“Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed…We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in.” – Wallace Stegner, The Sound of Mountain Water
This past week, I got to drive to the edge of the wilderness and look in. My husband, the boys and I flew to Estes Park, Colorado to visit my in-laws. After the craziness of traveling with 17-month-old twins, being in that awe-inspiring setting was a blessing and we had so much fun showing the boys some of the wonders of Rocky Mountain National Park. Additionally, I immensely enjoyed the break from the 100+ degree weather we were having in Austin and are apparently going to have until the end of time.
View from the house
view from the house
Aidan contemplating the view
We took the boys to the Alluvial Fan, a series of waterfalls that come down the mountain and spread out into a “fan” as they near the bottom. The water was crystal clear and extremely cold and the boys enjoyed splashing and saying “cold.” They also were quite entertained by throwing rocks as far out into the water as they could.
Me trying to get Cam to notice the chipmunk that was holding my hand!
We also drove and walked up further into the park for a look at Bear Lake, one of a series of lakes created by glacial melt and water coming down the mountains. I know this because we had a great tour-guide, my father-in-law, who is a certified hike-master! The lake was beautiful, like something out of a movie, and we were even fortunate enough to see an elk just a few feet away who was grazing by the path. The boys enjoyed running up and down the paths and Aidan greeted every passerby by waving and saying “hello!”
Bear Lake
Overall, a wonderful experience. I loved showing the boys things they had never seen before and watching their reactions. We can’t wait to return in the winter and see everything covered in snow!
this pilgrim soul 