Mountains of fun

We had the most fantastically fun day yesterday. We went to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park for the day. It was BEAUTIFUL!!! It was around 70 degrees in the day and not a cloud in the sky, and the aspens were in full color. We went for the elk bugling, more on that in a bit. We spent some time in the cute town of Estes Park, which has this pretty river running through it. Connor saw some fish in the river, and having caught the fishing bug when he and Brian went camping, he tried to catch a fish with a leaf. Needless to say, he was unsuccessful. We went in several stores, including an old-fashioned candy store. Oh my goodness, it brought new meaning to the saying, "like a kid in a candy store!"

Isabel wishing she was a bit taller...

Connor contemplating this most important decision... (you know you're in the mountains when there's a crazy elk wearing sunglasses mounted on the wall!)
We then headed into Rocky Mountain National Park. This time of year is when the elk bugle and mate. And TONS of people go to watch. This might sound strange to those of you not from here or who haven't heard of this, but it is very cool. In the evening, herds of elk come down from the mountains and fill the meadows. The males make this crazy sound and try to interest the females. Fortunately, we never saw any x-rated action :) You have to stay on the roads during this time, so we had a picnic on the side of the road.

This was our view:
Here's a large male. He was hot on the trail of a bunch of females. When Connor asked why he was making that sound, I told him he was just trying to meet a nice girlfriend.

It got quite chilly once the sun went behind the mountains, so we went back into town and warmed up with some hot chocolate - my kids love love love hot chocolate!


We changed the kiddos into their PJs and headed home at night. They all fell asleep, and Brian and I enjoyed a relaxing drive home. Perfect ending to a perfect day!