Johnson Family Memorial Vacation Colorado Leg Continued

We really enjoyed our time in the Silverthorne/Breckenridge area. It was topped off by a trip to the local LDS Church to attend Sunday services. The church was located a couple of miles from where we were staying and so we packed up the hotel, got dressed, and headed there. It is located in a beautiful area of town right next to a heavily flowing creek and at the foot of an impressive mountain. I have included pictures below.

After church we left the town we had been staying in and headed for the town of Fraser just outside of Winter Park. We passed by another of my company's mines, the Henderson Mine, and stopped to take a look. While there the rain that we had been getting turned to snow. Then as we headed out and over the Berthoud pass the snow became very heavy. It was wonderful to drive in the snow in June. There were also hundreds of cyclists in some kind of race over the blizzardy pass. This was even crazier considering that the pass took them to about 11,300 feet.

We arrived in Fraser in the late afternoon and settled into the condo that we will be stating at for the next couple of days. It is a beautiful little town situated at about 8,500 feet and the condo is fantastic! It belongs to a friend from work that was very kind to offer to let us stay here. She has furnished it and rents it out during the winter. We have really enjoyed stretching out and relaxing here. I have taken a couple of walks in the hills around the condo already.

We did head out this morning to meet with my friend Brandon short and his family in Estes Park, Colorado. It was about a 2 hour drive through the entirety of the Rocky Mountain National Park. The drive was amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to take in the grandeur of the Rockies. As we came in to the park all of the signs said "road closed ahead" so we were starting to worry. However, a park ranger at the entrance told us that she had just heard on her radio that it was being opened. We drove up and over the mountains, which took us quite a bit above the timberline. There was a large section of tundra, which I had never seen before. We made the drive again on our way home and snapped some picture. Once home we looked up the road on the internet and found that this section of Highway 34 is the highest continuously paved road in the US at 12,183 feet.

We met up with the Shorts and had a great time with them. We ate lunch in Estes Park and spent a perfect afternoon at Sprague Lake. Our kids enjoyed playing with theirs as we hiked around the lake. It was good to see friends and to experience new placed. Enjoy the photos:

The church parking lot mountain and creek (2nd picture).

Will and a statue in the park in Frisco.

Will, Ethan, and Andrew going out on a log.

Most of the Johnson kids and Short kids.

All of the Johnsons and the Shorts.

Brandon and me at the lake.

All of us trying to breath at the top of the Rocky Mountain Nation Park Highway.

Some serious snow just off of the highway.

The Johnson family at the lake, and Lund is deep in thought.

The headwaters of the Colorado River.