Now, the fun begins! - RMNP!!!!!

Day 6 - We woke for our final shower with full hookups.....Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) only allows bag solar showers....that's one whopping gallon of water....so, today I am extra thankful for our Casita with full amenities. 

We said our final goodbye to Sugarite and headed north.  Our drive was a short 300 miles today, so we decided to go on a little excursion to the Western Museum of Mining and Industry.

We made it just on time for the 10:30 tour, and Cole loved it!  The boys went through a makeshift mine and learned about mining and early machines.  I think we have a little engineer on our hands.  Colr was very interested in how everything worked....Carson was wanting to run circles around the museum, so the Felix was a nice holding place for a few seconds.

After the tour we got to pan for gold!

Two hours later, we were back on the road heading north to RMNP!   

We pulled up to the most beautiful site in Moraine Park Campground, C240.  Our site was nestled it to its next door neighbor, C239, and I started missing our travel buddies.  One year ago, the Biscamps planned this amazing trip with us.  Sadly, the week before we left, Chris's Mom had a major stroke and they had to cancel their Twin Casita National Park vacation.  We miss them lots, but they will definitely be a part of 2016 extravaganza!

Pictures do not do this place justice.  It's absolutely majestic!

After a tasty taco dinner, it was time for an evening hike to Cub Lake.  Carson pooped out .1 mile into the hike, so he and Curtis returned for firewood and ice while Cole and I explored.

Breathtaking!!!!

We closed our wonderful day with s'mores and a bottle of red wine by the campfire.

Yes, this is my happy place!  

I cannot help but sing this beautiful hymn as we watch the sun set across the beautiful Rocky Mountain.

"As the dear pants for the water,

So my soul longeth after thee.

You alone are my heart's desire,

And I long to worship you.

You alone are my strength, my shield.

To you alone may my spirit yield.

You alone are my heart's desire,

And I long to worship you"

Psalm 42

Day 7 - The boys were eager to get in more bike riding around Moraine Campground, so they shoveled some Lucky Charms and were off on an adventure.  After riding around the loops a few times and only getting lost once, they returned to the campsite and we loaded up for Trail Ridge Road!  This drive is absolutely breathtaking up to the tundra of the Rocky Mountains. 

Pictures just don't do this place justice.  The boys got to play on the ice, 

hike up to the top, 

observe pika in their natural habitat, and watch big horn ram munch on some lunch!

Amazing!!!!

We cruised back down the mountain for a little nap time in the hammock, thanks to our awesome friends Bob and Lisa Feldt.  

We relaxed at the camp side, sang hymns out of The Faith We Sing and soaked in all of God's beautiful earth.  BTW....I'm LOVING my new ebony striped Kala tenor ukulele!

After a little dinner, it was time for a hike to the magical stream AKA Cub Lake for rock collection gathering.

After the evening hike we had our daily s'mores, and Carson put himself to bed while Cole and Daddy relaxed by the campfire.

Yes, this is what summer is all about!  Today, I am thankful for being a teacher.  Cole's daily question is "Mommy, what job do I need to have when I grow up so I can take a travel trailer to all the National Parks?"  My answer...."teacher, baby....or a forest ranger"!

Day 8 - Instead of sunrise at Bear Lake, we opted for a nice big breakfast filled with cinnamon rolls and breakfast tacos (we'll be kicking ourselves later as you will see).  After our nice breakfast, we rode bikes, then set out for a view at Beaver Ponds, then the famous Bear Lake.

Beaver Ponds was absolutely beautiful!  We tried fishing, but it was a bit too marshy.  It's so hard to choose pictures because every shot is absolutely breathtaking.

After attempting fishing at Beaver Ponds, we headed for the famous Bear Lake.  By the time we were there the parking was full and the only option was the shuttle.  When we pulled into the shuttle parking lot, there was a line 100 people long just to get on the shuttle....I couldn't even imagine how man people were already shuttled down to Bear Lake.  We neither like lines, shuttled, or lots of people, so we opted out of Bear Lake this year.  Note to self.....when going to famous spots in National Parks, plan to arrive at sunrise and no later!  In lieu of Bear Lake we found the most remote hiking trail we could and took the dirt road past Cub Lake into Fern Lake.  Awesome choice!!!!  We found a parking spot and only came across a handful of people the whole time!!!!  Unfortunately, however, the hike we chose was the horse trail, so we were hopping over horse poop the whole time.  Eh, whatcha gonna do?

Fern Lake trail was filled with jumps, leaps, climbing, rocks, and followed along the river.  

We hiked in a mile and a half or so til we found a perfect sit for snacks and fishing.

After our remote hike, we returned to the Casita for a late lunch and lounging at the campground.

20 minutes later, the boys were ready to go again, so we hopped in the back of the truck and returned to the "Magical Stream" at Cub Lake for fishing and play.

After loosing 4 lures in the rocks, we were done with our fishing attempt.  We returned to the Casita and I made chili for dinner, played some more Wahoo, ate s'mores, and crashed.  The alarm is set for 4:00 am....it's going to be a long drive to Yellowstone tomorrow.