Joe and I embarked upon an anniversary adventure to Estes Park, Colorado for a long weekend. We are even staying at the famously scary Stanley Hotel. Growing up, I travelled to this majestic town every summer with my family, but I hadn’t been out since 1988. While some things have definitely changed, there’s a lot that hasn’t!
Frontier flew us here pretty uneventfully and the sun was just coming up when we arrived. We grabbed our little Bronco rental car and headed for the mountains.
The drive was pretty much as I remembered it to be; once you turn in Lyons, you’re really on your way up along the Big Thompson River. It’s weird what your mind can recall!!
Aside from a new roundabout, everything looked familiar! The Holiday Inn we stayed in multiple nights is even still here! My picture of that turned out terrible so I’ll try again later!
After coffee and some nourishment we were off to Rocky Mountain National Park to hike before check in to the hotel. They couldn’t renew our pass due to the government shutdown, but the rangers on duty were awesome and friendly. Off we headed to Bear Lake trailhead, where I remember hiking as a kid. I’m not sure how my parents put up with us on those hikes😉
Off we go. No he did not walk that far ahead. I was taking pictures. Shocker
The trip back down the mountain was much easier and we decided we were up for a bit more hiking so we headed up to Alberta Falls. Everyone on the trails was friendly and kind; it’s such a fun thing to experience!
Now it was time to check in to the Stanley Hotel. Somehow I didn’t get any outside pictures yet so I will do that today! The hotel is beautiful and lots of Halloween decorations abound. The hotel staff are all dressed as well. Tomorrow we have our The Shining Tour and I’m sure that won’t disappoint! Dinner was at The Post here on the grounds of the hotel and was amazing. We stopped at the bar Cascades for a quick drink before exhaustion overtook us for the night. More hiking in the Park tomorrow!!
Kennedy Family Travels 