With my mom in town last week and fall around the corner, we decided to visit Rocky Mountain National Park (Estes Park, Colorado) last Sunday for some well deserved R&R. The weather was expected to be nice and we were hoping to get a glimpse of aspens beautifully showcasing their well-known golden colors.
Last time we went to RMNP in July we arrived just as it started raining. It was drizzling the whole hour we managed to stay (which was an accomplishment considering are kiddos are only 3, 4 and 6 years old). Needless to say, we wanted a do-over.
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Now, I don’t know about you guys but my family has a thing for soft-serve ice cream so we made a stop at Dave’s Diner in Lyons for our fix. They only sell vanilla but they are sooo delish.
I just LOVE that photo of my Mom, by the way. Out of all I’ve ever taken of her this one is by far my favorite.
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We did a short hike to the Alluvial Falls which kiddos love for all the caves and rock formations. Mother nature did an amazing job of arranging all the trees, shrubs and little patches of grass around rocks and fallen trees. This place is beautiful in any season!
After a nice picnic we hiked the loop around Sprague Lake, another trail we love because it’s flat, which means easy enough for all the kiddos to handle.
Of course our youngest two were piggyback-riding half the time. We spoil them like that but can you blame us?
Of course Pisiu came along to…
All in all: the park was gorgeous, colors and wildlife didn’t disappoint.
Things I’ve learned along the way:
- There isn’t such a thing as too much junk food when you’re on a family trip.
- Boys WILL climb on top of ANY rock, no matter how terrifying it is for their mother.
- Kids move constantly – prepare to take gazillion shots for a handful of good photos.
- Things DO get easier as kids grow older. Those who say otherwise must have teens on their hands. Ha!
- We now officially handle 7-hour trips without any crying, tantrums, accidents or bickering. Yippee-yay.
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My name is Joanna Ciolek and I'm a social media junkie, family gal (mom to three boys), passionate web designer, photographer, techie, wine and sushi lover.
