One place we knew we had to visit while we were in Colorado was the Rocky Mountain National Park. It was about a 2 hour drive from Denver and was definitely worth the trip! We entered the park on the Estes Park side and drove Trail Ridge Road which winds up the mountains and through the park. It is about 48 miles from one end to the other and reaches an elevation of 12,183 feet! There are many spots to pull off and admire the view along the way. With so many stops it took us about 4 hours to drive it.

(click on a photo for gallery view)

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Some panoramic views (click to enlarge)

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One detrimental thing about the time we went was the sad situation much of the West is facing with forest fires. When we were there one in Colorado called the Cameron Peak Fire was literally on the other side of the mountains and was definitely obscuring our view at many points.

We exited the park on the Grand Lake side and right before you leave is what remains of the Never Summer Ranch, also known as the Holzwarth Historic Site. What really interested us we walked around the site was seeing the beginnings of the Colorado River.

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By the time we left the park we were ready for dinner! Luckily, Grand Lake is not far from where we left the park. There are a lot of restaurants there, but when we saw one called One Love Rum Kitchen we knew we had to eat there; with the words Love and Rum in the name, it had to be good, right?!? And it was! We got the spicy Margaritas which were excellent, and some of the best fish tacos we have ever had! Although the weather had been beautiful all day, it did rain while we were eating, which was okay since we were under cover. And then we were treated to an amazing double rainbow!!!