June 2007 Colorado Trip - John and Donna

In June of 2007 I had the opportunity to tour Colorado with my S.O. John before I moved to the state in December of 07. Boy, what an experience. All I can say is that I'm hooked on the state...and him! :)

We started out on a Thursday headed to Aspen in his little convertible sports car that he made me include a pic of ! ;) First we stopped at Red Rocks; one of the most scenic amphitheaters I've seen in my life. A picture of Red Rocks is attached for your enjoyment. I hope you love it as much as I did! Next, on highway 285 headed over Kenosha pass (with no warning from John), we turned a corner and there it was...South Park. WOW, is the best adjective I could come up with from my limited vocabulary! ;) The photo we attached to this blog says it all. We continue on our journey towards Aspen and John pointed out the Arkansas River. If' you've ever seen a photo of kayakers on a really rough river in an advertisement, I wouldn't be surprised if it was at the Arkansas River. The power of the Arkansas was amazing. Ironically enough, there was a kayaking competition going on as we drove along side of the river. Of course we had to stop. A photo is included for your enjoyment!

After watching the dare devil kayakers we stopped in the quaint town of Leadville. History tells us that this was once a very high society town. Matter of fact, Molly Brown (Titanic) and her husband acquired their riches in the town of Leadville. We ate lunch at a mom and pop diner...some of the best grub I'd had since I arrived in Colorado! If you would like to learn more about Leadville, click on this link - http://www.leadvilleusa.com.

After gassing up in Leadville we headed off to continue our journey. I haven't mentioned that this entire drive, thus far, consisted of breathtaking scenery including mountains, prairies and mountain lakes and streams. After Leadville we came upon Twin Lakes and Mount Elbert - the tallest 14ner (mountain over 14,000 ft. in height) in Colorado and only second to Mt. Whitney in the 48 continental states of the U. S. We've included a few pics of Mt. Elbert, Twin Lakes and streams along the same highway. I must say, this stretch convinced me that Colorado is the place I want to retire in and grow old with John!! Now, I have to convince my family to come out and visit to see what God has given us for free!

Up until now, the journey has been pretty harmless, scenic, historical and downright heavenly. Then, a pass called Independence hit me like a ton of bricks. Let's just say this Midwestern girl had a little trouble dealing with altitude!! I could shoot myself for including this damaging pic; but, I think it says it all. I think you can figure out which pic I'm referring to! :) Set aside my blown up face and pathetic look, the scenery at over 12,000 feet was well worth the way I felt.

Lastly, we arrived in Aspen. Of course it was springtime and all of the pictures I had seen of Aspen were of wintertime. Nonetheless, it was gorgeous. The trees were lush green, the real estate was well out of reach, cost wise, and the ski lifts were standing majestically among the pine trees awaiting the first snow. Downtown Aspen is a woman's wonderland - pick your vice; Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Coach or an art gallery at every corner. The bed and breakfast John picked out for us was perfect. We've included a link to Aspen and a picture of the Bed and Breakfast. http://www.aspensnowmass.com/

Well, we hope you enjoyed walking down memory lane with John and I; and, we hope you will be partaking in a journey of your own very soon. Feel free to share!

Stay tuned for more Journey's and Memories in Colorado! Next, we take you to Maroon Bells.