Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Nowhere gives you that quintessential “on the road” view through your windshield quite like northern Colorado, huh?

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

After skirting the town of Estes Park and taking a quick peek at The Stanley Hotel, which inspired Stephen King to pen The Shining and create its spooky counterpart, The Overlook, it was onward and upward to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

RoMo (hold your applause – I wish I could take credit for that, but I stole it from the NPS) was icy and blue and really felt like wilderness. If we were going to see bears on our roadtrip, it would have been here (spoiler alert: we didn’t).

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Roughly half of the park was closed due to snow by this point, but we ended up arriving later in the day than we’d planned to anyway, so just had to accept the fact that we weren’t going to get to see every inch of this one.

The photos are a bit dark because we were once again experiencing a phenomenon of being in the mountains. The sun was still relatively high in the sky, but it had dipped behind the peaks, leaving us with bright blue overhead and shadows everywhere else.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Making do, we found an open parking lot, dug our scarves and mittens out from underneath our sandy Arizona flip flops (remember wayyy back when I said it would seem amusing that we were ever in summer gear? we’re there), and took ourselves on a nice little nature walk around Bear Lake.

Well, I am about 80% sure it was Bear Lake.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Despite its (probable) name, there was nary a bear to be seen and it was getting more freezing by the second.

We bundled ourselves back into Kokapelli and headed for the exit, making a quick stop at (85% sure) Sprague Lake, which was a bit more marshy.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

It was a long detour for a relatively short time spent in the park, but it was made more than worthwhile as color started spreading across the sky.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Good old RoMo treated us to one of the most spectacular sunsets I’ve ever seen.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Guys. I know I’m probably the boy who cried wolf about sunsets by now, and I’m also probably the boy who cried wolf about landscapes looking like Bob Ross painted them, but seriously. Take a good look and tell me those strokes DON’T look like they were painted by a happy little fan brush. You can’t.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

The display also provided a nice backdrop for Kokapelli to show off his sassy side.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado | A Life Exotic

How we didn’t make it in to the Escape Campervans marketing materials with this shot, I’ll never know.

The Details: $20 entry fee per vehicle | Open year-round, usually with significant closures due to snow in the winter | Website HERE

Cue the John Denver…

A photo posted by Julie (@alifeexotic) on

Roadtrip Postcards: Boulder, Colorado

Boulder, Colorado | A Life Exotic

For the most part, I’m really pleased with how we planned and executed our roadtrip. We took months of scheming and dreaming and, in the end, actually whittled it down into a feasible itinerary that was chockablock with incredible sights yet still abided by the constraints of reality.

If I had to pick one place, though, that I wish we’d spent more time in, it would be Boulder. I’ve already mentioned how much I loved the rest of Colorado – Boulder really pushed it over the top (mountain joke? eh, that’s a stretch).

Boulder, Colorado | A Life Exotic

We were drawn to town by the Celestial Seasonings tea headquarters where we met the lovely Ariel, the latest (but certainly not the last) in the line of incredible and hilarious tour guides.

Celestial Seasonings HQ - Boulder, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Unexpected bonus: apparently, the magical tea blends at Celestial Seasonings are irresistible to the local wildlife, and the grounds of the headquarters are absolutely crawling with prairie dogs.

We furiously snapped a few photos as we drove (slowly) along the entrance road, and laughed pretty hard over this little fellow when we zoomed in afterwards and noticed his jaunty prance:

Boulder, Colorado | A Life Exotic

The tour was amazing (not to mention the tea tastings!) and also free, but super secret, so you’ll just have to go and try it for yourself.

Beautiful Boulder was just a brief stop along the road for us – a quick pass through after our full day in Golden – but what a gorgeous road it was!

Boulder, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Boulder, Colorado | A Life Exotic

I’m pretty sure those clouds were hand painted in there by Bob Ross himself.

Boulder, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Boulder has so much to offer that we weren’t able to check out on this trip – the University of Colorado, for one, and an incredible arts, music, and coffee scene.

I’ll be back for you someday, Boulder – you’re my only Colorado regret!*

*Actually, missing Black Canyon of the Gunnison is my biggest Colorado regret. We stayed overnight in the town of Montrose and yet had no idea that we were a few miles from THIS! Sigh.

Beer & Bison in Golden, Colorado

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

I was so excited to finally get into the heart of Colorado. We spent our first few days around the edges, but finally dove deep into the center of the state to immerse ourselves in mountain life.

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

No visit to the Centennial State would be complete without a stop in its capital, Denver, but except for a brief overnight stop, we decided to forego the Mile High City to spend more time in its little sidekick, Golden.

We met my aunt bright and early at her ranch up in the hills outside of Golden.

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

(Finally, an answer to “Where did your hair come from?!”)

The last time I’d seen her was almost three years previously, when she visited the Outer Banks. I think my face at my first true glimpse of the Rocky Mountains was similar to my aunt’s when she saw the ocean!

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

We stopped on a highway overpass that provided a perfectly-framed view of the Rockies, before traveling on to find some fuzzy friends.

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Before you start singing “Oh give me a hooome, where the buffalo roooam…” – a brief lesson in proper terminology: it took me a long time, but I now know that these are, in fact, American bison.

HOWEVER, I’m not gonna kick the habit just yet. According to the trustiest of all sources (Wikipedia)… The name “buffalo” is listed in many dictionaries as an acceptable name for American buffalo or bison. In reference to this animal, the term “buffalo”, dates to 1625 in North American usage when the term was first recorded for the American mammal. It thus has a much longer history than the term “bison”, which was first recorded in 1774.

This calls for a close up.

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Speaking of Buffalo, our next stop was Bill.

Buffalo Bill's Grave in Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

My dad and aunt grew up on Lookout Mountain, which is the site of Buffalo Bill’s grave (a semi-controversial claim if you ask Cody, Wyoming, but I’ll side with the Coloradans).

Buffalo Bill's Grave in Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

We tipped our imaginary Stetsons to the man himself, had a little fun with the cut-outs, and saddled up again.

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

As rad as Buffalo Bill is, the most special stop on Lookout was when my aunt took us to see the house that she, my dad, and their family had grown up in. It was really cool to visit a place that had been such a formative part of my dad’s life.

After my aunt gave us a tour of their childhood haunts and elementary school, we started the drive down, but pulled over once or twice to get a glimpse of North and South Table Mountain.

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

You can also get a great view of Denver from Lookout, rising up out of the completely flat surroundings.

View of Denver from Lookout Mountain, Colorado

We ventured into the heart of downtown Golden for lunch at my aunt and uncle’s favorite pub, and followed with a little walk along Clear Creek.

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

I love this welcome arch that stretches over the main street through town! Signs like this used to be common in small towns set along railroad lines in the early 1900s, and Golden’s is one of the few remaining.

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

This one was built in 1949 and has been renovated a few times since then (it was originally lit with actual neon letters).

Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Even though the western states are the youngest ones in the country, they still have a lot of heritage!

The most special stop of this roadtrip for me so far – my first time in the town where my dad grew up!

A photo posted by Julie (@alifeexotic) on

We rounded out our day with a few key parts of this Golden heritage: a tour at the Coors brewery and a visit to the famed Red Rocks amphitheatre.

Coors Brewery, Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Coors Brewery, Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

What’s that you say? You’d like to see the creepiest Coors advert ever made? Why, sure!

Coors Brewery, Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

“But Julie, you hate Coors Light!” That’s true, I do. It’s a scourge upon the earth. As it turns out, though, Coors Banquet is not bad at all, and comes in a delightfully vintage-looking pale yellow can.

If you visit Golden, don’t skip this tour. It’s free… and you get free beer at the end. ALL FREE. It’s a no-brainer!

In a final race against the darkening sky, we scooted over to Morrison, Colorado – the home of Red Rocks – to take in the views from the famous amphitheatre just as the sun was setting.

Red Rocks - Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Red Rocks - Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

While I would LOVE to see a concert here someday, it was also incredible to take in the spectacle when it was quiet, still, and nearly empty.

Red Rocks - Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Red Rocks - Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Red Rocks - Golden, Colorado | A Life Exotic

Golden felt like a bit of a turning point – the day where we really started getting into the heart of our roadtrip.

The scenic drives, beautiful vistas, and exciting stops of the previous week were all amazing, but adding a dash of roots and family into the mix while taking it a bit slower made for a really meaningful stop along the road.

Colorado was winning me over pretty quickly!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...