Hey, it's Rebecca. Poor Chuck has been doing the heavy lifting in most areas of this journey, including the blog, so I finally feel guilty enough to step up. We began Day 16 just outside of Boulder and were anxious to check out the area. We landed at a fun, funky place in downtown Boulder called The Walnut Cafe. Chuck had a sweet roll, which are obligatory in the West, I had huevos rancheros, and the boys had eggs, potatoes, and blueberry cornbread. Our waitress was named Mallory (after Family Ties) and she was very knowledgeable about all things Boulder. Following her advice, we were able to gas up and obtain ample, affordable groceries before heading into the Rockies.

Much to Toby's pleasure, we found a quick geocache before leaving town!!

The road from Boulder to Rocky Mountain National Park was an especially pretty one, with endless vistas like this…

And even a view of the always beautiful/creepy Overlook.

We set out for a modest hike (Cub Lake) and were greeted by a heard of elk en route.

I could gush on and on about how spectacularly gorgeous this little hike turned out to be. Everything, from the diversity of the terrain, to the changing quality of the light, was a pure delight. We encountered very few people, but plenty of wildlife – beaver, chipmunks, birds of all kinds, and more (sleeping) elk. Our enchantment with the Rockies had begun.

With the wind picking up and fatigue setting in, we decided that bagels with cream cheese, pickles and chips would make an excellent dinner, followed by a campfire and s'mores. Day 16 was a superlative day.