We finished up our time at the Coho Cabin in Rosburg a few days before we had originally planned. We had spent Wednesday checking out the coastal town of Westport, which was about two hours away. It was a long, but very fun day. It was our last planned outing during our stay in Rosburg. We were looking forward to spending the remainder of our time in Rosburg enjoying the cabin and river until our scheduled check out on Monday. However, sometimes plans can change quickly and this was one of those times.
After Rosburg our plans were to go back to a place we've enjoyed several times before, Estes Park, Colorado. From Rosburg to Estes Park is about a twenty one hour drive. From Washington we would be passing through parts of Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and into Colorado. When we lived in Texas we would often make the drive of a similar length to Florida and back nonstop. We're not as young as we used to be and there isn't much of a schedule to adhere to anymore so we planned to make the drive in two days.
We knew that there was a big winter storm brewing that was heading for Colorado. The more we watched the weather the larger the storm seemed to be growing. Estimates of snowfall seemed to be growing not by inches but by feet. Weather reports were predicting a possibility of up to four feet of snow. In just a couple of hours we went from enjoying a beautiful sunrise on the Columbia River to being packed and on the road by 9:15 AM. It was so hard to leave Rosburg and the Coho Cabin behind (Thanks Krista, Bill and Leon!), but we figured that we'd be better off being ahead of the storm rather than trying to navigate our way to Estes Park during or just after it. Also, Beth's sister Cindy told her we shouldn't miss a once in a lifetime chance to experience a major snowstorm. Onward into the storm we went!
Our goal for day one of the drive was Twin Falls, Idaho. Had we waited and left on our scheduled check out date we would have left Rosburg around 4:00 AM so we'd arrive in Twin Falls in time to check out the Shoshone Falls. Unfortunately, given the late start leaving Rosburg, it was dark when we arrived. Both the Silver Bullet and us needed some rest so we headed straight to the hotel. It was a long drive, but there was some incredible scenery along the way that made it an enjoyable drive.
Day 2 of our journey to Estes Park was much like the previous day. Great scenery, bad singing and the holy trinity of long distance driving trips; gas, bathroom and food, back in the car and keep moving. Not quite with the same speed and precision as a NASCAR pit stop, but very efficient nonetheless.
We arrived at Estes Park around 3:00 PM. By 4:00 we had all the food unpacked, had found our bathing suits and were enjoying the hot tub. We were unsure when the snow was going to start so we peeled ourselves out of the hot tub in time to make a twilight drive a few miles into Rocky Mountain National Park. The park isn't crowded at this time of year. The weather and the late hour in the day made it really empty. I think it's fair to say we saw more elk than cars, which made watching three bull elk grazing near Beaver Meadows even more enjoyable.
We woke up this morning to very light snow flurries so we decided to make another drive into the park. The park service ranger at the entrance told us that the park would most likely be closing later in the day and that it may be closed for a few days. We were happy to get one more drive in before the snow apocalypse. We made note of where we were taking pictures. Assuming the weather people are accurate we hope to have some great "before" and "after" shots once the park reopens.
Did we make the right decision? It's hard to know, but as I am writing this on Saturday afternoon, the snow is falling here in Estes Park. Although the total snowfall amounts expected are dropping a bit, it's going to continue into tomorrow, so who really knows. It's likely that parts of I-80 will be closed or at a very minimum driving would be slow and hazardous. The fireplace is lit in front of us and the hot tub is about 25 steps away out the back door. So yes, we're comfortable with our decision to leave, thankful for the memories of our time in Rosburg and looking forward to a return visit sometime in the future.
We're also looking forward to having some very special family members join us on Wednesday!
