Many of you already know that Jess and I love fall, it’s easily our favorite of the seasons. Heck, our wedding theme was “fall.” So with that, it should come as no surprise that when the first hints of fall appear, we get excited.
This year was no exception.
We’re ready to admit it: we’re “leaf peepers.” But can you really blame us? The novelty of living in a place where the trees turn bright colors in September and October hasn’t worn off yet. The days are getting shorter, the nights are cooler, the weather has shifted, and the leaves are changing from their familiar green color; time to load up the car and head to the mountains!
This was our first trip with a child in tow, so we decided to do our foliage pilgrimage a bit differently. Instead of one long drive with a lot of stops, we thought it would be best to go to one spot with plenty of foliage nearby. This year’s destination: Breckenridge, and the nearby Boreas Pass.
After filling our bellies with delicious breakfast food and filling our car with fuel, we hit the road! It didn’t take too long on I-70 for us to notice there were a number of vehicles with out-of-state plates. After half-a-dozen or so cars from out of state, we decided to compile a list. Thirty seven states and 8 hours later, we had quite a list compiled. (The entire list is at the bottom of this post)
Just before the exit to Breckenridge is one of our favorite spots: a scenic overlook of Lake Dillon. We stopped there, snapped a few photos and continued on to Breckenridge.
In town, we parked and walked along the main street, hitting up a few shops in the quaint old buildings. Wanting to give Audrey some good active play time, we found a park nearby. Running right through the park is the Blue River. It’s running quite low this time of year, so there were plenty of other children hopping across the rocks in the stream. Audrey saw them and wanted to do it too. Dad and Audrey crossed the treacherous river calm waters with ease, and Audrey was so proud of herself.
After play time, we all piled back in the car and headed up the mountain. It started well enough, nobody else around and nothing but smooth sailing.
Then we hit the trailhead.
The road instantly transitioned from a smooth asphalt thoroughfair, to a narrow dirt road complete with deep potholes and sheer drop-offs. Jess was less than thrilled with this part of the trip. Our determination was rewarded, however, as we made our way to the top of the hill plenty of photo opportunities presented themselves.
We came back down the hill and enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner back in town and then hit the road to come back home. A great, great day was had by all.
Oh, and here’s the list of state plates we saw:
| Alaska | Nebraska |
| Arizona | Nevada |
| Arkansas | New Jersey |
| California | New Mexico |
| Colorado | New York |
| Connecticut | North Dakota |
| Florida | Ohio |
| Georgia | Oklahoma |
| Idaho | Oregon |
| Illinois | Pennsylvania |
| Indiana | South Dakota |
| Iowa | Tennessee |
| Kansas | Texas |
| Louisiana | Utah |
| Michigan | Virginia |
| Minnesota | Washington |
| Mississippi | Wisconsin |
| Missouri | Wyoming |
| Montana |
