Colorado, TX Road Trips

Composer Igor Stravinsky once rode a ski lift in Aspen in the summertime, while Prospector Alferd Packer dined on human flesh near Lake City. Inventor Nikola Tesla created artificial lightning hundreds of feet long in Colorado Springs, and Writer Oscar Wilde attended a fancy dinner party at the bottom of a Leadville silver mine. Outlaw Butch Cassidy robbed the bank in Telluride, while Lawman Doc Holliday and Showman Buffalo Bill were buried in Glenwood Springs and Denver, respectively. All are part of the quirky and sometimes colorful history of Colorado. Around 15,000 years ago, Native Americans migrated to Colorado, a nomadic group of hunter-gatherers distributed on the plains as well as the western plateaus. The first agricultural communities appeared on the Eastern Plains approximately 5,000 years ago. Circa 600 AD, the Ancient Pueblo Peoples began building elaborate communities in Southwestern Colorado in the Mesa Verde area. Other Native American groups, including the Arapaho, Apache, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Shoshone and Utes have called Colorado home. The Spanish were the first Europeans in the area. In 1541, Coronado led an expedition north through Colorado from Mexico in search of the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola, where the streets were supposed to be paved with gold. In 1803, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte sold the United States a vast tract of land known as the "Louisiana Purchase," an area which included Colorado. Lieutenant Zebulon Pike explored the recently purchased territory at President Thomas Jefferson's behest.

Among many other attractions, Colorado is home to four national parks, nine national monuments, three national historic sites, two national recreation areas, four national historic trails, one national scenic trail, 11 national forests, two national grasslands, 44 national wildernesses, three national conservation areas, eight national wildlife refuges, three national heritage areas, 26 national historic landmarks, 16 national natural landmarks, more than 1,500 National Register of Historic Places, one wild and scenic river, 44 state parks, 307 state wildlife areas, 93 state natural areas, 28 national recreation trails, six regional trails, and numerous other scenic, historic, and recreational areas. 1 Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Near Mosca. Spectacular 2,250-foot (690 m) deep canyon of the Gunnison River. 2 Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Near Montrose. Extensive sand dunes up to 750 feet (230 m) tall at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Range. 3 Mesa Verde National Park. Near Cortez and Mancos. UNESCO World Heritage Site protects nearly 600 Ancestral Pueblan cliff dwellings. 4 Rocky Mountain National Park. Between Estes Park and Grand Lake. Park protects 265,807 acres (107,568 ha) of pristine mountains along the Continental Divide of the Americas. 5 Browns Canyon National Monument. Near Salida. This canyon of the upper Arkansas River is popular for kayaking and whitewater rafting. 6 Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument. Near Leadville. World War II mountain warfare training camp and facilities of the U.S.

Colorado is home to some of the best snowmobiling in the country. Glenwood Springs is surrounded by two areas, White River National Forest and the Grand Mesa. Trail riding on groomed trails, hill climbing, deep powder carving, scenic views, with a mixture of trees and meadows. These areas get an average of 35 feet of snow a year. With 6,000 miles of streams and more than 2,000 lakes and reservoirs to choose from, you can fish for over 35 species of both warm- and cold-water fish. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy angling, high mountain stream fishing and ice fishing in Colorado. Don't forget to watch the seasons set by the state and obtain your fishing license. Otherwise, you may be facing a stiff fine up to $50. There is casino gambling in the historic towns of Black Hawk, Central City, Cripple Creek, Ignacio, and Towaoc. Colorado has a seemingly endless amount of hiking trails. Colorado hiking trails can lead you through various terrain, including deserts, mountains, canyons, and more. Colorado has 54 "Fourteeners", mountain summits that exceed 14,000 feet (4,267 m) elevation, Most can be climbed without ropes or technical experience. The rewards are breathtaking. The current standard among introductory guidebooks to routes on Fourteeners is Borneman and Lampert, A Climbing Guide to Colorado's Fourteeners. This book is updated frequently to reflect changes in access restrictions (several are on private land or have private holdings high on the mountain that interfere with some routes).

Colorado is filled with a large variety of restaurants with different cuisines. You can find almost everything you would ever want to eat or drink. But what, exactly, is Colorado cuisine? There are several indigenous foods worth trying, sought out for their associations with this Rocky Mountain state. First, there is the cliché Denver omelette or Western omelette, an egg dish prepared with cheddar cheese, diced ham, onions, and green bell peppers. It probably originated on Western cattle drives, cooked up by cowboys, and most likely was not invented by a French gastronome as a "dénuer omelette," or a tasteless American omelette deprived of all class. Contrary to popular belief, you can get a Denver Omelette in Denver, but it will simply be one egg item out of many on the menu. This omelette doesn't inspire the hometown pride of, say, a Philly cheesesteak in Philadelphia. Also, there is the duffy roll, something like a cross between a cinnamon roll and a croissant. Along with Pasadena, California, and Louisville, Kentucky, Denver is one of three cities that claim to have invented that quintessential American food, the cheeseburger. Made with American cheese layered on top of a patty of ground beef, cooked on a griddle or grill, and placed on a bun with the usual sides of pickles, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and condiments, the cheeseburger is a fast food classic.

Colorado and drinking are often linked. It dates back to the grizzled fur trapping, mountain man days of the 1840s, when some of the state's pioneers would hole up in Bent's Fort and drink themselves blind with earthen jugs of "trade whiskey' - a dubious combination of "red eye" whiskey, hot chili peppers, plug tobacco and gunpowder. (A gourmet recreation of the drink can still be sampled at The Fort Restaurant, in Morrison, Colorado). Colorado is only behind Vermont, Oregon and Montana in microbreweries per capita and considers itself the beer capital of the United States. (Denver is sometimes referred to as the, "Napa Valley of Microbreweries"). The magazine "Modern Drunkard" is headquartered in Denver. Brewpubs are open in almost every town. One of the most popular adult tourist activities in Colorado is the Brewery Tour circuit. From the megabrewer Coors in Golden, to the refined tastes of New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, the Front Range of Colorado offers many opportunities to see beer being made. Denver also hosts the Great American Beer Festival every Fall. This three day bacchanal celebrates micro, medium and mega brews from across the country with awards handed out to the judges picks for best brews. There are also less celebrated, but equally worthy, meaderies and vineyards throughout the state. Colorado's nascent wine industry has exploded in the last 20 years.

Many major airlines fly into Denver International Airport (DEN IATA), one of the ten busiest airports in the world. Other airports serving Colorado include: Aspen, Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (Sardy Field) (ASE IATA) Colorado Springs, City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport (COS IATA) Cortez, Cortez Municipal Airport (CEZ IATA) Denver, Denver International Airport (DEN IATA) Durango, Durango-La Plata County Airport (DRO IATA) Eagle, Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE IATA) Fort Collins / Loveland, Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport (FNL IATA) Grand Junction, Grand Junction Regional Airport (Walker Field) (GJT IATA) Gunnison, Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport (GUC IATA) Hayden, Yampa Valley Airport (Yampa Valley Regional) (HDN IATA) Montrose, Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ IATA) Telluride, Telluride Regional Airport (TEX IATA) The Amtrak California Zephyr runs from Emeryville to Chicago with stops in Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Granby, Fraser, Denver, and Fort Morgan. The Amtrak Southwest Chief runs from Los Angeles to Chicago with stops in Trinidad, La Junta, and Lamar. The Amtrak Winter Park Express runs seasonally between Denver and Winter Park Colorado is served by five Interstate Highway routes and 18 U.S. Highway routes: Greyhound Lines provides service to Brush, Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins, Fort Morgan, Frisco, Glenwood Springs, Greeley, Idaho Springs, Lamar, Loveland, Monument, Pueblo, Springfield, Trinidad, Vail, and Walsenburg.

If you want to travel the state, then you will need to rent a vehicle. Prices are the same as across the United States. The state is roughly quarted by two major Interstates, the north-south running I-25 and the east-west running I-70. (I-76 also enters the state in the Northeast from Nebraska). Surrounding the greater Denver area is a beltway consisting of the Northwest Parkway (tollway), C-470, E-470 (tollway)]. The Northwest Parkway is a 75-mile per hour toll road that seamlessly connects I-25 at E-470 in the north metro Denver area, with U.S. 36 and State highway 128 in Broomfield. Outside of the Front Range, the rest of the state is traversed by small highways and county roads. The major cities of the greater Denver area (Denver, Aurora, Boulder, Lakewood, Littleton, Longmont, Broomfield) are linked by bus and train transportation using RTD. The cost is very reasonable and the busses run regular schedules. Taxis and shuttle services are also available throughout the state. Information on transit can be found from APTA. CDOT runs a bus service called Bustang that offers intercity bus services across the state for very low fares.

Colorado usually sits in the top-tier of the safest states when it comes to crime, and most towns and suburbs are very safe. However, the state is not immune to gun violence and assaults. Denver, for example, is safe, but has seen an uptick in insecurity. Some places like Aurora and Colorado Springs have made headlines because of mass shootings. Dehydration is a serious concern. The aridity of the air is deceptive--you will perspire and exhale moisture from your mouth and nose without even realizing it. If you're going to hike anywhere in Colorado, take plenty of water (at least one gallon per person, per day), decent nonslip boots or sneakers, as well as layers of clothing. Always hike with a waterproof jacket--more people die of hypothermia in Colorado in the summer simply by being caught unaware. Let people know where you are going and when you expect to get back. Be careful and watch for lightning while hiking, especially in the high country. It's often best to hike in the early morning to avoid the possibility of hitting an afternoon thunderstorm. Very occasionally, mountain lions will attack. It is best to hike when the sun is up to avoid those attacks. The eastern plains region of Colorado is in tornado alley. Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms with high winds and hail are not uncommon during the spring and summer months. Make sure you keep a radio on in the car. Should you hear the tornado sirens sounding, locate a suitable tornado shelter at once--do not stay outdoors to get a picture! Also, do not try to outrun the tornado in your car!