Day 4 – Falls, Horses, and Golf

Day 4 – Falls, Horses, and Golf

Looking at the extended forecast before our trip, we were worried we’d be dealing with rain all week—but the weather has been absolutely beautiful!

This morning, we hiked the Alluvial Fan area. According to an informational sign, this rocky landscape was formed when a dam failed and sent a 40-foot wall of water crashing into Estes Park. The resulting flood created this unique area of sand and boulders, and it’s now a fun spot to explore.

Robb, Bryce, Bree, and Emmy—our more adventurous hikers—scrambled up to the top of the falls. Abby and I aren’t quite as daring, but we eventually made our way up one of the cliffs to get a good view. It was actually a lot of fun climbing over the rocks. Bryce ended up with soaking wet shoes and declared that he “almost died.” While I tend to be overly cautious, Bryce is fearless—he has absolutely no aversion to danger.

Caleb, still firmly convinced that hiking is a form of punishment, talked us into dropping him off at the golf course so he could putt and chip instead.

After our mid-morning hike, we came home for lunch and some downtime. Bryce had a headache and took a nap. Abby, Bree, and Emmy watched TV and snoozed, while I worked on my tan out on the deck.

At 2:00, we split into groups again. The girls were off on a two-hour horseback ride through the park, while Robb and Caleb played 18 holes of golf. Poor Bryce stayed back to nap and try to shake his headache.

We were all excited for the ride—especially Emmy, who hasn’t been able to do her usual riding lessons this year since her instructor quit. She’s been itching to get back in the saddle. It had also been a long time since Abby, Bree, or I had ridden.

Our guide Kaylynn led just the four of us on the ride. Emmy rode Chester (I teased her that she always ends up with the horse who has an old man name), Abby had Ventura, Bree was on Navajo, and I rode Iceman. Emmy and Bree’s horses were the snacky ones—grabbing grass at every opportunity.

The trail took us into the National Park and up 800 feet in elevation. Some areas were steep, narrow, and even a bit nerve-wracking—especially one stretch with a steep drop-off. I was silently praying that Iceman and the rest of the horses were feeling steady on their feet. But the views were stunning—we saw waterfalls, the area of the Five Peaks, and Deer Mountain. It was a gorgeous ride, but by the time we made it back to the barn, we all agreed: two hours was plenty. Our butts were done.

After the ride, we swung by the house to grab Bryce, who was finally feeling a bit better, and then picked up Robb and Caleb from the golf course. Caleb proudly announced that he won "by a landslide" and made sure everyone knew it.

Robb dropped us off in downtown Estes, where we wandered through the tourist shops and picked up some local gear before heading home.

Hard to believe we only have one day left.

Emmy’s rating: 10/10.