Estes Park Excursions with a little Candy Competition

Sadly, if not unexpectedly, ALL our excursions into Estes Park had to do with FOOD.  Not an unusual theme for the Highlander Clan.  First there was the Candy Competition, a brilliant idea since it kept candy in the cabin for the whole week.  Emily proposed we pit Hayley's on the south side of Elkhorn ......

against Laura's on the north side, right across the street.

Both establishments serve BOTH ice cream and candy .....

So, it was certainly a fair comparison!  We ate and ate and ate, looking for the differences ..... Finally, we had to ask..... Lo! and Behold!  Both Hayley's and Laura's share the same owner!  Hayley's makes the ice cream and walks it across the street to Laura's who, in turn, supplies Hayley's with candy!

After such an exciting competition, we were still feeling quite dare-devilish and so ..... and so.....we went to eat MEXICAN food!  A huge risk since we are oh, so proud of our Tex-Mex.  I'm pleased to report that Casa Grande's food and margaritas were very acceptable.

BMS (Bear, Moraine, and Sprague)

Hiking continued throughout the week following Memorial Day.  Three wonderful hikes were Bear Lake, Moraine Park from the Y, and Sprague Lake.  With six grandchildren ages 3 and under, these have become our favorite hikes!  First, we visited Bear Lake.  We bravely tackled the ice and snow but were not able to go completely around the lake.  One would never have guessed the conditions, given our dress!  But... Once a princess, always a princess!

Bear Lake not only provides appropriate terrain and hiking length for young children, it also offers many huge boulders that beg to be climbed!

And for the parents, Bear Lake offers many gorgeous views.  This is the Keyboard of the Winds, one of my favorite.

Hiking from the Y into Moraine Park is a treat because it requires little or no travel in the car.  Young children especially appreciate this!  Also, there is no concern about full parking lots.  The Big Thompson streams wind through Moraine Park and were especially full this year!

Moraine Park doesn't have many big boulders on which to climb, but there are small rocks which cry out, "Throw me, throw me," and into the rapidly flowing Big Thompson streams they go!  This provides much entertainment!

A highlight of any hike is the snack and this little babe is sure to get hers!

Snack time again!  This time at Sprague Lake.  On a beautiful old fallen tree.

Sprague Lake was built by Abner Sprague who wanted to create excellent fishing with incomparable views of the Continental Divide for the guests at his lodge.  Think he succeeded?  Huh?  These are Otis Peak, Hallett Peak, and Flattop Mt.

...and Hallett Peak and Flattop Mt with Tyndall Glacier in between.

Mills Lake

After one day of acclimation, Alex was ready to hike!  He and Emily chose Mills Lake, another first time hike for the Highlander clan.  Mills Lake is named for Enos Mills who was instrumental in the creation of Rocky Mountain National Park.  Highlander possesses quite a library by and about Mr. Mills!  The hike begins at Glacier Gorge Trail Head.  It climbs 750 ft. to an elevation of 9,940 ft.

The trail follows Glacier Creek and quickly arrives at Alberta Falls (.8 miles).  This 25 foot cascade is the most popular waterfall in RMNP and is named for Alberta Sprague, wife of  our friend, Abner Sprague

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The Glacier Gorge Trail continues beyond Alberta Falls and crosses two footbridges. The first  bridge crosses Icy Brook and later, after a steep climb, the second bridge crosses Glacier Creek. 

The trail continues to a shelf of exposed bedrock where cairns (rock piles that mark the trail) show the way.  In May 2010 this bedrock also sported thick, slippery ice and snow.  With only hiking boots (no poles, YakTrax, snow shoes, etc.) Alex and Emily were forced to turn back.  Fortunately, the entire hike is extremely scenic with verdant subalpine forests, sweeping alpine vistas, and fantastic views of  Mummy Range, Mt Chapin, Mt Chiquita, Ypsilon Mt, Flattop Mt, and Hallett Peak.  So, missing Mills Lake is just a good excuse to hike that way again.  Not that Mills Lake itself isn't a good enough reason to repeat the hike!  It is considered by many to be the prettiest lake in RMNP.

Memorial Day Week at the Y

Highlander's DC family had plans in Denver and so decided to join GiGi and Grandad at the Y of the Rockies for their newly annual Memorial Day trek!  The week was punctuated with a visit from Taylor and Sean with lots of time for Y activities, hiking, and visits into Estes Park.  We participated in more of the Y activities than we have in recent visits; they were all lots of fun!  Swimming and Putt-Putt were huge hits as were the Parachute Games and Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!  Attendance at the Craft Shop was, of course, imperative.  Note the very fancy jewelry (bracelet) we made:

Riding the ponies was also a necessity,

                                                                                                                                       

while Grandad and little sis watched with envy!

And, of course, where there are horses there must be hayrides and marshmallow roasts!

President's Day Weekend at the Y!

Molly and six of her sorority sisters ascended upon the Rockies to celebrate the long weekend together.  They all flew to Denver and spent their first night at Pattie's house (she's the lucky one who gets to live so close to RMNP!).  After a wonderful breakfast the next day, the girls set out for the mountains.  Of course, a detour to visit the Coors Brewery livened things up a bit!

Mollie, Carolyn, Catharine peeking from the back, Traci, Molly

Molly shows her former roomate, Catharine, where they will be hiking.

Wow!  They made it up to Emerald Lake!  First time snowshoeing for all of them.

Mollie and Molly on the Frozen Lake

The seven of them together, slap happy, with an Unbelieveably Gorgeous view in the background.  Looks like Hallett to me.

Molly, Pattie, Carolyn, Annie, Traci, Mollie, Catharine

Awww!!!  So Sweet!!!  And makes a Great Picture too!

Hurray!!!  It's been a Great Day in Rocky Mountain National Park!                          

This and That - October 2009

What?!?  You say!  The Rocky Mountains in the Fall and NO Wildlife?!?  (Save, of course, Richard Hahn's awesome photographs that now grace our walls.)  Well, I must admit, we did not see the Huge Elks monitoring their Huge Harems like we did last year.  We were never in the right place at the right time or, well, you know our chauffeur's aversion to long lines - he he!  Yes, there were very long lines to enter the Park at times.  But what we missed in drama and excitement was more than made up by the closeness of our sightings.  We found this Elk and his Harem on our way back to the Y from The Pool.

...and check out this little one!  His mother was right behind him.  It didn't dawn on me in Sept. 2008 that the young offspring were with the Elks' Harems, but I guess they would be!  That's the advantage of getting up close and personal!

Another up close and personal sighting occurred when we returned from our steak dinner at the The Rock Inn.  And, you might know, it occurred on the Y property.  Two cute little Bambis.  Mule Deer, I think?

Isn't he precious?!?

Last, but not least, it did snow!  At our low (LOW? Ha!  It's all relative!)  elevation, it was only a dusting, but it surely made everything look so pretty!

The Pool: Colors, Boulders, & Rivers (con't)

In sharp contrast to the Big Thompson gurgling along on the hiker's left and the gorgeous mountains off in the distance, granite cliffs soar high on the hiker's right side.

The crazy colors continue ...

even on the boulders ...

which become larger and more plentiful.

Insert here the most famous of the large boulder formations:  The Arch which was presumably formed when a large boulder fell from the cliffs above and split into half.  Unfortunately, this is only one of the landmarks that I failed to photograph!

Does the photo below remind anyone else of the favorite fishing and picture taking spot of some of our clan?  Remember its name?  I blogged about it here.

After a most enjoyable stroll (1.7 mi.), the hiker reaches The Pool

which is a turbulent water pocket formed below the merger of Fern and Spruce Creeks with the Big Thompson River.

Unfortunately, (again!)  I failed to photograph the very picturesque bridge that crosses The Pool and (once again!) I failed to climb the boulder on the other side of The Pool for an even more dramatic view.  My serious omissions on this hike will hopefully create interest in what you have missed in the post!  One should plan this hike for the early morn in the summer; the trail receives more sun than many of the RMNP hikes and so can become hot as the day progresses.  Also, the Fern Lake Trailhead parking fills quickly, as do many to the trailheads' parking.