a continuation of my denver trip at the beginning of august…
{early sunday morning, we headed into the mountains.}
{going adventuring}
{here we were hours up into the mountains, and although you can’t tell in this picture, we were literally about to drive through a cloud.}
{good thing we had the wrangler!} ;)
{this drive}
{so stunning}
{almost there!}
{finally found a place to park and began our hike to hanging lake!}
{rafters! on a chilly morning}
{making their descent. i couldn’t believe how many of them were wearing shorts and t-shirts or even tank tops…it felt cold to me, and i could only imagine that icy water. BUT i will say that by the end of the hike, it was looking pretty refreshing!}
{wild colorado}
{i spy an american flag up there on that peak!}
{…and the incline begins…}
{pretending that my blisters aren’t killing me, ha. but the pain was worth it when we got to the top!}
{almost there!}
{aaaaaand we finally made it to hanging lake!}
{this was TOO. COOL.}
{such a beautiful place.}
{the water was amazingly clear.}
{no place like it.}
{and then there was this awesome waterfall…}
{it was so cool that you could actually go behind the waterfall.}
{there’s just something about getting misted by a waterfall. it’s an amazing feeling.}
{this.}
{hiking buddies!}
{back down we go!}
{after our hike} :)
{the continental divide!}
{i had to visit some plants for work on monday and tuesday, but it was nice because the visits didn’t last all day, so i got to hang out more with noelle in the afternoons and evenings. this was a quick stop to see my old friend, little man.} ;)
{always the best flavors!}
{mocha chip!}
{then i made my way across the pedestrian bridge…}
{people picnicking on the river sand bars}
{…through the park…}
{…and down 16th street…}
{…until i got here – right in front of noelle’s office.}
{i visited her office and met her work friends and admired the views from the balcony while she finished up a few things.}
{i mean, check that out.}
{and then once she got off work, we walked back down 16th to the highlands for dinner. it was such a beautiful day out!}
{we ate at avanti food and beverage… and i’m now obsessed with this place.}
{basically, avanti is a “collective eatery” or a modern day food hall, with seven different restaurant concepts in a shared space, each one housed in modified shipping containers. there’s everything from sushi to southern food to pizza, but all of the concepts seem trendy and innovative. they have small but interesting menus. and then there’s a bar and an awesome rooftop deck in the space too. it’s so cool.}
{we had such a great time!}
{that view, yo}
{arepas from the quiero arepas, one of the concepts in avanti. really yummy!}
{colorado sunset}
{the next day: sushi in loveland}
{and that last night after all my work stuff, noelle and i met up with her friend david and his friend jamie whom we’d met on friday night. we went to linger and then a couple other bars in the area. i loved this drink at linger called the new saigon – it’s gin, cucumber, thai basil, jalapeño, lime, and black pepper. totally my kind of drink!}
{also at linger – crispy cheddar cheese curds and shishito peppers with orange-jalapeno jam. really good.}
{more denver views, albeit blurry}
{cheers to new friends in denver!}
thank you so much to noelle for hosting me – it was seriously the best trip ever and i [obviously] couldn’t wait to come back. ;) she takes me to the best places! xoxo