"Mercedes Benz of Family Reunion Locations" -YMCA of the Rockies

As soon as we pulled into downtown Estes, we stopped at Kirk's Fly Shop. Blake had scheduled a fly fishing trip for us on Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m. In order to avoid an extremely early wake up call, instead of just an early wake up call, we had our fittings on Saturday night. You could tell Blake was as excited as a kid in a candy store, but he looked like any normal outdoorsman preparing for a trip. However, he decided to take a picture of me trying on my waders.

After our fitting, we pulled into our place of residence for the next two nights. The YMCA of the Rockies. Immediately, I felt like I was at summer camp--bunk beds, scheduled meals, activities and kids running havoc around the campus. The YMCA of the Rockies has been a travel destination for the Epps family since the 1950's because many family members were heavily involved in Y activites.

Seeing my family for the first time in about 9 years was wonderful! We gathered at Ted & Michelle's and Bill & Mclain's cabin. This became the gathering location for the remainder of the reunion.

August 8th

Our first morning in Este's required an early alarm. Our guided fishing trip started at 7 a.m. Starbucks a must! I didn't really know what I had signed up for, but I was ready to go. The guide loaded up his truck and drove us to a public fishing spot on the Big Thompson river. I took a picture with my Glamour magazine to submit to "Where has your Glamour been?" section of the magazine. Maybe I will get my "15 minutes" of fame...

We climbed down the river bank and into the river. The guide put bait on our lines and Blake was already off fishing while I learned how to be a successful river fisher-woman. It's really much easier than I anticipated--cast, keep parallel, float and rollover. Many bites, many attempted hooks and an hour and a half later, I had nothing. Blake caught about 2-3 fish within this time and my competitiveness couldn't handle it. Our guide decided to pack up and take us to a private portion of the Big Thompson river. I had one hooked and with all my exictement, I lost it before I got it reeled in. Nothing. After losing almost losing all my cool, I caught one! I reeled it in and the guide netted it and unhooked my victim. It just so happens that I caught the biggest brown trout the guide had seen all summer. A pretty 14-inch brown trout. Overall, the trip was wonderful and I have a new found love for fly fishing!

Next on the agenda: Family photos! After many pictures and ordering, we decided to head into Dowtown Estes Park to explore the locals shops. Although there were many tourist like shops, I didn't come home empty handed! Dinner and family party back at camp for the evening.

August 9th

Even though the weather wasn't cooperating in the morning, it didn't stop us from getting in the car and driving to Rocky Mountain National Park's Bear Lake for a morning hike.

By the time we reached the lake, the rain had settled to a light drizzle and we started our hike. Disclaimer: the hike around the lake is only half a mile. And what better way to start a hike than with a family photo.

Along the hike, we just took in the beautiful nature that surrounded us--ground squirrels, birds, rippleless lakes, and an abundance of trees!

The nature trail continued in the car as we drove on to the Continential Divide. Geography lesson: the continential divide separates the rivers that flow and drain into the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. I became the unofficial tour guide because I started reading the guide given to us upon entering the park. This book was filled with many facts that I won't be naming in this blog. It is much more exhilirating to see in person than for me to list them here. Just take a look at the pictures... This was how we spent our last full day in Estes Park, Colorado. Tuesday, August 10th was fulfilled with lots of driving!