My Nickel’s Worth
Sometimes plans get changed, and they are often better than our original plan! Last week we spent a few days in Estes Park, Colorado. Our trip to Canada had been cancelled and this was supposed to be a vacation with my parents, sister and my fiancée to celebrate my sister’s graduation from high school. We decided to avoid airports and drove the 13 hours to the Rocky Mountain National Park. We sang songs, played word games and ate all kinds of snacks. We slept a lot, spent too much time on our phones and laughed at hilarious videos. When we arrived, the mountains were snow-capped, and we took drives up on Trail Ridge Road for incredible views of the mountains, streams, lakes, waterfalls and to see wildlife. We hiked up in the mountains to Bear Lake, Dream Lake, Nymph Lake and Emerald lake; it was snowing and sleeting at times! We went kayaking on Lake Estes, went fishing for rainbow trout on Lake Sprague and hiked around Lake Lily. We played putt-putt golf, picked up takeout from restaurants in Estes (some of the best food I have ever eaten—including pizza and cheeseburgers), and had picnics every meal, and then had a fun photo shoot and picnic at our favorite hidden spot, Tuxedo Park, which is perfectly situated by a rushing mountain stream. Nature is so beautiful and untouched and yet we had a reminder of how unpredictable it can be.
One night my sister was sitting in the car to make a phone call where she had better service. She was about six inches from our cabin door, and we were constantly looking out to check on her. All of a sudden, she called. A bear was shaking the car and trying to open the door handle! He finally left, and when the coast was clear, she came inside. This reminded me that we were in the wilderness and needed to be more careful. We saw another bear running through the park the next day!
Although this trip was not our original plan, meant wearing masks much of the time, and was planned in about two weeks’ time, we had an amazing time! We spent time together and just laughed. I am thankful for my family and for a few days in the wilderness...even if we did have to watch for bears! Plans change. Things are not always how we imagine they are going to be but spending time with those you love most is what really matters. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to have some down time with mine.