I voted today, and I hope you did too. We are blessed to live in a country that allows us that right. I read this on Facebook today:
1. To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy:
2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against: And
3. To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.
– John Wesley, October 6, 1774.
Good advice all these years later. A wise man indeed. I ask God's blessing on the man we choose as president today. God bless all our elected officials. God bless America.
Continuing with our Rocky Mountain adventure (and you knew I would be using this post title at some point, right?), we headed north to Boulder.
And because I like to take bridge photos, here's one I took heading out of Denver. Clear blue skies ahead.
It is a beautiful drive up to Boulder looking toward the Flatirons.
The Flatirons are named for their resemblance to the triangular,
flat-faced metal irons used by early settlers to iron clothing.
One of the restaurants suggested to us for a great brunch was
Lucile's. When I checked out their website, and saw that it is a Creole Cafe, I knew we had to make a visit. Fans of a team from New Orleans should feel right at home at a place serving Louisiana favorites. I learned that the restaurant has three locations, with the original being in Boulder. We planned to stop on our way to the mountains, and were happy to be joined by one of my high school classmates, Mendy, and her husband Mike. We had not seen them in 20 years or so, besides Christmas cards and Facebook. It was so much fun to catch up.
We shared beignets!
I had the Cajun Breakfast:
Red beans (w/meat), poached eggs and hollandaise. Served with grits or potatoes and a buttermilk biscuit. Delicious!
After our meal together, we posed for a few photos outside.
Mendy and Mike.
(A picture of) Mendy and me...
and a rare one of Jim and me. :)
After a great visit and a delicious brunch, we headed north to Rocky Mountain National Park. Mendy was helpful in sharing a map and suggestions for our visit to the mountains.
We saw many bikers along the way. Now that's what I call
mountain biking.
We went through Estes Park, and stopped at the
Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, where we watched a short film about the park, and talked to the rangers about things to do on our visit. We learned that Trail Ridge Road was closed for the season, but they suggested Bear Lake Road leading to Bear Lake. We entered the park, where there was snow on the roof, and an elevation of 8,900 feet.
Bear Lake Road was under construction, and was one-lane for most of the way. We waited with a group of cars for our turn up the mountain, and then were led by a truck up to the trailhead. We saw several of these 'log piles' on our way, and were not sure about their purpose. We also noticed (we are observant ones), that as the elevation increased, the clear blue skies decreased. And the snow started falling.
We anticipated that it would be colder as we ascended the mountain, but we weren't expecting it to be snowing and blowing too! So we bundled up and headed toward the lake.
Jim checked out the information posted near the trailhead.
We consulted the map of the trail around the lake, at an elevation of 9450 feet.
The snow and the clouds obscured the view of some of the surrounding mountains, but it is still a beautiful place.
And COLD!
I had to take a picture of the cute little park ranger. I didn't get a chance to talk to her, but I would imagine she has quite a few interesting mountain stories to tell.
Another one of the log piles near the parking lot.
Heading back down the mountain.
Jim and I agreed that photos cannot adequately capture the beauty and majesty of the Rocky Mountains.
Long's Peak, at 14,258 feet, is the highest summit in Rocky Mountain National Park. Just for fun, we drove up to the trailhead, where we saw these two guys. Did I mention that it was snowing? And freezing? And these two appear to be packed for more than just a stroll around the lake. Cah-razy!
Heading back toward Denver.
This is some sort of religious/historical marker. We didn't stop to learn about it, but I snapped a photo as we drove by.
If you look closely, you can see the bicycle in this photo.
And here...
and here. He was flying down that mountain. Again. Cah-razy!
The landscape changes as we get closer to Denver.
And we arrived back in the city just as the sun was setting.
As we walked along the 16th Street Mall after dinner, we saw this horse, dressed up like a unicorn for Halloween. A horse is a horse, of course of course. Unless it's a unicorn. Or a Bronco. And Denver is full of them. :)
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