Events of Sunday, July 18, 2010

                We began today with breakfast and showers in Kremmling, Colorado. Then we got on the road again and started making our way towards Rocky Mountain National Park. After arriving at the park, we drove on to the Alpine Visitor Center, at the highest point in the park. There we used our binoculars to spot a herd of elk lounging on the slopes behind the gift shop. Then we continued to drive on the Trail Ridge Road, the longest high altitude paved road in America. Somewhere on this road we stopped for lunch, and carried our meal and lawn chairs out to a small hill with a beautiful view. Towards the end of our lunch, we heard a loud and shrill voice call out to us, “This is not a picnic area‼ You’re killing the tundra‼ You should be kicked out of the park‼” (We referred to this person for the rest of the day as the very, VERY nice and polite lady.) After a little while, when we were beginning to pack up, a ranger came and explained to us that the what we did was legal, but not encouraged, and it turned out that we had missed the sign saying, “CAUTION: TUNDRA RESTORATION IN PROCESS! PLEASE STAY OFF!”

                We started driving again and stopped about an hour later for our Mark manuscript study and some fun time. Mom had pulled the RV over at a nice little meadow with a trail running through it. After our bible study, Dad went walking and found a little creek with fish in it. He came back to the RV and asked if anyone wanted to go fishing. I went down and waded in the creek and saw quite a few fish that ranged from 3-8 inches long. Finally we left the National Park for the Kenigsberg’s house in Greeley, Colorado.

My mom and Mrs. Kenigsberg have been best friends since college, and Dad and Dr. Kenigsberg were friends in college, too. My mom said that they all met in Stanford and used to play Ultimate Frisbee together. Dr. and Mrs. Kenigsberg now have five kids, Cristina (16), Ryan (14), Matthew (11), Nathan (9), and Timothy (3). When we arrived at their house, they were at a dinner matinee, and they had told us to go into their backyard and hang out until they got home. While exploring their backyard, we discovered that the back door was unlocked, and the basement was cool and air-conditioned. We went inside and, ten minutes later, the Kenigsberg family walked in. There were greetings all around and preparations for dinner began. For dinner we had delicious taco salads and finished the meal with banana splits. After dinner the boys and I played football outside, which included getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, and the girls talked and became acquainted while the parents just talked the night away. Soon, it was bedtime for the little ones and we came back inside. While they were getting ready for bed, Cristina, Daddy, Caitlin, Ben, Lindsey, and I played a fun game called Taboo. At last, it was bedtime, and we went to bed after a long and fun day.