In early June we took a fun road trip to Colorado for the wedding of my good friend Kyla, who I have known since middle school! I just love her and her family and I am so glad we were able to be there for her wedding day!
We stopped in Amarillo the first night. Texas is such a big state! It takes nearly 10 hours just to get out of the state! It doesn't help that we are so far south.
Before hitting the road in the morning, we went to Cadilac Ranch on the edge of town. Quite the interesting art installation, built in 1974!
Driving through Texas and the little bit of New Mexico was so boring, but once we got into Colorado we were just continually amazed by the beautiful mountains!
We checked into our cute Airbnb, it was on a farm outside of Denver, the owners were so nice! The property was very old, so there were some quirks to it, but we were pretty pleased for our first Airbnb experience.
We went to a local pizza place for dinner. Yum yum!
And then drove around exploring the area.
And the prettiest sunset!
Wedding day! The ceremony was so lovely!
And then we did some pictures of the happy newlyweds!
That afternoon we made our way downtown for the reception. It was at the coolest little restaurant with the coolest gypsy vibes. Probably one of my favorite venues I have shot at! It was such a fun time and a special day and I am so glad we got to be part of it!
Here is a video Dave and I took from the day. I am so happy with how it turned out!
The next day we made our way to Boulder. First we stopped at Red Rock amphitheater to walk around and take some pictures. It was so crowded with people working out on an early Saturday morning. We found it a little odd, haha, but still a cool view. I love how you can see downtown Denver from there.
Next we stopped at Pearl street but they didn't allow dogs, so we just quickly walked through and then walked over to the farmers market near there. But sadly they didn't allow dogs either! Boo! So I just quickly walked through, grabbed a couple things, and we continued on the road to our Airbnb in Loveland. Our Airbnb was the most adorable little cabin! I loved it so much!
We were 40 minutes from Estes Park. After driving about an hour already to get to Loveland I wasn't keen on spending nearly another hour in the car, but we decided to anyways. And I am SO GLAD we did! It was honestly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I actually cried over how beautiful it was.
At some point in my life, even if it's just for a summer, I will live in Estes Park. I just dream of staying in a beautiful cabin, writing a novel from a deck with an incredible mountain view....
I loved our Airbnb in Loveland but had I known just how beautiful Estes would be, I would have booked a place there instead. Stunning mountains entirely surrounding you, in utter awe at every turn. I so wish we could have had more time there, but hopefully, it's not too long till we can return.
If you want a beautiful romantic getaway, go to Estes Park. Next time I would like to do some hiking, maybe even backpacking, stay a few nights on the trails in the mountains, and then stay a few nights in a hotel or Airbnb to wrap up the trip. Words and pictures just do not do it justice. This place must be on your bucket list. I'm sure fall there is just breathtaking.... (getting lost in fall Estes Park Google search..)
Sigh....
The next day we began our long trek back to Texas. Before hitting the road we enjoyed a yummy breakfast at a place called Doug's Day Diner. They have "hearty Tex-Mex meals". Apparently, they have a few locations in Colorado. There was a bit of a wait for Sunday morning breakfast, but it was 110% worth it. We shared their Skinny "Papas" which was a "mountain of browns" (hashbrowns), cheese, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, spinach, tomato, bacon, sausage, and eggs. Plus your choice of country gravy or green chile. Per our waitresses advice, we got a side of both. I was doubtful of how I would like the combination of green chile salsa and country gravy but the cute waitress was right, it was amazing, probably one of the best diner breakfasts I have ever had. Oh and we got a side of biscuits and jam. The biscuits were more like scones to me, but very very yummy. If you are in Colorado, find their nearest location and go.
We hit the road and made a pit stop at Garden of the Gods. Once again I was just in awe of the unique and beautiful places in Colorado. It's a pretty small park, so it was a quick stop along our route, but such a cool place to check out. I loved how green it was in contrast to the red rocks, very cool. I think Rex was grateful to stretch his legs too!
We decided to keep going past Amarillo and stopped for the night instead of Lubbock. I managed to find a cheap hotel that was actually really ritzy. Our room was HUGE. We were shocked. Just a shame we were a bit too late for room service. Whataburger was pretty much the only thing left open at that point, but I am not complaining.
After a good nights rest we were ready to hit the road for the last 5hrs to get home. Home sweet home!
I have sooooo many favorite photos from the trip, so here is a (not so) little slideshow!
And don't miss the vlog! I'm working on an extended version with a little more content, but I really like how this one came together.
We stopped in Amarillo the first night. Texas is such a big state! It takes nearly 10 hours just to get out of the state! It doesn't help that we are so far south.
Before hitting the road in the morning, we went to Cadilac Ranch on the edge of town. Quite the interesting art installation, built in 1974!
Driving through Texas and the little bit of New Mexico was so boring, but once we got into Colorado we were just continually amazed by the beautiful mountains!
We checked into our cute Airbnb, it was on a farm outside of Denver, the owners were so nice! The property was very old, so there were some quirks to it, but we were pretty pleased for our first Airbnb experience.
We went to a local pizza place for dinner. Yum yum!
And then drove around exploring the area.
And the prettiest sunset!
Wedding day! The ceremony was so lovely!
And then we did some pictures of the happy newlyweds!
That afternoon we made our way downtown for the reception. It was at the coolest little restaurant with the coolest gypsy vibes. Probably one of my favorite venues I have shot at! It was such a fun time and a special day and I am so glad we got to be part of it!
Here is a video Dave and I took from the day. I am so happy with how it turned out!
The next day we made our way to Boulder. First we stopped at Red Rock amphitheater to walk around and take some pictures. It was so crowded with people working out on an early Saturday morning. We found it a little odd, haha, but still a cool view. I love how you can see downtown Denver from there.
Next we stopped at Pearl street but they didn't allow dogs, so we just quickly walked through and then walked over to the farmers market near there. But sadly they didn't allow dogs either! Boo! So I just quickly walked through, grabbed a couple things, and we continued on the road to our Airbnb in Loveland. Our Airbnb was the most adorable little cabin! I loved it so much!
We were 40 minutes from Estes Park. After driving about an hour already to get to Loveland I wasn't keen on spending nearly another hour in the car, but we decided to anyways. And I am SO GLAD we did! It was honestly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I actually cried over how beautiful it was.
At some point in my life, even if it's just for a summer, I will live in Estes Park. I just dream of staying in a beautiful cabin, writing a novel from a deck with an incredible mountain view....
I loved our Airbnb in Loveland but had I known just how beautiful Estes would be, I would have booked a place there instead. Stunning mountains entirely surrounding you, in utter awe at every turn. I so wish we could have had more time there, but hopefully, it's not too long till we can return.
If you want a beautiful romantic getaway, go to Estes Park. Next time I would like to do some hiking, maybe even backpacking, stay a few nights on the trails in the mountains, and then stay a few nights in a hotel or Airbnb to wrap up the trip. Words and pictures just do not do it justice. This place must be on your bucket list. I'm sure fall there is just breathtaking.... (getting lost in fall Estes Park Google search..)
Sigh....
The next day we began our long trek back to Texas. Before hitting the road we enjoyed a yummy breakfast at a place called Doug's Day Diner. They have "hearty Tex-Mex meals". Apparently, they have a few locations in Colorado. There was a bit of a wait for Sunday morning breakfast, but it was 110% worth it. We shared their Skinny "Papas" which was a "mountain of browns" (hashbrowns), cheese, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, spinach, tomato, bacon, sausage, and eggs. Plus your choice of country gravy or green chile. Per our waitresses advice, we got a side of both. I was doubtful of how I would like the combination of green chile salsa and country gravy but the cute waitress was right, it was amazing, probably one of the best diner breakfasts I have ever had. Oh and we got a side of biscuits and jam. The biscuits were more like scones to me, but very very yummy. If you are in Colorado, find their nearest location and go.
We hit the road and made a pit stop at Garden of the Gods. Once again I was just in awe of the unique and beautiful places in Colorado. It's a pretty small park, so it was a quick stop along our route, but such a cool place to check out. I loved how green it was in contrast to the red rocks, very cool. I think Rex was grateful to stretch his legs too!
We decided to keep going past Amarillo and stopped for the night instead of Lubbock. I managed to find a cheap hotel that was actually really ritzy. Our room was HUGE. We were shocked. Just a shame we were a bit too late for room service. Whataburger was pretty much the only thing left open at that point, but I am not complaining.
After a good nights rest we were ready to hit the road for the last 5hrs to get home. Home sweet home!
I have sooooo many favorite photos from the trip, so here is a (not so) little slideshow!
And don't miss the vlog! I'm working on an extended version with a little more content, but I really like how this one came together.
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