Estes Park

Yesterday we decided to drive up to Estes Park and enjoy the fall weather. I am so glad we did! The aspens up in the mountains are at their peak! And since they are starting to get snow up there, I'm not sure that the color will last until much longer.

We drove north of Denver then drove through the Big Thompson Canyon west to Estes Park. I must say I have never seen anything quite like it! (The signs reading "climb to safety if flooding" was a little scary!) When we drove into Estes Park we saw tons of cars parked on the side of the street. Of course we couldn't see what they were looking at, but had to pull over. That is where we saw all of the elk! I was just thinking that Dad would probably love to have a new addition and this is pretty easy hunting :) We continued downtown where they were having the Elk Fest. They had wolves in cages...yikes! There were a ton of people there, but I guess that's what you get during peak tourist season -- luckily I'm somewhat accustomed coming from Asheville!

We decided to drive back to Denver on the Peak to Peak Byway. It was stunning! We saw the Twin Sisters Peaks, Longs Peak, Mt. Meeker and just the most breathtaking scenery. It was a little foggy with drizzle and we couldn't see the top, top of some of the mountains, but in a way it added to the whole "getting into fall" experience. The aspens were just gorgeous tucked away in the mountains, which are a lot rockier and rugged than the Blue Ridge. It was quite a contrast of the golden leaves, harsh terrain and fog.