And so we get to the last real day of the trip. We are in Boulder not just because it is a cool place but because of the proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park where we are aiming for a hike that involves waterfalls. Not just because I love waterfalls but we after spending the last two hiking days in the desert, we really want to see water in a natural habitat.
But first breakfast. When I book B&B’s I’m usually pretty particular to find ones who understand gluten free needs. I have made inquiries of some places in the past and their responses have made it quite clear that they don’t really understand. So when I got to breakfast this morning and there was gluten free homemade granola and I was served gluten free french toast, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven!
It was just what we needed to head to the Wild Basin entrance to RMNP to hike. After stopping for gas and an extra latte, we headed into the mountains. We got to the outer parking area and were told that we needed to hike in from there – which added a mile each way to the trip. Okay, we can deal with that.
Our goal was the Ouzel Falls – about 2.7 miles from the trail head or 3.8 miles from our car. The clouds had cleared although there was still the threat of rain and we started our trek. For two hours we hiked, climbing 950 feet through pine forests whose smell was a balm to any trouble. (Seriously, it was like sniffing Christmas for hours on end.) I found out a very important thing about myself: there is a maximum number of photographs of red rocks that I will find interesting but there is no upper limit on how much I want to look at rushing water.
It has been a very long time since I felt this kind of serenity even when rigorously climbing up hill. When we got to the falls, we were not disappointed. They were glorious to behold and the spray could be felt for yards around. {sigh}
On the hike back down, we stopped to have a picnic lunch on a rock overlooking the river. As we dug in, a sun shower passed through. That didn’t stop a very cheeky chipmunk from begging for a bit of my ham roll. He was obviously used to people and came right up to within a foot of me, actually begging for food. I had to rustle some plastic bags repeatedly to get him to scamper off.
After our hiking accomplishment, we went into nearby Estes Park – the favorite Colorado town for all crossword puzzle aficionados – where we happened to stumble upon a winery. And by stumble, I mean ask Google and make many wrong turns before, surprise!, there it was in front of us. Please note that it took until day 12 before we stopped at a winery – in our 6th state. Not that we didn’t try before but there was always something stacked against the occasion: the winery was closed; it was on the other side of the state; it only made fruit wine (ugh); etc.
So we did a tasting at Snowy Peaks winery and enjoyed it immensely. We sojourned on the patio with a class of Tempranillo (Frank) and Riesling (San) before deciding to bring home some souvenirs. (Only 4 bottles – quite restrained for us really).
Then a drive back towards Boulder which happened to include a stop in Lyon where Spirit Hound Distillers is located. Apparently, they make a whiskey worthy of being included in Frank’s collection and the size of the sample they poured meant that I got to drive the rest of the way back to the B&B. It was very similar to our Scotland trips where the only time I drive is on the way home from the distillery.
We ended the day with a fabulous meal at Spruce Farm and Fish where I had the local trout and Frank had fish and chips made with local bass. One last soak in the amazing hot tub and it was time to prepare for the long drive home tomorrow.
Numbers for today:
- Miles driven: 92 (smallest number to date)
- Steps: 25,119
- Floors: 37
- Layers of sunscreen: 0 (we left the top up)
- French lessons: 0 (no excuses – we just didn’t do it)
- French conversations we overheard: 0 (apparently the French – and Italians, Germans, and Chinese – are all vacationing in Moab)
- Number of sighs appreciating the beauty around us: I lost count.
* All credit to Adventures in Good Company for the title. They are an awesome women’s travel company who offer a great trip in Georgia called “Waterfalls and Wineries.” I can’t recommend that trip or the company enough.
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