I’d like to say that we all woke up sore from yesterday’s hike, but I was the only one who complained about pain when the alarm went off at 6 am.
We headed out of Estes early to drive across the park on Trail Ridge Road. What a drive! It seems trite to say it is so beautiful, but it really is. Pretty and terrifying. I was glad Zak was the driver for this portion of the day. We spent several hours stopping at the pull-offs and oohing and ahhing. We saw moose, elk, deer, and marmots.
We are making our way south through Colorado toward Montrose now. We are so grateful to be staying with family friends for two nights. Mary is one of my mom’s best friends from grade school and I’ve always been very close with her. She moved out here a couple of years ago with her husband and mom and I can’t wait to catch up!
This morning we were standing in 8 feet of snow and we’ll end the day in 90 degree weather.
The terrain has changed drastically. Much more like southern Utah. Zak just wondered aloud how cowboys a hundred years ago navigated this landscape, trying to move a herd of cattle from Texas to Wyoming. It would be extraordinarily difficult to keep ones bearings, especially if you were trying to move hundreds (thousands?) of cows with you.
I thought of a cute Ellie quote from yesterday’s hike. Ellie said that she wanted to be behind Zak and in front of me, because that is where she felt most secure. I told her that I was impressed with her vocabulary and she asked, in all seriousness, what’s vocabulary.
I know this post has been all over. I wrote it throughout the drive. We are now so cozy at the Berry’s. We were welcomed with open arms and delicious homemade mac and cheese. So nice to see familiar faces and actually share the stories some of these adventures in person.
