Rocky Mountain National Park 1
Johnny Jones, 1 July 2001
We knew we needed to vacation near Amy's training center, just outside Denver, since she had just one week between her Discipleship Training School and the School of Worship. We had to decide whether to go an hour or so south to Colorado Springs, or a couple hours north to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).
Colorado Springs was a sure thing. We had vacationed there twice, and we loved it. Besides the incredible hiking, we found a small town not far from Pike's Peak where we could rent cabins. We loved the little restaurant At Green Mountain Falls, and the gazebo on the lake. We enjoyed going to see Van Briggle Art Pottery and watching them throw the pink and aqua vases and cups.
When Bryan and I went to Colorado Springs in the fall, we discovered a long bike trail that followed the river. And at the bike shop, I got a great map of the trail system in the area. We were set!
But we had been there before that was both the virtue and the vice. We had never been to RMNP. There were indications it might be magnificent. One night when I couldn't sleep I perused their website. Was it just my sleepy mind that made it sound incredible?
"The park's rich scenery typifies the massive grandeur of the Rocky Mountains....Elk, mule deer, big horn sheep, moose, coyotes and a great variety of smaller animals call the 416 square miles of the National Park home....June and July are the best months for seeing the wild flowers....Almost 90% of the park is managed as wilderness, making it a great place to enjoy solitude and the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains....Hiking is available on 346 miles of trails."
But what was there to do, besides hike? On the Estes Park side there were more choices: Restaurants, mini-golf, tourist attractions. But the area was too expensive for a year when Amy was on mission training and Bryan was in grad school. So I began looking for something on the other side of the Park, in Grand Lake.
It became obvious Grand Lake was a small town; there were none of the glitzy ads on the InterNet, none of the fliers tucked in slick-paper full-color photos of the places we might stay.
I found a little cabin that attracted us, because it had three bedrooms. They were small, but it would provide the kind of space we needed. And the price was right.
Both Bryan and Amy thought going somewhere different would be nice, particularly since Amy had spent a couple of weekends in Colorado Springs. She served as tour guide to some Asian girls who would have missed the attractions otherwise.
But Chip kept asking, "What is there to do besides hike?"
Shawn, the lady who rented the cabin, said there were jet ski rentals and trail rides. She said we were close to town, and there were restaurants and shops there.
We reluctantly decided on Grand Lake.
The drive up from I-70 on Sunday was a little frightening. There was road construction, necessitated by falling rocks that had gutted the pavement. And the people behind us were in a bigger hurry than we were. Amy felt their frustration, knowing how we feel when people crawl along highway 32, but she couldn't find good, safe places to pull over. In fact, being close to the side of the road wasn't at all comfortable for her; rather than our Missouri trees, there were sharp drop-offs below.
So our caravan made its way up, up, up although Denver is the mile-high city at above 5000 feet, Grand Lake is over 8000 feet up.
I was holding my breath about the cabin. Shawn said, "It's just a cute little cabin." So I didn't know whether the "little" meant a less-than-full-size kitchen, or a cramped living room, or just tiny bedrooms.
We were delighted as soon as we walked in the door. Our cabin had its own yard with a little fence around the side and back, and it featured a full-size sofa and refrigerator (whew!) and stove, and even a microwave and coffee maker and toaster.
The next morning was lovely we couldn't think of anything more appealing than trying out some of the trails.
We started with one in the area, the Adams Falls/E. Inlet Trail. When Chip and I started getting tired, Bryan and Amy decided to go farther and meet us at the car.
Theirs eyes were shining when they got back to Amy's Corolla. "Wow! I wish you could have come farther with us!" they said.
I couldn't imagine how what they saw was better than the massive falls, the stream that fed it, white and rough for miles, the lodgepole pines pointing straight and tall towards the sky, their babies looking like knee-high Christmas trees. The gray, jagged rocks, the little purple flowers, the dusty trail going in and out of shadows we felt like Hobbits.
But our children assured us the views got better up higher. Later in the week, we learned they were right.
continued at Rockies 2
