Estes Park, Colorado

 Mr. Keith and I have taken another day trip, this one to Estes Park, Colorado. This mountain view was with us almost the entire trip, standing out amongst the other peaks in the Rockies. Having been told that there was "nothing" in the town of Longmont, we decided to go through there to see for ourselves, as it's right on the way up to Estes Park. We were very impressed, and found out that Longmont was listed as "One of the Best Places to Live" in 2006 and 2008, plus it was awarded "All-America City" in 2006. So much for the verdict of "nothing"! We agreed that we could live there!

 Back to the peaks in the photo — the front peak is Mt. Meeker, 13,911 feet, and the other is Longs Peak, 14,259 feet. They are sometimes called the Twin Peaks. Both are inside Rocky Mt. National Park. We snapped this photo just west of Longmont.

In the same area, we were intrigued with this scene. The trees are actually growing out of the tops of the silos, which are obviously not still in use!

Here we are at the entrance to the Estes Park Valley. Some kind ladies who were also enjoying the view took this photo for us.

Estes Park was established in 1859, and is the headquarters for the Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as a popular summer resort area. We were told we were fortunate to be there in March instead of during the summer, when the streets and stores are jammed with people.

We'd heard about the Stanley Hotel, so were excited to see it. This old and exceptionally beautiful hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places, and has the majestic backdrop of the Rocky Mts. We were told that the movie "The Shining" was filmed here, and the hotel is reportedly haunted. They capitalize on that rumor!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stanley_Hotel

Here is a close-up of the main building. We drove all around it but did not go inside. Maybe we were timid about ghosts! There are other buildings in the complex, all equally gleaming with white paint.

These elk were on the lawn directly in front of the Stanley Hotel. They allowed people to go right up to them. We were trying to figure out if they've been tamed, or what. They ignored us completely!

 

 No day out would be complete without a good meal. We drove all around looking at restaurants and finally decided on Penelope's World Famous Hamburgers and Fries, right on the main street among all the tourist shops. To our surprise, it was quite crowded. We were told there is sometimes a 2 hour wait in the summer. I always have a buffalo burger whenever it's on the menu, and Mr. Keith enjoyed his shrimp basket and fries. We will not soon forget the breathtaking views, clear air, and fun shops of Estes Park!