colorado day 4: trail ridge road and home

On our last day in Colorado we had two goals. 1) drive Trail Ridge Road 2) make it to the airport on time! Trail Ridge Road runs along some of the highest points in Rocky Mountain National Park and was rated one of the most scenic drives in the U.S. This was the one thing Zach was looking forward to the most on our trip. We stopped by Estes Park on the way to our drive to buy some tshirts for the boys. It was a really cute town but we had an agenda so didn't stay very long.

The whole drive took about 2 1/2 hours. There were numerous view points a long the way and we stopped at every single one :) The first had a great view of Long's Peak but I'm pretty sure we're blocking it in the picture. oops!

They are repaving this extremely high, curvy and not fenced mountain road. We had to stop for about 15 minutes to let the other lane pass but it was ok because we got to stare at some wildlife. Elk ( i think) snacking in the mountains.

The highest point on the road is at Rock Cut. There is a .5 mile trail to the summit that we wanted to walk up. However, this just happens to be above 12,000 feet in the Alpine Tundra ecosystem where it's too cold for even trees to grow and EXTREMELY windy and we just happened to be in shorts. We powered through for some good pictures and a cool experience. Zach did get a little frustrated that I wanted to stop and read every information sign though.

On our way back down the other side of Trail Ridge Road we saw this amazing view of the glaciers and the gorgeous valley beneath. Have I mentioned that this is seriously the most beautiful place I've ever been!

Just before the exit on the other side of the park we saw this sign for the continental divide. Zach had wanted to drive to see it at Loveland Pass but time did not permit it. This was almost as good.

After our scenic drive we headed straight to Denver and the airport. Our route took us through Winter Park which was neat to see but definitely quiet since it's a big ski town. It was worth the quiet though because we saw this cool barn on the side of the road which of course required us to pull over at a random gas station to get a picture and also finally saw a moose! or 3!! We turned a corner and saw a lot of cars pulled over and assumed there was something to see. These guys were chilling in the pond eating drinking and being merry. Yay wildlife!

This was an all around awesome trip. I am so thankful for the opportunity to go. Thanks to my parents for taking excellent care of my boys, thanks to Leslie and Steph for loaning me stuff :), thanks to Katie and Jered for moving out there, thanks to all my ladies who prayed for my fear of leaving so I could experience an awesome trip, thanks to my handsome hubby for having fun along side me and thanks to God for making a beautiful world to see!