Greetings from Estes Park! I have the pleasure of serving as President on the Estes Park Board of REALTORS this year, and am also in charge of writing press releases to our local papers...here's the story I've been working on all year: The Estes Park Board of REALTORS met the deadline of August 3 for matching funds from the Gribin Workforce Housing Grant. Since February, the local Board of REALTORS members and Affiliates sold Duck Race Tickets, hosted a Bowling Tournament, put on the “Down Home BBQ” and enjoyed the “Concert Under the Stars” at Performance Park. The total amount raised that qualified for matching funds was $5600.00. That amount was written as a grant request to be reviewed by the Colorado Association of REALTORS. Estes Park was the only Board of REALTORS that met all the... 08/30/2010

Boulder to Estes Park Bike Ride-Part 2 of 2  (Visit Part 1 of 2 for more photos) On the ride back to Boulder I got caught in a massive thunderstorm, but found shelter in the nick of time. It was nice to just take a nice long break before descending on the 15 mile downhill into Lyons. The ride back along Hwy 36 had a little more traffic than I care for but I made it without any incident. Overall the ride went really smooth. In fact, it went much better than I had expected. I’ve trained hard over the last month or so and it paid off. Maybe I didn’t set any records, but I proved to myself once again that that with practice, patience and careful planning I can do just about anything I set my mind to.    Boulder Green Built Homes For Sale Contact Me Today For More Information Or Call Me @ 72... 08/08/2010

Boulder to Estes Park Bike Ride-Part 1   (visit Part 2 of 2 for more photos) On Friday accomplished a solo bicycle ride from Boulder to Estes Park and back. I left at 5:15 am and returned at 5:45 pm. The ride took me up Lee Hill Drive to Left Hand Canyon and then over to Jamestown. I followed Overland Drive above Jamestown across the dirt road to Peak-to-Peak Highway which led me to Hwy. 7. I arrived at the Estes Park visitor center right at noon. I returned via Hwy. 7 to Lyons and took Hwy 36 back into Boulder. The total distance was 95.8 miles, with total ride time of 8hrs and 14 minutes. I took lots of photos which is partly why it took me so long. A photo break is a break and I needed lots of them. In this post I’ll show some of the highlights of the photos I took on the way up. In ... 08/07/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! For the past few months I've been working on fundraising for the Estes Valley Workforce Downpayment Assistance Program. The last event that met the deadline for matching funds was my "Concert Under the Stars". The entire week before and after this evening we had been in our monsoon weather pattern that usually give us afternoon showers that can last well into the evening...makes for great rainbow conditions, but it was making me wake up in the middle of the night with visions of a soggy, empty amphitheater! The clouds parted that day, and we had perfect weather for the concert, it was a really special evening. Here's the press release I wrote for our local newspapers: The “Concert Under the Stars” took place at Performance Park on July 31 to an enthusiastic au... 08/06/2010

We were experiencing some warm weather this week, and it finally cooled off.  When I went to lunch today it really cooled off, suddenly to 61 degrees.  We typically don't get hail in Estes Park, but today was the exception. Hail Outside the Prudential Office High Altitude Hail I really couldn't believe that we actually had some 1/2 inch hail that was solid.  Typically we get something in the 1/4 inch range that is nothing more than slush.  This was actual hard frozen hail - very unusual for Estes Park. Prudential Parking Lot   Have a great day! 07/22/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! I'm delighted to announce a free jazz concert under the stars at Performance Park on Saturday, July 31 at 7PM! The John Mills Jazz Orchestra will be playing and we are honored to have the first recipient of the Estes Valley Workforce Downpayment Assistance Program on hand for vocals. Your free will donation will be eligible for matching funds from the Gribin Workforce Housing Grant distributed through the Colorado Association of REALTORS and will help the next recipient to attain the goal of home ownership here in Estes Park! 07/12/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! The Estes Park Board of REALTORS, along with the Colorado Association of REALTORS, Estes Park Housing Authority, and the Yellow Mailbox Real Estate Services is sponsoring a "Down Home BBQ" to benefit the Estes Valley Workforce Downpayment Assistance Program. We will be hosting this fun event in Bond Park, right in the middle of Estes Park, from 1 to 4 on Saturday, July 24. There will be bands and entertainment in addition to burgers, brats and beer! This event will meet the deadline for matching funds from the Gribin Workforce Housing Grant which is distributed through the Colorado Association of REALTORS! 07/08/2010

Estes Park is abounding with new babies this time of year and of course the elk are adding to the population along with all of our other animals. I'm sure that most of you had a great 4th of July wherever you celebrated.  Estes Park of course is very special on the 4th of July with their celebration.  I hope you enjoy the picture and have a great day. 07/08/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! Our town is buzzing today, it marks the real start of our summer visitor season here in Estes Park at the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park! There will be a free concert in Performance Park tonight at 7PM by the Village Band featuring patriotic music and marches, then, just down Elkhorn Avenue at about 9PM, there will be a spectacular fireworks display over Lake Estes. If you're in town, you won't want to miss either of these traditional events! 07/04/2010

When you walk out on your deck and see this in your front yard you know you are not in Kansas Dorothy. Mom and her babies I was going outside to light the grill and attempt to burn something when I noticed that our yard was full of elk. there were five cows, but only two babies.  I'm sure that we'll be having some more young elk joining us shortly. Looking Alert Front yard Cow Estes Park is truly an amazing place to live.  I'm sure you can imagine the feeling when you walk outside and this is what you are greeted with.   Have a terrific day. 06/22/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! After a VERY late start to spring, we are finally enjoying summer weather here in the Rocky Mountains. The wildflowers are out, the bees are buzzing and the birds are singing! Our property is adjacent to Cheley Camp, and we also have the pleasure of hearing the kids go by on the horse trail with their guides...singing trail songs, laughing and having a wonderful time. It's one of our favorite things about living where we do in Estes Park...it makes the occasional tough day selling real estate all worth while!   06/19/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! The Oratorio Sociey of Estes Park has announced its annual summertime pops concert to benefit the Supporters of the Performing Arts on Saturday, July 24 at 7:00 PM and Sunday, July 25 at 3:00 PM at the Estes Park High School Auditorium. This year's concert will feature the Estes Park Oratorio Society and Chamber Orchestras as well as the Mountain Men, Mountain Aires and the Estes Park Chorale in a concert rendition of Gilbert and Sullivan's "H.M.S. Pinafore". Admission is complimentary and a free will offering will be taken for the Theater fund through the Supporters of the Performing Arts of Estes Park. Hope to see you there! 06/16/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! Here in the mountains, we have really crazy weather. At 7522 feet above sea level, things can change fast! We had a storm blow through this last weekend that brought snow...yes SNOW...to our surrounding mountains. Here in the Estes Valley, it was 40 degrees and raining. The good news was that the rapid snowmelt that had filled our rivers to the brim slowed down...bad news was that it rained for three days and filled the rivers to the brim again! We sandbagged in front of our vacation rental condos along the river and thankfully, survived without any flooding. I also had the rare opportunity to get a few pounds of wildflower seeds in just before it started to rain, in hopes of perfect germination conditions...we'll see about that after a few days of warm and su... 06/15/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! Estes Valley Workforce Downpayment Assistance Program celebrates first recipients!The newly formed Estes Valley Workforce Downpayment Assistance Program is proud to announce that its first recipients have closed on a home! Local employees Carissa Streib and Josh McGill have successfully purchased their first home here in town. Josh is employed with The Portfolio Group, a local design and construction firm owned by   Steve and Betty Nickel who commented, “We’re thrilled that Josh was able to buy a home. Now, all of Porfolio’s full-time crew own homes and live   in the Estes Valley. That means a lot of their income stays right here in the local economy.” Josh remembers looking at his new home while he was working on the house next door about five years ago. “I w... 06/15/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! The Estes Park Board of REALTORS and the Affiliates have announced our annual Golf Tournament on Friday, August 6. This year's proceeds will benefit the Estes Valley Restorative Justice Program, whose mission is to provide community based alternatives for non-violent offenses. Our chairperson again this year is Harriette Woodard, who is absolutely amazing in running this event. We will have a shotgun start along with mulligans, hole contests, prizes, raffle drawings and...Broncos Cheerleaders! It should be a lot of fun and with any amount of luck, we will be able to raise a nice sum for the Restorative Justice Program here in town. 06/12/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! One of the many reasons that make Estes Park a great place to live is the wildlife you will see in your backyard. We live on the edge of Cheley Camp and the National Forest on the south end of Estes Park, just below a bear's den. Over the years, we have learned to freeze trash that may attract a bear to the trash, and not to put out bird feeders, etc. The bears walk through our yard on their way back to their den and are pretty much oblivious to us! Here are a few tips on hiking with bears from Rocky Mountain National Park, and living with bears from Estes Park Information.com 06/10/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! The Estes Park 18 Hole Golf Course has been voted as one of the ten most beautiful courses in the United States...and it has a wonderful staff, too! Every year, the course hosts lessons for boys and girls. The lessons cost $20.00 for four days of training...and the kids are given a set of clubs and a bag to use for the entire season at no additional charge! When the kids get a little more proficient, they are able to join the Boys or Girls Junior Golf Club Teams for ages 9 thru 17. What a great opportunity to learn to play golf in a fantastic mountain setting! 06/10/2010

ESTES PARK HIGH SCHOOL BAND BOOSTERS TO PROVIDE CONCESSIONS FOR THE GREELEY BIG BAND FESTIVAL                                 ON SUNDAY, JUNE 27! The concession stand is raising funds for the Estes Park School District instrumental music program, earmarked primarily to provide funding to employ Dan Timbrell, a retired band director, as a para-professional for the school band department. Due to reduced funding from the state, the Estes Park School District eliminated several teaching positions and nearly all para-professional positions, including the band para-professional, in the district to meet an expected $1,000,000 shortfall. The Band Boosters and Band Director Chuck Varilek felt that Timbrell's contribution to the band program was essential for the continued success of the band pro... 06/08/2010

Greetings from Estes Park! Yesterday was our annual highway clean up day for the Estes Park Board of REALTORS. Our stretch runs from just past the stone entrance sign to Cherokee Draw on Lake Estes. We had lovely weather (for once!) and there was much less trash than last year. I had my three sons along with me, and we found some cool stuff, like an old Porsche hub cap...all dented up and rusty, a wheel well trim cover from a truck and a rusty old bucket from a long time ago! 06/05/2010

There is a Visitors Center, and a Gift Shop & Coffee Shop underneath all of that snow.  Trail Ridge Road was opened this weekend, but the Visitors Center and Gift Shop will be a couple more days. Pictured above is the Trail Ridge Visitors center, still buried under a lot of snow.  This is the East Door to the Visitors Center on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park.  I think they have some more shoveling to do before they can get tourists inside. It will be a day or two before they have the Coffee Shop and Gift Store shoveled out so they can get visitors inside. Hope you enjoyed the snow and the tour.  Have a great week - Gerald 06/01/2010