Our Colorado Trip

Hi friends--sorry for the long absence. Between packing, moving, un-packing, starting a new job, and house-hunting, life has been pretty crazy around here. 

I wasn't cooking much for a while, which made me sad, but in the last couple weeks I've been venturing into the kitchen more. I made this spinach and cheese strata and this banana bread, and then these Mexican sweet potato skins and my mom's spaghetti sauce recipe. (I need to share that one with you!) I'm finally feeling more like myself now that I'm cooking at least a couple times a week, and soon I hope to have a new recipe to share with you.  

In the meantime, here is a recap of our August trip to Colorado!

As I know I've mentioned on the blog before, I've been wanting to go to Colorado for a long time.  I don't know why exactly--it just always seemed grand and beautiful and different. 

And, after a summer spent inside studying for the bar, I knew I would want to be outside in the fresh air as much as possible. 

Vail/Avon/Glenwood Springs

To Do: 

We spent our first three days at a resort in Avon, Colorado, which is about 10 minutes west of Vail.  We spent one day exploring Avon and the nearby Beaver Creek, and the next day we made the 50 minute drive to Hanging Lake--one of the highlights of the trip. 

This is a very popular tourist destination, and there is only one small parking lot that fills up fast.  If you go on a Saturday, like we did, you might end up having to walk an extra two miles to get there if the parking lot is full, but it's worth it. 

It is a 1.5 mile hike up to Hanging Lake, and there are lots of smaller water falls along the way to the top. 

We only spent part of one day in Vail, but I wish we could have spent at least two. I LOVED it. 

We happened to go there on a Sunday, which is Farmer's Market day, and there were so many stalls set up with delicious food and local artwork.

Vail definitely has some German influences in the architecture.

And the cuisine.  These German pastries were absolutely stunning.

We took the Gondola up to the top of Vail Mountain. The price is sort of ridiculous, but it's just something you have to experience.

The views from the top were breathtaking.

I didn't want to leave!

To Eat: 

Crespelle in Vail--The casual crepe place was the perfect stop after coming back down the mountain.  We got the dirty hippy (kale, spinach, bacon, tomato & avocado) and the crespelle (nutella, banana, strawberry & chocolate pearls). I still dream about that nutella crepe....

Colorado Springs

To Do: 

We did some more hiking and hit all the big touristy spots in Colorado Springs. 

Seven Falls--It's 250 steps up to the top of the falls, but the views are great. 

Once you get to the top, there are also several hiking trails with more panoramic views.

Garden of the Gods--We opted to hike a loop around the park, which allowed us to see the rocks from all different angles.

Air Force Academy--This stop was definitely more for Adam than for me, but the chapel was absolutely beautiful.

Pike's Peak--the drive to the top was terrifying and exhilarating. (We were literally driving on the edge of a cliff!) 

I was so happy when we made it to the top. Their famous doughnuts were pretty good too.

As were the views. . .

To Eat: 

Ola Juice Bar--Although we were only in Colorado Springs 3 days we ate here twice. I was obsessed! Their acai bowls were delicious and so refreshing after hiking. 

This salad was yummy and filling with quinoa, spinach, carrots, peppers, red onions, pine nuts, and a peanut ginger dressing.

Other highlights: 

Josh & John's Ice Cream--delicious homemade ice cream in downtown Colorado Springs. 

Red Leg Brewing--great craft brewery with food trucks. We loved the Cambodian cuisine we tried at the Awaken Food Truck that was there one night. 

Denver 

To Do: 

After doing so much hiking on the other parts of our trip, we decided to do mostly museums in Denver.

Denver Art Museum--This one was our very favorite. It's huge, with lots of great exhibits.

Museum of Contemporary Art--This museum was smaller, but still cool. We enjoyed the rooftop bar at the top.

Museum of Nature & Science--This was a typical science museum for me, and the amount of kids and people there was a bit overwhelming.  If you go, definitely visit the City Park right nearby. It's a lovely place to walk around with great views of downtown.

To Eat: 

Root Down--This was by far the best meal of our trip. The sweet corn risotto was amazing.

Denver Biscuit Co--crazy big and good biscuits. The cinnamon roll biscuit with cream cheese frosting was decadent, but so worth it.

via 

Los Chingones--unique tacos, margaritas, and a rooftop view. What else do you need? I hope to recreate one of the tacos we had here in a later blog post.

Union Lodge--period era cocktails in a fun speakeasy setting. A must-try!

Colorado, you did not disappoint, and we are already ready to go back. 

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