Rocky Mountain Hi!

My alter-ego.  My second home.  For the past 40 years, I have been fortunate enough to call this place my home-away-from-home.  In 1973 my dad purchased a gorgeous plot of land, complete with towering Ponderosa Pines, granite rock formations, and countless forms of wildlife, for the inconceivably low sum of $6000.  A few years later, he and a few teacher buddies built a modest summer home for an even more inconceivable sum of $16,000.  And for 40 years, we have been blessed with endless memories in our family mountain retreat.  The weather is ideal.  While the rest of the country is sweltering, at 8000 feet, we are a cool and comfortable 70-75.  One tradition we never miss, year after year, is cooking out breakfast at Sprague Lake.  My dad, at 78 years young, can still cook fried eggs in bacon grease like no one else.  Add blueberry donuts from the Donut Haus (the BEST donuts in the world, in my opinion) to the mix, and you have a winning combination. And there’s just something about the breathtaking scenery that makes the food taste that much better.  

Also on our annual Rocky Mountain National Park pilgrimage, Hubs and I are afforded one date-night to take our appetizer-crawl concept out West.  This year, we started at the historic Stanley Hotel, inspiration for Stephen King’s The Shining, and the “grand dame” of Estes Park, which is where this photo was taken, but we also make sure we never miss the kitchy Wheel Bar in town, and rustic Mary’s Lake Lodge on the outskirts of town.  If I were to play tourist, this is where I would stay!  I love that RMNP has become near and dear to my husband’s heart too, and that, no matter where else we might take them, our boys always look forward to our annual mountain respite!

On the Patio at the Historic Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado

Annual Breakfast Cookout at Sprague Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park