.  Sort of like in The Shining.  But not really.

The End.  (Look out Stephen King, there's a new master storyteller in town.)