Camping in Estes Park

Friday evening we piled into the car with our camping gear and set off on a family camp out, probably the last one for the season. We drove north west, to Estes Park, and camped at the East Portal Campground. 

We set up tents and got dinner cooking in the dutch oven. We didn't bring charcoal, so had to cook it using chunks from our campfire, but the stew still turned out great. 

Hannah chose to sleep on the picnic table.

The next morning, Steven woke up early and got our mountain man breakfast cooking in the dutch oven. Once again, it turned out perfect!

 When we were finished with breakfast, we cleaned up camp and got ready to go. While Steven packed the gear into the van, the kids and I went over to the playground.

 The remainder of the morning was spent on a five mile hike. We hiked 2.5 miles from just outside the East Portal Campground to Sprague Lake, and then 2.5 miles back. The first half mile was the worst bit, because it was pretty steep, but after that it leveled out and we were able to enjoy playing guessing games as we hiked the rest of the way.

 

   The lake was beautiful. Steven hiked around the lake while the rest of us rested a bit before we hiked back.

 After we returned to where our car was parked, we drove back into Estes Park. We ate lunch at a picnic table in the shade of the Open Air Adventure Park. Then we drove through downtown Estes Park. It was really crowded because of an arts and crafts show on Labor Day weekend, so we couldn't find anywhere to park to explore town. We ended up heading for home, but stopping at a small restaurant along the way for ice cream cones.

It was a fun, wholesome family recreational activity. I enjoyed playing with my camera. (I took lots more pictures than I posted here.) We played a lot of guessing games. (Guess what these three Disney characters have in common: The Shadow Man, Scar, and Ursula... but not Maleficent or Mother Gothel)