The Goodrums

We had a leisurely Saturday morning, rolling out of bed somewhat late and padding around the house in our pajamas for a while. About 10am, we starting discussing what we should do with the rest of the day. Michael suggested that we might take a drive out through the Rockies to see the changing leaves - a sight Colorado is famous for. We've been amazed at how many people we know that haven't even been out to see the leaves change, even after living here for many years. I had talked about wanting to see it this year, but figured it probably wouldn't happen given the chaos of our lives lately. I must say that I love having the flexibility (when we're not crazy busy) to decide at noon to go to the mountains and to be able to jump in the car at moment's notice and go. Both our stage of life and the place we live contribute. I sure can't argue.

So, we left shortly after noon, driving up I-70 a couple miles to Central City and heading north to Estes Park. We then drove through Rocky Mountain National Park and back through Winter Park. I think we managed to hit all the major Colorado "parks" in a single day. We were home in time to watch a movie before bed.

The scenery was incredible. We stopped and took pictures on a couple occasions. We were treated to some pretty incredible views of Long's Peak and got to check out the the hiking route from afar. The keyhole looks like it could be a bit intimidating (as it's rumored to be) but it's good to be able to prepare yourself mentally (as much as you can planted safely on the ground). I think we're inspired to tackle the peak next season or so.

Amazingly, the traffic wasn't too bad, aside from the "Elk Fest" that we happened upon in RMNP (at least admission to the park was free). People drive/act like idiots around animals (see also Yellowstone, Canadian Rockies, etc.). Again, at least we didn't pay $20 admission to sit in unmoving traffic.

Overall, well worth the trip.

A couple picture previews:




































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