We left for Grand Lake at 7:30. Super Driver was at the wheel and Natalia was riding shotgun. Tucker sat on her lap between Loveland and Estes Park. I was on the bed with Willie. That part of the road was very twisty and curvy through the canyon of the Big Thompson River. It was very unsettling for both dogs. Once we were in Rocky Mountain National Park, the road wasn't as traumatic and the dogs settled down in the front of the coach. The last half of the drive over, Tucker was as close to Bill as he could be. I took a nap most of the trip.
Natalia reported that there was very little traffic. I'll take her word for it. I was asleep. The trip took just a little over two hours. That was much quicker than we thought it would take. 6.2 MPG, in case you're wondering. The mountain driving really sucked the "go juice."
The others in the group left at various times. Some came directly over. Others planned to stop along the way for photo opts.
At a little after 12:00 we were parked in our camping place at Elk Creek Campground. The rest of the day was spent getting supplies unloaded and cabins organized. We had reserved one RV site, four cabins, and a large teepee.
Bill’s sister and brother-in-law, Harolene and Jon, drove in from Houston in time to join us for dinner. Brent was the designated cook. We had steak and chicken, potatoes, corn salad, and a green salad.
While Brent was cooking under a canopy with a picnic table for his supplies, rain started to fall. Just as it was time to eat, we had lightening and thunder, so we moved chairs into the teepee.
After we had all finished dinner, we had a surprise 80th birthday party for Bill. He received an Indian head dress with 80 feathers, 80 playing cards, 80 Grandpa chips (aka Doritos), 80 bite sized Snickers, 80 malted milk balls, 80 new pennies, 80 pieces of Dr. Pepper bubble gum, an 80 question quiz about Western movies, 80 small gift wrapped boxes with nothing in them, 80 snickrdoodles, 80 glass globs with names of places Bill and I have traveled to, a mouse trap with a mouse in it and 79 pecans to make a total of 80 mice, ingredients to make a peanut butter sandwich and 79 ziploc bags, and a Little Black Book with 80 names in it, starting with Mother Nature. It was a really fun time.
And then our kids presented me with a very special gift. It was a reprint of the cookbook I wrote for our four children in 1988. Along with the recipes were family pictures from over the years. I was so surprised and touched by such a special gift from my four extra special children.
The rain stopped and we ended the day with a campfire!
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