First Colorado visit of the summer

As promised, here are some pictures from my first Colorado visit of the summer.  

This is the view of Glenwood from Lookout Mountain.  The Hotel Colorado is the building to the far right with the light redish roof. (with the 2 towers on it) The ghost stories from the hotel are pretty crazy! I got a tour of the hotel 2 years ago.

If you look closely, you can see the thin line, which is the trail around Lookout Mountain. 

After a long morning of hiking, we were pretty hungry. So, what better way to cure hunger than a trip to Beau Jo's. Beau Jo's is probably the best pizza I have EVER put in my mouth.  Part of what makes it so special (and delicious) is the big, fluffy crust and the local honey they give you to put on top of it. It may sound strange to put honey on pizza crust, but trust me, it's divine!

Mount Sopris...beautiful, majestic, and still covered in snow.  I've been to Colorado three times and the view never gets old.  My jaw still drops at the beauty there.

This was taken at Danielle's first bridal shower. (from the left: me, Danielle, & Kelly)  Kelly and I decided to let Danielle be the tallest for once. :)

Opening all those wedding gifts can sure be exciting. It can also exhaust the usual facial expressions.  Here, Danielle decided to make her own, unique expression. (which Kelly likes to affectionately call "the bunny face".)  :)

No bridal shower is complete without a Pioneer Woman Cookbook.  I love her book & recipes so much, I figured I'd pass it along.  I LOVE the step-by-step pictures of the cooking process for each recipe.

On our quest to find the perfect shoes to go with mine & Kelly's bridesmaid dresses, our goofy sides came out. Danielle is rocking the purple gothic-style heels, while I'm sportin' black, white & pink pumps.  Holla!

Fishing anyone? Usually fishing involves catching FISH. On this occasion, I managed to catch everything but fish.  Amazingly enough, this picture makes it look like I caught a fish (though, in actuality, it's a big clump of moss).  If you can't tell by my facial expression, this isn't quite what I wanted to catch. (but thankfully the nightcrawler on my hook was still there, underneath the mossy goo)

This is the view from the road near Danielle's parents' house. It's ok to admit that you're jealous. I know I am. 

This is the view from the interstate on our way to Grand Junction.

The view of Mount Garfield from Danielle's aunt & uncle's house.   I didn't get to climb Mt. Garfield this visit, but maybe next year (if the snakes aren't out in full-force) I'll be able to experience that adventure.

Ok. I know I'm corny...but I just had to get a picture with a Palisade peach.  That thing was HUGE!   In the picture it looks almost as big as my head!

Me & Danielle at the airport before I headed home.  The next time I return (July), she will be getting married!!! I'm so excited for her and Kevin! They are too cute.

If you can't tell from the pictures, I had a busy, but fun trip.  I always hate to leave Colorado. It's so beautiful, it has great hiking, giant, yummy peaches, no humidity, and my best friend just happens to live there. :)  This year, I have the privilege of visiting my "second home" twice. I can't wait for trip #2!