Family Road Trip - Amarillo, Durango, & Telluride

Hello there!  Remember me?!  I'm the girl who used to blog semi-regularly.  Now we're lucky if I even remember my password to get on this thing! Ha!  All that to be said, I've taken a break from both of my blogs to truly enjoy the summer with my family.  I wanted this summer to be all about family and that it has.  #noragrets

We just got home from a two week vacation in Colorado.  I received several messages regarding our trip....where did we stay?  what did we do?  where did we eat?  SO...I thought it would be easiest just to update our travels here and dust the old cobwebs off this site.  Today's post will highlight some of our favorites in Amarillo, TX, and Durango & Telluride, CO.  Tomorrow will be all about my most favorite place in the world...Breckenridge!!!

We started out early on a Sunday morning and headed west for the first leg of our trip.  We originally planned on spending two weeks in Breckenridge, but at the last minute we changed up our plans and decided we wanted to see a few things we've never seen before.  We drove a total of 14 hours the first day and ended up in a little hotel right outside of Albequerque, New Mexico.  We received lots of dinner recommendations for our short stay, but because we arrived so late, we grabbed some Subway and called it a night.

I love road trips, so the 14 hours we spent driving seemed to fly by.  Truly.   Between pit stops and random pullovers to check out sights we'd never seen before...plus an EXCELLENT playlist (if I do say so myself ;)...14 hours flew by in a flash.  And even though I'm sure I'll receive some sort of "you don't deserve to raise your children" type messages for this, our McDonald's stop was pretty on point.  We only get it a couple of times a year and you better believe I went all out.  All the large fries, pink slime (aka: nuggets...amazing)...and Coke I could handle.  #feelfreetojudge 

Before getting to Albequerque, we stopped off the highway in Amarillo to check out Cadillac Ranch.  We really didn't know much about what to expect other than what we heard from friends so we didn't come prepared.  I should've read up on it, but I didn't.  Just seemed like a cool thing we'd see and then leave.  Anyway, Cadillac Ranch is a large piece of land with about 10 Cadillacs buried in the ground nose down.  One of those crazy Texas landmarks, lol.  It's definitely a cool sight to see & part of the allure is getting to spray paint the cars.  The kids were in awe.  We should've come prepared with spray paint bottles...which we didn't...but there was a family there with extras who saw us aimlessly wandering about and gifted the boys their half-used cans.  Super nice.  And just enough to give the boys a taste for tagging :)

This was the perfect pit stop to get out, stretch our legs, and see something we've never seen before.  The boys REALLY enjoyed this stop so we didn't rush through it.  We stayed for about 30-45 minutes, but probably could've stayed a lot less.  I think we were all a little happy to be out of the car. 

  If you've never seen it before and it's a stop along your way, you definitely want to pull over and check it out for yourself.  It's right off of HWY 40 so you don't have to travel far off of your route to get there.  We'll probably stop again next summer when we head that way again. Just make sure to bring your own cans of spray paint before you go!

Day 2 found us on our last leg of our first destination.  It was about a 5.5 hour drive from Albequerque to Durango, CO and we arrived just in time for lunch.  Before getting to Durango, we had to pull over for a photo op.  The boys wanted to say they walked to Colorado, LOL!!!

Luckily another family pulled in right behind us and we were able to get a family pic together.  Cheesy, but had to be done.  Onward and upward to Durango we went.

A friend of mine who is from that area suggested we eat at Steamworks Brewery for lunch.  GREAT recommendation!  We sat on the patio, enjoyed the cool breeze, and the food was 12 kinds of delicious.  We both enjoyed the special...beef brisket tacos...and they were amazing.  I also had a side of chicken tortilla soup and it was sensational.  Let me just warn you right here that much of this vacation consisted of me stuffing my face full of #allthefood. Not sad about it at all.

After lunch, we walked around the historic downtown area and took in the sights.  We walked into a few little shops, grabbed some cinnamon rolls for the boys, and then headed to Telluride.  We had a ton of people telling us to make sure we rode the train from Durango to Silverton, check out the cave dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park, and go rafting.  We would've done ALL of those things, but we didn't plan for it so we were strapped for time.  We wanted to get to Telluride before dark.  No part of driving through the mountains in the dark is fun for either of us and with Telluride being our ultimate destination, we decided to cut our time in Durango really short to give us plenty of time to make it to Telluride before sunset.  Next year Durango will be a one or two night pit stop, God willing!  We'd LOVE to check out some of those recommendations. The downtown area was so charming!

Telluride was only a couple of hours drive from Durango and we couldn't wait to arrive.  The drive was gorgeous...and really scary.  We're not used to ascending into the highest heights of the mountains on a regular basis.  Couple that with insane rain, hail, and a 40 degree drop in temperatures through some of the highest points and you can bet that we were white knuckle driving and on edge for the last hour or so of our drive.  YIKES.  I envy the locals who can drive through the mountains in those conditions without so much as blinking an eye.

Once we made it through the scary parts of our journey, we found ourselves in Telluride and y'all...I was taken aback.  I mean, completely speechless.  The views in Telluride are truly BREATHTAKING.  Everywhere we turned we were surrounded by mountains & peaks.  In every single direction.  And not in the distance.  I felt like the mountains were hugging the town.  Heaven on Earth.

Since we added this stop to our trip at the last minute our choices of places to stay were a little limited.  Or so we thought.  Neither of us knew a thing about the town, so knowing where to stay (Mountain Village?? or in town???) threw us for a loop.  We read and read and read about it, but still came out unsure of what to do.  We eventually decided it would be best to stay in town because from what we read we thought Mountain Village would be dead in the summer.  We ended up finding a pretty inexpensive lodge to call home for a couple of nights that was in walking distance of Colorado Ave. & close to the trailhead of the hike up Bear Creek Falls Trail we planned on taking.

We stayed at Manitou Lodge in a loft style room.  Y'all...it was the cutest thing.  The entire unit was made up of 11 different rooms.  Our loft-style room upstairs included both lower and upper balconies. This was truly the perfect accommodation for our little family of four.  Adam and I slept upstairs and the boys slept downstairs on the couch.  We couldn't get over how perfect it was!  Comfy and quaint...our kind of place.

This was the view outside our balcony doors...

The San Miguel river ran right alongside our lodge. We kept our windows and balcony doors open at night so that we could listen to the rushing water as we trailed off to sleep.  Pure heaven.

This is where the boys liked to play every time we walked outside...

It felt like we were semi-nestled in the woods and that was the most amazing feeling.  The only downside...if I had to pick one...was that the bathroom was really, really tiny.  NOT a big deal at all.  We dont' need a lot of space.  But if you're someone who likes a bigger bathroom, this wouldn't be your jam.  However, for us, it was the perfect spot.  This will be our go-to lodging when we visit Telluride again, for sure!!!

We settled into our lodge, changed into warmer clothes, and walked to Colorado Ave. (which is the main drag) for dinner.  I felt like our lodge was centrally located to everything we wanted to do and once we parked the car we didn't drive it again until leaving town.
  Everyone we met and several people on IG recommended we eat at Brown Dog Pizza.  We're never one to turn down pizza, so that's where we headed for our first meal in town.  Everyone clearly knew what they were talking about because that was one of the best meals we've had in a long time!!!

It's a cozy place with lots of TVs for the sports fanatics, and the kids had the option of making their own pizzas at the table and sending them back to bake.  I thought that was such a cool touch!  Of course, they both opted to create their own and here they are making their meals...

The end product....

They ate every last bite!  As did we (we opted for the supreme pizza...highly recommed!).  Ha!  Great first meal!  I would HIGHLY recommend stopping here if you find yourself in Telluride.

We headed to bed a little early so we could wake up and hit the trails for some hiking the next morning.  We are a family who loves to hike, so I researched some of our options before getting into town.  I wanted an easy to moderate trail because we aren't experts & I figured we'd still be acclimating to the altitude. Plus, hiking with kids for this semi-overprotective mom sometimes has me on edge.  Both boys are great hikers.  They LOVE it.  But they're also a little over-confident so I didn't want anything extraordinarily difficult or treacherous.  After lots of research, we decided on the Bear Creek Falls Trail and it was a bonus that the trailhead was about a 5 minute walk from our lodge.

We read that the bugs can be pretty annoying through certain parts of the hike, so we came prepared with bug spray....and LOTS of trail mix, granola bars, and water.  It's a 4.5 mile round trip hike so all of those extras came in handy.  The hike was AMAZING.  Wide open trails to walk up until hitting the top before the waterfall.  Some parts of the trail were a little more challenging to hike than others (steep, rocky, etc.), but it wasn't "hard" by any means.  This little area was a great resting point going up and coming back down...

I guess hikers stop here and stack rocks one on top of the other and leave them for the next group of hikers to ogle.  My youngest absolutely LOVED this area.  He quickly went to work making his own little stacks and he was so very proud of his handiwork.  See?! LOL.

We stopped and snacked.  Drank some water.  Stacked some rocks.  And then headed to the top.

It was sweet heaven when we finally made it.  I mean, just LOOK AT THIS VIEW!!!!!!

We sat down our gear and the boys headed into the water to jump across the rocks and explore.  I watched our things and sat down to catch my breath while taking in the beauty of God's creation. 

The sheer magnitude of those views is so hard to articulate.

We realized we hadn't exactly made it to the top when the boys finally came back from exploring.  We came to see the waterfall so we needed to climb a little bit more to get to our final destination.  The path going up was a bit trickier.  Definitely narrow and steep-ish in parts...wet and rocky...a little slippery...but the boys powered through and the climb to the top was worth every breath lost.
It was BEAUTIFUL.

We stayed at the falls long enough to snap a few pics and marvel at the view.  My oldest was ready to get down.  He's not a fan of heights...just like his momma....and this part of the hike had him feeling a little nervous.  And if I'm being honest, it had me a little nervous, too.

If you're in Telluride with kids, I definitely recommend this hike.  Yes...it's long.  4.5 miles round trip isn't exactly a short walk in the park.  But it's definitely worth it.  My boys did so much better than I expected.  They were great!  My youngest lives life at a much slower pace than my oldest.  He takes his sweet time doing everything (hello 45 minutes to eat a hot dog!!!!).  So he definitely took his time on this trail.  Dad walked with our oldest and I walked with our youngest.  We lagged behind the other two the majority of the hike, but the conversations we had were worth the distance between us.  The only time the boys complained was on our way down when we had about a mile left to walk.  My youngest said, "are we close yet?  My legs are getting tired."  And that was it.  Not too bad!

Walking back to our lodge after the hike....just right down the street.

We headed back to the lodge, changed clothes, and walked back to Colorado Ave. for lunch.  We were STARVING!!!  We went up and down the street trying to figure out what to eat.  Everyone wanted something different.  We were all a little irritable and HANGRY.  My oldest could live on grilled cheese and when we found this cart we knew he found his lunch...

We grabbed him a sandwich that he could eat on the go while the rest of us tried to agree on something.  IMPOSSIBLE.  Like I said, irritable and hangry.  After walking in and out of several different places, we finally settled on Smuggler's Brew Pub which was right around the corner from our lodge.  We sat on the patio, ordered our food, and after what seemed like forever, we finally chowed down.  And then came the rain.  OF COURSE!!!  Irritable moods were made even worse.  Lord help us.  Let me say this though...the food was EXCELLENT.  Great menu and the atmosphere was one of my favorites.  The only thing that dampened our experience was the rain ( no pun intended).  I would definitely recommend stopping in for a meal here.  I ordered the meatball slider sandwhich (amazing!) and my youngest ordered the nutella on toast (which he took two bites of and then abandoned.  not cool).  No idea what the spouse was eating because I was hyperfocused on my own meal and all the food my son wasn't eating.  Definitely would go back again!

We headed back to the lodge for a nap because we ALL needed one.  And it was the best nap ever.  We slept with the windows and doors open as the rain came down.  Perfection.  When we woke up a few hours later, we got dressed and headed to the gondola to ride up to Mountain Village and see what it was all about.

Like I said earlier, I have a fear of heights, so I was NOT looking forward to the ride up.  It's a pretty steep climb, but everyone was telling us it was a MUST DO and I certainly didn't want the kids to see my fears get the best of me.  So up we went and I'm SO glad we did!  Yes, I had butterflies in my stomach almost the whole way up, but WOW.  The views were unparalleled.  Just stunning!!!!

Mountain Village was DARLING and I could absolutley see how it would be even more amazing during ski season.  By the time we got there, all the little shops were starting to shut down and it was pretty quiet.  However, I think we would've loved staying here this time of year.  There were a ton of things for the kids to do...panning for gold, trampoline bungee, obstacle course, park, etc....but they were all closed for the night. .  However, we were able to find a little park with a rock climbing wall and the boys enjoying *trying* to scale it until they gave up.  Ha.

  The restaurants were all still open as was an open area with yard checkers and other little games for the kids to play.  We just got up there at the wrong time.  Going during the day would've been our best bet.  I would probably suggest staying in Mountain Village during the summer if you have kids.  You could always take the gondola down into Telluride if you plan on hiking or just walking around town.  The vibe in Mountain Village just seemed a bit more family friendly.  But dang...that Manitou Lodge in town was the best!!!!

After the boys finished playing, we headed to a little pub to grab a local beer and then gondola back down to town.  We walked to The Floradora Saloon for a late dinner.  I was OBSESSED with this place!!!!  I'm all about the cozy little places with lots of history and The Floradora Saloon has been around Telluride since the early 70's.  Much of the decor from those days is still intact which adds to the charm of the atmosphere.  The food was WONDERFUL, too. So flavorful and completely unexpected. I had the baked mac & cheese and ohmiword....to-die-for.  Adam got the Pork Green Chili and said it was the best chili he's ever had.  Great dining experience!!  HIGHLY recommend.

The next morning we were up bright and early to clean-up, pack up, and hit the road to our ultimate destination...Breckenridge!  We loaded up the car and walked to Baked in Telluride for breakfast.  It was just one block up from our lodge and we were dying to check it out after walking past it several different times.  Just look at all these baked goods!!!!  Of course, the boys opted for donuts as big as their heads...

Dad had a croissant and I had an apple turnover.  Both excellent selections, but I'm thinking anything from this place would've been amazing.

After breakfast,we took the gondola back up to Mountain Village to grab a souvenir Tervis we saw window shopping the night before, and then back down to head out.  I LOVE Breckenridge and couldn't wait to get there, but I did NOT want to leave Telluride at all.  Two nights wasn't enough.  We decided we need more time to explore next time we're out that way.  We'll tack this on to our trip and make our stay last a few extra nights.  There are a couple of other hiking trails we'd love to try and sights we'd love to see like Bridal Veil Falls.

If you're thinking about a trip to Telluride, GO!  NOW.  Hahah.  But seriously.  You definitely want to see it for yourself. It's impossible to describe until you experience it in person.  We will definitely be back and we'd even love to ski here one ski season if possible!  I say "if possible" because the tiny airport isn't anything I'm brave enough to conquer.  Big planes, big airports...I can barely even do those.  Driving in the summer is way easier for my chicken self to conquer.

Many people asked why we didn't fly and this is exactly why.  There's SO much to see and we wanted to see it all.  Driving is the best way to do it!  And since we both have time during the summer to road trip, we figured we'd make the most of it and drive.  I personally LOVE road trips.  Not just because I don't like flying, but road trips afford you the opportunity to see things you wouldn't otherwise.  It helps that our kids are a little older (8 & 10), are easily entertained, and don't need diaper changes or bottles.  We've been on 18 hour road trips to Indiana when they were babies and I know that's hard!  But even so, road trips, in my opinion, are always the best way to travel!!!

Let's talk Breck tomorrow!

Colorado Part 1 - Denver

We recently visited Colorado for an extended weekend of exploring and adventure.  Mr. Spouse had a bye week and we needed to get out of town.  So we checked the kids out of school early and headed for Colorado.  Colorado is...by far...our favorite place pretty much ever.  I never imagined I could love a place like I love Colorado, but I do!  And so do our boys!!  Saying this out loud scares my mom...I think she's waiting for us to tell her we're moving to the mountains.  Trust me when I say we've given it serious thought :)

We spent the first night in Denver because our flight got in late.  SO glad we did that.  The weather was perfect, so we walked down to Larimer Street, shopped at our favorite store (Overland!), and grabbed a late dinner.

WHERE TO STAY

The Grand Hyatt Denver

We were only there for a night, but we loved everything about our stay...especially the customer service.   The customer service was out of this world!   Upon checking in, the concierge gave the boys beanie babies.  Nice touch.  Definitely started their trip off the right way.  The room was perfect and we stayed on the top floor.  We had the best view of the city.  

WHAT TO SEE

If you only have a few hours in town, be sure to stroll down Larimer Square.  The boys thought the hanging lights over the street were "sooooo cooooool".  Lots of cute restaurants and boutique stores...so not a ton to do for the kids, but they loved taking it all in.  

SUGAR FIX

If you have the kids with you...or if you really love candy...be sure to stop by Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop (on Larimer St.).  This was definitely one of the boy's favorite memories and we loved it, too.  SO.MUCH.CANDY!  And the neatest sodas to boot.  They carried a lot of old school candies and treats and Mr. Spouse and I had the best time taking a little trip down memory lane just looking at everything.  Most of their inventory was really unique.  This will be a must stop next time we visit, too.

Can you tell how excited he was?!

WHERE TO EAT

We knew we wanted something we wouldn't be able to have back home, so we walked until our feet were screaming at us and just happened upon Lucky Pie Pizza & Taphouse.

The weather was perfect, so we opted for a seat on the patio.  Great choice.  Service was amazing and so was the food.  

WHAT TO ORDER

If you love cocktails, I HIGHLY recommend the Cucumber Cooler.  AMAZiNG.  And went down a little too easy, lol.

Mr. Spouse and I started with a salad and an appetizer for the table.

The Hail Ceasar salad was good, but if you're not a fan of anchovies, choose a different salad.  I personally enjoyed it, but little anchovies were sprinkled throughout the dish giving it a really strong flavor.  That to be said, I ate the whole thing.  

We all LOVED the cheese curds.  Crisp and tasty....kind of melt-in-your-mouth gooiness.  Not a bad way to start our weekend of indulgence.

And for dinner?! A plain and simple pepperoni pizza.  Y'all...it was DELICIOUS.  There wasn't a slice left when it was all said and done.

IF YOU'RE A BREAKFAST PERSON...

One of the big reasons we stayed in Denver for the night was so that we could visit Snooze again.  We loved it so much last year and wanted our drive to Breck to start the same way this year.  And we knew the kids would love it just as much.  Once again, it did NOT disappoint! 

One of the boys' favorite features was the sidewalk cornhole available for them to play.  We only waited for about 15 minutes for our table, but this was a great way for them to pass the time while we waited.  Not to mention the fact that it prevented morning meltdowns :)

WHAT TO ORDER

The flight of pancakes.  Hands down.  The pancakes are to-die-for.  And if that's a little too "sweet" for your palate, be sure to order a side of hash browns, too.  I'm convinced they have the best :) 

From left to right...Smashing Pumpkin, Pineapple Upside Down, & Blueberry Lemon Struesel.  

While we waited for our meal, our server sent us a Smashing Pumpkin pancake for the table to enjoy.  So nice of her and let me tell you that we enjoyed it a little too much.  I couldn't come close to finishing my flight.The boys got chocolate chip pancakes and swore up and down they were the best pancakes of their life.  Hahaha.

And this is how we started our day :)  The Cosmonaut (iced) is my drink of choice.   Mr. Spouse started with an Mmm Mmm Mimosa. Delish.

Snooze finally opened up a place here in Houston, so the next time we're in town, we're heading to The Denver Biscuit Co.  We had so many friends and other people suggest we stop there for breakfast this last time.  The only reason we didn't was because we had talked up Snooze so much to the boys that they were not too excited with the proposed change in breakfast venue :)

OBVIOUSLY there's a TON more to do in Denver and a lot more "kid friendly" things to see and experience that we didn't even come close to tackling.  We were there for less than 24 hours and it was a great, quick stay.  This summer we plan on heading back and taking the kids to the Denver Zoo and we'd love to hit up Union Station while we're there, too.  SO much to do, so little time!!  

Tomorrow we're talking all things Breckenridge, Golden Springs, and a few fun places in between :)

Rocky Mountain High

When I found out that Adam had a bye-week mid-October I decided I needed to steal him away for a quick weekend out of town.  My original thought was to take him to the Bourbon Trails in KY, but the flights were sparse and ridiculously expensive (I'm a last minute planner).  PLUS, we really wanted more than 48 hours to explore the distilleries.  Next thought was traveling somewhere where we'd have a chance at seeing what a real Fall looks like.  Brown and crunchy here in Texas aren't exactly the adjectives I'd use to describe Fall.  So, we went back to the drawing board and added a few options to the list...somewhere in Maine or Vermont OR Boston.  The flights out that way were a lot less expensive (thank you, Southwest), but the flight times and connecting flights made me cross them off the list with a quickness.  I didn't want to spend more time traveling than enjoying our surroundings.

Colorado has been on my bucket list since forever and when Adam brought it up, we were sold.  Southwest was running an amazing deal on flights to Denver and we couldn't have reserved our seats at a more perfect time.  Our original plan was to stay in Denver on Friday and then drive to Estes Park on Saturday, hike through Rocky Mountain National Park, and then tour and stay at The Stanley Hotel (remember The Shining?! #redrum).  Sadly, the hotel was booked through November and Adam was convinced I'd be in love with Breckenridge a lot more, so that's where we headed instead.  

It was a whirlwind 48 hours, but I think I'm finally coming down off my Rocky Mountain High

 (John Denver, anyone?!?!)  Colorado...Breckenridge, specifically...has just shot up to the top of my list of favorite U.S. cities/states.  Swoon.

We arrived at the Denver airport mid-afternoon on Friday and drove to downtown Denver.  Adam loves Colorado and wanted me to see downtown before heading to Breckenridge.  We were starving by the time we got settled in,  so we walked to the little mall area downtown and found this great burger bar, 5280 (I highly recommend!!!), where we stuffed ourselves silly with fries, burgers, and a few of their handcrafted beers!! (I loved the Autumn Ale!)

What to eat:  

The Green Chili Queso & Fries - to die for appetizer

The Baja Colorado Burger (not ashamed to admit there wasn't a bite left on my plate)

Our personal favorite?!  The music!!!  They were playing the best 80's music and added so much to the already amazing atmosphere.  

.  We walked down to Larimar Square to shop around, grab a nightcap, and admire the foliage after burgers.  Seriously picturesque. I felt like I was in a movie :)  Larimar Square reminded me of the downtown area in Franklin, TN.  It was stunning!

Several people suggested we try Snooze for breakfast while in Denver and we were told they'd have crazy long lines so we should get there early.  We went to bed early and set our clocks for 6 am.  We like our food and we don't want to wait to eat if at all possible ;)  Luckily we got there at the perfect time...right around 7:30...and there was no wait!  This was, hands down, the best breakfast!  

We absolutely loved the restaurant itself...really cute and had a great little diner feel to it.  The menu was pretty big, so I was glad to have suggestions on what to eat.  Several people told me to go for the Flight of Pancakes and ohmiword...that did NOT disappoint!!!

If you ever find yourself at a Snooze eatery (we're getting one in Houston!!!!!), here are our suggestions...

What to Eat:

If you like something sweet....

The Flight of Pancakes (a pancake sampler, if you will) 

I went with the pineapple upside down pancake (my favorite of all three...real bits of pineapple in the batter topped with this ridiculous brown sugar butter), the cinnamon roll pancake (equally as delicious), and the blueberry danish pancake (with a surprise lemon creme filling).  

If you're more into savory....

Chilaquiles Benedict with hash browns (the best hash browns I've ever had)

What to drink:

The Cosmonaut (but get it on ice!!!  Best coffee cocktail EVER) 

The Jam Session Mimosa

I was excited to get an early start to our day. The restaurant started to fill-up by about 8:30 and we started our early morning road trip to Breckenridge.  I really wanted to drive through the Boreas Pass, so Adam mapped it all out and decided we'd head to Breck & through the Boreas Pass through a little town called Como. 

It's the tiniest little town.

Before arriving in Como, we pulled over to test out the selfie stick.   Our favorite travel accessory :)  Finding this stream of water at the base of one of the mountains was the perfect start to our day.  

Let me just tell you right now that driving the Boreas Pass starting through Como will have you on the edge of your seat.  Talk about white knuckle driving.  I'm pretty sure I didn't breathe for the first 10 miles of that ascent.  The driving path was so narrow that if another car would've approached us coming the opposite way I seriously think we would've fallen off the side of the mountain.  Of course there were no guard rails and I was convinced that the right gust of wind would have us careening off the steep sides.  All that to be said, it was totally worth it.  Here we were once we got through the most narrow area...YAY!!!  We're alive!!!

Can you see the mirror in the pic on the right??  And then the gravel below?  Where it stops is the edge and it's straight down.  TOO close for comfort, LOL!!!  I kept leaning toward Adam in driver seat as if that would help the car stay put :)

Each time we saw a place to pull over and park we'd get out to admire the beauty that is Colorado.  The views were so breathtaking.  I couldn't possibly articulate how stunning it is...this is just something you'd have to see for yourself!!!  Pictures clearly don't do it justice.  

We couldn't have been more excited to make it to the summit.  A nice little relief to all that white knuckle driving.  The Boreas Pass was once used as a narrow-gauge railroad running from Breckenridge to Como and at the top of the pass you'll find the historic Section House, cabins, and a boxcar (the only things left remaining of the original Boreas Station).  The cabins were locked up, but apparently they're used by cross country skiers during the winter.  This is also the location of the Continental Divide!!  Woo hoo!  And the altitude is no joke.  I was out of breath just hopping out of the car :)

We spent the most time walking around here at the summit.  I wanted to check out the cabins and Adam wanted to say he "hiked" to the top.  He's a mess.  We could've stayed up there all afternoon just exploring.  It was such an amazing experience!

I think we were just a couple weeks past seeing the flood of Fall colors on the Pass, but we did happen to see these gorgeous trees along the descent into Breckenridge. 

I mean.  For real.  Could this be anymore beautiful ?!?!!? (said in my best Chandler Bing voice).

The Boreas Pass was my favorite part of our trip.  Scary driving and all.  The views and scenery are unparallelled.  

All that driving anxiety helped us to work up quite an appetite, so we headed to Main Street and stopped to eat at Giampietro.  Someone suggested eating here in one of the comments, so when we spotted it we had to try it out. And pizza sounded SO good!!!  The perfect meal!

What to Eat:

Start with the Cheese Bread (the sauce is outstanding) and top it all off with pizza.  ANY pizza will do because the base is amazing.  Wash it all down with a Peroni :)

After lunch we walked around Main Street and I'm pretty sure I teared up.  Y'all.  If you've never been to Breckenridge, GO.  It is just beautiful.  The downtown area is so quaint and charming.  Adam knows me so well...this is just my kind of town!  But even more amazing than I could have imagined.  We went in and out of the shops lining Main Street and then ducked into this great little bar (Apres) when it started to rain. Not a bad way to wait it out :)  This was a great place for libations.  The setup was perfect and there were lots of board games available to play, too.  And tons of handcrafted beer on tap. And again with the music.  The best!!  60's & 70's classic rock which, in my opinion, is the perfect genre of mountain music.  We loved it there!

What to drink:

We recommend Death of a Gentleman :)

After the rain passed, we headed to the park area.  I was dying to see the blue trees that were filling up my IG feed!!

Fun fact.  The trees are painted blue to bring awareness to global deforestation.  You can read more about it here.  They were just gorgeous! 

These COLORS!!!!  The most breathtaking scenery!  I felt like I was walking through a movie.  

After walking around for a while longer, we headed to the hotel to check-in.  We stayed at One Ski Hill Place and I HIGHLY recommend it!!!!

  Our room was amazing.

And this was our view right off our huge balcony/patio.  I can only image how beautiful it is when it's all covered in snow!  It was a little chilly, so I grabbed a blanket to sit on the balcony and listen to some music before dinner.  

When it was time to head out, we had the shuttle take us to Ember.  This was another place recommended and it was delicious :)  We're adventurous eaters, so we like to try things that we wouldn't be able to find back home and the menu seemed to fit that bill.  This is definitely not a place I'd take kids.  While the food was really good, I don't think we'd go back....not because of the food (because it was great), but there are several other places we want to try!!  They have a menu that changes seasonally, so I would be interested to see what they offer during other parts of the year.  For Saturday night's dinner we started with an Indian take on tomato & spinach soup (pretty tasty) and I had the buffalo tenderloin.  It was served on top of a bed of cornbread stuffing (amazing) with a side of swiss chard (not my favorite, but that's not because of the way it was cooked.  I've never been a huge fan!).  Adam had the New York Strip with sweet potato and quinoa salad (really good!) and a side of brussel sprouts.  There wasn't a bite left on his plate if that tells you anything.  

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this place if you're looking for something quiet and quaint!

We walked to the Briar Rose Saloon for dessert and cocktails. We sat at the bar and loved the atmosphere. And the music!  SO great!  And our bartender was awesome.

What to eat:

Dessert - the cheesecake (one of the best I've ever had. Light and airy. Perfection on a plate)

Pair your dessert with a coffee cocktail.  I recommend the signature Briar Rose Coffee.

We called it a night after dessert and headed back to the hotel to watch a movie by the fire.  Not a bad way to end the day!

We slept in Sunday morning, packed up, and checked out.  We drove back to Main Street for breakfast.  We didn't want anything too filling, so we hopped into the cutest little Starbuck's for our overpriced Caramel Machhiatos and then we walked around one last time.  Several people suggested Crepes a La Cart and when we stumbled upon it on our walk I had to try one. There was hardly a line (which I heard is extremely rare), and we still waited about 20 minutes for my crepe...and it was worth every minute. Adam decided to pass, but I'm sure he regretted it when he saw mine :)  

What to get:

I'm a fan of all things apple, so I would suggest he German Apple Strudel crepe (but there are a million different choices, both sweet and savory.)  NO WORDS.  

Just amazing.  

We took one last walk past the Riverwalk Center and started the drive back to Denver to head home. SO sad to leave so quickly, but it was an amazing 48 hours of fun!  I can't wait to go back!  Only next time, we'll bring the boys :)  

There are a lot of places on my bucket list that I want to visit, but like I told Adam...I'd much rather come back to Colorado before I cross anything else off that list.  It was really that breathtaking.  I've been to Europe a handful of times thanks to a grandma who believed in learning through travel.  Italy will always be a favorite of mine and out of all the places she took me I'd love to go back there the most, but if I'm being really honest, I don't see myself traveling abroad again any time soon.  There are SO many beautiful places in the U.S. that I haven't even seen yet!  And I want to explore more of Colorado.  In fact, I really want to move there :)  

Such a perfect 48 hours!!!  Can't wait to go back!