Today just a bit about our perspectives on traveling in the midst of a pandemic. Where. Why. How.
We had made plans to go to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in January, before COVID-19 changed the way the world operates. So when it came time to decide if we were actually going - here is what we took into consideration.
To start, Colorado is not seeing a spike in numbers. At this time they are doing better than we are in Kansas. Not traveling to a "hot spot" seemed like it would be a reasonable thing to do. Also, a 10 hour drive is do-able, and not getting on a plane felt "safer". We found the rest areas along the interstate in Kansas and Colorado to be pretty clean. All along the way at gas stations masks were required and people were complying. We brought along paper towels/napkins for door handles since many bathrooms these days don't have them, however most of the ones we stopped at did.
Second, all of our activities were going to be out of doors. No museums, theaters, or big gatherings of people. Just a change of scenery sort of doing what we have been doing at home, but still a "get away".
Third - we rented an Airbnb where we were by ourselves, self check in, no housekeeping (except Chris), no shared spaces with strangers. This also allowed us to do our own cooking, bring our groceries, and again limit exposure. We did stop at a grocery store for a few items that don't travel well, but we are used to that routine. We did a "contactless" pick-up of a pizza on the night we drove in to Estes Park (high marks to Anthony's Real New York pizza for ease of ordering and pick up, in addition to excellent flavor and seriously good crust).
At RMNP masks were required when around others and when not able to be socially distant - so on the shuttles to trail heads, in the visitor center, and when on a crowded trail. Again, compliance was very high.
The National Parks are really our treasure. We have visited many through the years. This year, more than ever, we appreciate the ability to travel to them and enjoy the great out of doors. They are a perfect destination, in my opinion, in COVID times.
P.S. Getting on line in advance of your trip to see if the park you are planning to visit has any special restrictions is a great idea. We made reservations on July 1st for the days we wanted to visit Rocky Mountain Park in August. I don't know if all parks are restricting visitors or not, but good to check. Forewarned is forearmed, as someone used to say.
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