We love Colorado.

LOVE IT!!!  

We have had the best time exploring Colorado's small mountain towns.  Not to mention the much cooler temperatures.  Although, I'm getting anxious to get back in the heat.  (Is the grass really always greener??)  What's crazy is that Colorado is in a epic draught and the state has been consumed with record life-threatening fires, yet since we've arrived we have had nothing but rain... And TONS of it!!!  But, that is the selfish side of me speaking, the rain is welcomed and much deserved.  

Many have questioned if we have been near the fires.  The largest and most damaging is in Colorado Springs, which is much further east then where we have been traveling.  However, Mancos Valley, outside of Mesa Verde, had a pretty scary one that we drove right past on our way to Durango.  We couldn't believe the highway was open!  They say it was nearly contained and under control, but seeing a fire this close left us feeling uneasy. 

After Mesa Verde National Park, we began our trek across the state.  Our intentions were to simply explore southern Colorado and make our way back south through New Mexico... But we have loved each town so much we kept heading north!  

To begin, we spent a great early afternoon in Durango.  Durango has a South Hill of Spokane feel with town being adjacent to the beautiful neighborhoods.  Tons of hip bars, cafes and shops.  We found ourselves in an Irish bar for lunch and a few pints.  Later we discovered an awesome microbrewery, Durango Brewing Co, which happens to be the third oldest microbrewery in Colorado.  

We found a great campsite off a forest service road north of town that night.  The moon shined so bright that evening we decided a dance party outside was a must.  Needless to say, we were both hungover the next day.  

We made a stop in Ouray on our way to Telluride.  A little hair of the dog at the Ouray Brewery served us just right.  

Telluride is AMAZING.  The drive itself was stunning and the town was, well, rich town, but in the most modest way.  Hip shops, tons of cool bars and great breweries.  We would love to come back and ski in the winter!  

We found another service road campsite (translation: free) outside of town with a gorgeous view of the mountains.  

The next day we went on an amazing overnight hike to Blue Lakes, recommend by a bartender in Telluride.  Being just outside of town the hike was fairly popular, but for good reason.  The hike was relatively short, 3.3 miles to the first lake, but the elevation gain was intense!  We camped at the first lake, which sat right at the tree line, and hiked to the other two lakes the following morning.  

(lake one)

It poured rain at the beginning of our hike and much harder that night.  Being from the northwest, we were sure to pack our blue tarp, the ultimate rain cover, and it saved us!  We woke to sunshine the next morning with more clouds and rain that afternoon.  

(lake two)

(lake three)

Wildflowers were in bloom and lined the trail and lake surroundings.  So beautiful!  We saw thousands of butterflies, marmots and even a robin feeding newborns.  

And of course we took advantage of natural resources to chill our much deserved two beers we brought along with us.  

And a final note on Telluride... You know the Ralph Lauren adds with the perfect barn, mountains in the background, super cool old school jeep and beautiful people?  The Ralph Lauren ranch actually exists right at the turn off to this hike.  

From Telluride, we made it to Aspen where we spent the 4th of July.  Aspen is also gorgeous, but most certainly defined by money.  Expensive shops line the streets (Gucci, Prada, etc) and people just look rich.  We didn't feel the charm as Telluride, but we still had a great time!  

We spent the afternoon of the 4th in town until it began to DUMP RAIN and the drunks came out.  So, we drove out of town, found a campsite, cozied up in the mahal with whiskey and cheap beer, and had our own party!  We headed back to Aspen the next morning when the sun was out and the town was quiet.  We had a great time that morning!  The Aspen Brewing Co. was certainly a hit.  

Our tour continues on to Breckenridge, another awesome ski town, where we currently are.  We are loving this town!  Again, great bars and shops, and very chill.  As we speak, I'm sitting in a coffee shop catching up on blogging and internet while Joe is mountain biking down the Breckenridge slopes (he took the gondola up the mountain).  I'm looking forward to a) making sure he makes it down safe and b) hearing how awesome it was!  

We head to Denver tomorrow and look forward to doing some repairs on the truck and catching up with an old high school friend!  Alex, thank you so much for all the awesome Colorado recommendations!!!