We took advantage of Clara and Bethany having an aligned three day weekend and headed up to the mountains to catch some fall colors. When we heard in September that the leaves were changing early, we got nervous, but luckily things held out and we got to see some great contrast in the leaves.
We went up to Hermit Park for the second time this year, renting a rustic cabin that has no electricity or running water. The weather was a beautiful mid-70’s, with the nights dropping into a cold 40’s. Luckily the cabin had propane heat, but we didn’t need to turn it on.
I can’t say enough good things about Hermit Park, especially when social distancing is so important. The cabins are very spaced out where you can’t see your next-door neighbor, and while the bathrooms are outhouses, they are actually very clean and well ventilated.
As soon as we got there we took a bunch of family photos that turned out pretty well. The girls were good sports about it, especially with the number of shots I took.
Friday couldn’t have been better. Then came Saturday…
We ventured out to Rocky Mountain National Park and started out at the Alluvial Fan. We snapped a few pictures then made our way up to see the water fall. We were crossing a 3-foot-wide stream when the rock I stepped on rolled and caused me to fall, with a 12 centimeter gash in my knee. This forced us to cut our trip short and go to both urgent care and eventually the Emergency Room for further examination.
The good news is that there doesn’t appear to be any bone fractures or ligament damage, but there was a lot of debris that made it into my knee and there is still concern for lasting damage and the possibility for further infection. Luckily I’m not in much pain and I’m taking it easy. I am wearing a knee immobilizer and need to use crutches to get around. My knee also currently has 13 stitches in it and a little drain for any excess fluid.
“But otherwise, did you enjoy the play, Mrs. Lincoln?”
I did have a nice time and am still very glad that we went!