The most exciting news of the week was on Wednesday when we were joined by some wonderful family members. Beth's first cousin Shelly and her husband Kenny from Palmetto, Florida came to visit and will be with us until we check out on Tuesday. They're not only wonderful family, but they're also great friends which makes it really special.
It wasn't long after their arrival that we trudged through the snow the twenty five paces to the hot tub. There's no better place to catch up on the latest news than while soaking in 102 degree bubbling water surrounded by freshly fallen snow. After catching up, and relaxing our muscles, we set out for an adventure that started very docile and ended going downhill, literally. We drove into RMNP, where once again we shared the park with more elk and mule deer than people. After the peaceful, relaxing drive we found ourselves zipping down the sledding hill below the local YMCA. With three or four runs down the hill and no broken bones we declared Shelly the champion of sledding for both distance and artistry (she successfully completed a 360 degree spin while traveling at a breakneck speed) and called it a successful first day.
By 9:00 AM we were off on our adventure. The recommended trail was the Lily Lake Trail, a .8 mile loop trail which is located within the boundaries of RMNP just a few miles south of Estes Park. The lake, which was completely frozen over, sits in a valley surrounded by mountains. Much to our surprise, and thanks in part to a nicely worn path, we all picked up on snowshoeing quickly. Our intentions were to complete the loop trail and pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. Even though we were first timers and at 8900 feet elevation, we made it around so effortlessly that we turned around and retraced our steps. The scenery around the lake was as spectacular as our snowshoeing skills! Proud of our accomplishments, we made our way back to the cabin and rewarded our efforts with a nice long soak in the hot tub.
We were thrilled to learn that the roads to one of our favorite areas of RNMP, Bear Lake Road had been cleared and was now open. Feeling proud of our morning accomplishments we headed out for a second snowshoeing adventure at Bear Lake. Because the area had been closed since the major snowstorm the path around the frozen lake wasn't as well traveled, so it required a little more effort. Even though we were sometimes knee deep in snow we made it with only one issue. Beth politely moved to the side of the trail to let a family pass and suddenly found herself laying in a bed of snow with her head pointing down at a forty five degree angle. It wasn't an easy position to recover from but after a great laugh, and a few minutes, she was up and we made our way back to the starting point just in time for a mountain sunset. Snowshoeing was a great adventure that we'd definitely do again if we found ourselves at the right place at the right time.
Friday was spent walking the Lake Estes Trail, enjoying a well earned lunch at a local restaurant (Notchtop) and soaking in the bubbly waters outside our back door. In the evening, Shelly and Beth enjoyed a movie at the cabin while Kenny and I took in part of the Estes Park Bobcats first football game of the season. Colorado was one of the states that canceled their fall high school sports and activities schedules due to Covid so they're playing a "spring schedule" (if you can call 35 degrees "spring") this year. We enjoyed the action until the cold temperature got the best of us.
We don't check out until Tuesday. There will be plenty of more laughs. and time to soak in the awesome scenery, both at Estes Park and RMNP. Of course, there will be a few more sessions in the hot tub between now and then as well!
