We've been gone -- Our Adventures West

In September of this year, we got in our car and headed West.  Our destination was California to visit family and friends, but a part of our purpose was also to revisit places with special memories, as well as to experience some new vistas along the way.

After two long days of driving we arrived at Loveland, Colorado just as the sun was going behind the mountains.



There had been some rain on our horizons during the afternoon drive, and when we left our hotel to get something to eat, we we were greeted by a double rainbow.

The next morning we headed into those mountains through Big Thompson  Canyon.

After winding through the canyon, we arrived in the city of Estes Park, a place with many special memories from our honeymoon, 48 years ago, as well as other trips there with our family.  After settling in, we headed for the Devils Gulch Road.

A short way on the road leading out of town, we came across this impressive looking elk.

Along with two females and a couple of youngsters.

Further down Devils Gulch Road, we came to

The McGraw Ranch.

 

This is a dude ranch we stayed at a couple of times in the 1960's, and where we got lost by ourselves horseback riding in the mountains.  Back then, as we wondered through the mountains on our horses, evening was closing in, and owls were flying over our heads. We came across a sign for a Boy Scout Camp.  We thought, at least we could stay there for the night, but when we got into the camp there was a sign, "Trespassers will be shot upon without warning."  Bad idea--so we headed down a little dirt road leading out of the camp.  There were some houses, and we stopped to use their telephone to call the ranch; however, they did not have telephones up there.  We asked to borrow a flashlight, but they gave us a book of matches and told us there was a payphone in Glen Haven down the road a ways.  We finally made our phone call and was told to wait at a closed restaurant down the road.  After almost getting hit by a car on our horses, we arrived at our meeting place.  We got a ride back in the rancher's station wagon, and some poor cowboy had to ride our horses back through the mountain pass.  Did I mention it had started to rain by then?  You're probably wondering why we riding without a guide.  Mr. McGraw said the horses knew their way home, and we shouldn't worry.  He should have known better with a couple of dudes from Indiana.

As we headed back from our trip down memory lane towards Estes Park, the mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park and Longs Peak spread out in front of us.

Here's a little wider view.

Oh, how magnificent and how wonderful to be able to see this once again--even if we didn't have a new horseback riding adventure.