Traveling Home from Rocky Mountain National Park 2026

Sadly, our trip had come to an end, and it was time to go.  I was not ready to leave!!!  Much to my surprise, when we walked outside to go to breakfast that morning the ground had snow on it.  It was like a sweet goodbye gift to me. 

 

morning snow at the YMCA of the Rockies 

 

 

our morning view 

 

We love to stay at the YMCA! 

I took this photo on the walk to the dining hall for our last buffet meal. 

 

 

Snow falling as we loaded the car. 

 

 

For the second time we stayed in the Wind River Lodge.  We love it! 

 

Wind River Lodge at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park 

 

 

 leaving the YMCA

I cannot wait to return!!!

 

 

We had snowfall all the way out of town.

 

Checkout was at 10:00 am.  We had an overnight flight that didn't leave Denver until 12:45 am (Wednesday morning).  We had to be at the airport to drop off our vehicle by 10:00 pm.  That meant a twelve hour day to kill.  We left Estes Park that morning and made the 1.5 hour drive back into Denver.

 

 

We killed most of our time walking around stores.  The boys insisted on stopping first at Bass Pro Shop.  

 

We had lunch at In-N-Out, which is a family favorite. We do not have those in the South so it was a must on our list to do while in Colorado. 

 

a lovely Denver sunset

We ate supper at Raising Cane's and then hung out at a Starbucks until time to drive to the airport.  

 

 

driving back into the Denver airport

Like I said on our arrival, I love this airport view, especially at night! It's so pretty!

 

It is hard to sum up this trip in words.  It was incredible and perfect in every way.  If I could do it over again, I would not change a thing.  The memories it provided, we will never forget.   

Garden of the Gods

On this particular day we drove around forty-five minutes from Pueblo, Colorado to Garden of the Gods, which is in Colorado Springs. We stayed the next two nights there.  I was especially excited about our visit to Garden of the Gods.  Sadly, the day ended up being cloudy, cool, and drizzly but that did not stop us from exploring.  It is a beautiful area!

 

 

 

We went straight to the visitor's center for a badge and pin.  We then spent some time looking around at the exhibits.  Ben loved all the animal displays. 

 

 

 

our family at the Garden of the Gods visitor's center 

 

Next, we drove through the rock formations and stopped along the way to climb a few of them. 

 

 

 

Balanced Rock 

 

our family "holding up" Balanced Rock 

 

 

 

 

 

enjoying the views from the top of a rock 

 

We did a lot of climbing! 

 

Garden of the Gods is free and is a must see if you are in Colorado Springs. 

 

 

a video of our time at Garden of the Gods 

 

It was still rainy when we left Garden of the Gods so that hindered our outdoor plans.  Instead, we made a visit to Bass Pro Shop.  That is always a highlight for the boys. 

 

Memorial Day flag display at Bass Pro Shop in Colorado Springs 

 

I saw this sign there and loved it! 

 

 

That evening we made our first ever visit to In-N-Out.  We loved it!  The boys had asked me to see if there were any locations in Colorado where we could eat.  Thanks to YouTube influencers, they were eager to try it.  It was a hit with our family!

 

After a rainy day we were happy to see this beautiful rainbow when we returned to our hotel that night. 

 

The next day was Cruz's 15th birthday.  We began the morning with a drive up to Pikes Peak.  I'll share about that next.