Colorado, October 2022
We were both excited and nervous to visit Colorado. Excited for the obvious reasons: huge mountains! seasons! world-class skiing, hiking, and mountain biking! But nervous because months ago we told Lee’s work that we would relocate to Boulder after our trip, sight unseen. We drove down from Wyoming, anxiously holding our breath to see if our future home would live up to our mental hype or disappoint us.
We breathed a sigh of relief as we realized that the hype was well-deserved. I’m sure it helped that we arrived during peak fall foliage, which these two east coasters sorely missed after years of living in the Bay Area. We bopped around the Rockies for as long as the weather allowed, begrudgingly leaving for the warmer southwest as a winter storm and single-digit temps loomed in the forecast.
I did more biking in Colorado than anywhere else on the trip, which was amazing because I got to see my skills increase exponentially, but I realized after we left that I didn’t get nearly as many photos as I would have liked (lugging a heavy, fragile, and expensive camera around as a novice biker does not seem like a good idea). Fortunately, I’ll have plenty of opportunity to make up for it next year ;)
Misty sunset outside Breck
Sunset over aspen (the trees, not the place) outside Vail
Tabor Creek, near Aspen
Aspen in fall are :chef's kiss:
Maroon Bells, near Aspen. This hike rivaled the Canadian Rockies in terms of breathtaking scenery and *literally* breathtaking elevation
The view from the top of Maroon Bells. This hike was exceptionally challenging from me; the elevation was really getting to me that day, and after dragging myself up a grueling final climb, I came over a ridge to be greeted by this view. I was exhausted and probably a little loopy from lack of oxygen, but whatever the reason, I collapsed on the ground sob-laughing. The photo is just alright, but the hilarity of the memory made it worth including.
Lee lookin' buff ;)
Golden paths through the trees