Day 1 - We started from Austin on 2nd late afternoon and stopped over at Amarillo for the night.
Day 2 - At Amarillo, we saw the Cadillac ranch and kids did some spray painting. After that on the way in Trinidad Colorado we saw the Art cartopia.
Later that evening we reached Denver. We stayed at a hotel in the downtown which was walking distance from malls at 16th Street.
We walked to Union Amtrak Railway Station and took a free mall ride bus on our way back to the hotel. At the Union station we saw some ads for the upcoming MLB All stars baseball game. A huge baseball was at display right at the entrance of the Union station where we took some pictures.
Day 3 - We started on our way to Estes Park but first we went to see the Denver Botanic Gardens which was also located near downtown. On our way we saw the city capitol building as well. Denver Botatnic garden was pretty nice and took us some 2 hours to explore. We reached late afternoon at Estes Park where we stayed at walking distance from Lake Estes. Estes park is a small city and is very scenic with Rocky mountain views from wherever you stay. After dinner we walked in the city by the lake.
It was July 4th so shops closed early and we were back to the lake Estes and sat down near it for fireworks show at 9.30pm. It was a fun evening and a great fireworks show will lasted for 30 mins.
Day 4 - We went to the Rocky mountain national park at 8am. We parked at the Park and Ride stop and took the free shuttle to the Bear Lake corridor. There we hiked to the bear lake, nymph lake, dream and emerald lakes.
Then we decided to do a harder hike to the Bierstadt lake which was 2 miles up and then 2 miles down. The path was bit hard on the way up the hill but coming down was easy and very scenic. Kids had fun doing the hike. All the while i was worried about seeing some animal on the way as we were the only ones on the hike for the most part and will only get to meet few others at times. But fortunately we did not see any animals other than the marmots, squirrels and some mountain birds.
Day 5 - We saw the Stanley hotel where The Shinning movie was shot (and the book by author Stephen King is based on). Then we entered the park to take the Trailridge Road to Grand Lake. Trailridge road is very scenic and we used the Gypsy app to get a guided tour while we drove. We stopped at the Fall River trailhead and did some hiking then reached Grand Lake later afternoon. We had enough time to get a small fishing boat rental (from the Grand Lake Marina) for an hour and went boating on the Grand Lake. Grand Lake is much smaller than Estes park and shops close pretty early.
Day 6 - We started from Grand Lake to Colorado Springs. On the way we took the Georgetown Loop Railroad ride and their mine tour. It was educational and fun for kids. You do need to book the ticket in advance during peek season so do it before you make the trip there. Later that afternoon we arrived at Colorado Springs and went to see the Garden of the Gods.
Day 7 - Next day in Colorado Springs we visited Pikes Peak early morning. Driving up and down this high mountain was pretty scary but the views from the peak make it worthwhile. After pikes peak we went to see the Seven Falls. It took more time than we had expected. There is a long wait from parking to take the free shuttle and go to the seven falls and then a wait to come back to parking. But it was very scenic and worth all that waiting.
Day 8 - We visited the Royal Gorge Park and took the zipline ride there. Then at 3.30pm we took the lunch train ride at the Royal Gorge Railroad which was close by. The Royal Gorge has Arkansas River where we saw folks doing river rafting which seemed fun but we did not plan for it this time. Again you need to do the reservation in advance for it. We started on our way back to home the same day and made a stop at Lubbock city that night.
Day 9 - We arrived back home by evening.
We needed more time to do more hikes in the RMNP. There are so many trails suitable for all ages. Weather in summer time is great to visit the place. We packed winter clothes but never needed those. A light jacket and a poncho are needed for the hikes. It rained when we hiked and thankfully we did pack a poncho with us. They sell it there in the park too. Overall the road trip was very enjoyable, roads are in great condition and driving was safe and comfortable.
Please note: The pictures above were taken with Nikon D7100 with the default lens that comes with the camera and mostly in auto mode (as i have not yet tried learning the different non-auto options that the camera has). Some of the pictures can make a very good wallpaper (feel free to use it) and it is not because of my good photography but because the place is so beautiful that you just cannot go wrong. :)
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