Heading to Estes Park

Today was a big driving day, traveling from Snowmass to Estes Park, about 250 miles. 

Rather than revisit Independence Pass, we choose the Glenwood Canyon route which was as magnificent as always.  This canyon never fails to impress us as we drive through it.  For one, I find the design and engineering of how they fit a 4 lane highway in this narrow canyon is very impressive since in many cases, the westbound lanes are bridged above the eastbound lanes.  Every corner brings a new picture possibility.  

We enjoyed seeing many rafters enjoying the high water levels in the Colorado River.  We took a break at a rest stop to enjoy the views and vistas where Mary took this picture.

Our next stop was Georgetown where we, of course, visited the post office and then had lunch in the building where the Red Ram used to be located. This restaurant played a role in John Denver's The Christmas Gift movie which was filmed and set in this town.
The building dates back to 1893 and, after the Red Ram closed, a new owner opened Lucha Cantina in the same building.

After being delayed by over an hour due to heavy Sunday traffic and road construction on I-70 east, we arrived at our hotel in Estes Park with plenty of time to get settled in before attending our 3rd concert in 3 days! This one was  by Brad Fitch, known online as "Cowboy Brad".   Mary corresponded with him and he said if we identified ourselves he would work some John Denver songs into his cowboy music free concert.
The concert was set in a park in the open air. True to his promise he included two JD songs, then closed with Rocky Mountain High.  Overall it was a great way to spend a lovely evening in the Colorado mountains.