Our Trip to Colorado

So for the holiday weekend (July 1st - 5th), Jarad & I flew out to Colorado. He has family out there, and they were all gathering for his grandma's 85th birthday. We flew into Denver, and then drove out to a small town outside of Colorado Springs for our stay.

While on the trip, Jarad's immediate family and I went atop Pikes Peak, and then visited the rock formations at Garden of the Gods. Colorado is unlike anything I've seen in the Midwest. It's beautiful, rugged, and just plain amazing!

Garden of the Gods had gorgeous red rock formations and these great old trees that grew in between the rocks. They were this awesome shade of burnt orange, and some of the formations looked like specific things - ships, camels, etc. What a neat place to explore! We scrambled around on the rocks like kids at a playground - very cool.

From the top of Pikes Peak, the view was surreal. We were literally in the clouds, but could also see quite a way across the mountains and down into the valleys. Pikes Peak is over 14,000 feet high, so it was quite a bit chillier at the top than at the bottom. Even so, it was breathtaking to see the view from there, and I would recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

And of course, once were back down the mountain, there was ample opportunity for me to traipse around with my camera, shooting at will. One of my favorites is of the natural wildflowers found in the area:
And last, but certainly not least, Colorado has 7-Eleven!! I was so excited to see this as we drove into the town of Monument... Jarad's family likely thought I was nuts, but I miss 7-Eleven and their delicious Slurpees!! It was a family favorite when we were kids, and I still get one anyc hance I get. I managed to wrangle a ride from Jarad's sister Kimi with the express purpose of obtaining a Slurpee...mission accomplished! (See how sassy and happy I look?!)

Overall, it was an excellent trip. I met a lot of Jarad's extended family, who were really nice. We celebrated Grandma Betty's birthday as planned, and rang in the 4th of July, Colorado-style. I'll definitely go back to that area - I see why people are so enthused about it when they travel there. My experience was certainly a good one...no, scratch that. It was GREAT!!