When passing through Colorado we decided to spend the night in San Juan National Forrest. During the drive it was hard to keep myself from hanging out the car window. Incredible tall pine trees, mountains, lakes, creeks, and valleys that reminded me of a Bob Ross painting. Maybe that’s not the best metaphor, but it was radical change from the desert and canyon lands that we have recently spent our days in. Once we got to the park we were told that “Cinnamon Pass” has an elevation of 12,805 and it requires a 4-wheel vehicle to drive through windy and steep roads clinging to the side of the mountain. We were told this is a side of Colorado that many don’t get to experience, so we said let’s do it! Contrary to our drive through Colorado, going up Cinnamon Pass on this rugged, bumpy ride alongside of this mountain made it hard for me to look out the window without feeling my fear of heights linger. It felt like with every bump, we were flung sideways and I kept imagining our tires rolling off the edge of the mountain rolling down deep into the steep valley below us. Once we made it to the top, we realized it was well worth the 4-wheeling adventure up. It was majestic and it felt as if we had all of Colorado to ourselves. We pitched a tent by a creek and cracked open the whiskey to keep us warm. This weather and elevation was also something we had to acclimate to. I was out of breath just from a short walk and had to throw on every layer of clothing we brought with us. We tucked ourselves into our sleeping bags and slept into the cool crisp night of Colorado.

Photos taken with a vintage Nikon film camera