Picture post.

The past couple of years, we've spent a week at Family Camp up at lovely YMCA Camp du Nord in the Minnesota north woods, right next to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  We love it there, but for a few years we have planned a slightly different journey to a different YMCA Camp — YMCA Camp of the Rockies, specifically, the Estes Park Center near the eastern entrances to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.   We were first introduced to this wonderful place when some friends of ours got married there — yes, AT the YMCA, in the outdoor chapel pictured in a previous post — five years ago.

We lodged in a 2BR family cabin, with kitchen, for the week.  This is the view from our cabin in the dawn:

The view of the camp isn't great here — mostly you can see the Longhouse on the right, a big building with, I think, a skating rink and some conference facilities, and (more importantly for us) the guest laundry.  Some other buildings tucked away on the left.  I was going for the early-morning sunlight on the green mountains.

The first day we signed up everybody for day camp, including a half day for MJ.  Mark and I took a short hike.  You can hike right into RMNP from the YMCA camp, and access some great trails.

  

Later Mark hiked with the boys up a steep hill within the Y grounds called Bible Point.  There's a mailbox there to leave messages in a guest book:

The boys spent four days in day camp.  One of those days we took Mary Jane on a hike.  She went two miles, mostly uphill.  We were headed for Ouzel Falls, 3 miles in.

But when it was time to turn around (because of my blisters) she didn't last long.

Wednesday all three kids went into day camp.  Mark went climbing at Melvin's Wheel on Lumpy Ridge, with a guide.  I'm thinking this picture isn't of Mark, since I assume he had the camera.  

Me, I was sitting in an Adirondack chair on the front porch of the administration building with my feet up, a big cup of coffee on the arm of the chair, and my computer.  They have pretty good wireless there.  It was a nice day.  No photos of that one.

Thursday we crossed our fingers and put all three kids in day camp.  MJ wasn't sure, but! They were having!  Pony rides!  So.  She had a great day.  And so did we:

We hiked an eight-mile loop.  I had several layers of moleskin, band-aids, and duct tape on my feet, and the blisters held up pretty well, I would say.

Friday Milo was sick and it rained, so I took Mary Jane and Oscar on a hike to a little abandoned cabin site and mine.  (No pictures.)  MJ didn't want to hike in the rain, but I comforted her with Dum Dum Pops and she kept going.  Oscar sang to her, too.  That helped.   After that the weather turned worse, so we packed up; the next day we drove back across the entire state of Nebraska, which is not as boring as you might think.  

(We stopped in Cheyenne, Wyoming, briefly, at the Sierra Trading Post Outlet Store, where half my clothes come from.)

Nice trip.