Rocky Mountain Adventure
Last Tuesday afternoon, the Olson minivan headed south on a familiar course: headed to Orange City, IA. Jason's home town. We spent the evening there and woke early at 4:00 am in preparation for a 10 hour drive to Rocky Mountain National Park.
It was good to break up the drive even that little bit----10 hours seems so much less than 14 when you are doing it all in one day! We were prepared: lots of books on tape, snacks, toys, and no DVD player! Yes, friends, you can drive for 10 hours straight with a toddler and not watch TV:) He was an avid fan of the books on tape, and at one point, I am pretty sure that we listened to Curious George and the Puppies 10 times in a row! One of the challenges of driving this distance can be summed up in one word: Nebraska. Nebraska is so so long!!! So many places to stop are either abandoned and just look haunted---we pulled over to one called, "Gas Camp", but quickly discovered that this one too had been abandoned and left to the whim of the prairie winds. Apparently summer camp has proven more fun for people than Gas Camp:) However, we were pleasantly surprised by how fast Nebraska went, and this time, it was eastern Colorado that was a real drag....there are no places to stop really before you hit the towns right outside the mountains. We pulled over at one stop, and the only place there had a huge sign that read, "Restrooms for paying customers only"....Jason was furious, as he believes that one of the roles of gas stations positioned right beside the highway is for restroom use---what other choice do people have, really? So, he did the manly thing, and just found the next abandoned field of nothingness, which isn't hard to do in Eastern Colorado:)
We arrived at Estes Park in the afternoon, and got to Rocky Mountain and had the tent set-up just as huge ripping winds settled into the valley of Moraine Park campground (thank goodness for the kindness of our 4 neighbors, which sped the process up a ton!) It's a huge tent, friends....we have transitioned from a three-man backpacking tent to a three-room beast:) But it makes camping so much more comfortable with children, and hey, since we're not out to win any awards for light-weight, compact camping, we might as well go the whole way! Now we're that family....the one with the minivan and the ginormous tent---Oh well, we've embraced our new role:) We had a wonderful 4 days----hiking and hiking and hiking some more (short hikes though they might have been). I really would have loved to hike to that distant waterfall 9 miles down the trail, but considering the circumstances (6 months preggo and all), we just made the best of the 1.5 mile and 2 miles hikes:) 
The shorter hikes are fun too---I am just the type that is always pining for the remote places, and obviously the shorter hikes are also the most popular for other people too. Rocky Mountain National Park is absolutely beautiful----the mountain peaks, Longs Peak being the tallest in the range, still had a bit of snow, and we just soaked up every minute of being surrounded by their majesty. I know I am a mountain girl---Jason would pick the ocean if he had to pick one or the other, but me, definitely the mountains. I get so excited when I see them looming in the distance, just waiting to be explored, and then feel sad when they are disappearing in the rear-view mirror----the rest of the world seems so flat, so exposed; being surrounded by mountains feels safe to me, I guess. During our trip, we were able to enjoy two of the wonderful campgrounds at Rocky Mountain, and Glacier Basin was by far my favorite---we had a spot on the outside loop, which made for much quieter nights compared with having a spot right next to the bathrooms! The nights were a bit chilly, and I have to admit, I was not as prepared as I could/should have been. They have a little phrase at the park that says, "If you don't like the weather in the Rocky Mountains, wait 5 minutes." True. We had it all. Wind, rain, cold, hot, sunshine. Lots of variety, but by and large, the days were warm and sunny, and the nights were clear and cold. I really should have brought the fleecy, footie pjs for Jonas (and I could have used a pair myself:), but instead we just layered him up in lots of clothing, and he seemed to sleep okay. 
My favorite part of the morning (besides waking up surrounded by sun-soaked mountains), was cuddling in our bed all together as a family and reading books---yes, folks, we even purchased and used a queen-sized air mattress.---and it was certainly good to be up off the ground during such cold nights. Jonas slept in his pack n' play, and the first words out of his mouth every morning were, "Mommy, let's read books in the big bed." So we did... while waiting for the sun's warmth to make it over the mountains. And eventually our little valley was flooded in welcomed warmth, and that is when we meandered out for breakfast and the day's adventures.
We had full days exploring the park---which is probably one of my favorite things about camping---you don't have to drive into the park every morning and leave every night----you're there the whole time, so you feel like you can see and do so much more! We even drove up the Old Fall River Road-- a one-lane, one-way, gravel (more of the path than a road, really)...no guard rails, just sheer cliffs. The minivan did great job, and we had a hard time believing they really let people drive up that thing! 9 miles took us about 50 minutes, as you can only go about 5-10miles an hour, fully concentrating on not rolling backwards and making those hair-pin curves up the side of the mountain.
This "road" connects to Trail Ridge by the Alpine Visitor's Center---Trail Ridge is the highest continuous highway in the United States, with more than eight miles lying above 11,000' and a maximum elevation of 12,183'--and it is quite the sight to see---and apparently every year, the plows get busy in May plowing away the 35+ foot drifts that engulf the road every winter. Impressive to say the least. And oh so beautiful---to see elk grazing the hillsides at these massive altitudes and snow-swept glaciers, seemingly touched by nothing except the elements.
Beautiful and wild---the biting wind constantly reminding you that you don't really belong up here----the air is thin, the sun's warmth dissolves rapidly, and weather patterns change in a heart-beat, and it is humbling. Humbling to be reminded that we haven't conquered it all---that God's green earth is not just green---but rocky and piercing, cold and foreboding. I love it. I love feeling small, and knowing that my God who gave the elk their warm coats to thrive up here, is God of the peaks as well as the valleys. The same God that knows and cares about the flustering busyness of the urban jungle is also watchful over every big-horn sheep, every bird, and every stubborn, little flower that somehow miraculously manages to poke it's head up on these wind-whipped mountain-tops.... Amazing. This world we live in and the God who gave it to us: absolutely amazing. And I love it when He stirs my heart and I am able to remember, again, His incalculable power and His overwhelming goodness.
Last Tuesday afternoon, the Olson minivan headed south on a familiar course: headed to Orange City, IA. Jason's home town. We spent the evening there and woke early at 4:00 am in preparation for a 10 hour drive to Rocky Mountain National Park.
It was good to break up the drive even that little bit----10 hours seems so much less than 14 when you are doing it all in one day! We were prepared: lots of books on tape, snacks, toys, and no DVD player! Yes, friends, you can drive for 10 hours straight with a toddler and not watch TV:) He was an avid fan of the books on tape, and at one point, I am pretty sure that we listened to Curious George and the Puppies 10 times in a row! One of the challenges of driving this distance can be summed up in one word: Nebraska. Nebraska is so so long!!! So many places to stop are either abandoned and just look haunted---we pulled over to one called, "Gas Camp", but quickly discovered that this one too had been abandoned and left to the whim of the prairie winds. Apparently summer camp has proven more fun for people than Gas Camp:) However, we were pleasantly surprised by how fast Nebraska went, and this time, it was eastern Colorado that was a real drag....there are no places to stop really before you hit the towns right outside the mountains. We pulled over at one stop, and the only place there had a huge sign that read, "Restrooms for paying customers only"....Jason was furious, as he believes that one of the roles of gas stations positioned right beside the highway is for restroom use---what other choice do people have, really? So, he did the manly thing, and just found the next abandoned field of nothingness, which isn't hard to do in Eastern Colorado:)
We arrived at Estes Park in the afternoon, and got to Rocky Mountain and had the tent set-up just as huge ripping winds settled into the valley of Moraine Park campground (thank goodness for the kindness of our 4 neighbors, which sped the process up a ton!) It's a huge tent, friends....we have transitioned from a three-man backpacking tent to a three-room beast:) But it makes camping so much more comfortable with children, and hey, since we're not out to win any awards for light-weight, compact camping, we might as well go the whole way! Now we're that family....the one with the minivan and the ginormous tent---Oh well, we've embraced our new role:) We had a wonderful 4 days----hiking and hiking and hiking some more (short hikes though they might have been). I really would have loved to hike to that distant waterfall 9 miles down the trail, but considering the circumstances (6 months preggo and all), we just made the best of the 1.5 mile and 2 miles hikes:) 
The shorter hikes are fun too---I am just the type that is always pining for the remote places, and obviously the shorter hikes are also the most popular for other people too. Rocky Mountain National Park is absolutely beautiful----the mountain peaks, Longs Peak being the tallest in the range, still had a bit of snow, and we just soaked up every minute of being surrounded by their majesty. I know I am a mountain girl---Jason would pick the ocean if he had to pick one or the other, but me, definitely the mountains. I get so excited when I see them looming in the distance, just waiting to be explored, and then feel sad when they are disappearing in the rear-view mirror----the rest of the world seems so flat, so exposed; being surrounded by mountains feels safe to me, I guess. During our trip, we were able to enjoy two of the wonderful campgrounds at Rocky Mountain, and Glacier Basin was by far my favorite---we had a spot on the outside loop, which made for much quieter nights compared with having a spot right next to the bathrooms! The nights were a bit chilly, and I have to admit, I was not as prepared as I could/should have been. They have a little phrase at the park that says, "If you don't like the weather in the Rocky Mountains, wait 5 minutes." True. We had it all. Wind, rain, cold, hot, sunshine. Lots of variety, but by and large, the days were warm and sunny, and the nights were clear and cold. I really should have brought the fleecy, footie pjs for Jonas (and I could have used a pair myself:), but instead we just layered him up in lots of clothing, and he seemed to sleep okay. 
My favorite part of the morning (besides waking up surrounded by sun-soaked mountains), was cuddling in our bed all together as a family and reading books---yes, folks, we even purchased and used a queen-sized air mattress.---and it was certainly good to be up off the ground during such cold nights. Jonas slept in his pack n' play, and the first words out of his mouth every morning were, "Mommy, let's read books in the big bed." So we did... while waiting for the sun's warmth to make it over the mountains. And eventually our little valley was flooded in welcomed warmth, and that is when we meandered out for breakfast and the day's adventures.
We had full days exploring the park---which is probably one of my favorite things about camping---you don't have to drive into the park every morning and leave every night----you're there the whole time, so you feel like you can see and do so much more! We even drove up the Old Fall River Road-- a one-lane, one-way, gravel (more of the path than a road, really)...no guard rails, just sheer cliffs. The minivan did great job, and we had a hard time believing they really let people drive up that thing! 9 miles took us about 50 minutes, as you can only go about 5-10miles an hour, fully concentrating on not rolling backwards and making those hair-pin curves up the side of the mountain.
This "road" connects to Trail Ridge by the Alpine Visitor's Center---Trail Ridge is the highest continuous highway in the United States, with more than eight miles lying above 11,000' and a maximum elevation of 12,183'--and it is quite the sight to see---and apparently every year, the plows get busy in May plowing away the 35+ foot drifts that engulf the road every winter. Impressive to say the least. And oh so beautiful---to see elk grazing the hillsides at these massive altitudes and snow-swept glaciers, seemingly touched by nothing except the elements.
Beautiful and wild---the biting wind constantly reminding you that you don't really belong up here----the air is thin, the sun's warmth dissolves rapidly, and weather patterns change in a heart-beat, and it is humbling. Humbling to be reminded that we haven't conquered it all---that God's green earth is not just green---but rocky and piercing, cold and foreboding. I love it. I love feeling small, and knowing that my God who gave the elk their warm coats to thrive up here, is God of the peaks as well as the valleys. The same God that knows and cares about the flustering busyness of the urban jungle is also watchful over every big-horn sheep, every bird, and every stubborn, little flower that somehow miraculously manages to poke it's head up on these wind-whipped mountain-tops.... Amazing. This world we live in and the God who gave it to us: absolutely amazing. And I love it when He stirs my heart and I am able to remember, again, His incalculable power and His overwhelming goodness.
1 comment:
Sounds wonderful, Claire! I had no idea you were headed to Estes. Isn't it BEAUTIFUL??? I'm (again) jealous of all the time Jason can get off... Trav and I are DYING to make it to the Rockies once more...
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