Garden of the Gods and Rocky Mountain National Park

29March, Sunday – After our last LaQuinta breakfast we met Mark Forbes in the parking lot and drove out to the Garden of the Gods. We checked out the visitor center and then drove into the park and parked near the tallest of the redrock spires. The trails are now paved through the

center and vehicles are only allowed on the roads which circle the center. All of the commercial activity is gone from the park along with the faux cliff dwelling trading post (removed in 1996). All in all it is more natural than it was when I last visited fifty years ago on my way to Philmont. After leisurely strolling the central paths, photographing the formations and talking to some climbers, we went back into Colorado Springs for some ice cream at Josh and John’s. From there C.J. and I headed north on I-25 over the summit at Monument where there was more snow, through Denver, and on to Estes Park with a stop for gas and some groceries at a Costco C.J. spotted as we drove through Thornton. Later we tried to find a Bank of America in Loveland with no success. I had steered us that far north so that we could drive up Big Thompson Canyon which I remembered as being spectacular from my first Explorers Caravan trip back in the summer of 1966. Estes Park downtown did not look any different – very touristy – but the outskirts have really grown up. We had been enjoying warm travelling weather (the car thermometer showed 70 deg briefly) and, even at 7300 ft in Estes Park, it was still pretty warm and there was little snow left from the storm last Thursday. We found the Worldmark condo easily, checked in and moved all of our stuff out of the car. It was good to settle in for a stay of most of a week.