Sunday evening we repacked our stuff, which had, in the course of just two days, somehow exploded all over our little room at the YMCA. After the cleanup, we went into Estes Park again and had dinner at a little café right next to a fast-flowing creek, overlooking preservation land. Here’s another shot of the little town of Estes Park, as well as a photo of our dinner (you can see the rushing water beyond Chris’s sweet potato fries).
Monday morning we had our free breakfast at the YMCA—here’s a shot of the dining hall. It really is like a big summer camp.
We finished loading the car and checked out of the Y, and then headed back into Rocky Mountain National Park. We took a couple of great hikes to Alberta Falls and Mills Lake, and we started a hike to Bierstadt Lake before the dark clouds started moving closer… so once again we cut our hike a little shorter than we wanted to, in order to avoid being above tree line if lightning should appear (that brings our total to 3 lakes we didn't see because we were scared of big clouds). But most of the day was really gorgeous. Here are some shots of the day.
This is where we ate lunch!
We loved Rocky Mountain NP and would really recommend it to anyone. There are easy hikes for small children or older folks, where you hike less than a mile and are rewarded with a cool view; there are also much more challenging hikes for the hard-core adventurers. And having Estes Park nearby gives you a fun place to go for dining, shopping, or just people-watching. We hope to go back someday.
Leaving Estes Park. But we'll be back.We left the park in the mid-afternoon and headed down to the town of Boulder. We checked into a fun hotel called Boulder Outlook Hotel, which bills itself as “Boulder’s First Zero-Waste Hotel.” 
They use recycled and compostable products and encourage recycling wherever they can, including separate recycling receptacles in the rooms (there’s even a bag in your room where you can put compostable stuff and they’ll compost it for you!). They have a lot of water conservation mechanisms built in, as well as a non-chlorine indoor pool, and they power the place partly on wind power. The rooms are not fancy but they are perfectly nice, and the pool and lobby area is great (I am sitting by the pool right now, using the wireless internet, while our dirty hiking clothes get washed in a guest laundry room down the hall). They have some rooms that are pet-friendly as well as a dog run on the property; they have indoor “bouldering rocks” to climb on; they can get you a massage or private yoga class in your room; they will loan you bikes if you want, etc. It’s a lot of fun.
After we checked in, we again had to kind of force ourselves to rally and get out and explore the city. We found the section of Boulder with tons of restaurants and shops, and had so much fun walking around. There were “acro-yoga” demonstrations in front of the Prana store, a string trio of what looked like college kids playing classical music on the sidewalk, tons of places to eat outside, and lots of people on bikes. We walked by two parents standing there with their two kids (maybe ages 8 and 10?), apparently making plans for the remainder of the night, and the mom asked the kids, “OK, bikes or car?” And the older kid, without hesitating, says, “Bikes!” Awesome.
We looked at a LOT of menus as we walked around—the dining scene in Boulder seems really cool, with lots of variety. We eventually settled on Brasserie Ten Ten, recommended to us by our friend Rob, who told us to order a cheese plate.
We did, and it was really unbelievable. The rest of the meal was great too, but this cheese was pretty awesome. And we continued our dining al fresco streak—we have now had at least one meal outside 6 of the last 8 days!
This morning I am taking care of laundry while Chris takes the Prius for its 5000 mile check-up (update: it’s all good! -CWL). The little car is doing well, even on these mountain roads, and we are still getting about 47mpg fully-loaded which is pretty great. We’re spending one more night in Boulder and then tomorrow we head to Albuquerque. I have to say, though, we have really loved our time in Colorado and definitely want to come back.
They use recycled and compostable products and encourage recycling wherever they can, including separate recycling receptacles in the rooms (there’s even a bag in your room where you can put compostable stuff and they’ll compost it for you!). They have a lot of water conservation mechanisms built in, as well as a non-chlorine indoor pool, and they power the place partly on wind power. The rooms are not fancy but they are perfectly nice, and the pool and lobby area is great (I am sitting by the pool right now, using the wireless internet, while our dirty hiking clothes get washed in a guest laundry room down the hall). They have some rooms that are pet-friendly as well as a dog run on the property; they have indoor “bouldering rocks” to climb on; they can get you a massage or private yoga class in your room; they will loan you bikes if you want, etc. It’s a lot of fun.
After we checked in, we again had to kind of force ourselves to rally and get out and explore the city. We found the section of Boulder with tons of restaurants and shops, and had so much fun walking around. There were “acro-yoga” demonstrations in front of the Prana store, a string trio of what looked like college kids playing classical music on the sidewalk, tons of places to eat outside, and lots of people on bikes. We walked by two parents standing there with their two kids (maybe ages 8 and 10?), apparently making plans for the remainder of the night, and the mom asked the kids, “OK, bikes or car?” And the older kid, without hesitating, says, “Bikes!” Awesome.
We looked at a LOT of menus as we walked around—the dining scene in Boulder seems really cool, with lots of variety. We eventually settled on Brasserie Ten Ten, recommended to us by our friend Rob, who told us to order a cheese plate.
We did, and it was really unbelievable. The rest of the meal was great too, but this cheese was pretty awesome. And we continued our dining al fresco streak—we have now had at least one meal outside 6 of the last 8 days!
This morning I am taking care of laundry while Chris takes the Prius for its 5000 mile check-up (update: it’s all good! -CWL). The little car is doing well, even on these mountain roads, and we are still getting about 47mpg fully-loaded which is pretty great. We’re spending one more night in Boulder and then tomorrow we head to Albuquerque. I have to say, though, we have really loved our time in Colorado and definitely want to come back.
Yay, road trip, and yay, Prius :) I've had mine for 9 months now, and still love it. It's been on a few road trips within California, but nothing like yours, so jealous.
ReplyDeleteHow is that I am just now finding out about this blog? Is it because Facebook and I broke up? Damn.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see pictures of the OCEAN (you know so that I know you are safe).
The YMCA of the Rockies Conference and Resort Center outside of Estes Park, CO is one of the best kept secrets! We have traveled the world but go back to the Y year after year. There is something for everyone from 0 to 100 years of age. It is the BEST vacation you could ever find. Generations of families attend and it has been written up in lots of magazines and on TV. You can rent everything from Rustic cabins to vacation homes to beautiful lodge rooms. There is a library, a church, snack bar, restaurant, cafeteria, sand volleyball, tennis, mini golf, indoor pool, day camp for the kids, a state of the art craft center, nursery school for the little ones while you hike, hike masters, lectures, concerts etc. Almost everything is free. There is even a stocked fishing lake for the kids. But SHHHHHHHHHH - we don't want too many people to know about this great vacation place nestled into the Rocky Mountain National Park!
ReplyDeleteOur family has made YMCA of the Rockies near Estes Park a summer destination for the last thirty years. Now we go as an extended family with in-laws and Grandkids. It's so beautiful and yes, just like a grown-up summer camp: hiking, trail riding, crafts, serious porch sitting, mountain biking... Lots of evening activities, too! This is a very affordable vacation. There is a YMCA camp near Winter Park, too.
ReplyDelete