Our Pacific Northwest Vacation

In October we all took a vacation together! It was a wonderful week full of new places and sites.

Karli built the itinerary well in advance and booked hotels along the way. Once we arrived we explored and stopped when and where we wanted. It was lovely!

We flew into Seattle and stopped at Pike Place Market, Chateau St. Michelle and a whiskey distillery.

Then we made our way north to Anacortes for two nights. We rode the ferry over to San Juan Island and spent one day exploring the lavender farm, winery and beaches.

 

 

We then made our way south into Oregon where we visited Seaside, Portland, Tillamook, Depoe Bay and more.

 

 

We spent a lot of time in the car during this vacation, but that meant we got to cover a lot of ground and see so many beautiful views!

 

It rained the majority of the week, but that didn't dampen our spirits. We all had a wonderful time!

 

 

We hope you all have time to relax and refresh as the holidays approach.

Kandy and Karli

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

Weekend Getaway: Roads and Rails

Pic heavy post ahead....

 

Happy 4th of July!!! Today I'm sharing pictures of our weekend getaway from last week. Brent, Porter (the dog) and I took off from Denver around noon and headed through the mountains to Monte Vista to visit my parents.

 

 

 

We arrived in the late afternoon in time to enjoy the beautiful weather on the back deck. The field behind the house is full of barley for Coors. The waves created from the breeze was something straight out of the "America the Beautiful."

Dad grilled up some pork tenderloins, corn on the cob and we added a salad on the side. For dessert, Mom had made a delicious chocolate peanut butter icebox pie. (Similar to this minus the whipped topping layer) She sure knows how to spoil us!

The next morning we drove to Alamosa, where we boarded the train at The Depot. That weekend's concert was the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

We ate a picnic lunch on the ride to the amphitheater.

The train arrived at Fir around 1:30 and all 700 guests made their way down to the seating area. This whole theater is powered by wind and solar energy. Pretty cool. (Not a bad view either)

The band played for about an hour. I wish they would have had time to play longer. Before we knew it, it was time to board the train again.

And I just have to share this picture I took of my handsome hubby. We had so much fun on our little getaway. I'm a lucky girl.

Enjoy the weekend,
Karli