Colorado is a seriously postcard-worthy destination, is it not?
The landscapes here are like nowhere else. The land has a jarring contrast: low, flat valleys, and then sharply rising peaks. These aren’t the rolling hills of the Appalachians, gradually becoming steeper and steeper. Even the mountains and cliffs of Yosemite, while perhaps more majestic, are a bit expected. You see the land slowly sloping and shaping and moving in a crescendo toward the grandeur of Yosemite.
In Colorado, though, there’s no build up. The eye is caught off guard by abrupt, jagged mountain peaks coming out of flat land. Deep green pines set against earthy orange rocks. An unrealistically blue sky with perfect white clouds stenciled on. Colors and shapes and lines that don’t seem to fit together naturally, but as a whole they create a jaw-dropping backdrop of beauty.
Falling in love with Colorado was a slow process for me, which I’ll talk more about in another post. For now, here are a few of my favorite shots from our trip along with a few words about how we spent our time.
We arrived in Denver early on Thursday morning (as in 7:00 am, which means our flight left Chicago at 5:30). We cooked breakfast at Rachel’s house and then visited Unlisted, the boutique she owns. It’s basically like a real-life Etsy. She has worked her butt off this year to turn it into a thriving business for local artisans, and I’m so proud of her. That afternoon we headed to a nearby lake for paddle boarding, and after that, we packed up the cars and drove off to Colorado Springs to see the Garden of the Gods.
The next day we visited the Royal Gorge, where we took a train ride through the bottom of the canyon. It was just adventurous enough to see some beauty while still being easy on the pregnant ladies and nursing moms.
On our last full day, I woke up to a surprise breakfast baby shower, complete with cinnamon rolls, orange juice in baby bottles, and the most thoughtful gifts. You know something is thoughtful when you’d never even thought to register for it yourself, but then when you receive it, you don’t know 1) why you didn’t think of it before and 2) how you’d ever live without it now. For example, Jane Austen baby books. We spent the rest of the day hiking around the cabin, shooting BB guns (because we’re really sophisticated), eating tons of popcorn, and watching Disney movies with the little ones.
One our real last day, everyone flew out early except Dan and I, so Rachel and Nate (who live in Colorado) drove us up to Breckenridge for a little more sight seeing and a delicious lunch. I decided that I wanted to stay in Breckenridge forever, but as it turns out, we can’t afford it. So we boarded our 10:30 p.m. flight, got home at 3:00 the next morning, slept until 9:00 a.m., and then welcomed home our new dog, Riley, at 11:00 a.m. I’m still trying to catch up on sleep, but every minute was worth it.
So that’s the fly-by overview of our most recent trip. I know it’s nothing too deep or exciting, but I hope you enjoyed these pictures! Over the next few weeks as I do more writing, thinking, and processing, I’ll be sharing more posts about what this time really meant for my life and what it taught me about God, friendship, and beauty.
