Monday is always a difficult day - especially after a great weekend. We had a visitor, Nick, Cooksister's other half, come in to see some of what CO has to offer. It was a real whistle stop weekend. We ended staying at the Rams Horn Village in Estes Park, CO for 3 nights. Rocky Mountain National Park is really beautiful. Living as we do, so close to this park, we often overlook it in our more ambitious treks. But what fun - to be less than 2 hours away from some truly beautiful scenes. The weather was cold and windy on Friday - and it tried to snow. The wind really cut the temps down, and made it unpleasant. We used Friday as the day to do a brief overview of the park, Estes Park and the famous Stanley Hotel. Trail Ridge Road was closed for the season, as were a number of other roads. But don't let that deter you. There is still much to explore, and not just by car. If you are bundled up against the chilly wind you can see quite a bit. Saturday we set aside for some more serious walks. We hiked to Dream Lake. There was snow on the ground, but not enough to snow shoe, and it was not icy. I battled on the hilly parts (mainly the up hill parts) due to turning into a slug as well as my "sports" injury issues I had with my calf muscles. I certainly got a good work out. And, it shows just how out of shape I really am. How did that happen? Being out of shape just seems to sneak up on one. Perhaps I am an optimist at heart, but I am always shocked at how unfit I really am. The area around Dream Lake was quite windy. But very dramatic. Then we were on to Chasm Falls which is just off the old fall road (closed for the season.) Our guest, Nick, had a great time doing some exploring off track - which meant the slug (me) and Kevin had to scramble up the side of the forest to get to the road. As per usual I am the last up, I am lying in the sand, trying to coax my lungs back in, and remind my legs to remain upright when I hear clicking. Kevin is busy documenting my ascent. I was too pooped to smack him. Sunday we showed Nick Boulder and took him down to see Downtown Denver. Photos to follow.