Jeffrey and I seem to always go to Estes Park when I am injured.  If you are asking yourself if I am injured so frequently that we have a designated place, the answer is yes.  I seem to have just learned to walk yesterday.  Anyway, for once, the injury was on my hand and not my foot, so I have more mobility that usual.  We had planned on my semi day off to go to Rocky Mountain Park and do a “glorious” hike with the boys.  I put glorious in quotes because our dream was squelched, once again by a no dogs sign.  My belief is that the restriction is because of all the wildlife around, and being that they are so curious and ignorant, I recognize the importance of this rule for both my animals and the wild animals safety.  Jeffrey patiently waited and looked for other possible hikes while I managed to get some nice pictures of an old barn at the base of the trail.

Unfortunately, we were not able to find a hike that the boys were allowed on.  So instead we took a highly rated drive through Rocky Mountain Park.  On our way up it was sunny and on our way down it was raining.  That is mountain weather for ya.  We did manage to have a motorcyclist take a picture of us at the top of the drive, certainly nothing spectacular as one should expect from a stranger, but nonetheless it is a picture with both of us in it , which doesn’t happen often.

The one bad thing about Estes Park is that there are no good restaurants.  Estes Park Brewery was a HUGE letdown, not only in their beer, but in their food and especially in their service.  Laura’s does provide much satisfaction for the sweet tooth, but one still needs a meal prior to all the sugared indulgence.  On our way home, Jeffrey detoured for a nice evening sunset hike.   It is important to note that the next few pictures were taken in a neighborhood on our way to the off-roading trail (that’s how we got around the dog stipulations).

These did make the boys go wild…

As I took these next few photos, I found myself, clicking picture after picture, finding instant gratification so often found these days in the digital age.  Looking at the pictures I was constantly reminded of many of the paintings by the artist in the Hudson River school.   The post rain air provided for a soft hazy sky that diffuses the light that is reminiscent of luminism so often found in their romantic landscapes.  The first generation of painters from the Hudson River school focused more on the Northeast, but it was the second generation that expanded their horizons to the west.  It was their beautiful depiction of the west that helped to draw people to come settle in the west.  It was also the beginning of placing importance in preserving the beauty of this land by the creation of national parks and city parks, priorities that still remain strong today.

And of course I convinced the boys to pose for me in front of the Aspens.

The only thing prettier than the Aspens changing colors is the sound their delicate leaves make rustling in the wind.  Nature’s wind-chimes….

The playful elk, yellow aspens, and blazing sunset were the perfect ending to a, well, perfect day.

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