Saturday August 27, 2016
We are not 100 percent yet. It was a rough night for both of us. We probably overdid it yesterday.
We did make it to the pancake (eggs and sausage) breakfast. Later we went to check out the Historic Stanley Hotel. We made reservations for a tour of the hotel on Monday. Did you know that the Jack Nicholson movie, the Shining was filmed at the Stanley? We noticed an open tent for the REI Base Camp.
They sponsor different kinds of activities such as hikes, fishing trips, rock climbing, etc. We decided to spend the afternoon in the tent with a drink and killer clam chowder along with killer views.
Today Peter decided to make reservations for a guided fishing trip next Tuesday to a well known place for fly fishing. I will probably go along if I’m feeling ok. It’s with a private fishing guide. Finally Peter gets to go fishing. JY
Sunday August 28, 2016
Today we treated ourselves to Sunday brunch at “The Other Place”. This is a very affordable champagne brunch with killer views. There is a cute gift shop called the Mad Moose next to the restaurant which we had to peruse. Actually we have been in this shop many times not always resisting the appealing merchandise. Since we are in Colorado, we have to get some kind of moose for Peter. As you may know he is quite fond of moose. So far we have picked up a couple moose Christmas ornaments.
We did laundry as we wanted clean sheets and towels after being sick for so long. Actually the views are gorgeous wherever we are including the laundromat.
Peter went in person to “Kirk’s” fly fishing shop to make reservations for his guided fishing trip on Tuesday and we did a little grocery shopping. As we still have some residual symptoms and are still tired we picked up a pizza for dinner. JY
Monday August 29, 2016
We had a tour of the Stanley Hotel and learned a lot of the history and information of some of the hauntings. We learned that Stephen King’s inspiration for the Shining took place when he and his wife stayed in the hotel. And that the setting was not actually filmed at the hotel, but at Mount Hood, Oregon and a sounds stage in London, England. Apparently this is the reason he made a mini-series of the movie that took place almost entirely at the hotel itself. I hadn’t realized that the setting for the movie “Dumb and Dumber” also took place at the hotel. (I didn’t see the movie.) Apparently Jim Carey was so “spooked” (no pun intended) after his first night he refused to stay in the hotel for the filming of the rest of the movie.
We returned home in time for me to fix Baked Beans for the potluck that night. As I’ve indicated, I appreciate the potlucks and breakfasts at this park as it provides an opportunity to meet our neighbors. Different RV parks have their advantages and disadvantages… I’d say the location of this one is that we are at the base of the Rocky Mountains. And the beautiful weather and cool, delicious breezes. JY
The Stanley Hotel is a historical and prominent landmark here in Estes Park. We had a 90 minutes guided tour of the hotel that focused on history and architecture. Although Steven King sold the rights to his book he was very angry at the way his work was portrait in the movie, he did not like the actors and said the ending was more graphic than the ending as he wrote it. Bob Dillon stayed here many times and was infamous for taking his guitar and crashing weddings – jumping on stage and playing for a meal. The man who built the hotel bought his wife a Steinway piano which she played well until she got sick – her husband, however hired a piano player to sub for her at the season openings of the hotel – that person was John Philip Sousa who played the opener for 20 years. A lot of very interesting stories. PRC
Tuesday August 30, 3016
Around dusk we were treated to some wildlife excitement. A heard of about 30-40 elk and a large 6 point bull spent some time in the park. Of course lots of the human residents were out taking photos.
We met our new neighbors, a couple and their son who live in Colorado Springs. He was retired Air Force and taught at the Air Force Academy before he retired. Peter hit it off right away with them (social butterfly that he has become). We made arrangements to get together the next day after dinner. They have a propane fire pit that works out nicely as open fire pits are not allowed in this RV Park due to fire danger. JY
This was a great day. I booked a guided fly fishing trip through Kirk’s Fly Fishing Shop here in Estes Park. I met my guide, Andy, at the fly shop at 7:30 am and he fitted me with some comfortable waders and water boots. We were going to fish a place called “Waterdale”. It is about 30 minutes east of Estes Park and down some dirt back roads. Waterdale is just below Carson reservoir on the Big Thompson River with the first 2 miles privately owned and under exclusive fishing rights with Kirk’s Fly Shop. My guide and I were the only people fishing the river for the day – so we had it all to ourselves.
Immediately upon arriving at the river bank Andy started picking up rocks from the river to see what was hatching which is what the fish were eating. It started out slow as Andy changed fly’s 8 or 9 times in the first 20 minutes. There was a pretty good stone fly hatch and he was trying to figure out what size hook to use. We had a 3 hook set-up which worked very well and soon we shifted from fishing to catching.
Our neighborsAriz are very friendly and invited us to join them at their campfire. Tom and Karen have a propane campfire which is really nice – no fire wood and NO smoke. PRC
Wednesday August 31, 2016
We had arranged to meet another couple we met at one of the potlucks or breakfasts – Bob and Lorine from a small town in Nebraska. We had dinner at Smokin’ Dave’s, a very popular local barbecue place. Previous to our stay in Estes Park, most of the people we’ve met seemed to be from New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and Colorado. Now that we are in such a popular park, the range of people is from all across the U.S. It is a holiday weekend and the 100th anniversary of U.S. National Parks.
Bob and Lorine (B&L) have been coming to this RV Park for many years. They had a house here that they sold about five years ago. This year they are staying in a duplex cabin in the RV Park. This is a nice option as the cabin has two bedrooms, a real kitchen and regular sized bathroom. And no necessity for hookups. The cost is about the same as you would pay for a site for an RV. Pretty good deal.
We’ve been entertained with Bob and Lorine’s stories of their time when he was stationed in the service overseas. And what a small world it is, turns out they are from a small town close to where Rita K is from in Nebraska. B&L are very involved in the Czech community in Wilbur. Turns out Rita has been to the Czech Festival many times and is familiar with many of the food and customs of the Czech community. Apparently Wilber, Nebraska is the Czech capital of the U.S. Perhaps they will meet up in Nebraska some day as they live so close to each other.
After dinner we returned to our trailer and met up with Tom, Karen and Johnny to sit around their propane fire pit. (We are thinking of getting one.) Tom and Karen have twelve children including 26 year old Johnny who is a special needs person. Because of this he goes everywhere with them. Like many of the people we have met, they are the salt of the earth with big hearts. And such different backgrounds as us. (Peter and I have pretty different backgrounds ourselves…) We spent a couple of hours around the “campfire” and could have talked even longer. However, they were returning home to Colorado Springs tomorrow morning. JY
Thursday September 1, 2016
Another day in the park.
We took a drive up to Moraine Park, a meadow in Rocky Mountain National Park. We took a walk on one of the many trails in the area. Of course there were many mountain streams that Peter fantasized about fly fishing in. (I think there is a lot more fly fishing in Peter’s future.)
On the drive out of the park there were many wildlife sightings as you can see by our pics. The only animals we have not seen on this trip are bears and Peter’s favorite, Moose.
Before heading back home we stopped in town to pick up a moose Peter had seen earlier in the week. We also ended up booking a dinner (horse back) ride for Sunday night. And decided to have dinner in town – very good catfish at the Wild Rose. JY
Friday September 2, 2016
Today was a quiet day at home. We woke up to rain and slept in late (what else is new?) and spent time catching up with the blog, walking around the RV Park and savoring the scenery and cool weather.
We only have a few more days to appreciate the Rocky Mountains. Unfortunately our several sick days limited some of the activities we had planned. I guess we will have to return. Tomorrow we will be attending another John Denver Tribute concert at the YMCA resort. Sunday is the trail ride and Monday will be a preparation day before taking off to Moab, Utah – the last leg of our summer adventure. Of course Monday is potluck night. JY
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