September 24, 2013

rocky mountain high

I took an insane amount of pictures in Colorado and I have no idea how I'm going to narrow down my favorites, but I'll try. We spent most of the trip driving through the beautiful Rocky Mountains, listening to John Denver and Mumford & Sons and talking. It was so nice to be able to talk, laugh and hold hands. The scenery was beautiful and we stopped often so I could take picture after picture of the changing leaves and the majestic mountains but it's so hard to capture! You can't experience the smell of crisp, autumn air or hear the wind through quaking aspen leaves through a picture. But take my word for it - it was fantastic!

We drove to the top of Cottonwood Pass (at 12,000 feet!) on Saturday morning on our way to Crested Butte. It was such a beautiful drive and so nice to breathe in some cool, fresh air.
When we got to Crested Butte, we stopped just outside of town at one of David's co-workers mom's house. He had insisted that we stop by to say hello and see her beautiful place right on the river. And I mean, her deck hangs over the riverbank. It's beautiful! When we met her, she insisted that we use her fly fishing gear and her spot of the river. She is honestly one of the sweetest people I have ever met! We had to go rent some waders and boots but she saved us a lot of money and hassle and even let me borrow her slippers and a vest when we were done so I could warm up. David is a really experienced fly fisherman so he was really happy. Also, it is impossible to look attractive in waders. That is all.
This was my first time fly fishing and it was fun! Cold but fun. I was really nervous about slipping and getting soaked in freezing cold water but I stayed dry! So, phew! The river was full of huge trout - David caught one and I caught two. Go us!
Can you believe this is her front yard? Then we drove up to Crested Butte to our resort on the mountain. We had a nice tapas dinner at django's (it was pretty good - nothing to rave about) and relaxed as it started to rain all night. When we woke up in the morning, there was luckily some sun so we walked around the farmer's market in search of breakfast...

...which we found in this delicious crepe that we shared - Palisade peach and strawberry. Yum! Then we hopped in the car and continued our drive up to Vail. That was pretty much the only sun we got that day. It rained most of the day off and on.
David and I both agreed that the drive from Crested Butte to Vail was the prettiest drive we have ever taken. Those Rocky Mountains are unbelievable and although we were about a week too early for fall colors, we still saw some beautiful scenery.



David really wanted to stop at Crystal Mine but when we got there, the road was only open for 4 wheel drive vehicles and since it was raining, we decided not to risk it. Such a bummer because that's one of the main things that we were excited about doing. Maybe another time...
We arrived in Vail and checked into our resort. Let me tell you - it pays off to mention it's your anniversary. I casually mentioned it at the front desk and they upgraded us to a suite with a mountain view. It was so fun to have a fireplace and more space. They also brought us some chocolate covered strawberries and champagne but we told them we don't drink, so they sent it back.
David teased me about bringing a coat but it was cold! He says he didn't think it was but I think this picture says otherwise...
Vail is very pretty. I really liked the Bavarian/Swiss touches to all the buildings. We had dinner at La Tour that night and it was really romantic. I had awesome French onion soup and some really awesome Brussels sprouts. The nice thing about going to these ski towns in September, is that all the fancy restaurants were having deals. Then we went back to our hotel and rented some dessert from room service, which they didn't charge us for since we sent back the champagne. Woo hoo!
That night it snowed about three inches between Vail and Breckenridge. We were in awe as we drove through that winter wonderland. It made me cry, it was so beautiful! We had to stop and play with the snow for a few minutes and David even threw a snowball at me - we are such desert rats!
We spent the rest of the afternoon just walking around Breckenridge, shopping and talking and walking. Then flew home late Monday night. It was really fun hanging out with David. It's funny how we spend a lot of time together but that time seems less "quality" when we're at home with our kids. It felt nice to focus on each other, laugh at each other's jokes, compliment each other and really feel connected.

9 comments:

  1. Beautimus! That farmers market looks unreal! I want it. All of it!! I'm glad you lovebirds got to get away! XOXO

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  2. Very pretty. Love your green coat.... where'd you get it?

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    1. Thanks Reenie! I got it from Nordstrom a couple of years ago. :)

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  3. What a fun trip!

    I can't stop laughing at the thought of you "renting some dessert from room service." :)

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    1. Haha! I saw that after I published it but it made me laugh too so I decided to keep it. :)

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  4. Vail and Breckenridge are two of my favourite places ever! I love your pictures!

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  5. We're planning a trip to this area and I'm super sensitive (or paranoid, whichever!) about dirty hotels and bed bugs. Would you mind sharing the specific names where you stayed and what you thought of them? Thank you!

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    1. Hi Holly! In Crested Butte, we stayed at the Elevation Hotel and Resort. It was fine. The location was beautiful, up on the mountain. Our room was nice, clean and updated. The hot tub was pretty gross and ghetto but if you won't be spending any time in there, I wouldn't worry about it. In Vail, we stayed at the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort. It was very nice and well maintained. Our room was clean and it had a free bus stop right outside to take you wherever you wanted in town. We really liked that. They also upgraded us to a suite which was nice. I would say the best part about that place was their customer service. They were great! Hope that helps!

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  6. Your trip looks absolutely amazing! What a great anniversary! The scenery was gorgeous! So glad you guys had a fun time!

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