My first visit to Colorado was as a teenager on a 4-H exchange program, I spent a week one summer on a 2,000 acre farm east of Colorado Springs. I spent a couple of hours farming in a massive four wheel drive tractor, in a 200 acre wheat field. Despite not having a driver's license, I drove a truck back the ranch house, my first time driving on a public road.
I have been back to Colorado several times since for various conferences and meetings. One trip we rented a car and drove into the mountains to have lunch at the Breckenridge Ski Resort. The car was tiny and under-powered, I think a long horn sheep passed me on the way up one of the mountain passes. One my latest trip to Colorado I flew in early and rented a car for a road trip to Wyoming and Idaho, checking the last two states off of my list of all 50.
The eastern half of Colorado is flat hard plains. The western half of the state is the Rocky Mountains with 12,000 foot peaks. I need to go back, I want to ride the Durango to Silverton railway near the southern border of the state.
I rode the Durango to Silverton railway. It was magnificent. A beautiful state. SG’s younger sister lived in Durango. Unfortunately, I met a number of rightwing assholes there over the years that soured things for me.
ReplyDeleteIt is a politically interesting part of the world.
DeleteI was surprised the first and only time I was there to see how flat it was on the east and how mountainous on the west.
ReplyDeleteHow true, it is very surprising.
DeleteThat's not the most reassuring public art I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteThe big blue bear, just wants to a snack.
DeleteI spent quite a bit of time in Denver back in the mid-90's on another job assignment. I enjoyed the city but I loved any time spent in the mountains.
ReplyDeleteWe only did the mountains once, I should go back.
DeleteColorado is a lovely state. My parents went by train to Colorado Springs for their honeymoon!
ReplyDeleteThe train station has been renovated and brought back to life, the light rail line that runs to the airport comes in there now.
DeleteI remember my parents packing us up in the station wagon for a few family vacations in Estes Park. I loved going to RMNP...still do. The year after we were married, Todd and I went to Denver to visit a college friend. We drove our 4-cylinder, manual transmission VW Rabbit. Talk about underpowered! It chugged and chugged up those mountain roads.
ReplyDeleteI owned a diesel Rabbit in the early 90's for a year or two.
DeleteYou should also visit Ouray, as long as it isn't raining. The water comes down the mountain and occasionally floods the town. Aspen used to be good, too, though I had some kind of accident coming down to it years ago and had to have my poor car repaired. There's lots to love in Colorado, as there is in Arizona.
ReplyDeleteMost of my time has been in Denver, there is much more to see.
DeleteMy family had friends in Colorado Springs and we stopped there on our way from AZ to NY.
DeleteSassybear
Https://idleeyesandadormy.com/
Way back in the 1970s the trip centered around Colorado Springs.
DeleteMy first trip to CO was to a college town on 4/20. Oh the horror.
ReplyDelete