Colorado Day 3: Estes Park to Glenwood Springs via Rocky Mountain National Park:

 We got up early to drive the Trail Ridge Road through RMNP (but not so early that we saw any wildlife). Our favorite stop was the Tundra Communities Trail which got us up to a high point of 12,304’ in elevation. Climbing on top of the boulders at the end yielded a stunning 360 degree view. I saw a friendly pika on the way down. We also popped into the Alpine Visitor Center and some pullouts on the way down which had some other great views including of the Never Summer Mountains. 

We had a long drive down the west slope including 25 miles on a dirt road that followed the Colorado River as it came out of RMNP. There were lots of people rafting in this area and it was a bummer not to be on the river! We made it to Glenwood Springs and it was HOT. So hot we didn’t want to do much but sit in the shade at a park by the river. This meant we didn’t spend as much time at Glenwood Hot Springs Resort as I’d hoped. But we did end up getting there eventually. Charlotte and I enjoyed soaking in the mineral pools. After hitting the jumping board and splashing around, the boys decided it wasn’t to their liking and spent the rest of the time on loungers overlooking the pools. We ended the day with the kids’ first trip to a Chili’s restaurant. We had a wonderful server and the kids loved the food, so that was a win. We finished up by watching the first half of The Prestige movie.