Colorado: We Did it All – Part One
Lets talk Colorado!
Colorado is one of our favorite places to visit, but we recently realized we have hardly seen its beauty outside of ski season! While we haven’t had the ability to do much traveling with COVID, we thought getting outside away from people and stretching our legs in Colorado’s great outdoors was just thing for us. We desperately needed a break and to get out of the confinements of everyday life. We wanted to get out of the house, travel, and relax a bit!
With the help of our friends Kellcie and Chandler, we planned what ended up as the trip of a lifetime (more on this later 😊).
I have broken the story of our trip down into three parts, so I hope you stick around a enjoy the ride!
Friday September 25th, 2020 we kicked off our 10 day trip with our first stop in Colorado Springs. We caught a flight to Denver, picked up our rental car, and drove the hour and 15 minutes to our Airbnb.
We stayed at “Bohemian Dream”- you can check it out here!
We got in pretty late on Friday, so our main focus was grabbing some food and a drink (this was vacation after all)! We ended up at N3 Tap House just a short walk down the road. They offer a wide variety of beer and munchies. We have been very diligent in the social distancing department and this was our first real time grabbing drinks and eating out since March, and man did that feel good! After a few good drinks and laughs we headed back to the Airbnb to check out the hot tub before calling it a night.
Saturday September 26th was the first full day of our trip and we made sure to make the most of it! We Started the day off with drive through breakfast and a trip to a lesser-know beauty: Paint Mines Interpretive Park. Shout out to Kellcie and her research! The hour-long car drive was somewhat unassuming, but the beauty that unfolded in front of us was well worth it. If you are in the area, I would definitely recommend this hidden gem!
Our group had so much fun walking around, finding new colors in the rocks, and exploring the crevices. We spent about 2-3 hours here and felt we saw most of the park.
The next stop of the day was Garden of the Gods. This is one of the most visited National Natural Landmarks in the Colorado Springs/Pikes Peak area. The nature center offers breath taking views and hikes for most all skill levels.
The park is very well maintained, and very accessible. Most trails and paths are wide and paved making this a great place for families and hikers of all ages.
However, while its beauty is unmatched and definitely worth seeing, if you are interested in getting lost in nature this might not be the place for you. We enjoyed our time in the park, but while we were there it was unfortunately very crowded and busy (we were also keeping in mind social distancing). You often became stuck behind large groups of people and had to make way for the many horse back riding tours while on the trails.
That being said, my favorite part of this excursion was the hike to the Siamese Twins. This took you further away from the crowds and offered a great view of Pikes Peak.
In total, we spent about 2-3 hours here and felt we saw most of the iconic landmarks and had plenty of time for picture taking.
After a stop at the Airbnb to freshen up, our third and final stop of the day was a sports bar called The Bench to catch the Texas A&M game. This was reviewed as one of Colorado Spring’s top sports bars. Although it wasn’t very large, it had plenty of TVs and buffalo wings that are to die for- seriously Jourdan still talks about them! The atmosphere here was very fun and friendly and you could tell this was a great local hang out. While we were there, we even met a few LSU and Bama fans who were just as excited as we were to see SEC football finally back in action. Starting off the season with an A&M win (…and an LSU loss #sorrynotsorry) was a perfect end to the first day of our trip.
The third day of our trip, Sunday September 27th, 2020 we set out for Great Sand Dunes National Park. The drive from Colorado Springs was a bit long admittedly – 2 hours and 45 minutes- but worth every second! This turned out to be one of our top favorites from our trip and something none of us had ever really experienced before.
We knew we wanted to try our luck at sand boarding- a thrilling cousin to snowboarding, so we stopped in Blanca, a town near where the park is located. We did this because we were worried about the availability of boards once we got there.
We ended up renting our boards from SpinDrift Sand Board Rentals– a local shop. The ladies in the shop were beyond knowledgeable and provided us with great information regarding the park, where to go, and tips to find spots away from crowds. They also reminded us to drink plenty of water and to make sure we re-apply sunscreen- you really need it out there!
Between the four of us we ended up renting one sled and one sand board. While some of us are former athletes, we weren’t sure exactly what our skill level would be out there, and this ended up being perfect.
Throughout the entire car ride up there we tried to imagine exactly the scale of it all and what it would look like once we were standing there. As we approached the park we could see the dunes looming in the distance but it wasn’t until the moment we pulled into the parking lot that we fully grasped the size and scale of where we were. When we realized that the tiny dots in the sand were actually people far (farrr) off we all had an “oh sh!t” moment together.
Great Sand Dunes National Park is absolutely thrilling, but you have to work (hike) for your experience. I am so thankful we visited in the fall and not when the temperatures were at their highest in the summer. We also found the later in the afternoon we were there, the more the wind pick up. You would think a breeze would be nice, but in this case we found ourselves in the middle of a sand blaster. Wearing an open back shirt here was not my best move!!
On that note- I would suggest wearing leggings or pants, a good shirt with coverage (AKA not a backless shirt…), and hiking boots or tennis shoes with good socks. I would bring a bandana or something similar to cover your face if the wind and the sand start to pick up. This would also be a good day to pack an extra pair of clothes to change into if possible! By the time you make it back to the car you will have sand in every place imaginable and that might not make for a pleasant car ride home!
In total our group spent about 3-4 hours here. While we did not explore a large amount of the park, we spent most of our time climbing the dunes, taking in their magnificence, snapping pictures, and of course displaying an excellent example of athleticism with our sandboarding skills.
(This picture may have been the only time I actually "successfully" stood up- it also lasted all of 5 seconds, but hey I tried!!!!)
There is plenty more to come regarding the next leg of our adventure- check out part 2!!
– Kate
hi there!
I'm Kate! I'm obsessed with life and set out to make every day magical. I love all things fashion, am a self proclaimed food-ie, continually seeking the next travel adventure with my fiancé, and love a great merlot!
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