Frisco, Colorado has as much of the awful traffic as our Frisco, TX. We were searching for the the ONLY Walmart in Western Colorado North of Alamosa looking for cheap groceries to only find out the Walmart was not a Texas Super Walmart, but an old school Walmart with no produce/groceries...and insanely packed with no place to park our camper....BOO!!! I can’t believe how crowded this area had gotten since the last time we were here in 2005 skiing with Dad and Steve. We headed north, through the Eisenhower Tunnel (that was cool! We Schettlers love tunnels and trains) and over the Continental Divide (#2)
Yes, I definitely think we can make this place home for 4 nights!
See the ray?!?!?! That was Dad saying “Hello”....and maybe a warning of what was to come.....we then headed up to Adams Falls for a hike in RMNP.
The boys loved playing at the top of the falls.
On our way back to the Casita 2.0, we spotted a mamma moose and her baby!
We were admiring the baby foul, then all of a sudden, noticed a billow of smoke rising from very close. We originally thought it was done after a short time. Then the smoke turned black and rose high above the trees, and started blowing our direction.
Thankfully, 4 hours later, we found a Ranger making rounds. He said the evacuation is staying throughout the night and we could return in the morning. He also said they controlled the fire 100 feet from the residential houses....too close for comfort. We learned a lot today....always be prepared, and situations can change in the blink of an eye. We ended the night with elk roaming our campground and a 9:00 pm Ranger Program. Tomorrow we’ll see what we have in store for the Schettlers. As for now, good night, sleep tight, God bless. 🙏
Day 16: We spent the majority of the day avoiding the fires. Thankfully, the fire lightened up and the department lifted the evacuation on Winding River Resort, so we were able to return to our original campsite. The boys were pretty shaken up after the fire and evacuation, so we relaxed all day and found a local ice cream shop for a treat. Hopefully our summer of “Continental Divide” will not turn into summer of “fires”.
Next it was my turn to ride with Cole. I’m no where near as good a rider as Cole and Curtis are, but he guided me down safely. We took the two lifts up to the top....5.5 mile run, and I have to admit I was freaking out a bit. I’ll go down any black diamond on skis, but on a bike is a totally different scenarios! I had to ride as fast as I comfortably could to keep up with Cole!
When we got back done Carson decided he was ready for the challenge! This was his first downhill mountain bike experience.....I have to admit I was a little worried about him because Cole was a year older before he tried downhill mountain biking. Carson rode up the lift with a smile and returned with an even bigger smile!!!!!
Another round of riding and we were whipped! We took the walk back through Winter Park where we found a double jackpot.....lifesize chess set and buy one/get one free local tap beers for $5.00!
Carson won the chess game....first time ever! They both beat me when we play! What a great spontaneous day of fun! Tomorrow we head over the pass to Moraine Park RMNP near Estes Park to meet our besties, the Biscamps for two weeks of National Parks exploring and fun! Thank God for summer!
....thankfully found a Safeway outside of Winter Park to stock up for the next 7 days in RMNP til we make it to Jackson. $240 in groceries later, we shoved them in the camper and went on our way. We pulled up to Winding River Resort weary, ready for a beer, and starving. We unhitched, cooked tacos, and set off to explore! This place is great!!!! There’s baby animals, playgrounds, horses, hayrides, with full hookups, and it backs up to Western RMNP!
Yes, I definitely think we can make this place home for 4 nights!
Day 15: Well, today ended up very different than we thought it would.....we started the morning sleeping in and resting then headed into Grand Lake for a hike. My awesome Counselor, Lori, has a family cabin in Grand Lake, so she sent me great ideas on eating, shopping, and hiking here. We toured the beautiful Grand Lake Lodge first.
See the ray?!?!?! That was Dad saying “Hello”....and maybe a warning of what was to come.....we then headed up to Adams Falls for a hike in RMNP.
The boys loved playing at the top of the falls.
On our way back to the Casita 2.0, we spotted a mamma moose and her baby!
We took the 4 mile drive back up to Winding Ruver Resort where we were greeted by the mamma and baby foul that was born the day we arrived! Only 24 hours old!
We were admiring the baby foul, then all of a sudden, noticed a billow of smoke rising from very close. We originally thought it was done after a short time. Then the smoke turned black and rose high above the trees, and started blowing our direction.
Before we knew it, we were on a required evacuation from Winding River Resort because the wildfire was less than a mile from our campground. The boys were awesome in helping us pack up and hitch up. We left Winding River as the smoke was billowing higher and higher and headed west into Rocky Mountain National Park. We thankfully found the last site in Timber Creek First Come/First Serve campground, and settled in for the night.
Thankfully, 4 hours later, we found a Ranger making rounds. He said the evacuation is staying throughout the night and we could return in the morning. He also said they controlled the fire 100 feet from the residential houses....too close for comfort. We learned a lot today....always be prepared, and situations can change in the blink of an eye. We ended the night with elk roaming our campground and a 9:00 pm Ranger Program. Tomorrow we’ll see what we have in store for the Schettlers. As for now, good night, sleep tight, God bless. 🙏
Day 16: We spent the majority of the day avoiding the fires. Thankfully, the fire lightened up and the department lifted the evacuation on Winding River Resort, so we were able to return to our original campsite. The boys were pretty shaken up after the fire and evacuation, so we relaxed all day and found a local ice cream shop for a treat. Hopefully our summer of “Continental Divide” will not turn into summer of “fires”.
Day 17: Day 17 turned out to be a spontaneous day of awesome! Curtis and I went for a quick 4 mile run, did the laundry, and decided we would take the hour drive south to Winter Park for downhill mountain biking. We fixed a big breakfast of maple sausage, fruit, and cereal, and when the laundry was done we hit the road. This was Cole’s third downhill mountain biking experience, so he’s one awesome rider! We’ve hit different resorts over the past three years...Jackson Hole, Mt Bachelor, and now Winter Park. Next summer will hopefully be Durango or Ruidoso. Cole and Curtis immediately rode the lifts straight up to the top while Carson and I played football at the base.
Next it was my turn to ride with Cole. I’m no where near as good a rider as Cole and Curtis are, but he guided me down safely. We took the two lifts up to the top....5.5 mile run, and I have to admit I was freaking out a bit. I’ll go down any black diamond on skis, but on a bike is a totally different scenarios! I had to ride as fast as I comfortably could to keep up with Cole!
When we got back done Carson decided he was ready for the challenge! This was his first downhill mountain bike experience.....I have to admit I was a little worried about him because Cole was a year older before he tried downhill mountain biking. Carson rode up the lift with a smile and returned with an even bigger smile!!!!!
We have two awesome bike riders on our hands!!!!!
Another round of riding and we were whipped! We took the walk back through Winter Park where we found a double jackpot.....lifesize chess set and buy one/get one free local tap beers for $5.00!
Carson won the chess game....first time ever! They both beat me when we play! What a great spontaneous day of fun! Tomorrow we head over the pass to Moraine Park RMNP near Estes Park to meet our besties, the Biscamps for two weeks of National Parks exploring and fun! Thank God for summer!
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