Karen said let’s spend the weekend in a cabin on Fall River Road. By weekend, she meant Thursday night through Saturday. I worked on the deck Friday, over the noise of a strong running stream, Fall River which runs through Fall River Valley and empties into the Big Thompson River in Estes Park, like any other Friday.

I found time after work to run the Dear Mountain Trail before dinner. My annual pass to the park expired so I had to buy a new one. Because I’m 62 or older, I qualified ...