It’s hard to believe a month has passed already since we were exploring Colorado’s landscape. Colorado’s outdoorsy good looks starts as soon as you leave Denver and go West. The following section is from the 3 hour drive from Denver to Snowmass. It was geological eye candy.
I turned 33 today – and I was inspired to write 33 sentences – things I’ve learned that are true for me – things I want to remember and apply as I march towards my 40’s. I have a similar list I wrote when I was 18, and again when I was 25. They’re wonderful for me to look back on – so here’s a few things that I’ve found are true for me. And a few quotes from folks that hit it on the head.
We checked off a bucket list item in Colorado: the hot air balloon! We got up super early on our first night back in Denver towards the end of the trip and drove to Boulder to fly up along the Flatirons.
The weather was perfect. I learned a lot about how hot air balloons work ( they’re not actually that full of hot air! ). Takeoff was easy – the hardest part being just hoisting yourself into the basket. It was a smooth flight and a very comfortable temperature. We got a solid hour flight – with lots of great views and some photos I’ll enjoy forever.
At the end, when it was time to land, we landed a couple of fences over from where we wanted to and our pilot hopped out of the basket. We made it to the right field with my help because I got to “step on the gas” a few times with the fire to help us float over the fences. That was super exciting for me.
We had a great time and couldn’t stop smiling.
check out our balloon photos
On our last day in Denver we hit up the botanic gardens. The design behind the gardens is very color-centric with large gardens of flowers in similar hues, with the hues changing as you pass through the entire facility. It’s a good stop for a fair-weather day. It was so hot in Denver the afternoon we went that I was physically drained about 2 hours in – so go early morning!
Our flight from Atlanta to Denver was rerouted through Texas and New Mexico before heading north to Denver because of local storms. It meant our flight landed about an hour later but it also meant we arrived in Colorado during a beautiful sunset with some dramatic stormclouds. I was really thrilled to use my new 16-35mm lens with an ND filter thrown on top to help handle some of the high contrast. The results? Stunning.
Featured Photo taken in Colorado by Kaitlin Muro on Unsplash
Things are on the up and up in this household. Jeremy starts a great new job in a couple weeks so we decided to book a vacation last minute. If you know me I am usually booking things months in advance but there’s going to be a long lull before we get to do another long trip anywhere so we are diving in! We are going to Colorado!
Jeremy and I laugh about how crazy our lives get because we aren’t afraid to pack it in when it comes to our day to day life. For this trip, we have 13 different destinations all over Colorado, staying in 5 different hotels and seeing two old friends! Of all of this I am most excited about connecting with my friends – Michelle – our old college friend and Paru my childhood friend with whom I spent many many humid Indian nights over the years playing outside my grandparents flat. The years pass by and the good people stand out like stars in the night sky.
Speaking of stars – I’ll have the opportunity to shoot the Milky Way at the Sand Dunes National Park one of the nights we are there. I am nervous I won’t know what I’m doing or execute it poorly but I’m also excited for this opportunity to shoot something really new to me.
Lots to look forward to – and I can’t wait to document it here.
