Easter in Estes

Andy and Barbara near Trail Ridge Road

I don't know when the tradition of spending Easter in the mountains began but it seems that when my children were young we celebrated Easter in Estes Park. One year, I invited my parents to come for Easter dinner where we were staying. Easter morning I got up early and decided to vacuum the condo before going to mass. A knock on the door surprised me and when I opened the door, a man in his pajamas exclaimed,  "For crying out loud, we are on vacation and would like to sleep in.  Why are you vacuuming so early and waking everybody up?" I learned that celebrating in the mountains was not the same as being home!

If I am home and not traveling, my Arvada family and I have headed to Estes Park to celebrate Easter. My granddaughter was about one year old when we began spending time in the mountains. I have many memories of swimming, roller skating, hiking, wandering in and out of  stores, buying sweets in candy stores, playing in a playground with swings and slides, sitting in hot tubs,

 

playing board games, coloring Easter eggs, watching movies and popping popcorn. Saturday evening we reserved for dying eggs and before long it became a competition to see who could come up with the most colorful or unusual egg!




On Easter morning, I would attend mass at Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic church and some years I would be in summer clothes while other times I'd be bundled in winter clothes. Before leaving for mass I would hide colored eggs and/or plastic eggs filled with surprises so when my grandchildren woke up they could hunt for the eggs.  Sometimes, the resort would have an Easter Egg hunt and my grandchildren would join thirty other kids in looking for the colored eggs! One of my favorite times was when my California family visited and we stayed in three separate cabins.

We would eat Easter brunch at one of the local restaurants or sometimes I would prepare something at the condo where we were staying.  One of my favorite places was sitting in the dining room and looking out at Lake Estes. A fascinating view is seeing elk wandering around Estes or watching them slowly cross the road or huddled in a meadow. 

When I woke up last year, (2011), it was a winter wonderland! Here are some photos of our wonderful times spent at Estes Park, Colorado for Easter.

Rocky Mountain National Park

is a great place to see wild life!