Well it has been a summer of trips! In May I visited Tennessee and Kentucky. In June I went to Texas! In July I took a solo trip to Colorado! Last weekend I helped my sister move back to Pittsburgh with stops in Memphis and Indianapolis. And now I’m heading to San Diego tomorrow!
This was an amazing and pretty spontaneous trip! Denver has always been one of my favorite cities so I was interested in exploring the rest of the state. My good friend Angela lives in Ouray, a small mountain town in southwest Colorado so I planned on starting there, heading to Colorado Springs, and then ending back in Denver.
I flew into Denver on a Sunday morning, rented a car, and made the 5 hour drive to Ouray. I arrived in hike for a short hike to stretch my legs before heading to a local brewery for some food and drinks.
The next day the real fun began! Angela and I grabbed a quick breakfast to fuel our hike. We hiked several miles on the Perimeter Trail and it was perfection. Blue skies and so many beautiful views! Since I was still acclimating to the altitude we took our time and made frequent stops so I could take a thousand pictures and make sure I was drinking water (very important!) The only bad part of the hike was getting 33 mosquito bites when crossing a stream, but it was worth it!
After the hike we continued the adventures by going rock climbing. All of my climbing experience has been indoors so it was really cool to get outside and make it up a rock wall. We climbed for a couple hours before it started to rain and went to check out the hot springs.
The geothermal heated mineral pools are common throughout some of the mountain towns in Colorado so it was nice to check them out. The hot water felt great on my mosquito bites and was super relaxing (fortunately there is an adults only pool). Unfortunately then a storm blew in so I didn’t get to soak very long before they made pool goers evacuate the area. I showered and headed to another brewery for a drink and some dinner.
That night we headed to a nearby (larger) town for a Second City performance. I love comedy shoes and this one was very affordable since it wasn’t in a major city. After the performance we headed to Angela’s tiny house to check it out before camping for the night.
The next morning I grabbed breakfast to go and made the 4 hour drive to Colorado Springs. On my way I stopped and did a short solo hike in Black Canyon- it was pretty cool, despite the warning about bears.
The rest of the drive was probably the most terrifying drive of my life. After having zero phone services for almost 2 hours, I drove up a 10,000 foot mountain where it was storming and 35 degrees cooler (snow was still on the ground). I was so relieved and starving when I arrived in Colorado Springs. I checked into my Airbnb, got a recommendation for dinner and then headed out.
This dinner was my favorite meal of the trip- it was a cafeteria tray that provided a variety from the menu. Afterwards I wandered around downtown Colorado Springs. I stopped for a local kombucha instead of checking out a local brewery because I wasn’t in the mood for beer. It’s a cute area with lots of shops and restaurants.
I turned in early to wake up for another day of hiking. Originally I planned on doing the Manitou Incline but after talking to some locals I opted for the Garden of the Gods hike which was the right decision. Much better to enjoy beautiful views than test myself physically. The rock formations were stunning and the hike was a leisurely 4 miles with lots of pictures. I got back to the Airbnb to shower quickly before check out and heading to Denver.
First on the list was lunch. I parked at the Cherry Creek mall and went to Cherry Cricket for a burger. Afterwards I did some shopping (shout out to Uproot Kitchen for the recommendations for some super cute shops). Next I headed to my Airbnb in the city and then to check out some breweries.
I started at Our Mutual Friend Brewing and was super impressed! I made friends at the bar and ended up buying a glass as a souvenir. Next I went to Epic Brewing and met up with a friend from Pittsburgh that’s currently living in Denver. After a flight we grabbed some Mexican for dinner. I know everyone says that Mexican food in Colorado is supposed to be awesome but I wasn’t overly impressed unfortunately. But it was great to catch up with an old friend to end my Colorado trip.
I flew out the next morning to Philly to spend a few days with friends and family to complete my 4th of July week. The solo travel and camping were a little intimidating but I’m so glad I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone to enjoy such a beautiful state and make this Colorado trip possible!
