Final morning

We took a stroll near the cabin this morning; the photo below is a typical view of the woods around the cabin. We'll be heading back to Denver soon.

Cold enough for a fire

The temperature has been in the 30s-40s at night (60s-70s during the day). It's not that cold yet this evening, but cold enough for a fire since the windows have been open.

Hiking

Our cabin is nicely located for short hikes in several directions. Here's an outdoor chapel just a few minutes away.

Sweet Memorial

In our last full day here, we're getting in a couple of traditional activities - such as table tennis in the Sweet Memorial building.

Meadowlark

A few interior views of the cabin.

Ceramic projects

Here are the final projects.

Puzzle

No TV in the cabins, so in the evenings we play board games and read. Every cabin I've ever stayed in here has at least one puzzle on the shelf. This 1,000 piece puzzle (actually 996, as it turned out) was completed mostly by Kelly, with help from Kim and Katie . I think I did about one per cent of it.

Morning walk

When we first arrived, even a short uphill walk left me very short of breath. This morning I took a walk to the Admin building and back and it was much easier than a few days ago. Just takes a while to adjust to the thin air.

Here's a photo of Mt. Ypsilon as viewed from the chapel.

Thursday evening

Another calm, quiet, pleasantly cool, peaceful evening, with the moon over the pine trees.

Admin building

The check-in desk has not changed much over the decades. Nor has the view from the Adirondack chairs on the front porch.

Craft Center, day 2

It's bearly possible

The dusty marks shown below are on all four doors, and the tailgate, of our rental pickup. While a less exciting explanation may be the case, it is true that (1) the Y warns that black bears sometimes come on the grounds, (2) the Y further says that some of them try to open car doors to look for food, and (3) our cabin is on the edge of the property, next to a wooded area.

Mountainside Lodge

We went back to Mountainside Lodge so Kim and Kelly could see it. The lodge is about 600 feet higher than the main grounds of the Y and has what must be the most spectacular view of any Y location. The building dates to 1920, and still looks much as it did then though of course it has modern plumbing and electricity now. I wish the photo below could convey the beauty of the lodge and its views.

Mountainside Drive

Katie and I drove up Mountainside Drive, which climbs up high above the Y to the southwest. There's a historic lodge up there that belongs to the Y and can be rented by groups. I got a photo with my camera but not my phone, so I can't upload it yet. But here is a view from its outdoor chapel.

Laundry Day

The Y has almost everything you need. This morning Katie and I went to the guest laundry at 7 am. Not many laundries have the views this one has.

Tuesday evening

Last light falling on "Teddy's Teeth", a rock formation east of the Y. Zoom photo taken from my vantage point in an Adirondack chair on our porch.

Estes Park

Today is the obligatory trip to the shops of Elkhorn Avenue in Estes Park. No decision needed to be made regarding where to have lunch; Bob and Tony's Pizza has been our customary destination for years.

Mini Golf

Among the improvements at the Y this year is a redesigned miniature golf course - completed just yesterday.

Mosaic Projects

Kelly finished hers first - photo below.

After 5 hours, we called it a day and will complete all the projects later.

Crafts Center

Last time at the Y, we had a great time making tile mosaics, so we got up bright and early Monday morning to get to the Arts and Crafts Center when it opened. Here are projects in progress:

Arrival at the Y

After landing in Denver and getting our rental car (actually a big Dodge Ram pickup, to our surprise), we drove to the Y via Longmont, where we stopped at Walmart to stock up on groceries. We got to the Y about 4:00 and checked into our cabin, Meadowlark. Unlike our previous cabins, which were either on the Summit or on high ground behind the main buildings, Meadowlark is closer to the main grounds -- an easy walk from the pool, crafts center, museum, and Sweet Memorial. Not as many clear mountain views from this cabin; still, it's surrounded by pines and very peaceful.

About 5:30, Katie, Kelly and I walked to the Admin building. Right before we started back, a cold front blew in. We saw, to the north, what looked like fog or white smoke blowing in front of Eagle Cliff Mountain. The sky was suddenly gray. We started walking back to the cabin, and discovered it wasn't fog or smoke, but snow! We were pelted by it, and it was moving horizontally because of the strong wind in our faces. Kim drove over in the pickup to rescue us from the mini-blizzard.

An hour later, the wind had calmed; the sky was clear blue; the sun was shining through the trees. There was no trace of snow. At 5:30, it was winter at the Y. At 6:30, it was spring.

We were tired after a long day and turned in early after dinner.