Stress and De-Stressing
We all experience stress at some point in our lives. Some of us have more stress than others, and some manage it better, but we all have stress. Speaking of managing stress, a great way to do that is to take a vacation. A weekend, or a week, or even two can reduce your stress levels enough so that you can return to your daily grind refreshed, and de-stressed.
My parents rent a house in Estes Park, Colorado for two weeks almost every summer. And, if time permits, members of our family, if they have the time, drive out and join them for as many days as we can. I recently returned from a week-long stay with them at a beautiful house right in the middle of the mountains. And as usual, it was amazing.
I love the Rocky Mountains. I always have, ever since we started vacationing in Estes Park when I was a kid. The air is fresh and cool. The mountains rise majestically above you, still covered in places by snow or year-round glaciers. The pine trees sway gently in the breeze, making a soft whooshing sound that instantly clam you. The scent of the pine needles all around me detoxifies my mind as well as my body. And (maybe my favorite part) it's quiet. Oh, you can still hear an occasional car, or the laughter and excited yells of tourists staying at the YMCA of the Rockies, located a few hundred yards to our south. But for the most part, it's blissfully quiet. And all of these things; the cool breeze, the view, the smell of pine and the quiet are everything I need to de-stress.
I didn't drive out myself. I rode with my parents in their car, but I did do my fair share of driving, so we all could take turns resting. It's about a twelve-hour trip, but since my parents don't like driving for very long periods at once, we didn't drive out in one day. We stopped in Colby, Kansas for the night, which is about two-thirds of the way. This gave us an easy drive the next day into Estes Park. But I'll agree with anyone who has ever driven through Kansas and eastern Colorado. It's boring. Oh, yeah, there are the occasional wind farms, oil wells, or remote farmhouses to look at, but for the most part, there's really nothing to see. But with good conversation and good music in the CD player, it goes by pretty quickly.
One of my daughters, her fiancee, and their son drove out the next day, all in one day, and my sister and her husband joined us later in the week. Unfortunately, my wife and our three other daughters were unable to join us because of work, or prior commitments. But at least some of us could enjoy this beautiful part of the country together.
And we did enjoy! We didn't do much hiking, but the hiking we did do was easy and fun. Especially for my two year old grandson who gets distracted easily and tires fairly quickly of being in 'nature.' There were many opportunities for photos, too. Obviously the mountains, but also flowers, interesting rocky outcrops, and wildlife were favorite photo subjects. We took selfies, portraits, and nature photos; all with the awe-inspiring background of the Rocky Mountains. My daughter is a photographer, and her son is about to turn three, so she took the opportunity to get some really great three-year-old portraits of him for his album.
One of our favorite activities has always been to drive into the national park right outside of town and all the way up Trail Ridge Road (CO Hwy 34) to the continental Divide. The views are spectacular, and you are sure to always see a herd of elk grazing or lounging next to the road. There is a visitor center at the top with plenty of overpriced shopping, but we come for the view. With good binoculars, or the quarter-hungry
Of course, we did touristy things, too. Among other things, we shopped in town, played a round of mini-golf, and ate out at a fantastic BBQ place that better have been good, since there was an hour wait for a table. But even with the small stresses of hungrily waiting for a table, trying to figure out what to buy to bring back for those who stayed home, and dealing with a two-year-old's tantrum when we told him that he couldn't keep playing on the fallen log at hole 9 all afternoon because we weren't the only mini-golfers there, there were no deadlines, no bosses, no rush hour traffic. At the end of the day we could go back to our nice little rented house in the mountains and smell the pine, feel the cool, fresh air on our faces, and hear the breeze whoosh through the trees, and immediately feel calm and relaxed again.
We enjoyed our time together in the mountains, and made many new memories in an old familiar place. But the week had to end, and my daughter, her fiancee and their son, and myself needed to return to Missouri and to our every day lives. I rode back with them on a Sunday while my parents, sister and brother-in-law stayed for a few more days. My parents are retired, my sister is a teacher, still on summer break, and my brother-in-law obviously had more vacation time than I did. But we enjoyed what time we spent there, and I came back home with a revitalized and positive outlook on our individual lives and situations. It had been a good week.
In retrospect, I have visited and enjoyed a good portion of our wonderful country. I've been to big cities like New York and Chicago and smaller cities like Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I've been to the Atlantic, the Pacific, the low, tree-covered Smoky Mountains, the beaches of Oahu, and the breathtakingly beautiful cliffs of Oregon and Washington, But I think the northern Rocky Mountains will always be my favorite place. I can always count on those mountains and everything that comes with them to help me rejuvenate and de-stress, and come back ready to take on the world for a while longer. You can bet that I will return again and again to that little piece of heaven on earth, Rocky Mountain National Park.
I didn't drive out myself. I rode with my parents in their car, but I did do my fair share of driving, so we all could take turns resting. It's about a twelve-hour trip, but since my parents don't like driving for very long periods at once, we didn't drive out in one day. We stopped in Colby, Kansas for the night, which is about two-thirds of the way. This gave us an easy drive the next day into Estes Park. But I'll agree with anyone who has ever driven through Kansas and eastern Colorado. It's boring. Oh, yeah, there are the occasional wind farms, oil wells, or remote farmhouses to look at, but for the most part, there's really nothing to see. But with good conversation and good music in the CD player, it goes by pretty quickly.
One of my daughters, her fiancee, and their son drove out the next day, all in one day, and my sister and her husband joined us later in the week. Unfortunately, my wife and our three other daughters were unable to join us because of work, or prior commitments. But at least some of us could enjoy this beautiful part of the country together.
And we did enjoy! We didn't do much hiking, but the hiking we did do was easy and fun. Especially for my two year old grandson who gets distracted easily and tires fairly quickly of being in 'nature.' There were many opportunities for photos, too. Obviously the mountains, but also flowers, interesting rocky outcrops, and wildlife were favorite photo subjects. We took selfies, portraits, and nature photos; all with the awe-inspiring background of the Rocky Mountains. My daughter is a photographer, and her son is about to turn three, so she took the opportunity to get some really great three-year-old portraits of him for his album.
One of our favorite activities has always been to drive into the national park right outside of town and all the way up Trail Ridge Road (CO Hwy 34) to the continental Divide. The views are spectacular, and you are sure to always see a herd of elk grazing or lounging next to the road. There is a visitor center at the top with plenty of overpriced shopping, but we come for the view. With good binoculars, or the quarter-hungry
Of course, we did touristy things, too. Among other things, we shopped in town, played a round of mini-golf, and ate out at a fantastic BBQ place that better have been good, since there was an hour wait for a table. But even with the small stresses of hungrily waiting for a table, trying to figure out what to buy to bring back for those who stayed home, and dealing with a two-year-old's tantrum when we told him that he couldn't keep playing on the fallen log at hole 9 all afternoon because we weren't the only mini-golfers there, there were no deadlines, no bosses, no rush hour traffic. At the end of the day we could go back to our nice little rented house in the mountains and smell the pine, feel the cool, fresh air on our faces, and hear the breeze whoosh through the trees, and immediately feel calm and relaxed again.
We enjoyed our time together in the mountains, and made many new memories in an old familiar place. But the week had to end, and my daughter, her fiancee and their son, and myself needed to return to Missouri and to our every day lives. I rode back with them on a Sunday while my parents, sister and brother-in-law stayed for a few more days. My parents are retired, my sister is a teacher, still on summer break, and my brother-in-law obviously had more vacation time than I did. But we enjoyed what time we spent there, and I came back home with a revitalized and positive outlook on our individual lives and situations. It had been a good week.
In retrospect, I have visited and enjoyed a good portion of our wonderful country. I've been to big cities like New York and Chicago and smaller cities like Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I've been to the Atlantic, the Pacific, the low, tree-covered Smoky Mountains, the beaches of Oahu, and the breathtakingly beautiful cliffs of Oregon and Washington, But I think the northern Rocky Mountains will always be my favorite place. I can always count on those mountains and everything that comes with them to help me rejuvenate and de-stress, and come back ready to take on the world for a while longer. You can bet that I will return again and again to that little piece of heaven on earth, Rocky Mountain National Park.
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