This weekend I went for a much needed vacation with girlfriends in Colorado. I timed the trip to coincide with the Estes Park Wool Market so I could meet a bunch of knitters/spinners from Ravelry and so Rachel (my college roommate) and I could have a little reunion.
I flew into Denver midday on Friday and Rachel and I drove up to Ft. Collins to meet Elaine and her adorable baby V. Elaine and I grew up in neighboring towns and went to rival high schools. We’re approximately the same age. We both married our husbands the same year, and she moved to Colorado to be with her husband when I moved to Kansas to be with Wes. And we had never met in person, but had somehow put all of this together online. So we had coffee. And Baby V made her adorable grumpy faces!
After meeting with Elaine, Rachel and I got back in the car and headed up to Estes Park. We had reservations to stay at Deer Crest Resort. I have to say that it was an EXCELLENT place to stay. The price was reasonable, the rooms were nice, and the surrounding area was beautiful. The resort backs up on Fall Creek, and behind the rooms there is a beautiful lawn space, filled with picnic tables and Adirondack chairs where you can just hang out near the creek. It was so peaceful. Friday night Rachel and I had sandwiches outside and knit until dark, and on Saturday we had a good time knitting and watching the wildlife – chipmunks and a marmot!
Saturday morning we headed for the wool market! What fun! Part of the market was a show for animals. There were alpacas:
And billy goats:
And wooly sheep:
and fluffy bunnies!
Then there were Ravelry friends to meet:
Of course, there was shopping too!
A sheepy magnet (the only purchase Wes officially sanctioned), and a little Tomten doll. The rainbow braid is from Dicentra and is a merino/tussah blend. The blue is indigo dyed Jacob wool and I got enough to spin for a sweater!
After a very full day, Rachel and I said goodbye to my friends and we headed back to the resort to knit and then, when it got dark, we watched movies.
Sunday was my last day in the park. Rachel really wanted to go on a hike, and so we tried. Now you all know I’m a wuss, but being up 7500 feet certainly didn’t help! We got about 1/2 mile in on the hike and went up another 1000 feet in elevation and I had to give in. But not before I got a few good shots:
After the hike there was cherry pie at the Colorado Cherry Company and then it was back to the airport.
The full set of photos can be found here.
Today I have what I have been calling a vacation hangover – the cure for which is only more vacation right?
As a post script – the area just north of Estes Park, High Park is currently facing a wildfire. We could see the smoke from where we were and the fire has exploded from 50ish acres (when this picture was taken) to over 10,000 acres. My thoughts are with all the families who find themselves in the fire’s path and with the firefighters who are working to contain the blaze.
