We slowed things down a bit today and didn’t spend miles in the car. Mid morning we drove to downtown Estes Park. We were there before 10:00 and not many shops were open.
We gradually walked down one side of the street and then came up the other side. I got some more cards and a couple of shirts and Kathy got a couple of shirts. We ate lunch at Mama Rosa – it is on the shore of the river and had a quiet, beautiful view. Food was excellent and service OK.
We came back to our cabin after lunch. I laid down and tried to take a nap. Kathy took a walk. When I got up we walked down to my favorite bridge over the river on the edge of the Y Camp. I managed to get us there and back without getting lost. A first for me! The river is low but was beautiful.
My friend I met on the Camino called and we FaceTime for a bit. Nine years ago we had our last supper together. We had met about a month earlier on the trail and this was the last time our paths would cross on the trail. They treated me to a restaurant dinner which was a real treat. They have since become really good friends and I treasure our friendship. It is always a good day when Carolyn calls.
I drove over to the gift store to get a puzzle late afternoon. I picked the wrong time to go as there was an elk jam and a large group was checking in. They were full blown checkout mental mode and hard to navigate around. Oh well, I got what I needed and came back to my cabin.
We will clean up things tonight and get things packed up so we can leave in the morning. It will be good to head home. Time works against us this time as we have to repeat an hour instead of skipping an hour like we did coming. It will take us about nine hours to get home unless we make a long lunch or breakfast stop along the way.
I have a meeting at 6:30 if I get home on time and still have a brain cell awake. It isn’t urgent that I go so we shall see what happens.
Thursday morning I will go in and pick up the dogs. I have to go back to town for exercise and then a doctor’s appointment. I may have to make three trips to town as I have 1 1/2 hour between exercise and my doctor’s appointment. Not sure what I would do in town for that long. We shall see what happens.
It felt good to slow things down a bit today and sit and enjoy the beauty of the mountains. the disadvantage of only having two full days here is you don’t get to do all the fun things you like to do. We hit the highlights and that will have to do for this trip. Seeing the aspen shimmering in the sunlight and hearing the bull elk was the main point of the trip and that was accomplished the first night we were here. The elk are still in camp and I can hear the male bellowing this evening.
Grateful for this time away, grateful for the beauty we have seen, and grateful the camp will be here for another visit at another time.