For our third day of the trip, we went without cameras and spent the day shopping, going to flea markets and thrift stores. So, since there’s really nothing to show (other than less money in our pocket ) …we’ll fast-forward to our final day in Denver, which was spent in the south western region of the city.

As soon as we reached the outskirts of Boulder, on our way back from Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, we found this picture-perfect ranch off to the side of the highway. The sun was just beginning to set and we knew we couldn’t pass it up.

Our final post for Rocky Mountain National Park consists of our journey back down out of the mountains, through Estes Park, and ‘home’ into Denver. Thinking back to the drive, we can’t help but smile. The entire way consisted of high speeds, sharp turns, and edge of cliff driving. Since you go up on the right-hand side, you never really notice the view from the on-coming lane. You’re protected by a wall of mountain as you hug into each corner. Yet, coming back is like an entirely different world since you get to see the valleys below and watch the guardrails literally disappear from your line-of-sight. 

During this time of year, the very top of the park, at its highest peak of 11,000 feet plus,  is still covered under several feet of snow, so you’re only able to drive about 8 miles in/up. After rounding the final bend in the mountain-side, you come to a roadblock where they’ve simply stopped plowing and left nature to itself. I believe sometime during mid-June to mid-July, when the temperatures rise and the snow melts, the road reopens. Regardless of that, the views that you see on those 8 miles are simply stunning.

This will be the town where we stay on our next trip back to Denver.  Estes Park sits to the northwest by about 45 minutes, placed right on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. I’d consider it to be a more tourist-y type of place, but you really couldn’t tell at this time of year (there’s not that many people that actually head to cooler climates for spring break). But, it’s loaded with a bunch of mini-resorts and log cabins where you can sit outside by the fire and look up at the mountains.