Today is the day we started our 4-day journey home.
We were up by 5:30, which was truly amazing given last night’s debauchery. But awake we were, packing up under the newly-risen sun. By 6:00 we were saying farewell to the lovely Paradise by the River campground. But we weren’t quite done with Estes Park yet. We made one final stop at Coffee on the Rocks for our morning fill.
CotR (not to be confused with LotR) is just the cutest spot in town. The coffee is wonderful and the staff is always friendly. We grabbed a couple of drinks and breakfast sandwiches before (sadly) bidding adieu to it as well. Until we meet again!
We took a different route (route 34, to be exact) down out of the mountains than we had on our previous visits. The views were even more beautiful this way. The road followed along the Big Thompson River, the same one we had been camped next to for 4 days. Unlike the alternative route (route 36, to be exact), this road falls at the bottom of a deep, narrow canyon as it winds along the river. The canyon walls are quite different than anything else in the area, filled with stark, geometrically carved rock. Spectacular!!
Unfortunately, once we exited the Rockies the rest of the drive was rather dull. Flat plains and unbending highway for the next 4+ hours. We reached our destination for the evening, Kearney, Nebraska, in early afternoon. We spent the night at this same campground nearly six weeks ago on Easter Sunday as we headed west. It’s hard to believe how much we’ve seen and done since then.
Tomorrow will be the longest driving day of this trip, so early to bed tonight!
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