Colorado High Country

Judy and Bill on Matt and Danielle's deck. What a great view.
Danielle and Matt
Mountain Protester! Written on the flag is "Made in China"
Some of the abandon buildings in Central City.


New casinos squeezed into the canyon in Blackhawk.
Elk crossing near Estes Park.

Hiking in the high country.
Columbine near a snow melt waterfalls.

We are now at the Dory Hills Campground near Central City in the Colorado high country, elevation 9230 feet. While here we spent a great week with Nanc's sister and brother-in-law, Judy and Bill, who are here for a month visiting Bill's daughter, Danielle and her husband Matthew. They have a beautiful mountain home in Rollinsville not far from where we are camped. Nearby Nederland, an old mining town, is now the home to many members of the 60's counter culture. It is a quaint little town with many interesting shops and restaurants. We visited Central City and Blackhawk, two towns that have several casinos. Central City, another old mining town, that is listed on the national historical registry has several small casinos operating in old restored buildings while keeping their historical integrity. At one time there were 23 casinos in the small town, but in nearby Blackhawk several large new casinos have been built and many of the Central City buildings are once again empty. We also visited Boulder where there was a large crafts festival on one of the main downtown streets and Estes Park the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. We have really enjoyed the weather in the high country with the temperatures being much cooler then Denver and Boulder and deep blue skies highlighting the soaring mountains. We hiked in the national forests and saw a lot of flora and fauna. At over 10,000 feet, where we hiked to the Continental Divide, there are still big patches of snow and the spring flowers are just now in bloom.