Our time in Estes Park was entirely focused on the delightful and striking scenery that completely surrounded us. No, really—we didn't go into town once. I've been lucky enough to visit Estes Park a handful of times in my life and have seen most of what there is to see. This time, I was looking forward to relaxing and staying away from the hustle and bustle of tourism. We stayed at a cabin somewhere outside of Estes Park for a couple days, and divided our time equally between exploring and sitting on the gorgeous and gigantic porch just taking in the mountains. Morning coffee won't be quite the same anywhere else.
We had to search out a cabin with enough room for eight, and I highly recommend checking out the mountain lodges available on VRBO or Airbnb—so much more charm than staying at a hotel in town, and you won't regret the views the farther you venture into nature. We even had a bear roaming the neighborhood one morning, according to a walking neighbor, but said bear evidently didn't want to reveal himself to me. I did everything I could to try and see one, short of tossing all of our food leftovers out in the yard, which Mom would not allow me not to do. (Please note, bears are my absolute favorite animal in the world. Also, Mom was probably right.) Next time, I'm not leaving before I see one of those big fuzzy, snuggly black beauties!