Boulder, Colorado - yesterday

After leaving Kansas and coming into Colorado the road got a bit more exciting to drive then certainly as I got into Boulder. What a beautiful place. crowded. no parking places. teeming with college kiddos and great fun places to hang. If I were in my 30s much less my 20s I would be hanging there for sure.

I tried to find campgrounds and such but they were either not open yet or too primitive ... so the nearest Walmart was Broomfield a few minutes away. Good ol Whole Foods and Panera Bread in the immediate vicinity.

I didn't sleep very well Thursday night. I itched and twitched and .. I don't know. The Walmart was in a very lovely area and was very quiet. I stayed at Panera until dusk thirty and was soooooo sleepy. As soon as I got Homer all curtained up and my body washed and moisturized my wrinkles and put my nightshirt on ... laid down... and bingo... wide damn awake. jeeeeEEEZ I hate that.

Finally got the itching to subside and somehow or other managed to get some sleep because I woke up and it was still very dark outside... 3:30am! so did the try to get back to sleep routine --- turned and tossed and itched and said bad words ... until finally I saw light --- 8:30am! hate doing that... felt all fuzzy headed all day. My head needs no help feeling fuzzy.

Soooooo.... decided to come see ol Estes Park. I was here in the middle 70s and just fell in love with this place. Absolutely gorgeous. On the way in, I pulled over every time I could to let cars go by... I refused to go over the speed limit as well as I wanted to soak in all this beautiful stuff.

One of the nicest pull overs was a real pull over place. I saw two older guys bending down looking at something.  Looks as though they were even feeding something! So I investigated....

There was at least a dozen of these little guys scampering about up and down the cliff ... jeeeeEEEEZ are chipmunks cute are what!?

 Can you see the snow on the peaks? It blends in with the clouds.... but of course, to the naked eye or to a whammo bammo camera! you can sure see it... beautiful beautiful beautiful

Aw the little toot! One of the guys gave me some dried fruit to feed them and this little guy came right up to me .. I held the fruit in my hand and eeked when he was about to eat! HAaaa... sissy wimp.... He was looking right at me then when I clicked the camera!? he did this... then scampered away....

sigh

Went to several places ... saw in two different places two ladies waterieng the grounds at their little motels. getting ready to open in MID May! .... drove around to two more hotels right in Estes Park and one lady said their water line broke ....but that they were open  but couldn't rent because of that!

Went to the Visitor's Center.... I asked the lady about the campgrounds ... she showed me three that were open. One I had passed coming in Hermit's something or other... it was just a field with a tent space! for hiker and kayakers and such.... the other two were within an hour but it was getting dusk thirty and I don't see that well around that time .... I'm fine if I know where I am ... but looking for a place in this two lane winding environment? hah!

Asked her if I could just park there ... it was surrounded by a park... no, no overnight parking... and further there was none any where. I asked her why so many places were closed. She said construction as well as a lot haven't got unwinterized yet. The water was a major problem. ah

So.... I found the local hospital! saw a sign and said ... well, I'll just take a chance there. Got out a couple of magazines and such I fetched from the VC and saw The Ponderosa Lodge! open all year... yay! I thought... oh, jeez this is the place? I came through here with a guy I was madly in love with in the middle 70s and we found this place.

I called them and was given the only deal she had was three nights and the third night free. I grabbed it! ... put the address in my maps thing and saw the sign with an arrow... which said... down this way! I said yes! it is the same place...

Drove in on this tee tiny dirt road and found the office. Not the same owners but got their story. What fun. We stayed in a room with the water going right underneath the front deck. She said after the flood! that they had to build them higher and well.... I posted my pictures of my room yesterday. I was absolutely exhausted and didn't sleep well again.... itched and tossed and turned! but at least in the room... I could get up and walk and look at my water and well... I finally fell asleep because I woke up...

Absolute heaven! and fun memories of ol Frerenze.... a Hungarian ... we lasted about 6 months... HAhaaaa... wonder what ever become of the boy...

I thought the place was in Loveland for some reason.... whatever... life! and its subsidiaries...