Martens Visit

The whole Martens clan drove out from Minnesota to spend a weekend in Estes Park. Even Uncle Jamie and Aunt Emily flew in from Boston to join the festivities. This was the first time the boys have been surrounded by such a large group of family. We had nice, if somewhat breezy, weather for the weekend, and a deck with some wonderful views of the continental divide.

On Saturday, we drove into town to check out the “Wool Market”. It had a kind of county fair feel to it. There were sheep, goats, and rabbits to feed and pet, and a sheep dog demonstration that the boys definitely thought was fun. Later that afternoon, we went back into town for some ice cream cones and to play in one of the city parks. The boys enjoyed the ice cream, but didn’t quite get the fact that it was going to melt really fast in the summer heat.

Sunday we went into Rocky Mountain National Park for a drive up Trail Ridge Road. We had to wait until we got to the top, but we finally saw some wildlife. There was a moose visible from the visitor’s center, we saw a deer from the road, and several elk in one of the meadows near the exit. The only problem is that it was COLD at the top (~36 degrees, with gusty winds to boot), so no one wanted to spend much time walking around or posing for pictures. Oh well, it was a beautiful drive nonetheless.

All in all, the weekend went very well, if not quickly. The boys had no problem warming up to everyone, or in dealing with having such a houseful of people. They actually seemed to enjoy the drive through the mountains. Next up – sleeping in a tent!