I am sitting here and watching Star Wars Lego: Summer Vacation and thinking over my very own Summer vacay. Over the last week I had the opportunity to travel across the country from Michigan to Colorado with my husband and in-laws. We met up with my sister in-law and her husband in Colorado Springs and I fell instantly in love with the city and the state. I love road trips more than everything and I love discovering what each state has to offer, but Colorado may be my new favorite. Up to this point I had visited A LOT of the states and I was a Florida girl through and through, but Colorado may have stolen my heart!

We started out our trip by going to The Garden of the Gods right in Colorado Springs and it did not disappoint! The rock formations were incredible and pictures do not do them justice. Here’s just a quick look into what we saw:

The next day we were supposed to be a trip up to Pike’s Peak, but due to some mis-reading of times for our train we ended up traveling along to Cripple Creek and checking out some fossil trees. While this wasn’t our expected day, it turned out to be interesting to say the least. We got to see some GIANT fossilized redwood trees and that’s always something!

Our Wednesday travels of the trip brought us up to Estes Park and Great Rocky Mountain National Park! This was one of the most amazing places I have ever been. I adore the mountains, but this was something like I had never seen before. From the wildlife to the hikes it was absolutely beautiful!

Our final day was spent shopping and traveling to Pike’s Peak and it was so worth the wait. We traveled by train up to mountain to the peak. The train ride takes about an hour, vs. the 1.5 hour drive if you choose to drive up or who knows how many hours if you choose to hike! This was one of the most amazing views I have every seen and we happened to be there as a storm rolled up through the mountain. I can’t explain how surreal it was to be up at 14,000 ft when this happened!

This trip was incredible and not only did I get to hike every day, but I enjoyed quiet time reading in the shadow of a mountain each morning. All in all, this was the most relaxed I have been on a vacation in so long. The atmosphere and views in Colorado was amazing and I am already planning our next trip out!!