Where Even Bad Days are Pretty Good

©Erik Stensland

Back in September, we took a vacation to Rocky Mountain National Park.  When we got to Estes Park (just outside the park) after a 13-hour drive, it was cold and pouring down rain.  But I’ve often said that a lousy day in RMNP is better than a good day just about anywhere else.

It rained a little the next morning as well, but by that afternoon, it had cleared off and the rest of our time there was absolutely perfect.  We stayed just outside the park at some really super cabins, but actually spent most of our time inside the park.

I’ve been to this quarter-million-acre paradise six or seven times, and I’m always struck by its incredible beauty.  It’s the grandeur that first greeted Joel Estes (for whom the town near the park is named) when he set up his small farm in 1859.  Twenty-five years later, the park’s champion arrived in the form of a teen-aged Enos Mills.  After years of hiking the mountains, he became the leading proponent for the creation of a National Park.  Happily, his wish was granted when, on January 12, 1915, the U.S. Congress passed legislation creating Rocky Mountain National Park.  President Woodrow Wilson signed the bill into law two weeks later and my favorite vacation destination was born.

The boundaries of the park have changed a little over the years, most noticeably with the addition of the Never Summer Range in 1929.  But what remains constant is the spectacular scenery – the mountains, the lakes, the animals, the trails – that continues to draw me.

Happy Birthday Rocky Mountain National Park!!

Recommended Viewing:  Images of Rocky Mountain National Park – Erik Stensland is easily RMNP’s premier photographer…and a super-nice guy to boot.  His work is outstanding, as the sample above shows.