2014 Colorado Trip Part 2 - Estes Park

As anyone who knows me knows, books play have very important place in my life. I read incessantly, some would probably say that I spend to much time reading but they'll never convince me that is the case as long as it doesn't keep me from doing other things that need to be done. It is a good balance to the physical aspect of running and a good way to share in the experiences of others just as I hope that somebody might learn from reading these posts. This trip was bracketed by two books. The first was a classic that I first read in the late 60's when I was in the Navy. Travels with Charlie; In Search of America by one of my favorite authors, John Steinbeck. I brought a second book with me on the trip, a Vietnam memoir but didn't finish it on the trip because while I was in Estes Park I went to MacDonald Book Shop, a bookstore that opened in 1928, the year my parents were born. I was looking for a specific book but came across, Wandering Home - A long Walk Across America's Most Hopeful Landscape by Bill McKibben. The title and the cover photo appealed to me because in essence that is what I was doing myself.

I had originally planned to stay in Colorado Springs through Tuesday night because I had a late morning flight out of Denver. The more I thought about it I decided to spend Tuesday night in Aurora on the way to the airport so I would have plenty of time to have a leisurely morning, return the rental car and still get to the airport with plenty of time to spare.

After returning to my hotel on Saturday night I picked up the Steinbeck to finish it and read the following passage:

"In the beginning of this record I tried to explore the nature of journeys, how they are things in themselves, each one an individual and no two alike. I speculated with a kind of wonder on the strength of the individuality of journeys and stopped to postulate that people don't take trips -- trips take people. That discussion, however, did not go into the lifespan of journeys. This seems to be variable and unpredictable. Who has not known a journey to be over and dead before the traveler returns?"

The passage struck a cord with me, while there were still some people I would like to have seen, I was ready to be done with Colorado Springs for this trip. As I stated in a prior post the focal point of the trip was the Garden of the Gods race with friends. I decided to see how the next day played out after the race, leaving open the possibility of heading out a day early to see Rocky Mountain National Park. When I returned from the post race brunch with the guys I made reservations in Estes Park. Time to move on.

I went to RMNP and hiked the Deer Mountain Trail before going back to Estes Park to check into my hotel. It was a beautiful hike and I'm sure I plan to return to the area to do more hiking in the future. I've said it many times before and I will say it many times in the future I'm sure, I am truly Blessed to be able to travel.

The Big Thompson pictures were taken on my way back for my final night in Denver. I stopped at Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver, ate lunch at Subway and then checked in to my hotel in Aurora and went for a run. Running is such a great way to explore a new area as long as it's done at a safe time; Aurora is known for some pretty shady areas and activity. It was mid afternoon and broad daylight so I wasn't concerned. A bit of irony is that my first run in Denver was 52 minutes and my final run in Aurora was 52 minutes. Odd coincidence because I didn't know where I was actually going either time.

By visiting Rocky Mountain National Park I was able to add a stamp to my National Parks Passport, a fun addition to traveling since Clarence and I bought them in Florida.