The Rockies Trip, July 2 - 10, 2005

(Some of the the links below take you to cameraphone videos I shot on my SonyEricsson P900 camera phone.  They're really pretty good.  Not movie quality, mind you, but great for getting the sense of something.  Vignettes.  Slices of life.  Weltanschauung.  You may need to download Quicktime viewer to watch them.  If they don't play, right-click and Save Target As... or Open in New Window....)

Yee haw, we made it.  Despite Tracey being pregnant and Tate being 18 months old, we managed to do a family camping trip to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.  It had all the elements that make for a memorable trip:  Long hours in the car , Tate throwing fits in restaurants, Tracey dashing to the bathroom at night in bear country, cheap souvenir shops.  Oh, and great scenery, good food, time together, change of pace.  I don't have to explain what a good vacation is, but you get the idea.  I was especially glad that Quinn was a terrific big brother and never got annoyed or impatient with Tate. 

After a forgettable but fun night at the Best Western in Ogallala, NE, we spent our first night in Estes Park at Pine Haven Cabins.  Ahhh.  They have a studied shabbiness that evokes casual comfort amid the grand setting of the western pine forests.  I never tire of the fragrant mountain air, the way the dry air makes it hot in the sun and cool in the shade, and the overwhelming grandeur of ancient bedrock lifted up, tilted and exposed, as if the earth had a huge compound fracture, its bones jutting out.

That night, we had pizza in Estes Park.  Tate threw a holy tantrum during dinner, but afterwards, we strolled around, shopped for souvenirs and had ice cream.  The ice cream was a huge mistake for Tate.  He woke up at 2 AM and wanted to play.  He cried for an hour.  Oh, well, we made it through the night.  Glad he never did that while we were camping.

We loved the cabin but were determined to really experience Rocky Mountain National Park.  Tracey was a great sport and agreed to camp for 4 nights, then return to our cabin for one more night before we headed home.  So, on Day 3, we headed into the park and made camp at Glacier Basin campground.  I'd bought a portapotty for Tracey to use at night, but the ranger said it wasn't advisable since it might attract bears.  Tracey took it in stride and I spent the afternoon setting up the minivan tent.  We cooked out that night and we all agreed to eat out the rest of the week.

Quinn made friends with Guillaume, who was camping next door.  He was from Quebec and spoke only French, but his parents spoke excellent English.  I talked politics with his father, Pierre, and was gratified to find a kindred soul.  Quinn taught Guillaume some Kung Fu moves and we just enjoyed sitting around the fire.  They, and almost everyone else in the campground, had a popup camper.  After setting up and tearing down our tent, I felt like I was seeing our future.  Tracey couldn't get comfortable the first night.  I don't think I pumped up the air mattress all the way.  Anyway, in the morning, we agreed to cut our camping to 3 nights and, fortunately, Pine Haven had an opening for us. 

On Day 4, we took our time waking up, then headed into town for breakfast.  We scored big at the Beverly Hills Diner.  I had trout and eggs, Quinn had chocolate chip pancakes and we left with a rhubarb pie for later.  We drove back into ROMO and took the Old Fall River Road.  Wow.  I'd never taken this route before and it's one of the best drives I've ever done.  Reminded me of the Going to the Sun road in Glacier, but it's a dirt road, so it seemed wilder, more back country.  Quinn had fun climbing as usual.

We took it easy and went back to the campsite mid-afternoon.  Tracey took a nap while the rest of us did a short hike.  I didn't know exactly where we were, so I was surprised when we emerged at Sprague Lake.  Easy hike with a big payoff.  Great views of Hallett Peak:

Our plan for Day 5 was to do the Grand Loop (or whatever it's called) across the Continental Divide to the west side of the park and back again, about 120 miles.  We stopped and had breakfast in the van and Quinn and I climbed a big rock.  Then, we took another run up Old Fall River Road but this time we continued down the western slopes to Granby and Grand Lake.  We shopped a bit there and Quinn bought a $4 stuffed frog that ended up entertaining him for hours in the car.  We had a picnic lunch on Grand Lake.  As we were leaving, we saw a moose.  Last year, Tracey obsessed about seeing a moose in Glacier and never saw one.  Quinn said he had seen a moose several times before, but Tracey hadn't, so it was a big deal.

We ate out that night at Mama Rose's, an Italian place in Estes Park.  Delicious, affordable spaghetti and meatballs, but Tate threw another fit.  We got through it again.  Hard to believe we gave our parents this much trouble.  We picked up some firewood on our way back to camp and had a bonfire.  Tracey turned in and I held Tate by the fire and looked at the stars.  They looked like thousands of other campfires across the galaxy, making it hard to believe no one was sitting around them, too.

For our last morning at the campsite (Day 6), we made a big fire and had s'mores for breakfast and I finished the pie.  Our only task was to check into Pine Haven and relax.  Tracey went into town to do laundry and buy food, and I had my laziest time yet watching the boys.  Quinn watched some cartoons and Tate and I napped a bit.  Then, we went down to the playground.  Kids want to do the same thing no matter where they are:  play.

That evening, Tracey cooked and we enjoyed cabin life.  Quinn and I made frequent trips to the hot tub.  I made plans for our last day of hiking in ROMO.....

Friday, Day 7, we made our last trip into the park.  We had unbelievable good luck and found a parking place at Bear Lake, which was great, because Tracey could join us in walking around the lake.  Here we are with Hallett Peak towering behind us.

Then, she went into town to shop while Quinn, Tate and I saddled up for a hike to Nymph Lake, then Dream Lake and Alberta Falls.  Perfect, moderately strenuous hikes with plenty of other hikers so I wasn't concerned about bears.  There are only 30 or so black and brown bears in the park, so it's not a big danger, but with Tate on my back, I didn't even want to come close.  On the way, we had spectacular views of the Glacier Gorge cirque.

For our last night in the cabin, Tracey cooked steaks and Quinn made friends with the boys in another cabin.  They were from Indiana and their folks, Robin and Jim, invited us over for cake and ice cream for Jim's birthday.

I went to Estes Park with my family when I was a kid, so it's full of memories and subtle pull for me.  The West is just a great, spiritual place:  playground, time together, solitude, retreat, adventure.  ROMO charges $20 per week per car.  Disneyland charges $56 per person per day.  I told the park ranger that ROMO is a much better value when it comes to theme parks.  And there must be $500 billion dollars worth of boulders alone in the landscaping.  Disneyland can't touch that.