Barking Dog Café in Lyons, Colorado was recommended to us as a must stop on the way to Rocky Mountain National Park.  So we did.  We were expecting much more than we found; Barking Dog is a coffee shop where locals enjoy coffee, reading and visiting.  This is a no rush, relax, take in the atmosphere, kick back kinda place.  No surprise when we ordered breakfast and waited about 30 minutes for our items.  The food was not worth the 30 minute wait although we were able to sit outside and enjoy the morning. Mingling with the locals and other travelers Barking Dog attracts makes this worth the stop.

We were on our way to Bear Lake Loop in Rocky Mountain National Park which is an easy hiking trail with great vistas and mountain flowers everywhere.  Bear Lake Loop is a
popular trail especially on weekends.  We were told that the weekend before we hiked, 800 cars were turned away due to lack of parking.  Even during the middle of the week the parking lot was full and we were lucky to find a parking space.

The trail circles Bear Lake and is easy although not entirely flat.  There are many places to stop, sit and enjoy the views as well as the wildlife although no bear were sited at Bear Lake.  As always said, pictures speak 1,000 words – enjoy!