There are Boulders outside of Boulder, the Things They Don't Tell You

Sunday, May 8th – Denver to Boulder to Lyon, Colorado – Day 87 

 Happy Mother’s Day! I got up early to make breakfast for the Mother of the Day. Gen loves potato pancakes; add a few eggs on top for good measure. I thought I’d try topping the whole thing with seafood in a cream sauce, including shrimp, mussels, and fake crab. It turned out very well. 

 After a good breakfast, we cleaned up and packed fairly quickly. We needed to drive to another campsite to get showers. Our site’s showers had been out the last few days. Also, they don’t supply soap in the washrooms which I found odd. The showers were really warm and much appreciated ($0.50 for three minutes). 

 Our destination for the day was to visit the Flatirons in Boulder and then find a free camping spot towards the Rocky Mountains National Park. Gen had been in contact with a friend of her friend Marta who she had met several times before. We invited them to join us on a Mother’s Day hike on Chautauqua trail, a moderate 1.2-mile hike. We were joined by Germaine, Stabio, Kia, and Kloe. The flatirons provided a stunning background for a long gentle uphill slope. When we reached the top, the trail went through a wooded area and eventually turned into a road leading back down the hill. The views of the Flatirons were best on the way down. We chatted for a while before we said our goodbyes. 

 We found a park with a play structure so we could have some dinner. We finished the seafood and had ham sandwiches. The weather was nice, and we had a great view of the mountains. Unfortunately, I left my Grayton Beach water bottle on a bench in the park; it has been with us for months and will be missed. If anyone is reading this in the greater Boulder area, please pick it up and get in contact with me. 

 We left Boulder and started on the road to Estes and the Rocky Mountain National Park. Our campground for the night was a large pull off at the side of the highway. There was a trailhead and vault toilet available, so we were living large. The view of the pine covered mountains on all sides was very nice.