After all the snow we had during the week, it was perfect conditions for our snow shoeing weekend in Estes Park. It was organised by CITEL for all the Australian exchange families here, and any people in Colorado who had been on exchange, or involved with the process. We drove up on Friday night, as it was about 2 hours from Castle Rock, and we were meeting early on Saturday morning for the walk. Kim and Vern, a lovely couple who exchanged to Australia a few years ago, offered their holiday house in Estes Park, which was great, so we stayed there on Friday night.
The photo above is our group of around 25, which headed up the mountain. It was all teachers and their partners, apart from our three boys and Rylan, an eight year old boy who had been on exchange to Albury last year, with his mum Erin, who was our leader. Estes Park is part of the Rocky Mountain National Park, and it was beautiful.
We all stopped and got our snow shoes and poles from a hire store in Estes Park, then headed up into the National Park. It was beautiful conditions at the bottom, without a hint of what we were walking into!
The boys charged off ahead, and Luke, Ryan and Rylan got on really well, and were up the front of the group all the way up, and then down the mountain, as well. They discussed the differences and similarities between Australia and the USA, and what they liked, and didn't like! By the end of it, they were great friends. Quinn and I were last in line, as it was a pretty big ask for a 3 year old to walk up the mountain. He did a really good job, and we got through a whole packet of Starbursts, (if we just get to the next rock, we can have another lolly!) and had plenty of breaks. We had nearly made it to the first lake, which was my only goal for the day, when Jim, one of the Americans from the group was walking back, and offered to take Quinn back to the house. Quinn didn't need to be asked twice, and was more than happy to go back with him. Apparently he talked the whole way back in the car, and then sat and watched Spiderman for the afternoon, while everyone finished the walk. By the time we caught up with the rest of the group, they had made it to the second lake, but a storm had started to come in, and the conditions were horrible. It was blowing snow and ice through the air, and it was very cold. We have a photo of Phil, Luke and I - it was so awful, we didn't have time to try and coerce Ryan into having a photo!
The snow shoeing was relatively easy - much easier than learning to ski or snowboard! We all made it back down the mountain, and then headed back to Kim and Vern's house for lunch. Everyone had brought along either chili, salad or dessert, and it was really nice to go back and catch up with everyone that is on exchange, that could make it along. The boys played outside, as their house backed onto Woodlands, and had a great time. We stayed again Saturday evening, as well as another couple here on exchange from Grafton, Lindsay and Sharon, and some friends of theirs who were visiting. There was a hot tub outside, which hot tub was really warm, but it was a freezing walk from the back door over to the tub. Of course we all had to do it though, and it was a nice way to end the day.
The house where we stayed did not have telephone, Internet or television, so on Sunday, Kim arrived to let us know that there was a severe storm warning for Estes Park, and for Castle Rock. They were predicting a foot of snow, and advising anyone who did not need to be on the roads, to stay home. Sharon and her visitors had a flight to New York booked for Monday, so they were keen to get home, and headed off about 9am. With the conditions on the road there was the potential for a 2 hour drive to turn into a 5 or 6 hour drive, and in the end, we were pleased we decided to stay. There were a lot of accidents, and people who had just pulled over off the highway as a result of the snow and ice. We figured that school would possibly be called off anyway, for a snow day. Phil e-mailed 
some lessons through, and advised that he would not be in on Monday. As it turned out, both Phil and the boys schools were on delayed start, so no-one went in until around 11 am. The boys had a great day, being snowed in at Estes Park. The neighbours had a four wheeler, and offered to take the boys for a 'ride', towing them around, while they were at the back on sleds. They also went tobogganing down the hill out the front, and climbed in a tree house which was next door. It was freezing outside, but most of the snow had fallen the night before, so it was dry, and the boys were outside for most of the day. You can see in the photo below, Quinn had a bit of a stack off his sled, and was not too happy at losing his 
glove - they have only taken a little while to figure out that the snow is cold! Everyone had a good day, and were early to bed. On Monday, the sun was out, and it was a bright, clear day. A lot of the ice had melted, and we had a little walk around the town of Estes Park, before driving back to Castle Rock. While Estes is good for snow shoeing, it is a little tourist town, which is a popular summer resort. There are lots of trails for hiking, there is camping, and it is also famous for being home to the Trail Ridge Road, which is the highest continuous paved road in the United States, traversing Rocky Mountain National Park, from Estes Park in the East, to Grand Lake, Colorado in the West. It is a very picturesque place, and we would like to get back to see what it is like in Summer, and to do the Trail Ridge Road.
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