Colorado Trip - Day Four & Five

On Sunday morning (our fourth and final full day in Colorado) we slept in and had an early lunch before heading to Colorado Springs to visit the Garden of the Gods. Ryan had been here once before, and his description made me all the more excited to see this natural wonder.

The drive to Colorado Springs was gorgeous, and as we started to approach the Garden, it got even more beautiful.

We entered the park area and started the climb to around 8000 feet. (This was 3000 feet above Denver, the "Mile High City".)

As soon as we stepped out of the car, I was truly affected by altitude for the first time on our trip. I was dizzy and light headed and as we started our hike, it only got worse. I took longer than usual at each stop, trying to regain my footing as I read each plaque.

The natural stone structures were so breathtaking, but unfortunately, so was the altitude, haha. I felt terrible not being able to keep up with Ryan. I know I made the experience less awesome for him. (I really am sorry, babe.) But, it didn't stop me from appreciating the landscape.

 

As we were walking on the trail, we encountered a herd of mule deer. Like so many of the other animals we saw on our trip, they were just going about their business, unaffected by us. It was truly amazing. Ryan got a quick video as they crossed the trail one by one. 

To put this into perspective, Ryan is 6'3.

After I'd gone as far as I could on the trail, we got back into the car and drove to the top, taking pictures along the way. 

THE Garden of the Gods.

I don't think I've seen much that was more beautiful than the views from the top.

This might be my very favorite picture from the entire trip. I want to live IN THIS VERY SPOT.

After returning back to Denver, we ventured out to grab dinner and call it a night since we had to fly out the next morning. We decided to try a diner we had seen on Diner's, Drive-In's and Dives, Sam's No. 3. The downtown location was super busy and we couldn't find any parking, so we headed over to the location just outside of the city.

The food LOOKS great, but was actually just average. We both wondered if the original location would have been better than this newer one. But, it was still yummy.  

Then we headed back to the hotel, packed our things and enjoyed a movie in bed.

We woke up early Monday morning just in time for snow to start falling. There was a good 1/4 inch accumulated on the cars by the time we left for the airport at 8am.

Ryan making faces at me as he brushes off the snow.

 We basically spent the entire day traveling...

And once again, it was a super turbulent flight (though no airsickness bag was needed this time, haha). Poor Ryan's hand suffered the consequences as I gripped it for dear life. I am so lucky to be married to the kind of man who offers me his hand every time we hit a bump (or took off/landed). 

So, now we are back in Texas, begrudgingly. But, hopefully not for long. Yes...you read that right. We haven't set a date or made it 100% official, but we took this trip with the intent of deciding if we wanted to potentially move to Colorado, and after our visit, we were certain its where we belong.  So, here's to crossing Item #2 off my 30x30 list...and here's to seeing how this unfolds.

Colorado Trip - Day Three

I woke up on day three REALLY excited about the Rocky Mountain Arsenal/National Wildlife Refuge. Mountain. Wildlife. Refuge. If you know me at all, you know why those three words got me pumped!

I might have griped at Ryan when he posted this picture on Facebook, because even after losing 30lbs, all I can see is how much I have left to lose. After he basically told me to get over myself, I realized he was right...so this is my attempt at doing just that. ;)

 

This Wildlife Refuge used to be an Army chemical weapons manufacturing facility (hence the name...) but in the 1990's was restored to be a home for over 300 species of wildlife, including deer, bison, coyotes, red fox, rabbits, ducks, birds and one of our favorites, prairie dogs! Before entering the Wildlife Refuge, we walked through the museum to learn the history behind this 17,000 acre property.

It was so strange to think that during the 20th century, you might have to sport one of these bad boys on the very property that now provided a home for so many animals. 

Ryan loved looking at the chemical weapons control panel.

I took a moment to appreciate the Army switchboard, thinking how far women have come since the days when this was one of few jobs "acceptable" for a woman. 

After we left the museum portion, we got back in the car to drive through the wildlife refuge. We had barely crossed through the gates when we spotted a few rabbits and about 20 prairie dogs hanging out near the trail.  Similar to the deer at Red Rocks, they were not the least bit affected by our presence. (Unlike the rabbits, who scampered away.) They almost seemed to pose for the camera. They were talking to each other and carrying on. Ryan and I had so much fun watching them do their prairie dog activities!

 

As we rounded the corner, we entered "bison territory". I had so hoped there would be some close to the trail, but they were all grazing in the middle of the field.

I've always really loved ducks, and the Wildlife Refuge had seven different species. We were instructed not to get out of our cars, so I wasn't able to get very good pictures, but I loved seeing them all in the ponds on site.  We also saw a few mule deer, but they were pretty far away as well.

We also caught a glimpse of some of the bird species as they flew across our path.

 
On our way out Ryan pointed out the window in time for me to see a GIANT hawk nest in the trees. We soon realized that there was one in every tree in this area of the refuge. It was quite a site.

After our morning adventure at the refuge, we grabbed lunch at the hotel and headed back out to explore the other side of the downtown area. They had a beautiful park area that Ryan had noticed on our first day in the city.

Ryan loved when the buildings were "labeled" to explain their history.

The building directly across from us was the Denver Tramway Power Company (dating back to 1901, per the signage) which had been turned into one of the largest REI's I've ever seen. 

They are in the process of restoring two old trollies for downtown tours. I can't wait to come back and see the city this way. 

We wandered down the walking trail a bit and found some really beautiful art under the highway. Ryan & I immediately saw the message - We are all equal. Nature included. It was really a striking statement.  

 

 

A little further down was the Centennial Gardens...

 ...which was, unfortunately, closed.

We headed back to the center of the park just in time to see a kayaking class in progress. We grabbed a seat and enjoyed the breeze as we watched them navigate the river.

 

Around dinner time, we loaded back into the car and headed just northwest of Denver to spend the evening with our friends, Brent, and his girlfriend Caley.

They live in an area that was just a short walk from a little lake with a mountain view. It was so pretty, and the weather was perfect.

The picture truly does not do it justice.

It was nice to just "unplug" and enjoy the company of a couple of really cool people after a busy day. Life in Colorado seems pretty darn awesome...

To be continued...