Monday, July 24, 2017

A sunny Sunday in Colorado Part 3


Sunday morning we checked out of the cabin in Estes Park.

This is the room I was sleeping in with a quilt on the bed.

I noticed summer cabins in Minnesota also had quilts on all the beds.









I don't know where these were made but no quilt police around ... 

If you ever begin to feel your quilting stitches are inferior, you have only to check these out.

I have heard of something called "large stitch quilting" but not too sure thin is what it means. Certainly the stitches were not only large but widely placed as well.










The rustic cabin furniture was made of very heavy wood.


Even the chairs around the dining table were difficult to move.

In the morning we had planned to do some scenic hiking in the Rocky Mountain Park, and set out early hoping to get a good parking space.
Back over the mountain pass and over the tree line ...


Herds of deer ... or elk covered the grassy areas.

One antlered male and lots of old and young family...









After entering the park and driving along the park roads into the trail heads ...

The road was blocked! 
Parking full
Name not on the list 

turn around and drive back toward the entrance.

Next was plan "B", another hiking trail in a different area. We set  off up another road only to be turned back short of our destination by a full parking lot.

I am still wondering why the entry gate did not mention that there was no parking and those areas were all closed to visitors before taking the entrance fee.

Luckily my senior pass at least saved us that expense ... except for gas.


We did enjoy the scenery as we headed out of the park and back to the Longmont area for a day trip to Button Rock Dam. It may have been plan "C" but if you like rocks and trees and water, it was a great choice and I can't imagine plans A or B being any better.


The hiking road was wide and sunny but the view around every bend of the river was lovely.



.I have to admit, I came home with a few very pretty sparkling rocks.

There were swallows nesting among the cliffs of rock and the cool sound of rushing water.



At the base of the dam there was an outlet with gushing water casting spray in the trees below. Cool and refreshing but too noisy to talk.


We decided to climb the rest of the way up to the top of the dam, stopping in the shade of some pines to eat out lunch.

The Ralph Price reservoir above the dam supplies the water for the Longmont area where my son and his family are living.






The trails were wide and rocky with very little shade. We grabbed what shade we could before making the return trip.


Since we had scrambled up the rocky hill to the top of the dam, we decided to tale the wide smooth road back down.


The view from the bridge shows the overflow stream.


Lots of water running in all directions...


And sunlight glittering on the pines.

It was a lovely way to spend the weekend ... even if the first part didn't pan out.

10 comments:

  1. It constantly amazes me how quickly the parks fill in summer. I remember casually hiking and camping throughout my childhood. Now we all need reservations. How refreshing to know so many people enjoy the parks today even though we have to share. What a lovely time you've had.

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  2. lovely quilt, very long stitches, and utterly beautiful scenery.

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  3. Stunning scenery Julie, love the blue sky and water streams. Would love to see your sparkly rocks

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  4. Oh, so different from Tokyo, except maybe the parking problems!
    Did you catch your toe in the quilting on the quilt?

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  5. Lovely photos. There are lots of cheap, Chinese quilts out there. They are why people don't understand what goes into a 'good' quilt, since they can get the Chinese quilts for so little money (less than I can buy the fabric to make a quilt top).

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  6. Totally enjoying your pretty pictures of your travels through the US. Safe travels!

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  7. It is such a beautiful area. Love the photos. It would never occur to me to book into a hiking trail. I have a lot to learn.

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  8. I close my eyes for a minute (well maybe it was actually three weeks) and you have done a tour across the US! Sounds like you have been having a great time with friends and family, seeing lots of old haunts and outdoors, and quilting all the while! I have enjoyed following you on your trip so far.

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  9. Your photo taking has improved immensely! Great shots! Visiting the great outdoors has become very popular over the past couple of years. So popular that we are finding all the parks way too busy during the summer. RV sales have skyrocketed, but there are not as many new campgrounds to accommodate all the new campers. National and State parks are understaffed and under funded. It is probably a good thing that they limit visitors to certain areas.

    I love the fact that camping with family has become a favorite past time. It is a great experience for all the family, but there are times when it feels like we are back in the city. Summer now comes with a lot of loud music/tv/voices, late parties, gunning engines, too much traffic, and that is just in the campground. ;)

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  10. Wonderful adventure - such amazing scenery, and I can almost smell the trees in the sunshine.

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