Colorado Days 1&2: Zach Bryan Concert, CU Boulder, Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park

Day 1 (Seattle to Denver): 

 It was a fun surprise to run into fellow SC thrower Gabby and her parents at the airport - they were on the same flight and bringing her to CU Boulder to start college! We had a stressful start to the trip due to thunderstorms in the Denver area. We boarded the flight, then had to deplane when Denver said they weren’t accepting flights. Then we re-boarded sooner than we hoped, but were then told they’d not be able to be allowed to Denver again. Then we were told we could go and we actually started the flight. We had tickets to the Zach Bryan concert in Denver at Empower Field that night and it was going to be a tight timeline anyway and this just made matters much worse. We sold the two of the tickets and kept two others and crossed our fingers. Long story short, everything was a challenge, including heavy rain in Denver and the hotel not having the correct room even though we’d reserved it in March. But, Charlotte and I ended up running up the steps to our seats at the stadium just as Zach Bryan took the stage at 9:00 pm. The rain finally cleared and it was an amazing show full of high energy and his great songs and team of musicians. Charlotte and I were able to see the sights of Denver on the two-mile walk back to the hotel following the concert that seemed to be how everyone else left the stadium since we were in a giant pack of people the whole way. I was happy to see Larimer Square and the Blue Bear on our walk. 

Day 2 (Denver to Estes Park / Rocky Mountain National Park): 

We had to recover from a botched take out dinner order for Edison and Reed, the incorrect hotel room assignment, and just generally getting off on the wrong foot for this trip. But we managed to do so. We got set up with groceries and drinks for the trip and then headed north to Boulder. It was a beautiful town set in the foothills of the Rockies with lots of red boilers and green trees. We toured the campus of Colorado University, Boulder, and were impressed at how well kept they were and the style of the buildings with sandstone bricks and red tile roofs. After that we headed north to Estes Park and entered Rocky Mountain National Park. Charlotte and I hiked the Four Lakes Loop while the boys chilled by Bear Lake. The hike featured several pretty alpine lakes and some friendly critters, most notably a hungry marmot. We peaked into Moraine Park area which is a huge valley surrounded by tall peaks. We had a nice room in town and a hot tub on site. After relaxing a bit we got Thai for dinner and then drove up to the famous Stanley Hotel which has been used in movies like The Shining and Dumb and Dumber. It had a hedge maze in front and some memorabilia in the lobby and bottom floor. We watched No Country For Old Men to finish off the evening at the hotel room.

Girls Trip to Bend & Mt. Adams - Part 3

Day 4: We were hoping to do a three-day river float on the Deschutes River as part of this trip. But unfortunately the wildfire east of Mt. Hood was causing super smoky conditions in that area. We’d been watching and making alternate plans and it had been looking like it would clear out for our float, but the winds shifted and the smoke rolled in. Our pivot was to head up to the south side of Mount Adams and hike up there. We drove through the charming town of Hood River and watched the kiteboarders and windsurfers jump over the waves while we enjoyed some of the best gelato we have ever had. Then we drove up towards the town of Trout Lake, going through the White Salmon River area that I had spent some great summers at when I was a ratting guide. We found the best campsite ever at Peterson Prairie Campground, a forest service campground a few miles west of Trout Lake. We had planned theme nights for our rafting trip and thus we found ourselves having “sparkle night” in a populated campground, not on a remote beach in the middle of nowhere along the river. Walking around in sequins through the campground definitely earned us a lot of laughs and was a conversation starter. We made a silly music video to “Pink Pony Club” and found a pretty meadow that was perfect for a little photo shoot. We played a funny game of darts using pebbles to round out the evening. 

Day 5: Today we slept in a bit and then headed out to hike  the“Sleeping Beauty” trail. It goes up to the craggy top of an old cinder cone that has a big view of Mount Adams and also looks over Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens. We were supposed to squeeze in a second hike that afternoon, but due to a downed tree on the road two miles from the trailhead - our 2.6 mile hike turned into 6.6 miles. Ugh. But the views were definitely worth it. We also got to see a navy jet practicing through the valleys. We had a yummy lunch at The Station Cafe in town and then went to hang out at Goose Lake. Instead of a chill lake vibe, however, there had just been a may fly hatch and they were everywhere which was pretty annoying, so we left. We had a chill rest of the night at camp before heading home the following day.