In July, we packed up Petey and hit the road for our hiking/camping trip to Colorado. I thought I'd finally get around to sharing a few photos and stories from that trip.
We decided to take a different route than our usual drive north through Kansas. We headed though the Oklahoma panhandle, New Mexico, and finally ended up in Colorado about 10 hours after we started.
Driving through Oklahoma looks like a whole bunch of this. Old barns, towns with only a stop sign and run-down gas station (population of 8) and lots and lots of open fields. It's actually borderline scary to drive through most of the state if you're not used to it. It's the kind of drive where you can go an hour and not see one town. It's best to make sure your car isn't going to break down, that you have plenty of supplies, and you don't need gas.
Finally in the panhandle we were able to start seeing the New Mexico mountains in the background. It was well over 100 degrees and we saw some of the most hideous, giant grasshoppers we'd ever seen. They're not afraid of you, either. This one kept coming straight at us until we fled back to the car wishing we'd never left it.
We called it the land shark, and cursed all the creepy creatures that can only survive in arid conditions like the Oklahoma panhandle.
In New Mexico, the beautiful thunderstorms started to roll in. It was such a nice break from driving 6 hours in 100+ heat and sun. Finally we were able to open the windows and breathe in the mountain air.
When we drove over the Colorado border, the sunshine started to pour in, again.
We were headed to Leadville, and we were just 2 hours away when I started to see the first of the 14ers. They were intimidating, and I was nervous. Traveling to Colorado a handful of times in my life never seemed as scary as the moment I looked up at a mountain this size and realized we were here to climb to the top.
It was Monday morning, and in 3 days we would get ready to summit Mt. Elbert, the tallest mountain in the range. I stared at them from the window, wondering what it would be like to reach the top of the snow capped mountain.
Ready or not, we had 3 days to get ready for the most challenging hike we'd been on. We pushed on to Leadville back country, where our Yurts were waiting for us.
next: Part Two: The Yurts
24 comments:
Hi Aura
Thanks for sharing such beautiful photos from parts of the country you've visited. That open road is wide and clear. That rainbow is majestic.
"Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. "
John Muir
xx
Monique
I love your photos!... the Oklahoma one really catches my eye... The side mirror one is a fave 2 shots in one..
Aura I can't tell you how much I love your photography and the things that you photograph. I adore your sense of adventure and cannot wait until I can adventure these places one day :)
Again, I simply LOVE LOVE LOVE your photography. The perspective of the photo of the map and looking out the window with the power pole in the mirror - I can't explain it. They're wonderful :) :) :)
beautiful images, Aura. love your pictures; they're always amazing.
I feel your pain driving through Oklahoma; I made the drive a week ago - not much fun.
On the other hand, your destination makes it all better. =) I heart CO! I can't wait to hear more about your trip!
some of those road shots look very familiar to me, because colorado is my home ♥ it's the best place in the world!! :) :) all of these photos are lovely, can't wait to see the rest!
I sure do love my come state of CO! Leadville is beautiful :) Your photos though, are out of this world!
Beautiful!! Can't wait for part 2!
I love Colorado too! And I love our home state, Oklahoma too. Can't wait to see more pics!
I live in Colorado so it's fun seeing Colorado through your eyes! Sometimes I feel like I take it for granted.
Thanks for sharing!
Lori
do you ever get tired of people saying "great photos!"? That's always the first thing I want to type when leaving you a comment. :]
ps. I can't wait to find out what a yurt is.
I absolutely adore your photography! I love all the photos and just look at that rainbow with all the supernumeraries! I saw a rainbow just yesterday, but my photo didn't turn out nearly as well as yours!
I love driving through the Leadville area.. A town on top of the world.
When I lived in CO, we were always thankful for the Oklahoma panhandle, because it's what kept us from touching Texas. I guess that's kind of a local joke, but oh well. :)
beautiful landscapes, it's interesting to see all these different places. I can't wait the part 2 :)
Looks like such a beautiful trip. CO is really lovely!
Sounds like it was a great trip. I can't wait to hear how you liked your yurt experience, I loved it!
Julie xo
From one Oklahoma girl who dreams of Colorado to another- I love hearing about your adventures! Gives me lots of ideas for our next trip!
what a nice trip....
Stunning photo's! It's funny, living in the mountains makes me crave that wide open space. It just feels so free.
I've never driven through the middle of America, so it was wonderful to see these pictures.
beautiful photos...the way you captured the sunlight is amazing.
Love the pics as always!
Gorgeous photos, as always!
I need to go on a road trip soon
colorado looks so beautiful, i really really want to go there now.
i was just wondering, i don't know if you have the answer to this, but you might.
how did you make the font bigger on your Older Posts link at the bottom of the page, I can't seem to find a way to do it in the html now that they have changed the blogger set-up
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