Escape back to 2024 with me...

Yes, it’s 2026, but let’s escape back to 2024.

Come along for the fun!

♥

Let’s rewind the clock and calendar to 2024 for a little while,

and we will catch up on some Contagious Joy together. ♥

Hello, and welcome back to Contagious Joy. 😀

My last post gave a synopsis of 2023, when I shared the news of two new grandsons and two awesome road trips.

Year 2024 was a busy one with some redoing of floors and painting the house, all accomplished by Rick and SIL, Jacob.

It’s such a blessing to have handymen around!  😀

… And, the best part of 2024– more travels.

Come escape back to 2024 with me and I’ll share some highlights with you.

(Be sure to click on each photo to see it in all its grandeur)

From this to…

this in 2024, courtesy of Rick  🙂

Escaping back to this time was precious

Our little ones are growing…Charlie turned 4, Liam and James each turned 1 this year (2024).

After celebrating the Omaha boys in the spring, we set out

to Loveland, CO, to commemorate James’ first birthday.

Charlie celebrating number 4

Liam celebrating number 1

James celebrating number 1

All together ♥

Beautiful setting for a family walk

 What do these 5 photos all have in common back in 2024?

Click on the first pic to see them larger.  😉

All

of

these

were taken

by Charlie!

Here he is, our photographer ♥

As we always do when visiting the Colorado Jacobsens, we spent some time in Estes Park.  🙂

Melissa (daughter-in-law) is a great chef, and we get to taste the benefits often when we visit.

One morning before we went hiking, she made big breakfast burritos for everyone. We drove to the trailhead and ate there before the hike.

Peeking back to 2024, we’ll catch some of the excitement of this family jaunt.

Such exhilaration, as it was Charlie’s first hike! Although, he counted it as two hikes. …

One up to the Calypso Cascades waterfall, and another to get back down the trail!  😀

Liam was so cute on the hike.

He was on Jacob’s back, and every time the wildly-running river ran beside us, he would say “oooh” or “ahhh.”

He was only one at the time, so it was sweet that he experienced the river’s magic. ♥

⇓Click on a gray arrow to see more pics!⇓

Family hiking adventure in RMNP

Instead of Back to the Future, it’s Back to 2024!

Escaping back to 2024 means I get to not only share with you, but also relive some fond memories. Thanks for being here!  ♥

While in Estes, we stayed at Wildwood Inn, one of our favorite spots. It has great views, location, and private hot tubs.

Across the way is Deer Mt, which we hiked this past September

Back to the Rockies in 2024

As per the usual, we spent a lot of time in the Rocky Mountain National Park hiking and driving. We never tire of it.

God’s majesty is everywhere you look; being in Estes and RMNP soothes my soul. 

Perfect peaceful breakfast spot, a good start to the day

Breakfast packed up

and eaten in the park started our day.

♥♥♥

This Steller’s Jay was strikingly beautiful

 Back in 2024, we explored Rock Cut on foot.

First time to park and actually get out to explore the beautiful rocks here,

it’s usually too busy.

Rock Cut from the road

Where we explored is circled in red

So fun to get out and climb

O Lord, how manifold are your works. Psalm 104:24

It was very breezy

1. Also for the first time, we walked around and explored Lake Estes. The lake is fed by the Big Thompson and Fall rivers and has a shoreline of 4 miles.

It had been on our list for quite a while. √

2. Additionally, Rick and I revisited Birch Ruins at the top of Estes Park. I always enjoy imagining what it would have been like to live up there.

3. In the past, we’ve scoped out the Stanley Hotel and Stanley Steam Engine museum. Subsequently, this time we inspected the F.O. Stanley Home Museum

and learned a lot of history. It’s gorgeous, and the view out the front door couldn’t be any better.   😎

Small world alert!

There was only one other couple on the home tour with us. They were also from Nebraska. It so happened that they were from the same town as my sister-in-law,

and actually lived next door to her mother! Wow!

We are Estes Park-history connoisseurs, and love every inch of it!

Undoubtedly, I’m giving you many reasons to visit Estes Park and the RMNP.  😉

This was taken back in October 2021

Many activities are available at the lake

A great day for a walk around the lake

See the Twin Owls in the middle of Lumpy Ridge?

A view of the iconic Stanley Hotel nestled under Lumpy Ridge

This cracked me up!  😀

Let’s stop and smell the flowers…

Flowers in RMNP

Ditto

Estes is very colorful

Seen along the Riverwalk

Consider the lilies, how they grow…Luke 12:27

Click on ⇒Birch Stone-bungalow Ruins  for a one-minute informative video.

Visit here to ignite your imagination.

The stone cabin was built in 1904 overlooking Estes Park and the rugged mountains surrounding it.

Sadly, the bungalow succumbed to fire in 1907 and was not rebuilt.

These stones will last forever!

The story

Imagine this in 1904 overlooking the picturesque town of Estes Park

Escaping back to 2024, let’s check out the F.O. Stanley home

The Stanleys left a lot of history behind.

Most notably, the iconic Stanley Hotel that sits nestled under the Twin Owls of the Lumpy Ridge area

(as seen above).

“F.O. Stanley transformed Estes Park from a rustic wilderness into a modern tourist destination by building the iconic Stanley Hotel, developing crucial town infrastructure like the first power plant, water system, and bank, and promoting the creation of Rocky Mountain National Park to preserve the area’s natural beauty, essentially creating the foundation for the town’s tourism industry.”  ~from a Google search

I can’t get enough of historic homes

The Stanley home was built in 1904

Impressive view out the front door

I like the terrain; the rocks in the backyard  🙂

Elegant staircase

Green fireplace and wall

All original!

Exploring the uniqueness of Estes Park as of 2024

See below: Rick and I were in Estes and the Big Thompson Canyon one or two weeks before the flood of 2013!

Picture perfect day

The flood history is wild

Beautifully vibrant

Enjoying the Riverwalk in downtown Estes

Ahhh ♥

Can’t get much better than this

Taking a moment to relax

Joy galore

Twin Owls stand watch

Rocky Mountain Nat’l Park scenes

Magnificent elk hug the mountainside

One of my happiest places  🙂

Fall River valley

Sublime

To end our time in the park, I will leave you with a sampling of tranquil sunsets

An invitation to rest and trust God as light fades

From the rising of the sun to the setting of the same, the Name of the Lord is to be praised. Psalm 113:3

A beautiful close to the day, hinting at future hope…

Back home again, we found some fun things to do around Omaha.

 Rick, Charlie, and I did a fun walking tour of 40th Street, which included stately homes dating from 1887-1920s. But, two of the most grand buildings were St. Cecilia’s Cathedral and Joslyn Castle, both built in the early 1900s.

By the way, I’ve always been fascinated by castles and large homes, so whenever I get a chance to explore them, count me in!

Lacey and I did “Open Omaha,” which allowed us to tour many different businesses including an art gallery and radio station. We also tried to see the Joslyn Castle, but it was closed that day.

Other than that, we just enjoyed the summer…until September rolled around.

More on that later.  😉

The Joslyn Castle, courtesy of their website

The impressive Joslyn Castle staircase

This castle is still in great shape and stunning!

St. Cecilia’s Cathedral, Omaha, NE

These windows are from the 1500s!

Pretty amazing!

Charlie on our walking tour

Notice the “crown” on the roof! See house information in photo ⇒⇒

I would like to see inside!

The castle was closed that day  🙁

Our backyard fun

My surprise lilies ♥

A few funnies…

May I introduce you to…

America’s highest incorporated city

“Leadville, CO, is famous as the highest incorporated city in the U.S., known for its rich silver-mining history, stunning Rocky Mountain scenery (home to Mt. Elbert), and as a hub for high-altitude endurance sports, especially the legendary Leadville Trail 100 races. Its historic downtown features well-preserved Victorian architecture, and it serves as a gateway for outdoor activities like hiking, mountain biking (Mineral Belt Trail), and exploring nearby lakes like Twin Lakes and Turquoise Lake.”

All with less than 2700 in population.

These next 3 shots showcase:

Colorado’s Collegiate Peaks byway could be called “the Avenue of Fourteeners.” Along its entire length, the Collegiate Peaks continuously rise above the 14,000-foot mark and include such summits as Mount Princeton, Mount Yale, and Mount Harvard.

Quiet, stately peaks beckon

Part of the Collegiate Peaks

A peace-inspiring scene

Two tense adventures back in 2024

At 10,152 elevation (surrounded by many of Colorado’s tallest pinnacles), Leadville offers a sumptuous feast for the eyes.

A few times in the past, Rick and I had briefly visited Leadville, but in 2024 we spent 4 nights to get a good feel.

Lilly

Some highlights:

We walked the length of the town, ate the BEST pizza from a food truck, spent 2.5 hours at the Mining Museum, survived a taxing hike, AND undertook a scary jeep tour!

Our abode for 4 nights was a tiny house named Lilly.  🙂

She welcomed us warmly with an almost-full kitchen, bath, 2 queen beds, and an outside cooking/eating area.

The first night, as the sun dipped down, the two of us investigated the alluring Mineral Belt Trail.

Abandoned cabins and mining equipment adorned the route and offered history-filled photo ops as we easily strolled the smooth black-topped byway.

It was everything we needed

SO inviting!

Such great lighting for photos that evening  🙂

Running up and down the path

Next morning, we embarked on a hike called Hope Pass. It was STEEP, massive,

and other-worldly in the sense of us being the only ones in this wide-open, multi-colored, varied-terrain realm.

Rain and wind buffeted us at times, especially at the top.

The trail was so steep and winding that many times we could not see where/how it could possibly continue.

As mentioned above, Leadville is known for its 100-mile run.

Well, Hope Pass is part of the route as well as the training ground for this grueling event.

I had hiking sticks and good boots, but on the way back down, I slipped… twice…and I wasn’t even running!  😯

Here is an excerpt from a blog of a person who ran the race:

“The next section of the race is gradually uphill for 10ish miles before you drop down into Twin Lakes, and it is incredibly beautiful. You are primarily running between aspen grove forests at the base of Mt. Elbert, and it just feels special. Trail magic…The descent down into Twin Lakes was pretty steep, and I made a note that it was going to be a tough climb back out on the way back to Leadville. Twin Lakes is the last aid station before the crux of the race: the double Hope Pass crossing…Even if you never run Leadville, I recommend running from Winfield to the top of Hope Pass and back. There aren’t many more beautiful places on earth.” -Rebekah McWin

Starting out

Didn’t take long to turn more rugged

What a joyful place to hike

Just red…all the way up

It seemed like we were the only ones in the world

I like to hang back and capture the moment

We made it to the top! Whew! It was VERY windy up there. The view is of the Twin Lakes, where we finally met a few other people.

Wildly varied and beautiful!

There were many great photo opportunities 

On our way back down the trail (before I fell), off the path quite a ways, we spied a cabin.

Without a moment of hesitation, we trekked through the green-with orange-berry-vegetation to go explore it. Yes!

The cabin was well preserved, with even a partial screen in one of the windows.

Later, in the rain, we suggested to some overnight backpackers that it would be a good place for shelter.

Rick trekking through the brush

First sight of the well-preserved cabin

Wonder how old it is

Could certainly do in a pinch!

Hello!

More treasures found; seek and you shall find

All you need to know

The colorful houses of Leadville

Sorry it’s hard to read!

Mining replica in the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum

Mining remnants ♥

Can you believe these trees?!

Continuing our escape back to 2024…the Goldie escapade

…Presently, we’re driving to Salida to pick up our jeep for the day. We arrive.

The place is dirty, smoky, has MANY and all sizes of dogs “greeting” us (I’m not particularly fond of dogs), and the owner is a big guy in old denim overalls with long hair, smoke rolling out of him like a smokestack.

(I hate the smell of smoke).

He is nice, though.  🙂

He shares a few directions and time restraints, and we’re ready to roll.

…We climb into Goldie and head out of town.

First “try” of our jeep excursion

Setting out, we found ourselves in a forest of fall-colored aspen trees standing guard beside a nice dirt road.

The setting offered beauty and peace, but it was not the jeep tour we had imagined.

One didn’t even need a jeep to drive this smooth byway!

Consequently, we drove all the way back to the smoky, overall-clad man and told him we wanted something more rugged and exciting.

The old Bonanza Mining District route was our choice…

So, he pulls out a map and starts to give all kinds of directions of how to get where we want to go.

Barely notating this on the map…

It’s all pretty vague, but he says, “you’ll find it, no problem, and if you’re not back by sundown, we’ll send someone out to look for you.”

Okay…

Out in the sticks!

First problem: there was no sign telling us where to turn; the road was so inconsequential that it wasn’t even on the map. We unknowingly drove right past it.

After a while, too long, we turned around and tried again. We guessed, and turned onto a cornfield’s dirt road.

Oh, yeah, if we had questions, there was no cell service out there…

We met a farmer in a pickup truck and asked if we were on the right “road;” he thought we probably were.

Driving through a rough field of what seemed to be sage brush, we wondered.

However, the road soon turned rocky and narrow and gave us our wish (and then some)…

No signs!!

That is, rocky, narrow, bumpy, and remote!

It was great for awhile, but there were NO signs. I like signs because then I know we’re on the right road.

Second problem: (since we went back and started over) was that we started this route at 3:00 pm; hence, not a lot of daylight left. There was nothing out there (like signs, cell service), other than trees, rocks and an occasional “dead” mine.

I did enjoy surveying/investigating the mines; however, fear hovered in my mind asking if we’d still be out there in the dark!

We just kept driving and driving, and I kept wondering and wondering where we were, if we were headed back out,

and if anyone would find us.  😯

…And then, it got foggy.

Concurrently, we came to a crossroads…with, you guessed it, NO signs! Which way to go??

It was fun to examine the mine sites

A collapsed mine housing

We learned these piles were called “tailings”

Which way to go?!

We chose, and at long last came upon a man in 4-wheeler. We flagged him down and asked if we were heading the right way to get out

of the Bonanza Mining District.

He declared he was “just up there to hunt,” so he wasn’t sure, but thought so. We kept on.

… Finally, from our narrow, rocky, bumpy, remote “path,” we came to a dirt road, then a paved one, then a highway! YAY!

I was never so happy to see civilization!!

A beautiful dirt road ♥

A beautiful real road! ♥

Believe it or not, our adventure was nowhere near done for the day.

Arriving back at Salida around 5:30-6:00, we said goodbye to Goldie.  We gained sustenance from our cooler and headed back to Leadville…or so we thought!

At the junction of several highways, we inadvertently took the wrong one.

After a while, I began having reservations about the landscape; it didn’t look right,

but there was no service so… no Google Maps.  Accordingly, I couldn’t confirm it.

A long day of feeling (and then being) lost

Suspiciously, Leadville was not on any of the mileage signs. Hmmm.

Seeing that we were getting close to Gunnison (we knew where that was), we finally turned around! GEEZ!

(I’m making us seem dim-witted!!)  😕

Meanwhile, we happily had a full moon to keep us company.

FYI (Salida to Leadville-59 miles. Salida to Gunnison-65 miles)  🙄

The day’s big escapade ended in the dark at 8:45 when we pulled into Lilly’s driveway.  Whew!

At this point, I’ll end our “Escape back to 2024 with me” as I think that’s enough excitement for one post. I know I’m worn out.  😉

I’ll continue with 2024 in my next installment. Look forward to another illustrated trip and a new baby. ♥

Thanks for sharing some of your time with me. See you soon!

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 91:1

Blessings and many high peaks,

♥ Pam ♥