We could not let me dear wife Karen’e five-day Family Reunion in Estes Park go by without heading the rented SUV back up the mountain to that pull-off on Route 36 with the big rock sign and panoramic view.
Busy place up high.
Yet the two times we drove past the majestic point going back down toward the village did not prepare us for what we found at that little parking spot.
It was busy with vehicles pulling in and out, people jumping to and from, posers taking pictures on that magical stone.
Serious some, clowining others.
I watched some folks standing seriously still, others clowning around in big groups.
And my dear wife Karen, daughter Elisabeth and boyfriend George Three and I made sure to take in the pure beauty of it all, too.
Tomorrow: Top of the world
Thursday: Thank you, blue cottage
Do you think you would pose in a serious manner, or free-form at “the rock” sign here, and why? Are your eyes drawn to the peaks or the valley? What photograph do you like best, and why?
Mark Bialczak 
Makes me long for the moutains, Mark. I sure liked John Denver’s love of the mountains and nature. Thrilling scenery featured. Love this!
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Thanks, Robin. Colorado moved me in a very different way!
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WOW! The valley AND the mountains are equally breathtaking as I sit here in flat swampland, Mark. And I am in love with how blue that sky is! 😀
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You would be out of control with ear popping at that elevation, Rachel. I can only imagine, sea level woman! ❤
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Honestly, I would just take a picture of the rock and the mountains – I avoid being in all photographs.
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No kidding, SD. You are the mystery woman of BloggyVille. 😉
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Hee-hee (a little maniacal giggle).
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One of the most beautiful parts of the country Mark. Did you get to Trail Ridge Rd ?
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I did, Paul. Click on my The In Thin Air Tag and you’ll see my post about that trip, published on Wednesday. 🙂
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I love all your photos, Mark. What kind of photo do you guess I would take, at Estes Park?
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You would take 200 green and yellow photos, Ann, 250 pictures of cats, 300 shots of mountains, and one frame of a statue of John Elway. 🙂
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And I wouldn’t be in any of them, Mark!
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Ha. Maybe half of one. 🙂
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Clown! I would do some weird kind of uncomfortable looking pose Mark! ❤
Diana xo
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Ha! I’ve seen some of your photos, Diana, so I don’t doubt you at all. 🙂 ❤
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I can’t pick a favorite here MBM. And my eyes want to take it all in. Can’t have a valley without a mountain, they need each other!
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They do indeed have a fail-safe relationship going on, MBC. 🙂
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Little brother, I don’t even have to think about that one. I would be standing as still as a statue, or more probably, be lying as flat as a pancake and still as a statue. I do have serious issues with gravity, heights, fear of falling, fear of heights, fear of anything that looks like it might be an inch off the ground–flat ground, that is, very, very healthy fear considering I live on the 16th floor. At least I was NOT the one holding the chicken sign on the way up Pike’s Peak. There was one person more afraid than I was.
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I wouldn’t take you up there in a million years, sis Angie.
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I sincerely thank you for that bro Mark.
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Looks like you got incredibly blue sky days on your journey! Very nice! I remember going to Stone Mountain in Atlanta and we all posed in various silly poses. 😎
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Well, I think you and Mr. B can be silly when you choose, Mrs. B. Just a tiny feeling I have. 😉 Yes, we had some blue skies in Colorado. 😮
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Wonderful, breath-taking, fun-loving pictures. Love them all. But the one I enjoyed the most, your DW Karen and the note, which tied the whole adventure together. 🙂
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MDW Karen had her usually steady hand gently guiding me to great things the whole adventure. Good catch, Tracy. 🙂
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wow, nice stuff here. I think I’ll go with the one of Elisabeth and George by the Estes park sign. I don’t think it’s possible for me to pose in a serious manner Mark!
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Yes, like those shots with you and your near-twin blogger from early this summer, Marissa.
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Thank you! And you know, I actually do have a twin sister so I’m guessing there’s three of us now!
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I did not know that your band sister was a twin! The things I learn at a late date, Marissa. ❤ Triplets now, yes. 🙂
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This conversation inspired tomorrow’s blog. Thanks Mark!
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Yes, we strike again, our conversational flow, Marissa! ❤
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Yes. Sometimes when I have writer’s block I go through my comments to see if anything sparks. Your comments are often inspirational!
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Thank you so much. You know that your poems stir me. And I look forward to our comment conversations. It’s like we’d hang out if we lived on the same block.
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Of course we would!
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I would be standing there until nightfall waiting for everybody to go away… I like to take pics of signs so I can remember where I took the next batch of photos on the card… no need to be posing. Generally I like the peaks more than the valleys but it depends on how spectacular the scenery is…. it’s just good to be outdoors away from the city!
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It was good to be anywhere around these parts, Ros, because it was so different than the terrain in Syracuse. 🙂 Your patience always pays off in the photos at your place, I’d say.
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Lovely.
I’m not a silly picturer or taker. I don’t even like it when people give the thumbs up. That drives me crazy.
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Jay, you never fail to surprise me. I’d take you for a sometimes-let-it-go poser.
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the ‘looking up’ photo is my favourite – scenery to take your breath away.
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It is so amazing, Rachel. Thank you for coming along on our drive. ❤
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Beautiful area isn’t it??
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You betcha, PJ. ❤
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🙂 Wanting to see the pics
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Lots of great photos on this trip, Mark.
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Thanks, Scott. Mediocre pizza, though. 😮
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One of the reasons there’s no place like home.
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Cheesey but true, my friend. 🙂
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For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain, America-America God shed his grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood, from Sea to shining Sea …You get it! Gorgeous Terp!
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Yes, I get it and I got it, Gatorette. Thank you for singing out the praises. ❤
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You are Welcome!!! The Gatorette.
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I like the mountain view in the first picture – taken from a distance with others on the rock. I also like the pic of Elizabeth and George III with the rock. That said, the pictures were all excellently done Mark – it is just my preference as an ocean-front born, flat-lander to see more mountains. 😀
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Keep looking here for a few more days, Paul. I’ll try to give you more mountains. 🙂
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You’re lucky if none of the family are clowning around in a photo..mine never quite pulls that one off. But I love the funny shots. Beautiful scenery eclipses all, though. ☺
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I like the smiles and natural acting, if that can be done, Van. Actually, I’m trying to get to the point where I can get the shot where nobody knows I’m taking the picture. When I can get to that candid point with my iPhone 6, I’ll really be happy as a photographer. Of course, there’s always the tiime for these pose-with-glory-as-a-backdrop moments. 🙂
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My favorite shots are the ones where no one is looking at the camera. ☺ Not quite candid, but not posed.
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Yup, Van. 🙂
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It looks like that place is spectacular however you look at it. I think perhaps I would take a serious photo or two and also a funny one! 🙂
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To see that many cars pull over in a 15-minute window was amazing, Merril. Yes, funny and serious may be the way to go. 🙂
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