Tuesday, September 22-27, 2009

Day 18-22

Bob woke up at 5:00 but let me sleep to 6:15 AM. After a hot breakfast, we continued on our way east to Colorado via Wyoming. You can imagine our groans when we saw snow on the mountains and some on the ground. We wish that we had the time to visit Yellowstone National Park, but that will have to be another trip, since we are excited about seeing Dan, Gail, Eric and Holly in Colorado. By 3 PM, we pull into Dan and Gail’s driveway in Niwot. It is so good to see their smiling faces and open arms. After getting settled, relaxing, great conversation and a wonderful dinner, I crashed at 8:30 PM. Bob and Dan talked computers and 5th wheels for awhile longer.
Wednesday, we eased into the day and after a good breakfast, we headed to the Flat Irons Fitness Center with Dan. What a beautiful place with the most comprehensive services that I have seen in one place. It felt good to get the ol’ bodies moving again and the blood flowing. Later in the afternoon, D & G take us to the local Farmer’s Market where we sample lots of goodies, but buy fresh and organic (of course), corn, green beans, tomatoes, apples, and peaches.

The market is located right next to the Teahouse, a gift from Boulder’s sister city, Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Artisans created exterior ceramic tiles and the hand -carved, hand painted ceilings and sent them over to be re-constructed in Boulder. It is exquisite to say the least.

On our way to the car, we are entertained by some talented, young musicians called the Dovekins. You could tell that they loved playing and listening to their unique music brought smiles to our faces.

Our mothers would be proud of our dinner menu tonight…we ate beets, corn, green beans, and fruit along with our curry chicken.
Thursday is another relaxing morning. I love this easing into the day and then playing. We are off to Rocky Mountain National Park but first we have to stop at Camping World. Bob and Dan looked like either two little boys entering a candy store or for my female friends, two women entering a shoe store with a major sale. Of course, Dan had to introduce Bob to all of the latest and greatest must-haves for the 5th wheel. I am ready for some hiking in the mountains and get them out the door. As we get to Estes Park, we are mesmerized by the beauty of the Rockies.

We spot a herd of elk, one protective bull and his harem of cows. On our way to the car,

some trail riders on horses pass by and offer a great “postcard” picture.

We decide on a hike on the East side of the Park at Bear Lake trailhead. We start our hike to Emerald Lake, a 3.7 mile hike. Dan reminds us to take it slow since we are at 8100 feet elevation and will be gaining as we hike. We take his advice since we both notice our lungs letting us know that we are not in Alaska at sea level. It is a good trail and notice that the aspens are starting to turn. We pass Nymph and Dream Lakes before getting to Emerald Lake. We sit and enjoy our picnic lunch in the sun while Dan points out Hallet Peak and Flattop Mountains where he has rock climbed.

It made me shiver just thinking about going up the wall of the 1200+ foot peaks. As soon as the sun goes below the mountains, we head down the trail and it begins to snow but only briefly. We had already experienced graupel on the way up so we are not surprised by the snow. On the way down, we see Longs Peak, Storm Peak, and Thatchtop, all in their fall glory. We definitely need to come back to RMNP to do more hiking. On our way out of the park, traffic is stopped to let more elk cross the road. We are treated to the bull elk “bugling”, probably trying to attract more females. It is eerie and impressive. Thanks Dan for a fantastic day. Our evening was spent at Bob & Sue Hicks’ lovely home on a lake, enjoying a delicious chicken cacciatore dinner and their wonderful company. We met them last summer when they traveled to Alaska with Dan & Gail. We enjoyed ocean kyaking and camping with them in Homer and Seward.

It’s Friday and we are excited about seeing Eric and Holly. After a workout at the gym and saying our goodbyes to Dan & Gail, we drove to Golden..

Our friends, Rich and Nancy Patnode from OH, along with their friends Alan, Pat and Barb from MO were on their way to Winter Park. Between cell phones and the GPSs, we are able to meet for lunch. Rich is a high school buddy and he and Nancy came to Alaska last summer to visit us.

 By 3:30, we pull into Eric and Holly’s in Littleton, CO and are so excited to see them. After catching up on all of the news, Holly and I go for the 3 mile walk around a lake close to their house.

It was a beautiful day and I enjoy our visit. E & H had to take us to their favorite ice cream place and it was a treat, especially my favorite black raspberry. We rationalized that since we did not eat dinner, we could splurge on carbs!
Saturday was hot, hot, hot! The four of us met Shane Seeba, formerly from Alaska, and his girlfriend, Jessica at a restaurant on the lake. It was good to see them and eating lunch on the deck in the sunshine on lovely September day was delightful, not to mention delicious.

Later, Holly takes me to the Outlets shopping and the guys decide to go to a movie. I am impressed with the prices and get lots of good deals for the 5th wheel. That evening, E & H take us to yummy dinner at Claim Jumpers. We thought Alaska had big portions! We felt like wimps splitting a meal and were stuffed.

Sunday was a busy day. Holly and Eric packed for their trip to Europe and we re-packed our truck for the trip to Elkhart, IN.
It was another fantastic day, almost too hot, but we were not complaining. We did convince Eric to wait until it cooled off before going for our walk. We get to bed early so can get an early start in the morning. Our visit with Eric and Holly was too short but we had a great time. We wish that we were going to Europe with them…maybe next year for our 40th wedding anniversary!