After sleeping in—which felt great, Mom made a cowboy breakfast of sausage gravy and toast. Making toast in Monty's gas oven has produced a variety of results—none of which has been entirely satisfactory. The preferred method of late has been to grill the bread in a hot shallow fry pan with some butter. I enjoyed my oatmeal and strawberries outside with a family of ground squirrels. So cute!
We decided to explore the main drag of Estes Park after breakfast. We learned that the usual shuttle that runs from the RV park to town doesn't begin until later in the month, so we decided to take a taxi from the town's one and only taxi driver (Peak to Peak Taxi). When I called to arrange our ride, his voicemail informed me that sometimes he is either on the phone or he is out of range. I was instructed to keep calling back until he answered. I did and he didn't, so we decided to walk the short distance to town. We thought is was a half-mile walk, but it turned out to be two miles. Oops. We all made it, but just barely. A little lunch and a couple of Bloody Marys later and everyone was back to better.
Estes Park has a lot of shops on its main drag. People of all shades of cream dressed in shorts and colorful t-shirts filled the sidewalks, eating caramel apples, saltwater taffy, and ice cream, perusing gift shops, Christmas shops, and restaurants. Samuel and I walked along the river walk to a coffee shop where I was able to updated the blog. Sidney, Mom, and Dick explored shops filled with American Indian art, handmade candles and soaps, t-shirts, refrigerator magnets, shot glasses, postcards and hats—all adorned with logos, slogans, and animals of the Rockies. We did manage to take the taxi back to to the RV park.
Mom and Dick tackled our laundry and everyone but me went to the campground lodge to watch a slideshow about the local wildlife. Interestingly, they learned that the cute family of ground squirrels with whom I took my breakfast are potential carriers of bubonic plague. Sadface.
Tonight, Mom is serving her homemade chili with more of those delicious corn cakes which are taller than ever due to our current altitude. There are several reports of tired legs in the RV tonight due to the unexpected 2-mile trek today. Dinner is smelling really good and my belly is growling.
Tomorrow, we're leaving Estes Park, but I think this is a place that Mom and Dick will visit again. We're excited about the drive to Moab, UT. We're taking Trail Ridge Road across the backbone of the Rocky Mountain National Park—over 12,000 feet above sea level. It was closed a few days ago due to a brief snow storm, but it is open again and the skies are expected to be clear and dry for several more days. We'll be crossing the continental divide and by day's end we'll be in a completly different environment than any of us have experienced.
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