St Mary's Glacier

Perhaps the best place I explored on my Denver trip was St. Mary's Glacier. It was off the beaten path but once we hiked up to the opening, it was AMAZING! This place is technically not a glacier because it doesn't flow but has snow year round. We rented snowshoes, walked around a bit and took a ton of pictures. They don't do the view justice but here are a few of my faves.

Fallen tree on the hike up

St Mary's Glacier

St Mary's Glacier

Love the way these trees look and had to climb one!

Sun going behind some clouds

Quick picture of Amanda and I

View of the mountains on the hike down

Colorado Springs

My second day in Colorado, we went over to Colorado Springs after having brunch with some friends.

View from Cave of the Winds

We started the day with a lantern tour of Cave of the Winds. Basically, they give you a candle for light then take you back into the cave and tell you ghost stories. Little bit spooky but a really fun way to see a cave.

Me and my lantern

Inside the cave

more cave

After the cave, we headed over to Garden of the Gods. Again, the scenery was amazing!

beautiful

absolutely amazing!

Garden of the Gods - Me and Amanda

Red Rocks

View from the plane!

I am back to reality after my quick trip to Denver. It was a lovely but short break. I was visiting a friend and this time out, I got to see lots of naturey things. First up, Red Rocks.

At the top of the amphitheater

 This was on my list because prairie falcons have been sighted there. Sadly, I didn't see any falcons but the scenery was beautiful!

Shadows

Amanda and I

Of course, I had to climb something!

DENVER!

Yes, its been awhile. Time got away from me but I am back from Denver and this will be the first of several updates.

Driving to the mountains!

A friend and I flew out to Denver to visit a high school friend of ours bright and early Saturday morning. Right from the beginning of the trip, we hit the ground running. First up was a fantastic brunch. (Have I mentioned before that I love brunch? There is nothing better than hanging out with friends, coffee and a fantastic meal.) After that, it was a day trip through the mountains up to Vail. I don't ski but we rode a gondola up to the top of a ski mountain to enjoy the view. BEAUTIFUL!

Driving to the mountains!

Ashley, Amanda and I riding the gondola

The next morning, we got up for breakfast and then headed out to Boulder. One of the things I was most looking forward to while in Denver was hiking. The weather made this slightly more tricky than usual. The Denver/Boulder area got 5 inches of snow (and for some unknown reason they wait for snow to melt rather than plow). Despite this, the hike was lovely. Next, we headed downtown for the packer game. It was the first football game I have actually sat though (YAY me!).

Yep, someone is excited to hike....

Ready to go hiking!

Showing off the packer gear

After spending the evening sledding, the next morning we did a few of the tourist things Denver is known for. First up was a Coors brewery tour (more of this in a future blog). It was interesting, especially since I am not a beer drinker. Then, we went to the Museum of Nature and Science. This is one of the larger natural history museums in the country. It was a nice museum for the price but nothing compared to Chicago, New York or DC. The highlight was the health exhibit where you got to learn some basics about the human body in a fun and interactive exhibit.

Outside the brewery

Showing off my antlers in the mammal exhibit at the Museum

Exercising in the health exhibit at the museum

We spent the evening at a Dashboard Confessional concert (more on this later too). The following morning, I finally got to go to REI. I could have spent a fortune and days wondering around looking at things but unfortunately had to go catch my flight.

View of downtown

Walking to REI

All in all, it was another successful trip. I feel like I could have a lot of fun in this part of the country - lots of nature and city all mixed together. Perhaps, another trip out this way will be in the near future!