Hey road-trippers! Today began in Salina, Kansas at our campground. We got on the road at 7:15 again. Across the street from out campground was this little Americana and farm equipment museum. It was too early to stop, but I did get a few pictures of an antique tractor and the old church on the property. After grabbing the snapshots, we headed west on I-70 through the rest of Kansas for what seemed like forever. It was a long, flat, and straight drive through windmill farms, ranchland, and very few towns. We were so happy to finally see the Colorado state line. . . unfortunately, in eastern Colorado, it was more of the same for quite a while. About 20 miles outside of Denver, things started to look a little more Colorado-like. We had been seeing the faint outline of the Rockies along the horizon, so we knew we would get there eventually.
We went around the I-470 bypass to head north of Denver then headed west. We kept seeing signs for a distillery, so of course, we had to stop. It was Spirit Hounds distillery in Lyons, Colorado. One of the owners talked to us outside, admiring out motorhome, then invited us inside for a quick tour and tasting. They distilled whiskey, gin, vodka, moonshine, and I think rum and a coffee liqueur. We tasted two of their malt whiskeys and decided to buy one before getting back on the road again. We headed into the National Park gateway town of Estes Park, Colorado and it was hopping! There were people everywhere walking to all of the shops, restaurants, and other stores. It was super crowded but looked like fun too. From there we started the climb up to the Rocky Mountain National Park Entrance.
We came to the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center where we picked up a newspaper, maps, and watched the short orientation film. We asked the rangers a few questions and then headed further into the park to check into our campground – Glacier Basin. Check in went smoothly and we found our site at the base of the mountains. We literally had a breathtaking view right outside our door. I grabbed my good camera to go outside and get some pictures and it started raining. We had hoped to have a campfire, but it rained a lot, so we scrapped those plans and just fixed burgers and steamed vegetables inside the RV. After dinner we put on our rain gear and went for a quick walk around the campground loops just because we had been sitting for two days. It started raining harder and it was getting cooler so we went back and played a few hands of Euchre. Afterwards, the rain had slowed down so we walked around the campground some more and stopped by the amphitheater to see if they were still having the evening ranger show. Unfortunately, they canceled the presentation for the night due to the rain. Bummer – we love the evening ranger shows, but I guess that gives me time to be writing this.
Currently, I’m working on writing this entry while our daughter works on her AP Environmental Science summer assignments and hubby and our son play more card games. Some people might be frustrated that it’s raining, but I actually love the sound of the rain on the RV roof. We have windows that open out from the bottom so we can keep them open even when it’s raining, so it’s great. We don’t have hookups at this campground, so we’re listening to music on our Bluetooth speaker from our phone. Our son is going to start the generator for a few minutes to fix some microwave popcorn. After that, I seriously think I’m going to bed. It’s only 8pm here, but feels like 10pm to us, so I’m super tired. Tomorrow, we’re taking the shuttle bus to Bear Lake, Glacier Gorge, and Sprague Lake. There’s another ranger show later in the evening tomorrow as well. I don’t have cell service right now so I can’t check the weather, but I’m hoping the rain clears out and we have some sunshine tomorrow. That’s it for today – sleep well!
