Christmas 2006
The Christmas holiday break of 2006 started off with a huge blizzard on December 20. I was subbing that day as the snow started to fall. The drive home was not too pleasant, but I made it home in one piece. The next morning, the following picture was the view from my front window. Keep in mind that I do have a basement apartment, and my window sill is about 6" above ground level.
I had to work during much of Christmas break, so I didn't get to go home and visit my family this year. Instead, I took a couple of days away from CSU to see the mountains. The Smiths were nice enough to let me stay with them and share their holidays. I drove up to Estes Park on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. Pictured below is Highway 34 in the Big Thompson Canyon (left) and Horseshoe Park, looking west into Fall River Canyon (right). The second view certainly is different than the usual view from the valley. The clouds were amazing!
After visiting the park for a few minutes, I headed to the Smiths' house. The famous Stanley Hotel looked like a postcard (left). The view on the right greeted me as I drove along Highway 7.
We went to the Christmas Eve candlelight service at the YMCA of the Rockies and came home to a nice dinner. The girls were typical kids waiting for their Christmas gifts!
On Christmas morning, we woke to beautiful blue Colorado skies, puffy clouds and kids in pajamas, still eager to open their gifts. I made the hats that the girls are wearing in the right-hand picture below as Christmas gifts.
The day after Christmas (for me) included a drive down Highway 7 to see the views of Longs Peak, Mt. Meeker and the surrounding hills. The Chapel at St. Malo's retreat center was beautiful in the snow! (Sorry the picture is a bit tilted.)
Then I went into Rocky Mountain NP for a drive up Bear Lake Road. Who hasn't dreamed of living in one of the cabins in Moraine Park? I'd take either!
The snowpack around Bear Lake was easily four feet deep, and even deeper in the drifts. This is certainly different than many park visitors experience. The picture below on the left shows the guardrails at the sides of the trail around Bear Lake. Usually, these railings are waist/hip high on me. The light on the trail and snow at that moment made for a beautiful sight. The photo on the right shows the craigs of Flattop Mountain above Bear Lake.
This last picture was taken from Moraine Park, looking up to Longs Peak, robed in clouds.
Unfortunately, I had to head back to Fort Collins after that, to catch up on some school and work stuff. But the very next day, December 27, we had another get-together with some of the Forumers. You can see a couple of pictures from that party on the Christmas Party page.