Elk Fest

I am getting so behind, that I'm going to have to have posts in between the weddings & trips until I get the days all posted.

This Sunday we decided it was time to head out of town and to the mountains. That is what they are there for and we really do take them for granted living here. It was Elk Fest in Estes Park this weekend. We got up Sunday morning and did some things around the house and got ready and headed out around 11am. The goal though was to not spend money, just go and enjoy the day and the mountain air. We told the kiddos this before leaving so they understood we were not going to buy stuff and shop, just to look. Junior thank goodness took a nap on the way up the mountain because he wouldn't lay down earlier for a nap when we tried. Katelynn was really fun and in awe of the canyons on the way up. We hadn't probably been up there since she was 2 1/2 or so (isn't that horrible). It was a rat race when we got there; which I figured it would be, but the weather was beautiful. We had to walk a ways to get to the park with the tents and did some walking and stopped and sat and the kids each had a bananas we brought them. After that we decided to head to the shops to find somewhere to get a snack and a bathroom. We found a local grill and Dan and I had a beer and we got some onion rings and cheesy fries. The kids were so good in the restaurant, it is so hit or miss with them when we take them out. After that we walked around a little more and headed back to the tents. The kids were not interested in the elk bugling contest so I took Katelynn around to some of the Indian arti-crafts they had set up. I wanted to see some elk for elk fest -where are all the elk? It was too warm for them to probably be down the mountain yet, so last resort I told Dan to drive by the golf course. I have yet to be disappointed on a trip to Estes Park where the elk were not gracing there. Sure enough there was one big, bull elk lazying around a tree. I personally think they transplanted him there because he just sat there and was so nonchalant with all the people. We took a little walk down the road and I got some great pictures, which is what I wanted for the day. We stayed in Estes for a few good hours and it was time to head home. Down the winding mountain we went and Junior eventually started screaming in the back seat. Poor little buggers ears I'm sure were hurting. And then - BLECK and YUCK - the banana came back up and he got car sick. Too much winding and too much motion. We found a little convenient store to pull over and attempt to clean him up the best we could. You can only imagine the commotion in the car. Windows down the rest of the ride home and he was fine after that. Lesson learned: take it easy on the way down the mountain and daddy will probably never take him on a trip to Estes Park in the corvette!

Can't beat the view! It almost looks fake.

The Elk is in the background.