Sep 13

Sep 13 Rocky Mountain National Park

In July of 2014 we went to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado for 10 days or so with Eric, Jodi and the grandkids, along with Lil’s sister Vivian. The first two days we were with Viv in Fraser, CO where we visited Grand Lake and watched the Fourth of July parade in Granby. In the afternoon we drove to the small mountain town of Kremmling to watch the fireworks display on the night of the 4th. Then we joined Eric’s family in a large rental property near Estes Park for a week. Highlights included a horseback ride in the mountains, watching another 4th of July parade in Estes Park, going to the Rooftop Rodeo in Estes Park, and several day hikes to Monarch Lake, Emerald Lake, and Copeland Falls, For the last night we drove to Nederland, which is an interesting small town near Boulder and took a hike in the Caribou Ranch open space.

Granby and Grand Lake

The first two nights we stayed with Viv in an Airbnb just outside the small town of Fraser. When I was growing up in Colorado in the 50s and 60s, Fraser was famous because it was often the coldest town in the state, and sometimes in the country, during the winter months. During the day of the fourth we drove up to Granby and Grand Lake and took a short hike to Monarch Lake and watched the holiday activities on the lake and the parade in the town. On the way we had some close encounters with a pair of ospreys and an elk in the woods. We also drove along Trail Ridge Road and took a couple of short hikes off the summit.

Mountain columbine, the state flower of Colorado

Cruising Grand Lake in an old American classic

A close encounter with a bull elk on a hike near Granby

Fourth of July Parade in Granby

The 4th of July parade in Granby was a most unusual one, emphasizing the wild west history of the region. It featured many groups of horseback riders, Rocky Mountain National Park rangers, firefighters, lumberjacks, and groups in old west costumes. As I remember, there wasn’t a high school marching band with cheerleaders.

Kremmling and “Fire up the cliffs”

To watch the evening’s fireworks we drove to the small mountain village of Kremmling where there was an old-fashioned picnic and “Fire up the Cliffs'“ fireworks display. I was curious to see Kremmling because we used to come to the town when we were kids living in Denver and Aurora in the 1950s. My father had a friend who worked at the large dam above the Green Mountain Reservoir in Kremmling for the Bureau of Reclamation. If I could remember their names, I would have tried to look them up. The family had several boys and girls and I remember learning how to catch nightcrawlers in the wet grass at night by flashlight in preparation for fishing on the following day.

Old fashioned BBQ and picnic in Kremmling before the fireworks

A small display in the parking lot while waiting for the main event

Estes Park

Eric and Jodi rented a large rental house near Estes Park for a week with a terrific view of the surrounding mountains. We took a horseback ride through the woods which everyone seemed to enjoy except for Michael who was too young to ride alone. We watched the rodeo parade in Estes park and took several hikes in the park.

William really seemed to enjoy the horseback riding

Unfortunately, Michael was too young to go horseback riding. He was not a happy camper when he figured this out.

Hike to Emerald Lake

One afternoon the whole crew took a longish hike to Emerald Lake. En route there were several rock piles that the grandkids were determined to climb. There was a wonderful view of Emerald lake with the Rockies in the background at the end of the hike.

Rooftop Rodeo

One of the highlights of the trip was to attend Rooftop Rodeo in Estes Park. As I was raised in Colorado, rodeos were a common experience in my youth. However, for most of the others, this might have been their first experience with rodeos. The grandkids seemed to be enthralled. This rodeo was in my mind pretty much a classic, with all of the traditional events albeit on a small scale as compared with something like the Cheyenne Mountain Days, including a sheep riding event for kids to end the show. The kids loved it so much that they went on the following night for a second view.

Horseback rider with the Colorado state flag

Nederland, CO

On the last night we had rented an Airbnb in the small village of Nederland, in the mountains west of Boulder. Nederland has the feel of a town with a hippie vibe and vestiges of the 1960s. One of the unusual sights is the Carousel of Happiness, which consists of rides of whimsical animals, all carved by a single sculptor so there is a very consistent theme. The next morning we took a hike through the Caribou Ranch Open Space.

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