Colorado Springs
In January we had the opportunity to spend some time in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Over the years we had driven truck through here off and on, but never had time to stop and explore.
It's a great place, very easy to get around in and has a lot to offer. Especially for getting into nature, you only have to drive about 5-10 min from downtown and you're at the Garden of the Gods.
The weather down in Colorado is a lot milder in the winter compared to up here in Montana.
So when we had a beautiful sunny day in the 50's we decided to go visit the Garden of the Gods.
This is a view in the central garden and we stood in this spot probably for around 20 minutes just to get a photo without any people in it.
It's all about getting the perfect shot, no matter what it takes ;)
There are so many trails winding around through the park that you can walk on and explore.
David had some work here in Colorado, and for my birthday week he surprised me and flew me down to visit. I have to say it was one of the best birthday gifts and best birthdays yet!
Click on the arrows above to view the slideshow.
On the left is the famous balancing rock, and on the right is the kissing camels rock.
Nature is probably my favorite thing to photograph, but it seems to be a constant struggle for me because I always feel like it's so hard to get photos to actually do justice to the scenery.
No matter what time you go it's beautiful! We went around late afternoon and stayed until sunset, and I have to say it only got prettier as the sun started to set and turn golden which really lit up the rocks and showcased their rugged beauty.
I'm sure y'all know by now about my love for trying new coffee shops ;) . One of the first things I did when I got to town was google "best 10 coffee shops in Colorado Springs".
This one, The Wild Goose Meeting House was towards the top of that list and happened to be our favorite one we visited.
The atmosphere is a fun modern vibe, yet warm and cozy at the same time, especially at night.
They offer espresso drinks, beer, wine, and food.
They also served unique drinks such as homemade ginger beer (amazing!) and lavender italian soda, which gives it a plus in my book ;)
Another coffee shop we visited was Jives, it is located in the Old Colorado City which is the original old downtown.
This one had a warm and relaxed atmosphere, a perfect place to journal for awhile or just hang out and talk.
When I flew out of Denver we had some extra time on our hands before I had to catch the flight, so we went to a used bookstore and bought some old classics and then I looked up coffee shops near by.
The name of this one was Common Grounds. I really enjoyed it. The atmosphere was pleasant and relaxing.
This coffee shop is called Huckleberry Roastery, the name alone made me want to go try it out since huckleberry everything is so popular here in Montana.
It was kinda a small and cramped space but still cute with it's modern lines and colors. They did make a good iced Americano which is my go to drink.
The IvyWild Elementary School was founded in 1901 and is now turned into a dining and shopping hall. Inside is a coffee shop, brewery, boutiques, and other businesses.
We ate at the Bristol Brewing company. It was easily one of our favorite breweries we've been to.
We actually took along some books and just sat in there reading and relaxing for a few hours over lunch.
The food was outstanding!! David ordered a burger with sweet potato fries, and I ordered beer cheese soup which happened to be the best I've ever tried so far.
They make all their brews in house and have some delicious stouts, if you happen to be into dark beer. That has become David's favorite, while I'm still more of a red ale type person.
All of the pictures following are taken in downtown Manitou Springs.
It was early in the morning and a cold and snowy day when we drove through, so nothing was hardly open. But the buildings are super cute and there looked to be a lot of neat shops and cafes.
We had the brilliant idea to go visit the Garden of the Gods again after it snowed because we figured it wouldn't be crowded with people. Well we were right, there were no people to speak of there, but for good reason!!
It was SO freaking cold!!!! The temperature was in the teens, snowing, and the wind was whipping, so I'm quite sure the windchill was well below zero. Our hand felt like ice just 5 min after leaving the car!
For some reason since I was a little girl I always had this thing about Colorado Springs. We went there on a family vacation when I was a kid and I thought it was the grandest place ever, haha.
So all these year later it was fun to get to visit as an adult and check out some of the good local spots, as well as the touristy ones.
It's a perfect vacation place with so many fun things to do around the area, and I hope to be able to go back when it's not freezing our hands off and so snowy ;)
