by We have spent the last several days in beautiful Colorado enjoying time with friends. The adventure started last Thursday as we arrived in Denver with mid 60s weather and an afternoon of lunch outdoors and a visit to Tivoli’s brewery for basketball and brews. JB especially loved taking breaks from the brewpub to run around in the green space outside with a beautiful view of downtown.
On Friday, we packed up and headed south to Manitou Springs. It was really yucky outside so I googled for best indoor activities in Manitou Springs and found out that the Penny Arcade existed. Before leaving Denver, we scraped together lots of pennies and quarters so we’d be prepped. Needless to say, this place did not disappoint. It had rows of old pin ball machines, the creepy clown shooting game, tarrot card machines, skee ball from the 60s, love test games, and so many machines to ride on. It was a big hit for all ages in our group.
After the arcade, we checked into our awesome rental house. We were immediately blown away by the wandering deer who were all around us.
On day 3, we woke up to a light snow accumulation and more on the way. It was so beautiful to watch it come down through these two story windows. Peaceful and relaxing… exactly what I wanted out of this vacation. We ended the day by walking to a local Cantina for happy hour and snacks.
Day 4 was a perfect morning to visit Garden of the Gods. The sky was so blue and contrasted the colors of the rock so beautifully. I was blown away by how big the “Gardens” were and we enjoyed some hiking to be able to take in even more beautiful views.
After a nap, we headed back to downtown Manitou Springs for the arcade, some shopping, ice cream and a visit to the playground- then home for happy hour while watching the sunset over Pikes Peak!
Day 5 we woke up early to head to the Cog Railway for a trip up Pikes Peak. Unfortunately, there was too much snow on the tracks for us to make it to the summit but we were still able to make it to 12,000 feet! Being above the tree line is magnificent. I love the breathtaking views and being able to see other mountain chains… 150 miles away!
We had planned to spend the night at the rental house but sadly, Manitou Springs is expecting lots of snow overnight so we wanted to ensure we wouldn’t get stuck by heading back to Denver to stay with a friend. It was a good thing we did, because we woke up to 2 inches of snow with more coming down! We spent the last morning playing in the snow- sledding, throwing snow balls, and playing at the park. It was a great way to end our trip!
We had a great vacation with our buds! Grateful to be able to explore more of our beautiful country!
learn, love & laugh, brooke
brooke's brain 
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