There’s something mildly ridiculous about starting a vacation with a 4:30 AM alarm. At that hour, nobody is excited about anything. You’re just moving through the house in the dark, checking bags, chargers and wondering what important thing you’ve forgotten.
But this was the start of our Colorado fall trip. Ana, Keanah, Mummy and me. A week of mountains, fall colors, long drives and a part of the country we’ve wanted to explore properly for a while.
Our flight from Dallas got us into Denver just after 8 in the morning.
Bags collected, we headed over to SIXT to pick up our SUV. There’s always that little moment when the road trip starts feeling real. Until then, you’re still travelling. Once the luggage is in the trunk, CarPlay is connected and everyone has claimed their seat, you’re officially on the road.
Before pointing the car south, breakfast came first.
After the early start in Dallas and the flight to Denver, we were ready to sit down, eat properly and get some coffee. It was a simple stop, but exactly what we needed before starting the drive.
Fed and considerably more awake, we set off for Colorado Springs.
The drive south from Denver was easy, which was exactly what we wanted for day one. We had deliberately kept the schedule light. With Keanah and Mom travelling with us, there was no interest in turning the first day into an endurance event.
By afternoon, we were heading towards the place I’d been waiting to see all day.
Garden of the Gods.
You see plenty of photographs of this place before visiting Colorado. Huge red rocks rising out of the ground with Pikes Peak somewhere behind them. It looks impressive on a screen.
Then you get there.
The scale changes everything.
Our first stop was the Visitor & Nature Center, where the terrace gives you one of those views that immediately makes everyone reach for their phones. Red sandstone formations in front of you, mountains behind them and a huge Colorado sky above it all.
It was our first proper “we’re in Colorado” moment.
The rocks are enormous when you’re standing underneath them.
North Gateway Rock. South Gateway Rock. Cathedral Spires. Kissing Camels.
Some formations are obvious the second someone tells you their name. Others require you to stare at them for a few seconds, tilt your head and eventually say, “Ohhhh, I see it now.”
And, naturally, we stopped for photos everywhere.
The schedule quietly stops mattering.
Balanced Rock was our final big stop inside Garden of the Gods.
It’s one of those formations that looks slightly impossible. A huge chunk of red sandstone appears to be balancing on a much smaller base, almost as if someone placed it there for the sole purpose of becoming a Colorado postcard.
Of course, we took the classic family photos.
After leaving the park, we drove through Manitou Springs. We didn’t make a big stop out of it. We simply drove through, looked around and soaked in the small mountain-town feel from the car.
And that was enough.
Day one was meant to ease us into Colorado.
We had started before sunrise in Dallas. A few hours later, we were walking between giant red rocks with the mountains around us, taking far too many photos and getting our first glimpse of what the next few days might look like.
Tomorrow, the road takes us further into the mountains!
