Independence Day

July 4th was a non-work, no cleaning, zero-unpacking kind of day. It's America's birthday, so we took the day off and headed out for our 2nd day trip since moving here.

Trip #2, first stop: Garden of the Gods

Baby C, Boyfriend, and myself - first picture of the 3 roomies!

Garden of the Gods is a park with many large, red rock formations and a backdrop of mountain views. It is without a doubt the most beautiful park I've ever been to. People travel near and far to walk, hike, mountain bike, or go for a horseback ride along its numerous trails. We followed the only paved trail, "Perkins," and hiked one of the shorter trails off the main drag. This park is also a popular site for adventurous rock climbers. They were all over the place! I wish I had the muscle to do that!

This landmark is a MUST SEE!!! Please come visit me in Denver and I WILL take you here!

A few words of advise: 1.) Wear sunscreen - the sun is ALWAYS out here, we are a lot closer to the sun, and there is 23% less UV protection. 2.) Drink lots of water - again, the sun is ALWAYS out here, you'll get dehydrated more easily, and headaches follow. 3.) Wear appropriate shoes if you plan oh hiking - flip flops may be okay for the main, paved path, but not for the side trails that involve steep steps and and angled walk ways.

The whole group!

Trip #2, second stop: Seven Falls

Seven Falls is also located in Colorado Falls, so we thought we'd check it out as long as we were in the area. Although it was another beautiful area, this site does not make my "must see" list. We had a long wait because the parking lot was full and we had to wait for people to leave, and it costs about $10 per person. Once parked, there is a short walk up to the bottom of the waterfall. From there, you can ride an elevator built into the mountain to what they call the "Bird's Nest." It sits about half way up the waterfall. It was nice, but unless you want to climb what looks like a thousand stairs, followed by a mile long hike to a picturesque spot overlooking the city, there was nothing else to do or see.

Another view from the "Bird's Nest" (obviously not of the falls)

I just thought this picture looked cool!

That evening, to celebrate the 4th of July, we cooked out on the grill for dinner and went back to the hotel the parents stayed at hoping to watch the fireworks from their rooms. It was storming outside and nobody was up for sitting in the pouring rain and lightening. Unfortunately, we couldn't see very much. Overall, it was a great day!

How did you celebrate this year?