Estes Park Weekend

Before Bailee had to be back in Laramie, we decided to do a quick getaway to Estes Park over the long weekend.  I don't recall ever seeing it so deserted ..... and we have been there in January before. Maybe it was just the time of day we arrived, but it sure was sleepy.

 Our regular pizza place was closed, so we tried Bob and Tony's. It actually had a better set up, and the pizza wasn't bad either. It was nearly empty.

 We didn't spend much time walking around town. It was cold, dark and most things were closed by now. I did love all the lights still on.

 We stayed at what has become our "go to place". I am sure there are just as good or better options in Estes, but right now we are loving the YMCA. It really has all you need ... and more. We decided to take advantage of some of the amenities available to guests so we hit up the Roller Rink. 

It was so vintage ... AND SO FUN!! Maybe even more fun for Mark and I;) Took us right back to late middle school/early high school days (cool vibe, but terrible lighting)

 The girls liked it too. It was on the small side and had all the smells of an old rink.

 

We skated for a couple of hours. Some of us felt so sure footed, some fancy moves broke out!

 I am so glad we decided to try this out, even with all the soreness that came the following day. I think good times were had by all!!

 There are no TV's in the rooms here (which is really a good thing). We brought games to play and there is no shortage of prime spots for that.

 Mark and Bailee got up before the sun to hike Twin Sisters.

This girl has always been a great hiking partner. 

 

They were treated to some amazing views of the sunrise. 

I think Mark met his match with this one!

 After a leisurely breakfast, we felt like our ankles weren't sore enough. With a frozen pond right there on the grounds, we laced up our skates for some ice.

The pond was empty for the first little while. Which was good since we all were fumbling around a bit.

We all haven't done any ice skating for a couple of years. It seems to come back quicker for Mark and Karsyn.

  Emmrey did great and she outlasts us all once she gets the hang of it.

Bailee takes it all in stride. She eventually decided she could skate better in her shoes, and ditched the blades. Smart girl!! I gave in to my aching ankles and opted out early.

It was a beautiful day!!

 We tried to squeeze in a swim after skating, but hit it just before their lunch hour closure. We took advantage of the 40 minutes we had ... Emmrey was not going to miss out on swimming! We grabbed lunch at Penelope's.....

... and walked around town for a bit before heading home. It was busier than the night before, but still a pretty quiet weekend in Estes Park. Glad we had some quality time with our girl before she heads back for Spring semester.