Day-7 Jul-14-09

This morning we left Custer SD and traveled to Estes Park CO. This was about a 370 mile ride and took about 10.5 hours, including gas, food, and rest stops.

The weather was HOT !!! I forgot to put sunscreen on my arms this morning, and they are now pretty burned :( Oh well, I'll learn

The ride was pretty boring through the state of Wyoming, so no photos :) Once we hit Colorado, the mountains seemed to spring out of nowhere !! The last hour of the ride (from Loveland CO, to Estes Park CO) was really nice. The road goes through Big Thompson Canyon, a very narrow canyon with extremely steep and rugged sides. There was a fast moving river that ran right next to the road for the entire ride. Very scenic.

At the end of Big Thompson Canyon, and at the base of the Rocky Mountain National Park, is the town of Estes Park. Estes Park was a cute little town, with tons of shops, nice restaurants, and a walkway along the river.

We also drove past the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. The hotel was built by Freelan Stanley, of Stanley Steemer automobile fame. Many famous guests have stayed at the hotel, including Theodore Roosevelt, John Philip Sousa, and Titanic survivor Margaret Brown. Steven King has also stayed at the hotel, and found the building to be his inspiration for the movie The Shining.

Here is a shot of the Stanley as we drove past, since we did not have time to actually spend at the hotel.

That's about it for today, tomorrow we head up into the Rocky Mountains !