Colorado for Memorial Day Weekend - May 26-29, 2012

Memorial Day weekend usually marks the beginning of summer and outdoorsy activities like camping, fishing, and hiking.  However, someone didn't tell Mother Nature in this part of the country.  I knew of friends who were camping in Lake Tahoe, and it was forecast to be freezing at night!  Kaleb and I were headed to Colorado, and we found it was not exempt from wintry weather either.

Around middle of March, we made plans to visit Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) for Memorial Day.  Since we were flying there, I didn't want to carry equipment for camping, so I searched on VRBO for a rental cabin in Estes Park, one of the gateways to RMNP.  At two months' prior, there weren't a lot of choices available for a popular holiday weekend in the mountains, but as we were flexible and could take Tuesday off, I was able to reserve a cute one bedroom cabin located on the outskirts of Estes Park.  It was an easy transaction via Paypal.  And to learn to tame my inner control freak, I delegated the hiking plans to Kaleb!

We flew out early Saturday morning, arranging our flight schedules to be within 30 minutes of each other.  It was least expensive for Kaleb to fly Southwest to Denver, while it was a better option for me to do one leg on United, and the return on Southwest.  We are not early birds; waking up at 5am is really difficult, but we're willing to do it to see each other. :)

Since I paid money for the United flight (not an award ticket), due to my Premier Gold status, I could get upgraded via Complimentary Premier Upgrades (name changed from UDU).  Premier Golds could be upgraded 48 hours prior, but when that time came along, nothing happened.  That meant I would have to wait until 24 hours before, at the gate or even after I got on board. (known as battlefield upgrades)  This morning, there was one seat available in first class, and I was #1 on the upgrade waiting list...ready for battle!

I arrived at the airport and parked on level 4 (row P) in the garage as this morning's flight departed from Terminal A and my return flight was on Southwest in Terminal B, so I wanted to situate my car somewhat in the middle.  With plenty of time to go through security since the plane was delayed 17 minutes due to "mandatory crew rest", I checked the gate monitor to see if I cleared my upgrade, but I remained #1 on the list, and still one seat left in first.  Pre-boarding was starting, and still no upgrade announcement.  Once Group 1 (which included Global Services, Premier 1K, and first class) was called to board, I decided to play offense and lined up at the counter.  When it was my turn, I asked the gate agent if the last first class seat was available for upgrade.  She said "Hmm...are you Kong?", typed something into the computer, and exchanged my seat 8C boarding pass for 1A. :)  If I didn't ask about it, she may not have upgraded me, or if I had boarded, and people on the upgrade list stuck around the gate, the agent may have given the upgrade to one of them.  So it never hurts to be proactive and ask nicely; don't assume everything will take care of itself.

In the past, if my seatmate didn't initiate any conversation, I would keep to myself and read Kindle or fiddle with my iPhone, but I had just read someone's blog entry on our work intranet about how everyone nowadays keeps their head down immersed in their electronic devices and not engaging with the people around them, so I took the initiative to say hello to Ms. 1B.  She was a professor in business accounting for a university in Boulder and soon to move to a new position at a university in Australia.  Her husband was sitting "in the back" since he didn't have enough status to get upgraded.  I was puzzled by that, because a companion on the same reservation as an elite member can also get complimentary upgrades with the same priority.  Maybe they had to purchase separate tickets so she could expense hers?  She probably had Premier 1K status since she was invited to be a guest speaker at universities around the world.  I learned a bit about the academic world and business accounting, and she also suggested a restaurant in Estes Park for breakfast, called "The Other Side", located guess where...the other side of town!  I wouldn't have learned all this if I didn't say hello.  We did not talk the entire flight; once the plane got past 10,000 feet, we were immersed in our electronic devices. :)  But at least there was some connecting going on between ground level and 10,000 feet.

Breakfast was served in first class, and I had a choice of a "croissandwich" or cereal.  I am not a fan of cereal so I chose the croissant.  It came with a side of yogurt and fruit.  The flight attendant also came around with a basket containing warm croissants and cinnamon rolls, but I declined the extra calories. 

hot breakfast

When we touched down at Denver International Airport, there was a traffic jam of planes departing, so we were late getting to the gate, which was changed from the original, where Kaleb was waiting.  Kaleb and I eventually found each other and headed to the rental car shuttle.  I reserved a National mid-size car this time, as our company's Hertz leisure rate wasn't good enough to beat National's rate plus a coupon I found on the National website.  Being part of National's Emerald Club is very convenient; if you rent a mid-size car, you can choose any vehicle parked in the "Emerald Aisle", then drive to the gate and hand over your driver's license.  No waiting in line!  (Join for free here by clicking on the "Enroll Now" link)  There were many 4-door pickup trucks and SUV's available on the Aisle, but we ended up selecting a white 2012 Toyota Camry for fuel efficiency and we didn't plan on doing any off-roading.

On the way to Estes Park, we stopped by a Mountain Man store to pick up some snacks.  I've enjoyed Mountain Man snacks ever since I tried their Chocolate Cherry Crunch trail mix that was part of an out-of-town gift basket when I was attending my friend Naomi's wedding in Estes Park.  Kaleb is a fan of their spicy snack mixes such as Sweet Explosion. We also grabbed a quick lunch at Chick-fil-A.

It took about two hours to drive from the airport to Estes Park, and the rental cabin was located on top of a hill on an unpaved road, which made me almost wish that I had an SUV.  At least it wasn't raining or snowing!  The homes on the hill afforded a beautiful view of Longs Peak in RMNP.  We were there earlier than the 3pm check in, and the owner Barbara was still there, finishing up cleaning the cabin and planting flowers in the front yard.  To pass the time, we drove into town and did grocery shopping at Safeway, located right next to the Stanley Hotel, where the film "The Shining" was inspired.  We didn't think to check the kitchen contents before we left, as we would have found we didn't need to buy any butter, mustard or aluminum foil! :(

pretty view out the cabin back porch, though smoky from the Arizona wildfires

living room with wood stove

full kitchen with everything you need

steep stairs to the loft

very comfortable queen size bed in the loft

expansive porch

found some local items

local beer

We spent the rest of the day just relaxing at the cabin, trying to make sun tea and grilling local bratwurst for dinner.  It was very windy and cold that night, and I had a hard time sleeping as the 40-50 mph gusts of wind seemed to threaten to knock the cabin down, and created loud creaking noises.  I can't imagine what it'd sound like if a tornado or hurricane was approaching.  I was also glad we weren't camping, with such forceful winds blowing against a tent.

On Sunday, we had a late breakfast, then headed out to RMNP.  The traffic through Estes Park was pretty bad, and it wasn't even high season yet!  I would suggest bypassing downtown if possible.  We drove towards the Bear Lake area.  The road was under construction until next year, so the park was going to restrict access to shuttle buses only starting Tuesday May 29, but in the meantime, we could drive our car through.  On the way there, there was a "park-and-ride" lot to take a shuttle to Bear Lake, but I decided to take a gamble and try the parking lot.  There was a car ahead of us the entire time, which meant that there had to be by chance at least two spaces available when we got there.  At the parking lot entrance, there was a ranger posted, talking to the cars as they pulled up.  I was thinking she was going to tell us to drive all the way back to the park-and-ride, but she just told us there were spaces available!  Yay!

Bear Lake was a very easy hike despite it being close to 10,000 feet in elevation, with the trail paved all the way around the lake.  There were a lot of people there; Kaleb and I decided to take the trail to Emerald Lake to find some peace and quiet.  Along the way, we passed by Dream Lake and Nymph Lake.  I was surprised not to be affected by the elevation, perhaps because I had hiked in worse conditions on the Inca Trail hike last year.

we took the trail towards Emerald Lake

Bear Lake

Nymph Lake

Dream Lake

Emerald Lake

We made pretty good time to and from the lakes, so we decided to drive along Trail Ridge Road for the rest of the afternoon.  When we passed Many Parks Curve, snow started to fall!  We made it to Rainbow Curve and took some pictures, but with the cold wind plus snowflakes flying around, and the remainder of Trail Ridge Road going higher in elevation, we decided to go back down the mountain.

part of Trail Ridge Road on the map

snow flurries at Rainbow Curve

more scenery (and clouds)

winding river seen from Many Parks Curve

Approaching Deer Ridge Junction, there were lots of cars illegally parked on the road and causing a traffic jam...reason?  To take a picture of a deer in the grass!  If it was a bear or an elk, that would have been more impressive.

We returned to the cabin and grilled some ribeye for dinner, just in time to watch a short freak snow storm douse the area with dry snow.  It fell like fake snow you find at Disneyland, and when it melted, it wasn't wet at all!  You would have never known that snow had fallen just a few minutes ago.

I had left my iPhone at the cabin when we drove to Bear Lake so I missed the text from my friends Denise and DuWayne saying they were in Estes Park.  It turned out they were also on Trail Ridge Road around the same time we were!  I had already planned to meet them at their home in Evergreen on Tuesday, but since they were finishing up dinner at a restaurant in Estes Park, I asked them to drop by the cabin on their way home to chat for a bit before they headed home.  That night, the wind was back up to 40-50 mph and howling.  Again, I could not sleep, thinking the cabin was going to fly off the hill.  Kaleb was sleeping sound as a baby though.

On Monday, we had planned to hike Flattop Mountain starting from Bear Lake, but the winds were still blowing hard when the alarm sounded at 7:30am.  We decided to skip it and sleep in, since the trail may be exposed and the wind would whip us all the way to 12,000 feet.  When Kaleb and I woke up around 10am, the winds had died down and the weather was beautiful!  We could have tried Flattop, but Kaleb decided we'd hit Wild Basin.  We drove on a bypass called Fish Creek Road to avoid downtown Estes Park.  The road from the Wild Basin entrance to the trailhead was a one lane gravel road with turnouts for cars to yield to each other.  We were lucky to find a parking space at the trailhead lot, else there were marked parking spaces available in some of the niches along the one lane road.

nice clear view of Longs Peak out the cabin back porch today

the privy at Wild Basin; is that sign really necessary?

map of Wild Basin; we took the Bluebird Lake Trail

lower Copeland Falls

upper Copeland falls

Calypso Cascades

chipmunk chomping on a green M&M

We hiked by Copeland Falls and arrived at Calypso Cascades to have lunch.  I had seen a green M&M on the ground, perfectly intact as if someone dropped it recently.  I considered eating it (something my friend Sanjib would appreciate) but since I was carrying Mountain Man Alpine Mints, I didn't need to indulge.  Then a chipmunk approached, took the candy, and munched it!  How did it know it was food?  I hope that chocolate wasn't as poisonous to chipmunks as it is to dogs.

After lunch, we continued on towards Ouzel Falls (POR goal) and Ouzel Lake (stretch goal).  The trail opened up to expansive views.  We could see sections of the mountainside where trees were dying from disease.

Ouzel Falls

beautiful day

a marmot on the trail

striking landscape

Ouzel Lake

We made our stretch goal of Ouzel Lake with plenty of sunlight left!  There was a lot of snow on the trail to the lake, and we hoped that we were following the right sets of previous hiker tracks.  Walking on snow can be dangerous as the snow is melting underneath, and you don't know if your next step will be the one to crack the crust and fall through.

Kaleb standing on a snow bridge over the rushing creek

We hiked back to the car, returned to the cabin, and grilled up the rest of the brats for dinner.  It was a warmer evening so we were able to enjoy the back porch for once.

ahh, the great outdoors, and the iPhone...

Tuesday, we packed up and left for Denise and DuWayne's home in Evergreen...bye bye RMNP!  The last couple of miles to their house, I missed a turn following Google Maps and ended up driving a ways in the wrong direction since there was no good place to turn around on the narrow two lane road.  Unbeknownst to me, I caught the attention of a police officer in an SUV.  It was hard to recognize the SUV as a police vehicle as its lights were tapered against the roof.  I wasn't sure if he was after me (or the truck in front of me) as his flashing lights weren't on.  But once I found a spot to turn around, he also pulled off and turned on his lights.  Whoops!  The police officer came to my window and told me that I was going 10 to 14 miles over the speed limit coming down the hill.  I was?  I showed him the Google Maps printout, telling him I may have missed a turn and didn't notice the speed limits as I was lost.  He confirmed that I missed the turn, then took my drivers license back to his vehicle.  After a short while, the officer came back and returned my license with his business card, saying that he was going to be nice and let me off with a warning to keep an eye on the speed limits.  Then he instructed me on how to get back to the road I missed.  Thanks Officer Kowalewski!

We finally made it to Denise and DuWayne's house; it was on a hill overlooking beautiful wooded mountains, very serene, and you couldn't really see the neighbors at all since the parcels were so wide.  After taking a tour around the house (every window had a gorgeous view and we even saw hummingbirds zooming around the back porch), we hopped into their SUV and headed to Georgetown, about 30 minutes west of Evergreen.  It was a quaint little town next to a lake, with a small downtown filled with antique stores, galleries, and other touristy shops.  We had lunch at the Happy Cooker, which served comfort food, and their homemade bread was really tasty.  Nearby was a cake shop simply called "Cake" but unfortunately it wasn't open that day.  The owner (also named Kat!) was in the side yard mowing the lawn so we got to chat with her a bit.  I loved that the curtains in the shop were simply little girl's dresses hung up on string. We continued to peruse the shops along the street.  For dessert, we stopped by the Georgetown Valley Candy Company for some homemade ice cream.  (though the candy looked and smelled just as good)  Black cherry was nom!  They even offered green tea flavor, which Kaleb ordered.  The guy working behind the counter insisted Kaleb try a sample of it, probably because green tea wasn't a common flavor in the middle of nowhere. :)  It was a decent rendition, though I told Kaleb that we would have to fly to Kyoto for some really awesome green tea ice cream!

it's closed?!?

these streets would be normally packed but we were there on a Tuesday

armed with yummy ice cream

Denise drove us up Guanella Pass Road to get a shot of Georgetown and the lake

After our visit with Denise and DuWayne, we headed into Denver to meet up with Dan, one of Kaleb's best friends from Pennsylvania, and his girlfriend Anna for happy hour and dinner at the Vine Street Pub.  It's always fun to hear stories about Kaleb from long ago. :)  And with that, our trip was over.  Both our flights were delayed, and came in pretty late at night.  The next morning, I was in a daze at work from lack of sleep, but that was the price to pay for an adventurous action-packed long weekend.

Our next adventure is in Ecuador and the Galapagos...an experience of a lifetime!  Stay tuned...will report on it in a month!