Visiting Estes Park next week! Can anyone loan me an axe?

After much research I finally settled on doing a 5 day stretch in Estes Park, Colorado beginning May 9th.  I found a condo rental that had everything I was looking for:  private hot tub, fireplace, high speed internet and an unobstructed view of the mountains.  I had a handful of other options that were outside of Colorado Springs and near Breckenridge, but Estes Park (along with Rocky Mountain National Park) was part of the region I was unable to visit due to time constraints, so I decided to focus my visit here.

While I plan to unwind in my hot tub pretty much 18 hours out of the day, taking the time to forget about the horrific, sucky balls events that occurred in April, I do plan to explore the area a little and do a leisurely drive on the scenic byways known as Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow Road.

Oh, and also visit the Stanley Hotel. But of course.

Heeeeeeeeeere's Lincoln!

Hence the need for an axe.  Or if I really want to be true to Spielberg’s novel, a roque mallet will suit me just fine.

I checked the map, and I may also do an extended loop further south covering Georgetown (where I can take the train ride) and snaking through Idaho Springs so I can enjoy me some Beau Jo’s Pizza.  Go on, be jealous, it’s ok.

The great thing is that after this trip I will have pretty much covered all the major areas of Colorado except for Vail, Aspen and the Steamboat Springs area, which I’m hoping to visit another time.  I’ve always wanted to live close to the Rockies, or at least somewhere in the Northwest, and once I visit Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington State next fall I’ll have a better idea of what state to zero in on for a permanent move.  I can’t imagine them topping Colorado though, which to me easily beat out Wyoming and Utah in terms of pure awesomesauce, but ya never know.

I’ll tell you one thing though, I am DONE with New York.  My heart has already left this place, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of my body follows suit.