Last day in the Rockies

Estes Park, CO

Today was our last day in the Rockies. We had many things on our “to do” list, as there was just so much we wanted to squeeze in before leaving the area. Seth and Leah had signed up for an archery class at 9:30, so they were off in the morning and later reported really enjoying it. Chloe and I set off to town (Estes Park) for some shopping. Our mission was to find a hoodie or zip-hoodie for everyone in the family, as well as a few other little souvenirs and gifts. We were kept busy until about 2 p.m., but had a lot of fun! Tom enjoyed some quiet time with his newspaper and book, and then later had lunch with the kids.

In the later afternoon, Chloe and I headed to the YMCA craft center to make a couple more bead creations with Shanna's help. It was again overcast and a little rainy and we were doubtful about our hopes for one last hike, but by the time Jared got off work at 5:30, the skies had cleared and we packed up the whole family and headed out to RMNP. We arrived at the Alberta Falls trail at about 6:45 and had an awesome evening hike to the falls. The kids loved hiking with Jared as he enjoys trailblazing off the main path into slightly more daring routes, and of course they all followed his lead. Walking through the aspen grove and viewing the falls was a great way to end our time in the Rockies. After our hike we were all hungry for dinner, so we ended our evening at Smokin' Dave's BBQ. We then dropped Jared off at his dorm and said good-bye until we meet again in August.