Senior Pass & Bad Computers

Good news first. Yesterday I drove to Rocky Mountain National Park and obtained a Senior Pass. I’ve been waiting a long time to be able to do this because this is one of the few great deal left. For $10, I received a lifetime pass to all National Parks, National Monuments, National Historic Sites and several national sites run by the federal government. Entrance fees to these types of sites range anywhere from $7-$10 and I have probably spent over $100 this year on entrance fees. For my $10, I now have a lifetime of free entry, not only for myself but up to three more adults as well!

The good news doesn’t stop there either. I will also get a 50% discount on camping fees in National Parks/Monuments, Forest Service and BLM campgrounds. These fees can run anywhere from $9-$30 so I can really save a bundle here too.

My intention yesterday was to drive to the park and do a little hiking before returning home. I got a bit of a late start leaving home and didn’t get to the park (a two hour drive) until 11 am. Even in mid week during July and August, the park is crammed with visitors and I couldn’t find a relatively short hike that wasn’t like walking on a crowded street so I opted to drive Fall River Road and Trail Ridge Road instead. Even with numerous cars in front of and behind me, this drive is so beautiful that it made me smile. I brought along a lunch of canned salmon and some cheese crackers and was able to find a nice place to eat lunch without throngs of other people (see pic to left).

All in all it was a great day. I got a mountain fix and a great deal. Life is good.

Life can be bad too and I discovered that Monday morning when I returned home from my trip to California. The Emmer had reported that the internet had been down all weekend and upon investigation I found that my wireless router had quit on me. Simple enough, I thought. Just replace it….That part wasn’t too hard but then my wireless printer, that I just bought two weeks ago, wouldn’t work. Six hours later, and two hours on the phone with the help desk and I finally had things running smoothly again.

I’m thinking about taking a fishing trip next week up into the mountains so stay tuned for complete plans.

Thanks for visiting.