Jason and I traveled to Colorado recently to attend a family event and spend some time in Estes Park with said family. My sister, her husband, and my dad were amongst those present. It was a short but fulfilling trip with plenty of pines, climbs, dines, temperature declines… and other things that poorly rhyme, which I will not mention at this time.

On route to Estes Park, we stopped in Fort Collins for a day or so. Fort Collins is one of two towns that inspired Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A. Its charming edifices surfaced unexpected cravings within me for Matterhorn-shaped macaroons and tipsy pirates. Instead, we toured the New Belgium Brewing Company, shopped in Old Town, and drank tea peacefully at a darling teashop while lightning splashed the sky and thunder growled constant complaints.

After our respite in Fort Collins, we were off to Estes Park where we had rented a cabin situated in a hilly nook with log beams and room to hang. We wasted no time heading out into the opulence of nature in Rocky Mountain National Park, which is one of the primary reasons visitors swarm Estes Park in the summer. We did the Alluvial Fan Trail, but it was too short to satisfy. So, we followed the Lawn Lake Trail until darkness dissuaded us.

The next day, rain was in the forecast. We were confident we could beat or outlast it, but I’m not sure there was any logic behind that conviction. If logic wasn’t in our corner, at least luck seemed to be as we trekked to The Pool on the Fern Lake Trail, about 3.5-miles roundtrip. We got back to our car just before the showers picked up substantially. Some members of our group ran (literally) the extra mile out to Fern Falls in order to catch that cascade and still stay ahead of the downpour. It all worked out somehow. Beauty was beheld, proper exercise was performed, and dowsing was delayed.

After our hike, we had prudently scheduled an indoor activity: a ghost tour at the famous Stanley Hotel. The Stanley Hotel was built in 1909 by Freelan Oscar Stanley of steam-powered-car fame. This 142-room resort is famous for inspiring Stephen King’s The Shining and for providing a set for Dumb and Dumber. The ghost tour was a little spooky but mostly just fun and informative. Learning about the unusual history of the owners and buildings was my favorite part.

Although it was May, a winter storm warning was issued for the Estes Park area the next day, and we barely missed the worst of it when we headed out. Cute Colorado supplied much to jolt our systems: May snowstorms, historical phantoms, fermented concoctions, and quirky company.