Vacation - Day 4 (Monday)

I sleep ½ the night in the bed with Steve and Jackson, until Matthew wakes up crying. Turns out his feet are cold, so I get in bed with him to serve as human socks. He’s on a pull out sofa bed, which is not nearly as comfortable as the regular bed, but at least Jackson isn’t kicking me.

We sleep in and Grampaw goes out and picks up McDonald’s for breakfast. Today is the day we head to the Rocky Mountain National Park. There is much discussion of which trail(s) we can do with the grandparents and kiddos. Steve has fond memories of Emerald Lake, but of course he did a trail which looks down over the lake when he was younger, in better shape and unencumbered with various family members. We opt for the trail that hikes straight out to Emerald Lake, past 2 other lakes, which is about 1.8mi one way. It’s supposed to be an easy trail, but an ambitious goal with all of us. Still, we figure some or all of us can turn back at one of the first 2 lakes. The trail is beautiful and we see several elk, squirrels, and other wildlife. Everyone is doing a pretty good job hiking, even the kids. Grammy has some trouble with the altitude and Grampaw’s hip is hurting, but we take it slow, take lots of breaks and enjoy the hike. At Dream Lake, Matthew and Grampaw are ready to go back, but the rest of us decide to continue on to Emerald Lake. The last bit of the trail is fairly steep and we are all getting worn out, especially Steve who is mostly carrying Jackson now. Grammy, Steve, Jackson and I make it out to Emerald Lake and decide it was worth the hike. However, at this point Jackson is DONE. Steve carries him all the way back down as he sleeps. Maybe one of those kid backpacks would have been a good idea after all. Hike down is much easier. Get to the bottom and find that Grampaw and Matthew have been “joy riding” the shuttle buses that go between the various parking areas. Matthew loves to ride a bus.

We’re all hungry and eat our lunches in the car on the way back to town. We all lay down for a rest, except for the Grandparents who relax in the Jacuzzi outside our cabin.

Matthew has been eyeing the giant slides that are on the edge of Estes Park. $1 a ride. 1 ride for Daddy and Grampaw, 2 for me and Jackson and 3 for Matthew. We all decide the yellow slide is fastest.

Supper at yummy Italian place in Estes. Now time to pack up to be ready to head out on Tuesday. But first I have to do laundry because the kids have already gone through most of their clothes and we’re not even ½ way through our vacation.

Get in bed and there is something either on the roof, or more likely in the attic of our cabin. First I just hear bumping and ask Steve “Has it been this noisy every night?” “No”
Then scamper, scamper, thump, thump, thump, squeak!! This continues with the squeaks getting louder and more urgent. I feel sure something furry and rabid is going to drop out of the ceiling on my face, but eventually it stops and we sleep.