When Courtney's dad called him to ask if it would be alright for them to come visit, without hesitation, we said "yes!" This whole corona virus stuff really put a damper on our summer plans, because we were suppose to spend time in Texas this summer. So, with those plans cancelled, Courtney's dad and step mom decided to head our way.
We kept it a secret from the kids, not only because we would never hear the end of it until the day came, but also because the kids were just as bummed as Courtney and I that we weren't able to go on our summer vacation, that we wanted them to be surprised by something.
When we knew the exact dates of when they would be here, Courtney took some days off and we also made our reservations to go into RMNP. The kids knew that we were planning on going into the mountains, but they didn't catch on that we would have some visitors coming with us.
So, the night before, when grandpa and grandma Nancy showed up at the front door, they were so shocked and then quickly asked if they were coming with us to the mountains. Their excitement grew when they heard the answer "YES!"
I love that the kids get excited about going to the mountains and now that we have gone a lot more this summer, they even have their own favorite spots that they like to go. They made sure that we were going to go to the same picnic area that we always go to and made sure that we were taking grandpa and grandma on the long road up the mountains.
We got to the mountains early, so we had time to do some exploring before we found our picnic area for lunch. We decided to explore an area that I have been reading and seeing pictures about, but we had gone there yet. Sprague Lake. What a beautiful place! Unfortunately, there were fires in the area, so we couldn't see the mountains like we were hoping, due to all the smoke in the area.
Many of the pictures I had come across, showed moose walking in the water here at Sprague Lake, but sadly, we didn't see any. But, we did see plenty of ducks and fish swimming around, which the kids were excited about.
Time for a picnic. We were lucky enough to get a spot that was across from the river. I had brought along their water shoes, so the kids quickly ate their lunches and couldn't get their water shoes on quick enough. The walking around in the water didn't last too long though. The water was so cold, that after about 15 minutes, they were done. Except for McKenna. She wanted to stay in the water and would have if we let her. It was just too cold for playing in.
Now, that our bellies were full, time to do some driving up the mountain. Our favorite thing to do every time we are in the mountains is driving up Trail River Road. Thankfully, it was open because there was talks that they were going to close the road down due to the smoke in the area. A lot of the trails in the area were closed though.
We were lucky enough to be able to spot a moose hanging around on Trail Ridge Road. By the time we were able to get to the moose, it had scurried into the trees, so I couldn't get a good picture. We have never come across a moose on Trail Ridge Road, so it was a pretty cool sighting.
Once we got to the top on Trail Ridge Road, we really could see the smoke coming up from over the mountains. It makes me so sad thinking of all the animals that are near it and all the devastation that the land is enduring right now.
It's sad that grandma and grandpa's first trip into RMNP was a smoky one, but still happy that they got to enjoy the day in the mountains with us. The kids especially loved being able to show them their favorite spots!
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