A slight snafu in Denver

On Thursday morning we drove to Denver.  I-70 from Rt 9 to Denver is mountainous, as to be expected, but it is a freeway so you have to keep your speed up to keep up with traffic.  White Lightning is the "Little Eurovan that could."  Those grades were so steep going up that I couldn't really push the van faster so we were in the truck lane... going 40 mph (with the speed limit being 65) without a chance that the van could go faster.  The Rocky Mountains are serious, serious business as seen from someone who only really has experienced the Appalachians.  When you are driving you feel like a little tiny bug on the road as these huge mountains and rock formations tower thousands of feet on each side of you.  You realize that the universe is big and you are not.  It does put things in perspective. 

We made it to the Magnolia hotel in downtown Denver where we had reservations.  We soon realized that downtown Denver, although they have some park space, have absolutely no place for Riley to go to the bathroom.  All the plants and flowers are either in 3 foot raised beds or in huge planter pots.  The trees have metal grates around them without grass or even gravel.  Everything else is concrete. Since Riley isn't a city dog he doesn't know how to go to the bathroom anywhere but on grass really so we couldn't expect him to figure this bathroom situation out.  So we tried staying there for one night and it was so much work to walk all the way from our room, down to the lobby, out the door, fight with tons of people on the street, cross 3 city streets and 3 blocks just to take him to pee that we decided to find another place to say. This wasn't going to work.  This was no camping vacation anymore! 

The Magnolia refused to refund our money paid for the two nights we didn't stay there.  They were in fact real jerks about it.  They didn't even ask us why we needed to leave.  So I asked if I could then donate our paid for room to a family displaced by the fire or even just the next guest.  It turns out the city hotels are inundated with families fleeing from the fires.  The manager was reluctant, but said that they currently had a program giving 10% of their profits to the fire victims and I said, "Sold!  I want to do that."  How can you say no to that?  Although the look on the manager's face indicated he did not like this idea one bit he agreed to it.  Now if he doesn't actually give my money to the cause I'm going to assume that is bad karma on his end.  I did my best to be fair in this matter since they were so inflexible and rude.  In other words, don't stay at the Magnolia hotel in downtown Denver.  We ended up leaving the Magnolia for a hotel outside of the city with grass.  It was perfect plus it was closer to my brother and Sarah. 

We were stressed and had an invitation to eat dinner at Jay and Sarah's.  She made an awesome "vieja ropa" dinner with homemade bread and Jay made some killer mojitos.  All of our stress levels slowly went back to normal.  Sarah's sister, Jenna's boyfriend, Niles also joined us as he was in town for business.  It was just what we needed- a home cooked meal and time with family/friends. 

The next day we spent the day at the park letting Riley run, and run, and run.  It's hot here but not as hot as home.  He loved it and let him get some energy out.  That evening Jay had made reservations for all of us to go to a local Speakeasy.  We walked into a little room that looked much like an old English library lined with bookshelves filled with old books.  A hostess met us at the entrance and had us follow her.  She then walked up to a bookshelf, pushed it in and we walked through the hidden door into a dark room lit by candlelight.  There was a bar and booths throughout the space.  Everything was dark wood and leather- very man cave like.  I felt so "Sherlock Holmes." We all crammed into a tiny booth and read over the menu.  It had some food but was known for the drinks.  The waiter was nice and he learned all of our names and would ask for our order by name throughout the night.  I went with the gin drink menu.  He would come back and say, "Brooke can I get you another drink?  Would you like to try something sweeter with floral tones or something more tart?"  I haven't even had a waiter call me by name- nice touch!  After we all were quite tipsy, Niles said goodbye to the group and the rest of us went to a upscale mexican restaurant down the street called Lola that was also very, very good.  I had a lobster and goat cheese quesadilla with shrimp albondigas (sort of like shrimp cakes) and wilted spinach. Although spicier than I normally get it was the best meal I've had on this trip yet.  Oh, and they made guac at our table so you could make it to order. 

This morning I went to the grocery store to stock up on food for the drive home.  Coming back the "check engine" light came on.  NOOOOOOO!!!  We are supposed to go home tomorrow....  I need to see Sergio in real life!!!!!  For safety's sake we decided to get it checked at the local VW dealership here in Denver.  The area of town seemed a little bit shady but still ok.  While we waited for the car's inspection, the mechanic suggested we get some lunch across the street at a little bar and grill.  Sounded good to us.  As we walk up to the place it was full of bikers- and not the kind that ride Cannondales or Treks.  Men with tattoos, leather jackets, ponytails, and biker boots filled up this bar.  Fine with me because I just want a sandwich.  But wait there's more!  There is a woman in a bikini and stripper platform 6 inch heels standing by the door. 
"Is this a strip club?" I ask Greg.
"I don't know.  I can't see," says Greg.
Good point.

Upon further investigation it wasn't a strip club but a bikini car wash.  It was "free" and there were 5 girls in bikinis washing the line of cars waiting for them.  They also gave out free hugs to male car washees as well it seemed and were very, very popular.  I was too intimidated to get photos of of these ladies and biker dudes- sorry folks!

We decided to sit outside on the deck and I could see all of this craziness in front of me.  Basically these girls were putting on quite the show.  Did you see Zoolander where the male models are frolicking at the gasoline pump?  This was what these ladies were doing to attract business but using a hose, a sprayer attachment, and soap instead of a gas pump.  All of them were in sky high heels and tiny swimsuits.  We saw two cars almost wreck and a guy on a bike almost run into the side of the restaurant because they were starring at this show.  I just kept laughing and describing the scene to Greg.  He really wanted to go through that car wash so I told him that if there wasn't anything wrong with the Eurovan and we could take it home today he could let the show girls wash the Eurovan.  Unfortunately for him the deal didn't go through.... 

The service department found out that there is a transmission sensor issue in the van.  Basically the sensor in the transmission is not working correctly and doesn't actually know what gear the car is in when it is in it.  As it was explained to us, we could be driving home in the middle of Kansas and be in 4th or 5th gear only to have the sensor misfire and think the car is in first gear, therefore wrecking the transmission completely.  That doesn't sound like something I want to happen.  The piece to fix it is only $150 but they can't get it until Monday.  We are so ready to come home and this was disappointing news.  I'm just glad that we caught it and it is fixable and we can then be on the road Monday mid-day.  These things happen.  We will be fine.  We have the Avett Brothers concert tonight afterall!  Stayed tuned.

On Route 9 - before the big mountains

Getting to Denver

Jay and Sarah's cat Bean, also named "Bean-face"

Sarah and Serge resting.

More biking... and then there's Sergio

Today was our last day in Steamboat.  We move on to Denver tomorrow.  All these fires are so horrible... we watch the news every night to hear about new ones popping up and then existing ones completely devastating people's live and homes.  We haven't seen any fire here, but moving towards Denver you just never really know what will happen.  Colorado Springs seems to have been the worst and they don't have it under control at all.  Boulder is bad too.  It's just so devastating.  I feel guilty watching the fires on tv and then running off to shop or to mountain bike or anything, but we haven't been exposed to this as of right now.  I hope that we sail on home this weekend without a problem.

Well, despite the fires we are still having a blast.  Greg went mountain biking with Bob today and I will not write for him, but I remember these quotes,
"Biking today was 100 times better than yesterday."
"We went up the mountain as well as down.  It was intense, emotional, and exhilarating all at once."
"One two hour mountain bike ride made my entire trip."
In other words, you need to ask him about it when you see him.  He had the time of his life.

Somewhere on the mountain.... Bob took this.

The man: Bob.

Photo from Greg's phone #1

Photo from Greg's phone #2

 On to the most important stuff though, where has Sergio been?  Let's see....

They get so much snow that the fire hydrants are extra tall.

Serge with his camelback for when he hits the trails.

Poodle in a bike basket.

On the gondola.  What is a trip to a ski town without a trip on the gondola?

Ride the Boat

History lesson: The Yampa Valley was the summer hunting grounds of the Ute Indians for hundreds of years.  The first white men passed through the area in the early 1800s.  The name Steamboat Springs is said to have originated in the late 1820s when three French Trappers, traveling along the Yampa River, heard a "chug chug" sound. Upon further investigation, they discovered the sound came from a natural mineral spring, to be named Steamboat Springs.  And there you go.

Fire update: There is now a fire in Boulder.  Boo.

Greg & Brooke update: Sunday night Greg and I didn't know what to do and were in a momentary rut.  I didn't want to camp anymore.  Greg didn't want to stay at our hotel. I didn't want to drive to Aspen just to backtrack and drive out because Colorado Springs was no not part of the plan and we just sat there uninspired.

"Should we just go home?"
"Maybe."
"I miss Sergio."
"I miss the house."
"But we have concert tickets for Saturday... and I really want to go to that and we have plans with Jay and Sarah."
"True.  I don't want to miss that either."
"Hmmmmmm...."
"Hmmmmmm..."

Then we got Mexican food and sat there for awhile when Greg says, "I want to mountain bike."
Then I say, "me too."
"Let's just stay here and mountain bike."
"Perfect!"

And it was settled.  We would stay here and figure out a way to bike.  The next day we get up early and go to the Steamboat visitor's center where I get yoga brochures, fly fishing brochures, lodging options, and a "Bike Steamboat" magazine.  While I'm calling about lodging Greg is looking over the bike magazine with his magnifier and finds an ad for an adaptive recreational activities organization.  He calls them and guess what?  Helping him is what they do so they would be happy to get him (and me by association) out on the trails.  Seriously?  It was that easy here?  Awesome! 

I then find us a studio condo that is affordable, we check in early, and take it easy until afternoon.  Then Greg gets a call from Bob who is his mountain bike guide.  He and Greg agree to meet down the road from our place at the ski and bike shop to get us rental bikes and get out there and ride. 

We meet Bob at 9 am today and get situated.  Bob is a retired ex-military man who now works on the ski patrol, is EMS, and volunteers for many things.  He was really a great person, was in amazing shape, and we are lucky to have met him.  I felt really good about mountain biking with him leading the way. 

Both of us got dual suspension mountain bikes and helmets.  They ask me at the counter if I want a full face helmet.  I look at the girl and say, "Do I need a full face helmet?" Inside, I'm thinking, "Holy ****!  If we need face cover I am out of this mess but Greg will still do it and I know he will- ahhhh!"  She assured me that I would be fine with a regular helmet and that some people like to be dare devils on the downhills and prefer the full helmet. 

Anyways, Bob, Greg, and I start getting used to the bikes.  We go up a few hills and down a few small easy trails at the base of the mountain.  No problem, right?  Wrong!  We are at over 7,000 feet at this point and going down hills are a breeze but going up....  let's just say that a hill I would normally do very easily at home had me dizzy and queasy and needing to get off the bike, sit down, and put my head between my knees.  Greg was breathing heavy but was ok.  Bob was super nice about me needing a break but my ego was slightly wounded.  It didn't help that he prefers to ride up the hill (which is over 2,000 feet in elevation in addition to the 7,000 feet where we are by the way) rather than going down.  I rode up one tiny hill and nearly had a heart attack.  I need oxygen!!  I asked him how long it took to become acclimatized to such an altitude.  He said about 6 months.  

After my near passing out spell, we decide that this will be our plan: We will all take the gondola up to the top of the mountain with our bikes.  I will hang out on top while the guys ride down.  At this point, George, another volunteer, had joined the group to ride as well.  Then they will take the gondola back up to come get me and we'll go down together on the gondola.  Sounds good to me but I'm a little worried about Greg.  Honestly though, if you are going to ride down the side of the mountain with very poor vision, Bob and George are the best people to do it with.  They took one of the many trails that started from the top.  I went to the trail head with them and looked down and said "Hell to the no, I will not go."  I'd rather live so I hung out for 45 min or so at the top until the guys came back up.  While I was waiting this family of 5 with two little kids and a teenager take off down that same trail.  Are you kidding me?  I watch for them to appear from around the bend.  I notice they are still alive and start thinking that if they can do it then there should really be no reason why I can't, right?

The guys return.  "How was it?!?!?" I ask. Greg said that it was amazing and that I would be able to do it, he thought I should try and that it was all downhill.  He said it wasn't easy but if I ride the brakes and keep control I will be ok and that he doesn't want me to regret not doing it.  My worst fear is missing out so I took a deep breath and we all took off down the mountain for a 45 minute downhill ride.

I haven't had that much fun on a bike since before Greg got sick.  It was really, really fun.  I loved it.  Greg loved it.  The trail was not extremely technical, but it was steep; very steep and there were switchbacks.  Our bikes had really good disc brakes so I felt much more confident on this bike than mine at home.  I did very little pedaling.  All my work was balancing myself off the end of the bike and steering.  At this point, Bob had left for another appointment so George was the leader and called out obstacles and directions for Greg as we went down.  Following his bright red shirt helped him out too.  The only time I felt unsteady was when we hit loose dirt and I could feel myself losing control of the bike so I either slowed down or walked the bike through those sections.  Otherwise it was a thrill ride all the way down.

We turned in our bikes and got lunch at a little bar and grill.  The waitress asked if I wanted a beer and I said "YES!!!!!"  It was stressful but exhilarating.  "What did you think?  How was it?" I asked Greg.  "It was amazing and felt great!  I think I need to move to Steamboat each summer and I need an Eriksen 29-er now." 

Greg has a ride scheduled with Bob tomorrow morning again.  The bike mechanic at the shop said that if you ride down the mountain you "ride the boat."  We can check that off our bucket list.  We rode the boat.  A big thank you to Bob and George for their time and help.  Sometimes you meet such nice, generous people when you least expect it.

Riding up on the gondola.

Bob, Greg, and George at the top of the mountain at the trail head.

We stopped for a pic on our way down.  Thanks George!

The town of Steamboat from the trail.

A few short videos of Riley at Grand Lake

"A chipmunk ate a hole in my towel!"

Today was the day I have been waiting for this whole trip and the true reason why I wanted to come to Steamboat Springs.... Strawberry Park Hot Springs (http://www.strawberryhotsprings.com/).  Greg, Sarah, Jay and I got a shuttle to the springs today and it was everything I had hoped it would be- completely awesome.

Strawberry Park is a series of pools heated by natural hot springs.  You can soak in pools ranging from sort of chilly all the way to hot tub hot.  It's hard to explain what it looked like but I will try.  It basically was a place that has a series of pools made of stones with sand bottoms.  The pools were filled with the waters of the hot spring, the mountain creek, or a combination of the two.  I think I counted 6 pools, but I'm not sure on that.  In the largest pool, the creek and the hot spring waters combined for a somewhat chilly pool but large enough to actually swim around in.  This pool had the most kids paddling around.  The other pools ranged from a size that would fit only two people, like your own personal natural hot tub, to a pool that 10-20 people were lounging around in.  All of the smaller pools had warm to very hot water.  I made the mistake of sticking my hand directly into the spring and it burned me just a little.  That was not my smartest move ever, but it did confirm to me that these were the real deal.  The place was in a valley surrounded by aspens and the hot spring that fed and heated all the pools below started on the hill above and had visible steam coming off of it.  To get a better idea of what this looked like see the photos below. 

I actually took a break, because those waters were very warm, and decided to eat a lara bar sitting by the side of one of the pools.  I got yelled at because apparently there is no food on the deck.  Oops.  I soon realized why there is no food on the deck.  A small chipmunk went inside a beach bag sitting on a chair across from me, looked around, didn't find anything and then moved on the bag next to that.  That little thing then moved up on the upper deck area and found another bag to look around in.... no fear!  You couldn't even be mad at it because it was so little and cute.  It was soon after that that I heard out of no where, "A chipmunk ate a hole in my towel!" I have a feeling these little guys have been doing this for quite a while. 

Greg and I have decided to change our travel plan from this point on a bit.  We are going to stay in Steamboat until Thursday and look for a little cabin to rent.  Then Thursday we move on to Denver.  The place where we were going to stay in Colorado Springs has been evacuated because of the fire and we decided to skip Aspen because that was a part of the whole Colorado Springs route..... so we are happy to stay put for awhile.  Routt National Forest is right up the road and downtown Steamboat has good restaurants and shopping.  We have plenty to keep us busy here.  Just cross your fingers for some rain for all of these Colorado-ians....

Greg DOES have on shorts here.... they are just tan.

Creek that ran into the larger pool.

People soaking.

The hottest of all the pools. Notice no one is in here- it was too hot!

Just another view of the same

Jay renting a towel at the little truck cabin.

Colorado is on fire

Colorado is battling intense wildfires all around the state.  As of today the area where we camped by Rocky Mountain was evacuated as 20 homes and cabins burned today.  The newscast said Hwy 66, which is the road that led to our campsite was closed due to the fire as well as that entrance to Rocky Mountain.  That fire had to be within 5 miles of our first campground and had we still been there we would have been evacuated.  Also the High Park fire still burns and another fire is outside of Colorado Springs has shut down Garden of the Gods which we were supposed to see later this week.  Everything is just so dry.  Every campground where we have been have forbidden camp fires and for a good reason.  Signs all around alert people of the extremely dangerous fire danger right now.  Colorado very badly needs rain.

We have managed to stay out of the path of the fires so far.  We spent all day yesterday in Grand Lake, hiking and sitting at the marina/beach.  I think at one time we counted 4 golden retrievers at the beach and one of them was swimming around in the swimming area having a blast.  Riley loves other golden retrievers.  It's like he knows.....

Around 3 or so the wind off the lake picked up and made it impossible to be outside.  It was like a sand storm!  We drove home and made dinner in the camper, listened to the Beatles on the stereo in an attempt to stay out of the crazy wind.  It died down around 10 or so and was back to normal. 

Also, all around our campsite there were chipmunks- like 4 or 5 of them running around all the time and I would just lay in the pop top and watch them in the mornings.  Squirrels are not that cute I don't think and I don't really care for them, but chipmunks.... chipmunks are adorable and I am a fan of watching them run around playing with each other.  I decided to strategically place myself near them one evening to get their photos but they would of course, always run away.  Finally I just placed myself by their favorite rock and waited.  I guess after about 5 minutes they thought I was just part of the landscape or something because they came out and I was able to get some cute pics of them.  My favorite is below of one of the little guys eating a purple flower.

After wringing my hands for two days about this upcoming drive to Steamboat Springs to meet up with Jay and Sarah we took off today at 9 am and made it to Steamboat without one single sweaty palm or racing heart.  The roads were 100% less scary than Trail Ridge.  As my brother pointed out, "The thing about Colorado roads is that you can actually die.  One wrong move and you are flying of the edge of a cliff."  That's what I was thinking but couldn't really put into words on Thursday.  I didn't even come close to any roads with serious cliffs coming to Steamboat.  We just had a serious descent but the van's brakes are killer- no worries there.

Steamboat Springs is a ski town.  We have a hotel here and are loving it.  We went out for drinks and dinner tonight and it ended with Jay and Sarah riding on a dinosaur with a saddle.  This is a "western" town afterall :)

Sunset on Lake Granby

Serious hikers

Adams Falls- RMNP

Chipmunk snacking on a flower.  This guy is killing me with his cuteness as we all know how I love cute things.

The pine beetle has done this to a bazillion trees. It looks like the Grinch's poor little Christmas tree.

We are thinking it's name is "White Lightning."

I found a beach in Colorado- yes!

Waiting for a table for dinner.

Time to head to bed.

The best and the worst day yet

Thursday's report: This has been one of those days that one minute it's awesome and the next it's horrible and then it immediately turns around and then back down again.  We woke up after having a good night's sleep at a cabin and we decided to move on from Estes Park.  We got in the van and drove through Rocky Mountain National Park over Trail Ridge Road which is a mountainous scenic drive.  Let's just say that mountain driving does not agree with me.  I have never been so terrified of driving in my life.  The road starts at something like 7500 feet and ascends to over 12,000 feet in a matter of about 10-20 miles or so.  At 7500 feet you have pine forests and nice mountain meadows.  At 12,000 feet you have tundra where trees don't grow and the temperature drops drastically to the point that there was still snow on the ground.

Anyways, true to it being both the best and the worst the scenery was spectacular but at the same time I was so scared driving up these mountains on a two lane road with no shoulder and some serious drop offs that my hands were almost numb by the time we made it to 11,000 feet.  I went between 20 and 25 mph the whole way.  Greg coached me on deep breathing and relaxation the whole way up because I was on the verge of completely freaking out.  Yes, it was that scary.  We drove forever and hardly used any gas.  But when the drive was done we made it.  Riley was even whining during some of the trip.  I'm pretty sure he was looking out at those drop offs and imagining us and the van falling right off the edge.  I have never seen scenery like I saw on that drive and I know for sure the photos won't do it justice.  The best part of the drive was driving in the alpine region and seeing a meadowful of elk just hanging out.  Some were lounging and some were just standing there, huge antlers and all.  I couldn't stop to take a picture because, as there is no shoulder, there were no scenic stop offs near that section so for safety's sake we kept truckin.'  We made it to the continental divide and headed towards Grand Lake, the Rocky's western entrance.  The best and the worst drive I've ever experienced.

The western side of the divide gets more rain but has been devastated by the pine beetle.  These beetles have destroyed god knows how many trees and the destruction was evident by all the dead and dying trees on this side of the Rocky's.  We made it to Grand Lake were is definitely has a western vibe with dude ranches, horse stables, and stores stocked with western wear.  We found the Grand Lake beach where Riley had a blast playing in the water and we recovered from our drive by sitting on a blanket on the lake's beach.

We asked for campground recommendations and drove sooooo far to get to one that was supposedly "awesome."  It was not awesome.  It was on a dirt road and when we got there they had no water (and we didn't have any water either) plus it was incredibly isolated to the point that we knew that even though they said the water would be fixed we didn't believe them.  There were some very strange characters working there and we listened to that little voice that says, "Not here.... do not stay here...."  It was a no-go.  We had to turn back and drive all the way back for nothing down 9 miles of dirt road.  It was a bad moment and we were both discouraged.  We finally found the perfect spot on Lake Granby and have set up shop here for the next two nights.  Things are right again.

Check out today's photos:

At 11,000 feet

I'm smiling on the outside.... on the inside I know I have to now drive down the mountain....

There are horses everywhere in Grand Lake

Van in the tundra!

At the beach

I thought this cloud was pretty.

Riley loved the water- stay tuned for a video of him

Greg talking to Mat Glaser on the phone while I bought bread

Where has Sergio been today you ask?

After the terrifying yet beautiful drive Sergio needed to rest on the beach at Grand Lake.

He isn't scared of bears.  In fact, as seen here, he sleeps through attacks.

He needed a little pick-me-up so he decided to have a little iced tea.  Traveling is tiring.

He found a little frog friend with an umbrella to shield him from the strong Colorado sun.

Day o' rest

Tuesday night it got cold.... like really cold...  and we both woke up tired and crabby so we packed up, checked out of the campsite, and went to the coffee shop to regroup and plan the next move.  I wanted a cabin.  Riley wanted a cabin.  Greg won't admit it but he did too.

At 8 am I called a few places and found a nice little one bedroom that was ready for us that morning.  We took off and checked in immediately.  Ahhhhhh, it was so nice.  We were all exhausted and needed a rest so we just went for a quick drive in the park and headed back for showers and rest.

My uncle actually lives in Estes Park so he and his wife and their friend Steve invited us for dinner so we spent the evening visiting with them.  They have a beautiful house on 35 acres.  They have a biodome greenhouse where Steve in the main gardener.  He took us on a tour where he cultivates all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and even tropical plants. It's like a tropical escape in there with banana trees, lime trees, strawberries, every kind of herb, and pretty much every vegetable you can think of.  At one point a huge frog jumped across the path and Steve told us he calls him Jeremiah.  Then we took a hike up a trail that goes deep into their property and we found out that the trail is homemade- they created the trail themselves!  It even included several bridges crossing little gullies and rock creeks.  They also have the biggest residential solar panel in all of Colorado which powers their whole house except for the heat.  They said that when it snows you have to shovel the snow off the panels. I never thought about shoveling snow off of solar panels but it makes perfect sense.  It was a nice break and a nice meal too since we haven't really been eating out except for the dinner at the Stanley.

No pics today.... was too tired....

Wedding video- this is not Colorado related!

Angie put together a short video of the wedding ceremony and here it is-  Thank you Angie!

http://youtu.be/_lhKDxAjbok

We are leaving Estes Park today but not sure where we'll end up.... more later!

Day 4: Hiking and Sergio at the Stanley Hotel

Since we are sleeping with the screens on but windows open when the sun comes up you automatically wake up so we were up at 7am ready to go this morning.  We decided to go on our first real hike of the trip so we both filled up the camelbacks, packed snacks, packed a snack for Riley, iphone for photos (I didn’t want to carry Paul’s camera on the hike although it would have taken much better photos of what we actually saw…), put on sunscreen, and headed out to the trail that leads directly into Rocky Mountain National Park.  It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day. 

We started walking and about 100 yards into the hike I spot poo on the trail…. animal poo of some type.  Whatever.  We walked on.  About another 50 feet there is more.  Another 100 feet and there is even more.  We are walking around it every other second. Now this doesn’t really matter except that we have been warned many times over that we are in bear country.  I say to Greg, “Is this a trail that horses go on or is this something a bit scarier?”  Hmmmmm…. As we walked on it was clear that this most likely was not a trail for horseback riding.  My powers of deduction concluded that this was bear poo, and there was a lot of it, and it wasn’t that old.  Commence slight freak out that Big John was anywhere around the corner. 

Ok, no need to let this ruin the hike.  We are surrounded by immense natural beauty.  It really was spectacular.  We all know bears don’t like people and stay away.  Yes this is true but it is still scary.  We have bear spray.  I hope that stuff really works.  I make Greg start to whistle just in case. We hiked from the open mountain side into a more forested area covered in white bark trees.  Aspens maybe?  I don’t know my trees very well.  Anyways, they were beautiful!  We came across what looked like a backcountry camping site and we stopped there for a water break.  In front of us there was a stack of tree limbs that were stacked into a teepee shape.  Weird!  I don’t know who did that or why but it was definitely manmade and miles into the trail halfway up a mountain.  Two words: blair witch.  We moved on and then I decided that I had had enough high altitude adventure/bear poo avoidance for the day and we turned around.  We took another trail back down that went right by a creek where we hiked around a bit and I was much calmer- no bear poo to be seen plus I got to explore the creek which was quite fun. 

We decided that we were all geared up and weren’t ready to go home yet.  We hiked a meadow trail for several hours and finally hoofed it back to the campsite, had lunch, and rested. 

We decided to go into town for awhile and stopped at a coffee/tea shop where I could post the blog.  We don’t have internet reception at camp unfortunately and the wifi station won’t work here either.  We then moved on and decided to check out the Stanley Hotel.  I had been there several years before in the winter, but wanted Greg to be able to experience it.  It is supposedly haunted, on the National Register of Historic Places, and Stephen King's inspiration for "The Shining."  Built in 1909, it was a mountain retreat for the wealthiest of the wealthy back in the day.  We decided to have dinner on the patio and just enjoy eating good food. The waiter told us about how the Colorado fires were getting worse and we could somewhat understand since it is so very, very dry here. We did worry about taking Riley in though.  Even though he has a camping bed and a chair (if I’m not sitting in it) he always seems to prefer resting in the dirt and dust.  He is now like the peanuts character Pig Pen and has a little aura of dirt around him at all times. That’s why we opted for the patio until we can get him a bath.  Sergio also made an appearance at the Stanley and seemed to really enjoy himself.

Ready to hike

Sign with rules!

Mountains

More mountains

Blair witch.....

Me

Greg and Riley

Self shot

The Stanley Hotel in downtown Estes Park

Is that a white ghost or is that Sergio!?!?

Employees claim they have heard someone playing this antique piano but when they went to check no one was there..... hmmmm.... I suspect a small white dog had something to do with it....