Colorado Fall Foliage Drive

Last week Brent and I took a day off of work to spend time enjoying our beautiful state. This time of year, Colorado is full of color, perfect temperatures and wonderful outdoor activities. The month of September was a complete blur, so we figured we needed an escape.

We followed the Peak to Peak Highway from Estes Park to Blackhawk. God blessed us with an amazingly wonderful place to live. We never take these sights for granted.

Courtesy of CDOT

Before we started down the highway, we stopped at Oskar Blues in Lyons for a microbrew and a burger. I had their seasonal draft and a Trustafarian Burger: Haystack Mountain Goat Cheese (my favorite!), honey, bacon and arugula. WOW!

 

We took highway 36 up to Estes Park from Lyons and soaked up the majestic views of the mountains.

From Estes Park we headed south on the Peak to Peak highway on the hunt for color. Sadly, I think we were about one week too late for the vibrant aspens, but that didn't deter us from finding great stops for pictures.

 

We stopped in Nederland at a quirky little coffeeshop, where they had just pulled a tray of brownies out of the oven. We topped one with a scoop of Guinness Caramel Ice Cream. It hit the spot!

Then we stopped at Golden Gate Canyon State Park, where we finally found some color and panoramic views of several Colorado peaks.

 

 

Our drive back to Littleton took us through Blackhawk--a fun place to go play some blackjack or slots if that's your thing.

We had steak for dinner and then stopped at 38 State Brewery, a microbrewery near our house. I had a Rum Barrel Aged Smoked Ale (it really was smoky!) and Brent had a Sour Blonde with Palisades Peaches. (We really did soak up all things Colorado!)

We ended the night with a trip to the movies to see Gone Girl.

What a full, wonderful day of spending time together celebrating Colorado and all this season has to offer.

I hope you all can find time to escape reality and find somewhere beautiful to enjoy life!
Karli