Colorado was at the top of my list for this road trip. I’ve been dying to get out to those mountains for so long, and they did not disappoint! Yesterday I spent the day exploring Rocky Mountain National Park near Denver. Time was limited, but I got to spend a good three hours up in the mountains. It was absolutely breathtaking!

Driving toward the mountain — already gorgeous

The Stanley Hotel where they filmed The Shining! Located in Estes Park at the foot of the mountain

Such beautiful trees

The Continental Divide — very cool to see

I also spotted this hanging out in the mountains near the side of the road. Google search later that night revealed it was a female moose!

To top off the adventurous day, as I was coming down the mountain en route to pick up Becky at Central City Opera, the car started having immense trouble accelerating. I ended up having to pull over on the side of the road halfway up a huge hill. Many phone calls later, we concluded the car wasn’t getting enough oxygen up in the mountains. Becky ended up having to hitchhike (!!) to where I parked, and the two of us cautiously drove the car back down to Denver. Wouldn’t be a Colorado trip without a little altitude sickness!