Lily Lake, RMNP

Miss me?  Sorry it's taken me a couple of weeks to post again.  I was finishing up a calligraphy class at UCLA Extension and spent a lot of time on my final project.

Here are some photos from a hike I did around Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.  RMNP is the only national park I've been to where there are visitor centers located outside of the park boundary, meaning that you can visit them without actually paying the fee to enter the park.  Also, there are several areas of the park that you can do the same, such as Lily Lake (technically, you're supposed to have your receipt, but there really wasn't any rangers around to ask for it).  It's right off the road on Highway 7 just south of Estes Park and it is amazingly beautiful.  I was there very early in the day at the beginning of my drive on the Peak to Peak Highway down to Golden (more on that another day), so there were only a few people hiking.  There are two trails - I did the ridge trail first and was rewarded by a beautiful rainbow over the lake!  Ok, it rained a bit, too, but no rainbow without rain, right?  Totally worth it :)  Afterwards, I hiked around the edge of the lake for views of flora and fauna.

I hope you enjoy these!

Historical buildings in Estes Park, CO

A week ago Sunday I went to a silent film festival at the Historic Park Theatre in Estes Park:

http://www.historicparktheatre.com/

It's definitely not in the same class as the Los Angeles or Orpheum Theatres in downtown LA that I've shown you photos of - the Park looks like it was built in the wild west for use by cowboys and ranchers and their ladies :)  The show I went to had 2 Charlie Chaplin movies and a Charlie Chase short - very funny!  They were accompanied by a live piano player who was very accomplished and friendly.

After the movie, I went to see the Stanley Hotel:

http://www.stanleyhotel.com/

It opened in 1909 and was Stephen King's inspiration for the spooky hotel in his novel "The Shining" (the movie version starred Jack Nicholson).  It's still in use today (quite swanky) and is in beautiful condition with amazing views out to the Rocky Mountains.  I even bumped into some elk grazing around the parking lot!

More photos to come.  Enjoy!

Vacation in Estes Park, Colorado

I just came back from a week's vacation in Estes Park, Colorado, "The Gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park."  I had a great time:  hiking in the Park, driving scenic routes, and walking through many a charming town.  I'm just going to post a few pics tonight (because it's been a while since I posted, but it's late!);  I'll (iy"h) do some more posting over the next week with a bit of travelog :) Enjoy!