Earlier this month Brad and I decided we wanted to get away, but the dilemma was how to get away in a pandemic? We figured the best way would be to simply take our quarantine on the road, so we rented an RV and headed out of town for a week. Our destinations were Colorado and New Mexico. I'm writing this post from our last stop in New Mexico. More on that after we get home.
We left last Friday and meandered up to Estes Park, Colorado, by way of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Pueblo, Colorado. In Estes Park we met up with John, Troy, and Sirius. They brought their tent and camped a couple of campsites away from us. It was great to hang out with them for a couple of days.
Sirius is an experienced camper and he especially seems to like the fact that food is involved in this endeavor.
We planned this trip very last minute so our campgrounds we weren't in any national or state parks, which means that our surroundings were a bit more out in the open than we would have liked. Still, in Estes Park we had outstanding views when the skies were clear. For rookies such as we are, we figured it was just as well since we wanted to have all the amenities afforded by being able to hook up to electric, plumbing, and water. As I kept telling the kids: we are not camping, this is just a hotel on wheels.
Troy could only stay one night as she had work, so when she took Sirius home the three of us were able to go on a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park (which doesn't allow dogs). The rain and the elevation made for an abbreviated but also somewhat rigorous outing. We had a good time together and took advantage the rain to take a drive around the park, which is stunningly gorgeous beyond description or my photographic abilities.
Our next stop was just south of Colorado Springs, a campsite in Manitou Springs near Garden of the Gods. Garden of the Gods is a large city park amid some beautiful red rock formations, near the base of Pike's Peak. We did some walking, attempted some cycling (cursed by the brutal combination of elevation and hills), and finally when it was once again raining we just drove through the park.
Our niece Lauren drove down from Denver and once again the people trumped the panorama. Seeing Lauren and John and Troy (and Sirius!) has definitely been the highlight of our trip. Even though we couldn't hug and had to sit at a distance, it was terrific to hang out with some familiar and beloved faces.
Finally, this squirrel gave me a lot of laughs. She was looking for a handout and acted as though if she posed I would comply with a treat. I must have sorely disappointed her as she got no handouts, but I still got some hilarious pictures (and I'm sure we dropped enough morsels on the ground by accident to satisfy her).
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