We departed Frisco on September 1st and headed to Estes Park, Colorado for Labor Day. Estes Park is a base for visitors to the Rocky Mountain National Park and home to wildlife including elk, moose and bears. The city is home to the famous Stanley Hotel, which was depicted in the 1974 Stephen King horror move The Shining.
Our campground was located at the Spruce Lake Resort just outside of the Rocky Mountain National Park. We were only there for the weekend as our daughters, Ashleigh and Kimberly, were joining us to celebrate the weekend and to pick up Kinslee from Grammy and Papa.
In the summer and fall, Estes Park always has a full calendar of events. The Arts and Crafts show was in full swing over Labor Day so we immediately went shopping.
Kinslee had a great time walking among the aspen trees, smelling the aroma of roasted almonds, and taking time to smell the flowers along the way. Estes Park has a wonderful downtown full of individual shops ranging from ice cream stores to wood carvings. Our favorite souvenir and mountain gear shop is Brownfields where they have great prices and quality merchandise.
After the Arts Show and buying our souvenirs, we headed to the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) to spend the day. We were fortunate enough the Old Fall River Road was open to through traffic so the adventure started there.
The Old Fall River Road is a fun way to experience the back roads of the park. It is all dirt, full of potholes, and steep switchbacks which caused us to back up a couple of times to negotiate a curve but your chances of seeing more wildlife is greater.
We made it to the top and the weather made a turn for the worse so we decided to head back down via the Trail Ridge Road. The park’s Trail Ridge Road winds past tall mountain peaks, forests and tundra while connecting Estes Park and Grand Lake, Colorado and is the only thru road in RMNP.
Ok, now to our biggest disappointment of the trip to Estes Park. Lana and I celebrate our wedding anniversary in September and we have made it a point to vacation in Estes Park during that time. In the fall male elk, or bulls, can be heard “bugling” throughout the mountains. This high-pitched guttural noise is characteristic of the fall rutting period (elk mating season) and Estes Park/RMNP is often overran with these beautiful animals. The Elk are often seen in the downtown area, golf course, and surrounding neighborhoods. We DID NOT SEE OR HEAR one…not one iota Elk over the weekend. I guess we were too early in the season…..(September 2nd).
We wrapped up the weekend and the girls made it back to Kansas safely. Lana and I left Estes Park and spent another week at Carter Lake in Loveland, Colorado where we spent time removing the old cornice boards and building new ones.
OLD
NEW
After Carter Lake, we headed back to Kansas to see our family/friends and head off on a Caribbean cruise to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.
Tracy, the expert behind OurNextRVAdventure.com, brings over 9 years of experience in travel writing and RV living. With a Master’s degree in Travel and Tourism Management, she offers in-depth knowledge on RV maintenance, scenic routes, and campground recommendations. Connect with her adventures on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
