Estes Park Blipmeet, Day 2

This is Thursday’s blip.  If you didn’t see yesterday's, it would be better to start there to follow our 2 day Blipmeet with V1k1 and her Lovely Daughter. 

Last night after dinner I dropped off Vicki and her LD at their motel and went back to mine with a plan to meet early again and plan our day over breakfast.  We had picked up a tourist magazine of things to see and do and they made a list of their preferences.  I think we managed to see most of them.  

We started with the Aerial Tramway, a gondola that goes to the top of Prospect Mountain (8700 ft.).  We walked around on the trail, took lots of photos and fed the chipmunks and squirrels.  It’s the only place in the park where they encourage you to feed the animals.  They were very tame and some took peanuts from our hands.  Some of the views from the top are in yesterday’s extra.

Our next stop was the Stanley Hotel.  We thought we might take a tour but reservations were necessary.  It was fine, though, because we were able to look around the main floor and lower level and explore the grounds.  The Overlook Hotel in Steven King’s “The Shining” was inspired by the Stanley.  The original movie was not filmed there but the miniseries in 1997 was. 

After that, it was time for ice cream and a little shopping in the downtown area.  It is very tourist oriented with lots of shops and restaurants…and plenty of candy and ice cream stores to choose from.

It was late afternoon by then but we still decided to make the 30 minute drive to another part of the National Park called Wild Basin.  We did a short hike through a pine forest to a pair of waterfalls, also pictured in yesterday’s extra.  Lots of photos were taken as Vicki and I attempted to get “smooth water” without tripods.  We did pretty well. :-)

By the time we got back to town it was time for dinner.  We didn’t have a place picked out for so we drove around and ended up at a restaurant with good food and lovely mountain views. 

My blip today is a Violet-green Swallow taken outside my room early this morning.  I always try to capture these beauties when we’re camping but they’re never still long enough.  I was happy to get a good shot of one today.  My collage in the extra is all wildlife from yesterday and today.  Starting from the left on the top row is a Bighorn Sheep, a male Elk (still in velvet and not fully rid of its winter coat), Yellow-rumped Warbler; middle row from the left is a female Elk (looking pregnant), Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel, another shot of the Violet-green Swallow;  the bottom row from the left is a female Ring-necked Duck, Clark’s Nutcracker, and a Chickaree (aka Douglas Squirrel).  I also saw but didn’t photograph a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Mule deer with fawn, Mountain Chickadees, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Least Chipmunks and Grey-headed Juncos.

It was hard saying goodbye.  After hugs all around and wet eyes, I headed for home after dinner.  I am so grateful for the wonderful friends I have made on Blip!  Even though we’ll be on opposite sides of the world when they return home, we’ll still keep up with each other every day.  :-))