Colorado is Calling

Hello hello, lovelies,

It has been several crazy months of work and traveling. Short story work has been hectic and has been going through many changes, but i hope now things have settles down that I can begin to focus on my blog. I also have been traveling this past couple of months. I visit Colorado for the first time in October with my friend, and it was honestly such a great experience. We spent a week and a half in Colorado… starting in Denver, then going to the Rocky Mountains and ending in Colorado Springs.

We arrived on a Thursday night and stayed near the airport at Aloft2 Hotel, a great clean and modern hotel. The cost of one night was only $80! We spent Friday morning finishing up our work (we both work in the tech industry and are in a WFH till 2021) and then spent the rest of the day exploring Denver. Denver is such a great city and has a lot to do and see. There are a ton of breweries to try out and restaurants to try. We were fortunate enough to have arrived during their CRUSH Wall Festival. CRUSH was a free event across downtown Denver that featured spray paint artists creating their mural artwork on several downtown buildings' walls. We were able to witness certain pieces to be painted and see the finished mural as well. The event pans across a week, allowing you to see the work from start to finish.

Friday night, we drove up to Rocky Mountains (a 1.5-hour drive from Denver) and stayed at our cabin Airbnb. We stayed at Winter Park, though i would recommend staying on the east side of RMNP, Este Park. Our area was nice because it is a ski resort city. However, most of the big hikes we wanted to do were on the park's east side. It took us about 2 hours to finish our hike on Saturday.

At RMNP, we did the Lake Haiyaha hike, which began at Glen George Trailhead, and the trail took you through 3 different lakes. It was such a great view. Overall, it took us 4 hours back and forth, including breaks and a lunch break.

Tips for RMNP:
- Tickets are released a month in advance or two days prior at 8 AM.
- Recommend hiking shoes, an oxygen tank (buy it at a local store in Colorado), thick socks, a backpack, and lots of water/snacks. In the summer you may even be able to swim in the lakes (bring a swimsuit).
- Shuttle passes - if parking is full.
- Plan out the hikes, know the hike time not to be stuck out in the dark

Sunday, we took time to take pictures at our Airbnb and then head to Colorado Springs (2 hours from Denver). On the way, we did stop at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater where shows are hosted as well as the have a small hiking trail.

The following week we spent days working from home, exploring several places:

Garden of the Gods

Cheyenne Zoo (would recommend)
Painted Mines (45 minutes drive from Garden of the Gods area)
Ziplining at Manitou Springs.

We had a great time at Colorado springs, would highly recommend visiting if you have time. If you are looking for a more scenic drive - the Pikes Peak drive is a must.

The cost of the whole trip weighed heavily on Airbnb. Our plane tickets were very cheap as well as we got a discount on our car rental. A car rental is a must because Colorado is spread apart, and you must drive between trails scattered around the state.

There were several places we wanted to visit, such as the Sand Dunes, Bishop Castle; however, most attractions are several hour drives from the city. I would highly recommend planning your trip accordingly to the days you are there and the length of drive time between each attraction.

Food places we visited (we cooked on the weekdays to save money):