Colorado is one of those states that has been on my bucket list for a long time; we love Washington, DC but those gorgeous mountains full of lush greenery were calling my name and Rob’s best friend from high school has lived out there for a few years, so it was a no-brainer. The timing just hadn’t been right because, well, we aren’t skiers and with CO having such unpredictable weather, there is very limited amount of time to visit out there without the chance of snow! And being a wedding photographer only limited that further. But, our schedule finally aligned for a short trip out west and it was even better than we ever expected – enjoy a mix of film, digital, and iPhone shots from our trip below! 

After landing, we stopped in the city to try out Snooze on the recommendation of my friend Laura – we had previously read reviews that the wait can be hours on the weekend, so we thought a Wednesday would be the perfect time to try it out! Let’s just say the eggs benedict definitely didn’t disappoint and I’m not sure how every restaurant doesn’t offer pancake flights!? 

We then headed out to Red Rocks to see the infamous theater! A band was setting up for their gig that night so we couldn’t go down the stairs, but still got an awesome view.

Finally we were on our way to the mountains. We stopped for a short, but intense hike to Hanging Lake which reminded me so much of Plitvice when we got to our destination. We hopped back in our car to head to Aspen for the night. 

We hopped back in our car to head to Aspen for the night. Aspen was, without a doubt, the highlight of the entire trip for me; I fell in love with this town from the moment I arrived and truly did not want to leave! We wandered the picture-perfect streets and stopped at a French restaurant for dinner. I kid you not, I’ve eaten a lot of good food in my life, and this was in the top 5 meals I’ve ever had. We ate all the cheese and finished it off with a chocolate dessert crepe. Yep. Cheese and crepes. 

The next AM we woke up to see the sun rise over Maroon Bells; the most photographed mountains in North America. It was an absolutely stunning and again, since it was a week day, we didn’t even have to fight the crowds. We took a hike through the mountains to see the namesake of the town – the Aspen trees. 

Again, we were on our way! We chose to do a scenic drive through Independence Pass on our way to Breckenridge where we would spend the night. We didn’t get much time in this city as it was just a stop-over, but we definitely want to return one day!

Finally we made it to Colorado Springs early the next AM! I met up with Kat and her husband, Matt for an anniversary mini-session that was absolutely UNREAL at Garden of the Gods! I cannot wait to share their full session, but for now, here is a peek at the scenery we got to enjoy! 

Last, but certainly not least, we headed back to Denver to spend time with Alex and Tessa – dinner at La Loma was amazing! Actually, as you’ll see, everything we ate was amazing! We had such a good time exploring CO and are already hoping we can return!