Photo Journal Week #37

October 3 & 4, 2015 The ins and outs of Denver (or at least what we saw)

I know there are lots and lots of amazing sights and places in Denver but Craig and I only had 2 days so we limited ourselves to a few of them.

We did a quick stop at the Colorado State Capital for the chance to say we were exactly 1 mile high above sea level.  Now I understand why Denver is called the mile high city.

I caught him in a blink, he isn't actually sleeping on the steps.

 Union Station and the river walk were also on our stops.  Plus since I thought it was chilly, at least in comparison to southern California, I needed some hot chocolate - it was on my list of things to do where it was "cold."

Craig is good for a different perspective shot

If you ask my kids they would understand but I had a tiny panic attack looking at the tracks

I love this shot of Craig

White hot chocolate with a shot of pumpkin

One of our favorites places was the Denver Botanical Gardens. We were very charmed here and thrilled with the variety of flowers, plants, and displays.

This is what happens when I give him the camera

A wandering creek

A feel of the desert in bloom

Nature of horses

So proud of her children

Different religious symbols across the world

Deborah Butterfield - artist

How we enjoy lunch

This is how I enjoyed lunch

I didn't realize I had caught the fish on camera until viewing this on my computer

Have you ever seen lily pads so large before?

The zinnas seemed to be the most popular with the insects

Love the petals

Love the color

One of my favorites

Selfie

 

 

 

 

Two more stops on Sunday.

First to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple for a little peaceful contemplation. 

Such beautiful peaceful grounds

Whoa, I took this perspective of the temple

Christ is the living waters

And last to Cherry Creek State Park for an evening walk.

Those clouds

I love the true nature of things

I could have sat there forever

We a joyful time together

Denver is certainly a city I would recommend to any to visit.  There was so much more to enjoy but we did our best.

Past photo journals are seen here.

Photo Journal Week #36

October 2, 2015 - Garden of the Gods and Pike's Peak

Craig and I took a long weekend to Denver and surrounding areas.  We had never really explored there before, wanted to take advantage of a free flight, and experience fall weather and colors; so off to Denver we went.

Our first stop was to the Colorado Springs area about 40 minutes south of Denver and the Garden of the Gods.

Kissing Camels

Some helpful soul took pity on our selfies and took a full length picture of us

The Garden of the Gods is some amazing outcroppings of rocks surrounding by junipers and forest. It is such an interesting area of rocks.  We enjoying hiking and walking around the area and even scrambling up a rock or two.

Love this showing the full effect

Craig was happy to make me nervous while he played king of the rocks

On a clear day you can often see Pike's Peak from the Garden of the Gods but our day was socked in with cloud cover.  Actually we were quite lucky that in the morning the clouds only surrounded us and wasn't thick enough to cover the rocks like it did in the afternoon.

Love the look of purple thistle

Twist and turn

The vegetation was interesting too. Lots of red dirt to walk on.  It was a good start to the trip as we were trying acclimate to the mile high city and area.

My how strong Craig is 'balancing' Balancing Rock

Since we were there we took a drive up Pikes Peak.  Pikes Peak is 14,115 feet above sea level. It was crazy because last weekend we were below sea level and here we now were at the top of one of the 'fourteeners' in Colorado.

Crystal Creek Reservoir

The hills are covered with aspens and junipers

Along our drive up Pikes Peak we saw our first real fall foliage.  I was enthralled. We drove 18 miles up. The first 4 miles were covered in clouds but once we were above them it was gorgeous and a bit terrifying.

Above the clouds

I say terrifying because the road is full of switchbacks right on the edge of the mountain.  It truly caused some anxiety on my part.  I was so grateful to make it to the top.

A sampling of the winding road

We made it to the top with a bit of wind and chill in the air

The view from the top took our breath away

Terrifying and breathtaking in more ways than one. But we did it. What a great day and what a beautiful area.

More of my photo journal-ling here.