Day 17: Estes Park, CO

We woke up and drove to a nearby Safeway to purchase a yogurt and some fruit for breakfast. We headed straight into Rocky Mountain National Park and were amazed at the difference in how much we could see in clear weather. We drove 21 miles to the Alpine Visitor Center and hiked the short but strenuous trail up to the summit, which is 12,005 feet above sea level. We read along the way about “taking your breath away” and definitely struggled to breathe well at that elevation. We drove the windy road back down through the mountains, constantly taken with the views.

We were very hungry when we exited the park and settled on Smokin’ Dave’s BBQ as our lunch choice. Arielle loved her Wild Salmon Reuben, and Abe enjoyed his Buffalo Ribs (with blackberry barbecue sauce), with sweet potato fries and regular fries on the side to share. Who knew that a barbecue place would have such a good vegetarian option?

We returned to our hotel to take advantage of their free bike rentals. Arielle opted for a kid’s bike because she is the perfect combination of not tall and not confident on a bike. We crossed the street and joined the Estes Lake Trail, which runs for three and a half miles around the lake. The one intense uphill section was rewarded with the sight of a number of deer crossing the street in front of us. We continued the ride, and when we reached the end of the trail, we turned to go into town and biked up past the Safeway to the Stanley Hotel, the inspiration for The Shining. Arielle was annoyed about the steep uphill but found the workout worthwhile. We returned to the hotel and FaceTimed with our parents while Abe did donuts on his bike in the parking lot.

We decided that dinner the night before had been so delicious that we would order the exact same food and eat it in front of the bonfire outside the hotel. We drove to Sweet Basilico and got to meet the owners, who were very gracious, this time. The food was just as good, and we enjoyed some conversation with a couple visiting from Florida around the fire. Too full from dinner, we played some more Connect Four and air hockey, in which Abe scored on himself much more than either of us scored on each other. We swam in the huge pool as the end credits from Despicable Me 2 played on a big screen next to it, distracted only by one kid who wouldn’t stop splashing despite repeated glares from Arielle. Our dip in the hot tub was nice, and our only disappointment was finding out that the bonfires had been extinguished due to an emergency stop, so our s’mores kit went sadly unused.

Approximate number of miles covered: 62