The Dolly DeLong: Adventures in Colorado (2 year anniversary trip)

You all. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my husband? Because I totally do! For our Two year anniversary we planned a trip out to Denver, CO because he knows how much my heart craves/desires the mountains (I am NOT a Beach girl in any way, shape or form and just thinking about the beach makes me cringe because I cannot stand swimsuits, the sand, the ocean, or anything to do with sunbathing…it’s all just EW to me) Keep in mind, I grew up in Montana for half of my life, so any excuse to escape to the mountains (the Mountains out WEST specifically) is a dream for me (that was my ‘normal’ for so much of my life, so I am certain if I had grown up near a coast/beach, I would probably LOVE the beach, so haters please stop judging me).

So anyway: our 2 year anniversary fell on a Monday (June 18th) of this year, and we took a 3 day trip to Denver, CO to check out the city and its many outdoor adventures. Honestly, Denver did not impress me that much (sorry, please don’t hurt me with your mind yet). I think I was a bit overwhelmed with the city, but once we got out of the city to enjoy the mountains I felt more at ‘home’ and more at ease.

Since we had only 3 days to enjoy Colorado, we tried to cram as many things in as possible! Here was what we did:

Day 1) Friday-we walked around downtown Denver. It was EXTREMELY hot that day (like way above the normal temp. level for a normal Denver day….so maybe that’s another reason why I didn’t enjoy the city that much). However, I was impressed with how green and clean the city was. I loved all the parks and the bridges. I didn’t have my SD card on me at the time, so I didn’t get to take any photos with my Nikon. Near the end of the day, it was so hot that Ty suggested we go and see “The Incredibles 2” just to get out of the heat, and I am SO happy he suggested that because pregnant-overheated Dolly is no fun to be around. However, I ended up crying half of the movie because of the mini film before The Incredibles 2, and the movie itself was so good and it kept on taking me back to college because the 1st one came out in 2004/2005 when I was a Sophomore/Junior in college (#Hormones).  Anyway, Day One was just really low-key, but it was a great walking day for me, so I won’t complain. Plus, any day off with Ty is my favorite!

Day 2) Ty and I woke up and drove to hike St. Mary’s Glacier . We ended up having to drive back to Idaho Springs, CO (the small town next to the Glacier, because we had no cash on us b/c parking at the Glacier took $5 cash only….and of course we only had $4 on us! LOL!) while in Idaho Springs we decided to explore a bit, and we met some interestingly fun and helpful people who pointed us in the right direction of obtaining cash (thanks Brian from Safeway!) (P.S. Brian from the Idaho Springs Safeway, if you are reading this, which I highly doubt you are, Ty and I loved meeting you and we hope you are well!) After our little detour into Idaho Springs, Ty and I were able to hike St. Mary’s Glacier and it was one of the most challenging hikes for me yet (I think it was because of the elevation mixed with the fact that I’m pregnant and not as fast as I used to be). It took me a while to get adjusted to everything, but it was worth the hike and wait to get to the Glacier. I finally got to see snow and take all the photos with my new camera.  After St. Mary’s Glacier, Ty and I drove to Evergreen, CO for lunch. After lunch we just went back to our Airbnb and I ended up sick on the bed because of all the hiking I had experienced (plus I don’t think the baby really appreciated the change of elevation). But nonetheless, I had a BLAST on Saturday, and I am so happy we explored St. Mary’s Glacier! Truly such a breath-taking day!

Day 3) Was another day outside of Denver. We drove to The Garden of the Gods and spent several hours hiking/walking exploring this beautiful (and FREE) park (underline beautiful ten thousand times, because Garden of the Gods was/is incredible!) (My new goal in life is to do a styled shoot here OR even a wedding shoot here-it’s seriously SO gorgeous!). After lunch we drove up to Pikes Peak and experienced even more breath-taking views of Colorado. Also when we got to the top of Pikes Peak, there was a donut shop there so of course we ate some donuts (and I promptly got sick there too because Baby D HATES it when I have fun in life-haha!) (No but seriously, once Baby D is out of me, I am going to eat all the donuts and have the time of my life!) Anyway, Day 3 was my FAVORITE day in Colorado because I loved spending so much time outside.

Okay, so the following are some of my favorite photos taken on my new Nikon D750 (with a Sigma Art 35mm lens and an 85mm lens). I need to travel more with my camera (instead of just taking iPhone photos), and I am so happy Ty was patient enough to let me stop every 5-10 feet to take more photos of him. Thanks TY!

Thanks for following me and for reading all about our 2 year anniversary adventures! It was truly such a blessing getting to experience Colorado with my love and getting to escape Nashville (the hot/humid south) for a couple of days. I cannot wait to go back West in the Fall (for our baby-moon) and I am already counting down the days to our next trip!

If you would like to check out more of my photography please visit: www.systemsandworkflowmagic.com 

www.systemsandworkflowmagic.com