Is it time to head home?

©2014 Lydia Hinshaw

The Magic Bus at Monarch Pass

 ESTES PARK, CO -- We are being reminded daily that owning a home in Florida is a pretty good thing.

 Snow is falling, campgrounds are closing, puddles are freezing over at night.

 Fortunately, the icy stuff is only a problem at high elevations, like 11,000-plus foot Monarch Pass, seen above.

 Threatening weather and barricaded campgrounds have forced us into motels two of the past three nights.

 For the moment we're in a campground in Rocky Mountain National Park, elevation 8,200 feet, where the temperature dropped to 29 overnight and the water from yesterday's rain froze on our picnic table.  On the bright side, we could hear the haunting sounds of bugling elk all night long.  And we had plenty of firewood to warm us up as we ate breakfast.

 Today it is in the 50s with a biting wind, but at least it isn't raining as it did all day Wednesday.  We are spending the afternoon in the local public library, where the heat, wifi, and rest rooms are free.

 We plan to spend a couple more days in Colorado before we head to Chicago, to begin some guest-room surfing that will carry us through Virginia and North Carolina and finally, home to Ormond Beach on Oct. 15.