Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous highway in the United States traveling through Rocky Mountain National Park along the "Old Ute Trail".  Each year the National Park tries to have the road open by Memorial Day. SUV driving adjacent to the drifts on both sides of the highway near the top. In this picture cars are driving between the drifts created when road crews cleaned off the highway. This drift is on the top near the visitors center in Rocky Mountain National Park.  It was 30 degrees colder at the summit than it was in Estes Park.  The temperature went from 77 to 47 degrees.  One of the road crew workers said that the snowpack was already 30% smaller yesterday than it had been on Saturday due to melting. Have a great week - Gerald 06/01/2010

Tiny Town golf in Estes Park has been family entertainment for decades - five and a half decades to be exact.  Bob Mitchell opens his golf course every year and the same familes come back to wish him well and play a few rounds of golf. Bob Mitchell obviously has a great sense of humor.  You probably can't read all of the slogans and signs on the board near the office.   The one directly above and to the right of the golf balls reads "Shirt Required - pants and shoes optional. The sign indicates the heritage of the course.  Bob said his wife Helen has been gone for fourteen years, and his six children (now all adults) are proudly listed below. This alligator was imported from Arizona 55 years ago, so it is probably older than I am.  Thousands of golfers have had to sneak a ball through t... 05/31/2010

"Prices Going Up" I'm sure if you have been to Estes Park, you have golfed at Tiny Town.  I stopped by to visit with Mr. Mitchell this weekend.  I'm sure he wouldn't want to be called Mr. Mitchell, but everyone that left the course said "Thanks Mr. Mitchell".  BOB MITCHELL IN THE OFFICE Bob is pictured here where he can be found, and has been found for the last 55 years passing out golf balls to young and old alike. PRICES ARE GOING UP Bob told me that he was forced to increase his prices this year.  A round of golf will cost $3.00 this year instead of the $2.50 in previous years.  Still a bargain for some good clean family fun.  My niece and nephew from Nebraska had to play every year when they came out on vacation.  Just like many of the golfers at Tiny Town, there have been generatio... 05/30/2010

Rocky Mountain Reflections A friend and I drove into Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday. We drove up in the morning from Boulder and entered the park from the West side of Estes Park. The temperature was quite high—in the upper 80’s—which is a bit unusual for this time of year. We hiked up to Cub Lake and back, which is about 5 miles round trip. The pictures below capture the reflections of the Rocky Mountains in Lake. It was really spectacular.  Words pale to describe the beauty and the splendor of it all. The photos speak for themselves. Have a wonderful weekend.     Click Here to View Energy Star Certified Homes For Sale Contact Me Today For More Information Or Call Me At 720-771-5594 Click Here to Search More Denver and Boulder County Homes For Sale   If you or someone you know ... 05/29/2010

The beautiful thing about living in the Rocky Mountains is every day is very special in it's very own way. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor the view is the same and can be appreciated by both.  It's not only the sunrises, the sunsets, the trees, the mountains, but the abundant wildlife that makes living in Estes Park, Colorad a very special place. Have a great weekend- Gerald 05/29/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! The Estes Park Board of REALTORS has scheduled it's annual HWY 36 clean up day for next Friday, June 4. Our stretch of the highway runs from this stone sign just outside of town to Cherokee Draw adjacent to Lake Estes and our fire station. Typically, we do this a few weeks earlier, but we have had some crazy spring snows that make picking up trash along a highway a little challenging! The Affiliates of the Board of REALTORS will provide post clean up cocktails and appetizers...if you would like to join in the fun, meet us at Cherokee Draw at 3PM on Friday, June 4, we would welcome any assistance! 05/28/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! Last night was the 5th grade "graduation" at Estes Park Elementary School. Next year, these kids will move up to middle school and an entirely new experience. We are fortunate here in Estes Park to have dedicated teachers, small class sizes and an amazing setting for the school campus. You can just tell by Chase's class photo what a great time they had together this year and I can tell you that some pretty amazing things happened scholastically as well. Chase had a bit of a hard time in first grade and fell behind in reading. From 2nd grade on up, he had teachers that helped him catch up a priority. this year, Caroline Evans came early 3 days a week to tutor Chase and by the end of the school year, he was reading and testing at grade level. We thank her SO muc... 05/26/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! After hours spent reviewing applicants, our Board was proud to present a $1000.00 scholarship to Jordan Coleson. Jordan exhibited good scholastic achievement as well as participating in extra-curricular activities such as Varsity Baseball and Soccer, as well as Concert Band and Jazz Band. Jordan also won the John Phillips Sousa Award for superior musicianship, dependability, loyalty, and cooperation. These are the very qualities that made us proud to award our Memorial Scholarship to Jordan, who will be attending CSU in the fall. I had the pleasure of getting to know Jordan over the course of the last school year as an Estes Park High School Band Booster and chaperone for their state championship finals road trip. If you ever want to know what a kid is REALLY ... 05/24/2010

We've been waiting, and finally the new babies are starting to hit the ground.  This is one of the first of the season.  The mothers get a little protective so it is wise to stay out of the way and use a telephoto lens.  The 9 hole golf course has to close several holes due to the elk calving every year.  Enjoy the wildlife, but remember that they are wild and we are the ones encroaching on their habitat. Have a great week- Gerald 05/23/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! This is a momentous day in Estes...our aspen leaves are popping out all over town! (you know you live in the mountains when you get excited about that...) Growing up in Nebraska, then relocating to Southern California, I didn't ever think much about the day the new leaves opened up. However, here at 7522 feet above sea level, our leaves are on the trees for a little over 100 days. That makes us REALLY appreciate them in all stages, from tiny little chartreuse tufts to "quaking" aspen leaves and finally to the gorgeous gold they turn to before they fall off again. I love new leaf day... 05/20/2010

05/19/2010

OK, so I'm a proud band mom. I admit it, a total band geek, if you must know! Our local newspsper, The Estes Park News posted a YouTube link to the Estes Park High School Band's "Thriller" finale... One of the zombies owns the newspsper, another is the band director's wife...oh, what fun to live in a small town with talented people! Here's a photo of the graduating seniors in the band, we will miss them next year! Best wishes to all of them and may all their finales be Thrillers! 05/19/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! We attended the last concert of the 2009-2010 Estes Park High School Band last night under the direction of Chuck Varilek with Dan Timbrell assisting. They were amazing as usual and showed why they won so many first place and finalist awards throughout the season. It's pretty cool with a little 2A band can compete with much larger groups throughout the state and come out with flying colors! The kids received their awards last night, too, and it was fun to see my oldest son, AJ, get his letter in band as a 9th grader. He was so proud...and immediately informed me that i need to order a letter jacket for him ASAP! 05/18/2010

After a long week of snow, the sun came out yesterday for the second day of the 20th Annual Estes Park Jazz Fest. The turnout was wonderful...those are some serious jazz enthusiasts! We are looking forward to spring weather this week, we were thinking perhaps to put the sun on the endangered species list! There are springs bubbling out everywhere, the creeks are up and the rivers are making that fantastic sound tumbling over rocks. This is what my pine tree looked like this morning as the frost melted off just as the sun was coming up...I think spring may be on the way! 05/17/2010

The Estes Park Jazz Festival is celebrating it's 20th year of bring famous Jazz artists to Estes Park, Colorado.  Such artists as Ellyn Rucker, Don Braden, Angela Hagenbach, Benny Golson, The Brubeck Brothers, Les McCann to name a few. This year's artists that were featured were Max Wagner and his quartet, Houston Person, Convergence along with many others. There were two days of performances in Performance Park.  Since we were still getting snow four days ago and the venue is outside it was great that the weatherman cooperated. The crowd pictured below was enjoying the last performance of the day at Performance park while watching Pete Olstad and Bob Montgomery's Big Band.  Estes Park is such a great place to live, and it has so much to offer. Gerald   05/16/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! The Estes Park Village Band will perform its first concert of the Summer 2010 season this evening at 7:00 PM in the Estes Park High School Auditorium. (fortunately, we'll be inside for this one!) I am happy to be a member of this organization...I have met many lifelong friends here. Membership in the Estes Park Village Band is open to anyone...our rehearsals are on Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 PM. Call our director Chuck Varilek at 970-227-8704 for more information and a teal band shirt! Here's what the trumpet section looks like from my vantage point: from the right we have Dr. Joseph Casey, retired head of the music department at DePaul University, Col. Loren Johnson, retired director of the Air Force band stationed at Offut Air Force Base in Omaha, an... 05/16/2010

Many of you have probably seen the movie "Ghost Busters" and I'm sure have watched the paranormal shows on television.  There is a lot of paranormal activity at the famous Historic Stanley in Estes Park although I have never personally experienced anything.  The weather and the hotel cooperated for the the annual hunt for ghosts at the hotel this year. Their is a misty cloudy veil beginning to schroud the cupelo at the hotel attempting to encase the hotel itself. There are almost as many ghost stories about the hotel as there have been visitors. Stephen King wrote "The Shining" while staying at the hotel, and later filmed his version of the movie at the same location. Whether you believe or not, you can watch the television show Ghost Hunters to see what they claim to have found at thei... 05/16/2010

PARK THEATER OPENS FOR THE SEASON The Park Theater tauted as the oldest movie theater in the country still in operation was not quite ready for it's Friday opening on Thursday when I took these photo's.  We received 16 inches of snow on Wednesday, and another six on Thursday.  You can see that there are no footprints in the snow, and why do we have that much snow in May? The Park Theater has a story all it's own, and particularly the tower above the theater which is empty.  The snow was shoveled, and the crowds welcomed the old theatre back for another season. Have a fantastic day - Gerald 05/15/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! This weekend is the Estes Park Jazz Fest, the first event of the season for our outdoor concerts at Performance Park. It's also the kick-off for the Estes Park Village Jazz Band, of which I am proud to be a member. (I'm the only trumpet player not to have played professionally...and they're still nice to me!) Here's the line-up for this weekend:Saturday, May 15 Noon-Estes Park Jazz Big Band playing swinging classic big band sounds 1:05 pm-Derek Banach Quintet showcasing cutting edge original modern jazz 2:30 pm-Barbara Ernst and Mistura Bela 3:55 pm-Convergence performing modern jazz Sunday, May 16 Noon-Max Wagner Quartet playing modern mainstream jazz - tenor saxophone & jazz vocals 1:20 pm-Manuel Lopez and the Latin Jazz Project performing Latin jazz & salsa... 05/13/2010

Waking up to sixteen inches of fresh snow yesterday, and another six inches this morning doesn't make it feel like May.  I think you can see the disgusted look on this hummingbirds face. HUMMINGBIRD IN THE SNOW You can tell that these little guys aren't excited about the snow either.  I had to take the hummingbird feeder in last night because the temperature got down to 18 degrees.  That would have resulted in frozen food for the little guys.  Since they don't have access to a microwave to thaw out their food they thanked me for bringing it in last night.  They were already looking for the feeder at 5:30 AM this morning and boy were they glad it was warm nectar! ITS A BRAND NEW DAY Tami Spaulding says "Life is a gift, make sure you open yours today!".  You can see in our special part o... 05/13/2010