Do You Love Where You Live?

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The Mountains of Colorado

A lot of people think that where they live is one of the best places in the world. We have certainly seen some beautiful places, fascinating cities, and gorgeous landscapes, but we find it hard not to think of Colorado as a very special place to live. We recently have had the opportunity to pretty much move wherever we would like within the continental United States, but even after consideration of other locations, we have decided to continue to make Colorado our home. Although flying from Denver isn’t always as convenient as someplace like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, etc., but we can get to every place we want to go, it might just take us a little longer.

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Rugged Scenery
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Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs
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Leadville, Colorado
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Hiking Near Cripple Creek, Colorado

What we might sacrifice for convenience we more than make up for in the natural beauty and opportunities for outdoor adventure. Regardless of the time of year, heading into the mountains always results in a memorable experience. Like many other travelers, we are often absorbed with going some place new, some place we have never been before, and don’t take enough time to truly explore the treasures in our own backyard. We actually keep a list of places that are within a few hours drive so that we can use a weekend to go and discover some of these unique locations.

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Hiking in Autumn
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Aspen Grove
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Aspen with the Slopes in the Background
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Paint Mines Interpretive Park near Colorado Springs

With that in mind, we thought that we would provide some visual evidence as to why we think Colorado is such a wonderful place to live. This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Tour Guide and we will do our best to take you on a journey across different parts of Colorado and some of the historic towns of the old west. Starting with Colorado Springs and then heading into the high country, there is seemingly something to see around every corner. Do you love where you live and take time to explore it?

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View from Cheyenne Mountain over Colorado Springs
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Outside of Boulder, Colorado
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Cripple Creek, Colorado
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Beaver Creek, Colorado

 

Another Colorado Sunset

One of the things that we love about living in Colorado are the incredible sunsets that we get from time to time. We enjoy seeing sunsets wherever we go, but there is something about seeing a sunset from your own home that is truly special. Perhaps it is the effect of the radiant colors, but watching a sunset is not only tranquil, but usually gives a warm feeling inside. Stopping for a moment and just watching the colors of the sky change and the sun dip below the horizon is almost like a micro-vacation, even if for only a few minutes. One of the things that made this sunset a little unique was that we weren’t facing west, watching the sun drop below the peaks of the mountains, but instead were facing east and seeing the rays of the sun get collected by the clouds. We took the photos with our phones, so the quality might not be as crisp, but you can still get a sense of it beauty. This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Beloved and there is nothing that represents that more to us than these serene moments.

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The Initial View
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Swirling Clouds
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Just Above the Trees
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Consuming the Sky in the End

 

Crossroads from the Sky

When you fly over a city, you truly get an opportunity to see the layout of a city. One of the things that naturally catches your eyes are the intersections of major highways as you approach or depart from the city. You can imagine the traffic flowing through these crossroads as they try to make their way to their destination. If you have tried to make your way through older cities that have naturally grown over time, you can start to appreciate why the architects of modern cities take a more practical approach to laying out the streets and highways. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge are words or photos that contain the letter X. You might have to use your imagination slightly, but here are several photos of intersections that we have seen as we have flown into various cities.

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Flight into Cochabamba
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Going to Quito
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Flying into Lima
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Landing in Frankfurt, Germany
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Highway in Austin