Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy!

We woke the first full day in Estes Park to homemade pancakes.  The Minnesota Cauthorns supplied the Chokecherry syrup and the Texas Cauthorns supplied the pancakes.  There were no leftovers.

All that was officially planned for the day was a family hike to help us acclimate.  After registering the boys for three days of camp at the YMCA, dad randomly selected the Gem Lake trail.  I am not certain the exact reason for the selection but I think it was the distance (4 miles) and the elevation gain (1090 feet).  Both turned out to be excessive.

The hike started out in the trees with lots of shade.  The boys were bounding ahead with the adults lagging behind.  The last mile was difficult, steep and rocky.  We got to Gem Lake with only half our party.  I headed back down to find mom and dad who where not far behind.  It was agreed that the name Gem Lake was a bit optimistic, Gem Puddle, or Gem Pond would have been better names.  The boys found a rock with a perfect hole in it, and I found a rock formation that I named "Estes Moon" (or "Butt Crack").  We all love the view of Estes Park and the mountains and agreed (after having eaten) that Gem Lake was an enjoyable hike.

We played put-put golf and had wild rice soup for dinner.  Vacation was off to a wonderful start!