Monday, October 7, 2013

Holiday Road

The Hess family cabin near Loveland, CO where we spent the night with cousins Kim, Bill, Brad and Colton. Wow is it awesome! No phones, running water, although it was pretty luxurious.

The old outhouse on the right, the new double seater on the left. Storm clouds brewing above.

Side view of the cabin.

Altitude causing the potato chip bags to poof up with air.

The meadow at the cabin.

More of the view of the meadow and mountains. Can you smell the pine?

A cow "lady" moose eating a snack. She was big!

The lovebirds posing in the outhouse.

Cousin Bill bear-proofing the cabin. 

Big Thompson Canyon, Hwy. 34 headed to Estes Park, CO. Three days later it flooded and washed out the highway, yikes!

Katie white knuckling it up through the switchbacks. Driving skill level: professional.

A view of the switchbacks, can't see over the hood.

Our condo at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. This is my kind of camping!

Did somebody say granite kitchen?

A view from the loft.

The Historic (and supposedly haunted) Stanley Hotel. It's actually georgeous inside, although I didn't get any inside pics, darn! The Elderflower Mule I had and the F.O. Stanley drink Chris had were top shelf drinks at the bar.

Elk just as we entered Rocky Mountain National Park.

Katie standing at the top of a who knows how tall mountain because we couldn't see down 10 feet for the fog. It was called the "tundra", not enough oxygen for trees to grow. And not enough oxygen to cure my Elderflower Mule hangover.


Christopher deciding which way we should go.

Ah the glorious Mount Rushmore! Tourists, fanny packs, cameras, flip up sunglasses, you name it.

Katie and Chris in front of the heads. It was really kind of an honorable sight considering today's government situation, shut down and all.

George from below.

South Dakota scenery.

The Iowa flag and the year it was considered "Iowa".  The end.