Hello Rocky Mountains! (finally found an WiFi connection, 7-18-06)
We thought we would tour Glen Eyrie Castle and/or hike the canyon behind it before we left Colorado Springs. Last trip to Colorado, Eric had taken the bigger kids and done the hike but had been unable to do the the tour. Glen Eyrie is the home of the Navigators ministry but was originally the home of the founder of Colorado Springs. We couldn't do any hiking this time because there were flash flood warnings issued, and the castle was closed to tours, so all we could manage was a driving tour of the grounds and walking around their rose garden. They give out cassette tapes to entering visitors to play in the car to direct your attention to interesting things. We saw an eagle's nest there.
We went back to the Lorrigs, had lunch, and finished packing up and getting the camper down. On our way out of town, we decided to fill up on gas and get a few things for supper. Found a Sam's Club and I (Margaret) went in to shop. It was a really quick shopping run, but the sky started falling. There was a Sam's employee with a big umbrella helping people get their groceries to their cars. Eric pulled up right in front, the guy held the umbrella, and I threw stuff in the side door. I was still as wet as if I had been in a shower. Eric then drove over to the covered gas pump area and we rearranged the food to fit in the cooler we had bought the night before and poured the ice over it.
The drive up to Denver was uneventful. The rain stopped shortly out of Colorado Springs, but their were signs of recent rain all the way. Getting into Estes Park (the Gatlingburg of the Rockies), lots of people were bustling about. We got to our campsite (Moraine Park elevation ~8000), set up, & had our sandwiches inside the camper as it was pretty cold and the kids weren't up for eating outside. Also, the bouncing around inside the camper had shaken the Coleman lantern mantels to bits, so we had no lantern.
- Previous: Colorado Springs
- Next: Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park