When Jana and I found cheap flights to Denver and began planning our trip, Estes Park was the place I felt best about going to. Not only did the area look beautiful, but my parents had visited here during their honeymoon! It was easy to fall in love with this place.
Upon arriving in Estes Park, an adorable quaint town at the base of the Rocky Mountains with plenty of shops and sights as well as perfect location to the Rocky Mountain State Park, we headed straight for the visitors center to check out suggestions for hiking trails for our next day. This is where we learned that it was nearing off season and that the weather would prevent much of of enjoyment. However, when Jana and I are together and really nothing can get in the way of a good time!
Since it was quite late in the day, we went up and down the shopping street and into every taffy store that advertised "Free Samples!" The weather was cold and rainy, but the autumn leaves were on full display and the pink geraniums down main street were still in bloom. I call this the best of both worlds! Although we ate so much taffy that we weren't too hungry for supper, we ate anyways and spend our time at the restaurant going through pictures and warming up.
The next morning we woke up early, layered up for the chilly mountain weather, and headed into Rocky Mountain National Park to find some trails. The weather was not good. Gray skies with rain drizzle occasionally. Although the landscape was breathtaking, the clouds made it impossible to see the snow topped mountains.
Upon arriving to Bear Lake, we made the loop around, admiring the fall leaves and snow topped pines before they disappeared into the clouds. The reflection on the water was simultaneously breathtaking and eerie.
There were trails nearby so we choose to head up to Nymph Lake, which was a much more difficult trek, especially due to the high altitude and low air pressure making us feel like we were so out of shape! My favorite part of this hike was that the farther up we went, the more snow covered the trees around us. So wintery! (I failed to mention, that when we boarded our plane the following day, it was 90 degrees!)
When we descended back down, the fog had increased and it was impossible to even see Bear Lake. We were lucky we arrived when we did.
Sprague Lake was our next stop, but without the clear skies, the views were not what we were expecting. It was up until this point that I was hopeful that the skies would clear up, but I distinctly remember telling Jana that I was giving up hope that we would see the snow capped Rockies.
Of course, God always prevails. And not long after we returned to our car to head back to Estes Park, the clouds parted, blue skies appeared, and the Rockies made their debut! WE WERE SO EXCITED AND GIDDY! We decide that instead of driving back, we would continue driving and stop throughout to enjoy the views. This made me so happy and can not get over the beauty!
It remained sunny for a good amount of time, and it seems as though as soon as we started to drive back to Estes Park, the gray clouds resumed. Oh what a great and glorious God we serve, that he allowed us to see his beauty! I won't easily forget the views and feelings I felt this day.
We went back to Estes before we headed back to Denver, stopping in Boulder once more and eating the most delicious pizza I've ever eaten while in America, and Denver was colder and rainier than Estes. We enjoyed the 16th Street Mall and Larimer Square, the most historic block in Denver, and snuggled into our hotel room for the night (which required us asking for extra blankets at the front desk because the hotel had not turned on their heat for the season yet!)
We fit a lot of adventure into one weekend and I am so glad we did!
"Never lose an opportunity to see something beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting."
Xo,
