Our flight landed with two very tired toddlers aboard. They made it through the airport but crashed as soon as we got them settled in our rental stroller.
Of course, that was just before getting on the shuttle to the car rental lot, so they were nodding off the entire way. We knew they would fall asleep quickly once we got them into the rental car.
We were given a Jeep Laredo. It was a decent size. It fit all of our belongings, the car seats fit well, and we had plenty of room, without being too bulky. I still prefer my minivan, though!
TT Dad had an appointment scheduled for the afternoon of our arrival. We knew we needed to feed the crew, but also knew they desperately needed a nap. If there’s one thing we know about our kids… it’s that sleep is almost always the number one priority.
We had hoped to hit up a certain restaurant in Denver, but realized we needed to get TT Dad to his appointment, and in doing this, allow the kids to nap. On the way to the meeting, we stumbled upon Masterpiece Deli- LOHI. I sent TT Dad in to retrieve sandwiches for us while I drove the sleeping kids in circles. Unfortunately, this meant I have no idea what was ordered, except that we both loved our lunch. I believe mine was the Smoked Turkey sandwich. I wish I could say I took pictures, but I was too busy enjoying the masterpiece (<– See what I did there?)
Meanwhile, it was time to drop TT Dad off at his meeting. He was there just long enough for the kids to get a decent car nap in. You would have thought we planned it!
The park is located about 45 minutes to an hour from Denver, so we didn’t want to spend too much time in Denver before heading out to Estes Park, but there were just so many attractions that we felt we needed to see at least one.
I had been trying to explain how fun the kids were at a zoo these days, but he hadn’t been with us when we went to the zoo in Milwaukee, so he didn’t see the absolute joy in their eyes a couple of months prior. His last zoo experience was Phoenix, where they enjoyed seeing the animals, but they weren’t really enthralled like they were lately.
So to the Denver Zoo we went. The Denver Zoo is published on many lists as one of the top zoos in the US. I would have to agree. Of all the Zoos we have visited, this one was by far my favorite. The exhibits and habitats were large enough to allow the animals to roam fairly freely, but they were also close enough together that each inch of space was used, in my opinion, wisely.
Our first stop was to a snack bar to get the kids something to eat. They enjoyed their chicken quesadilla and peanut butter and jelly sandwich quite a lot.
We didn’t have much time before the zoo would be closing for the afternoon, but we were able to move from viewing area to viewing area quickly, and without too much effort. This may sound like a silly thing to appreciate, but when you have two toddlers that have discovered their independence, but tire easily, it’s very helpful.
It also didn’t go without notice that each of the habitats were easily viewed from multiple heights. We had a clear line of sight, which was not unusual, but so did the kids. Most of the Zoo experiences we’ve had involved us picking the kids up at each animal so they could see better. In Denver, the kids were able to see each animal from their own two feet- Wonderful for that aforementioned independence, but also for our poor muscles.
Once we were done wandering the zoo, it was time to head to Estes Park.
The views on the way were simply breathtaking. The views from our hotel were breathtaking.
On our way to our hotel- the Wildwood Inn– we stopped first at a grocery store to pick up dinner for the kids, breakfast foods, snacks for hiking, and drinking water. We also picked up diapers and wipes, since they take up so much space in a bag, our goal was to fly with just enough to get us to a store. Success. We needed those diapers.
As usual, the kids enjoyed their trip to the store. With groceries in the car, we had one more stop before the hotel. We had to pick up TT Dad’s packet for the race. That also didn’t take long, and we were off. The hotel was very close to the downtown area, which came in handy for the race the next morning!
As promised, our room contained two pack and plays for our use during our stay. Our room was a corner unit, close to the office, and across the parking lot/driveway from the playground. Each unit was assigned a parking spot, in addition to multiple visitor spots.
We unpacked a bit, and let the kids get settled before putting them to bed. Our room was a suite, complete with a living room, decent kitchen with full size fridge, oven/stove, and microwave, and bedroom. The bathroom was right outside the bedroom.
After putting the kids to bed, we were on a hunt for dinner. One thing I do not recommend is attempting to find delivery in Estes Park. A few Dominos Pizza boxes later, and we settled in for a much needed sleep. TT Dad would be up early for his race. We thought he would be home around the same time the kids woke up, and we would get started on our busy weekend of hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park!
The layout and size of the room were perfect. The staff was friendly and accommodating. The only complaint we could have possibly had would be the time zone. The kids woke up extra early, which led to a fairly difficult job for mom. I did my best to keep them quiet. We walked around the parking lot, we checked out the playground, and we walked around the parking lot some more. We watched cartoons. We ate breakfast. I tried everything I could think of to keep them as quiet as possible until it was a reasonable hour. That was tough.
But we did it. TT Dad came home, and it was time to go explore the Rocky Mountains!