Over Labor Day weekend, Austin and I drove the Top of the Rockies drive to Aspen, and then the next day we went to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Royal Gorge. We drove a lot!! Or actually, Austin drove a lot. We didn’t hike much because I was just 2 weeks out from getting my appendix out, but I was able to move way more than I thought I would be able to!!
The drive was so beautiful!! The places we stopped weren’t crowded at all which made me so happy—I’m so nervous to go to Rocky Mountain National Park because I keep reading articles about how the lines to get in can be crazy. When we lived in the SF Bay Area, I did around 20 photoshoots and there were NEVER people there. It might be because those places we went were regional/local parks that weren’t as popular, and I’m still learning about all the beautiful less crowded places near Denver. I hope I get to take pictures of some awesome people around here!! I have some sessions lined up and I’m excited.
We stopped at a couple places to do short hikes. Charley apparently really loves hiking and leading us. The whole time we were like where do you think you’re going?? He was so happy! I love getting to take him around and hike with him. Great Sand Dunes NPS is one of the few national parks that allows dogs!
These photos are all on either Fuji Superia 400 film or Kodak Portra 400. I love how they turned out! I brought my digital camera too but didn’t use it at all. I knew I shouldn’t have brought it! We were out and about so much during super bright daylight that they wouldn’t have turned out as good as these anyway! Film makes harsh light look cool!! Scanned by The Find Lab.
Walking Great Sand Dunes was surprisingly difficult! We went earlier in the morning so that it wouldn’t be too hot for Charley’s paws. He loved it! He loved bouncing around in the sand and running around. I could barely make it up though because 1) walking in sand is HARD and 2) I hadn’t really walked in 2 weeks so my body was like y r u making me move so much. It was cool though!! I love that both days in our trip (quick trip) there were clouds in the sky.
Hopefully I get to see some yellow Aspens this year!
![Now some horizontal photos! You might remember their wedding reception details on my Instagram - expect no less amazingness and attention to detail for their baby’s nursery 😍
Now that the eras tour is almost over (Denver n1 will live in my memory forever [picture to burn and timeless as the surprise songs, photo theme!! 🤩 best day ever]), I will be back to my regular schedule of not getting on Instagram every weekend at 10:40pm local time to check the surprise songs goodbye](https://viviankillin.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
[…] The last time I went to the sand dunes, I went with Austin and Charley and had just gotten my appendix out, so walking up the sand hills was a TREK. This time we only went up part of the way (plus it was cold) but I was probably just as weak #wfhquarantine! So one day maybe I’ll go up to the very top. One day. […]