“But the Colorado rocky mountain high, I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky…”
John Denver
Since selling our home and moving into our RV in July 2020, we have tried very hard to TAKE OUR TIME! We kept reading this lesson in the blogs, on the websites, and watching on Youtube, devouring online content in preparation for our own full-time travels, and we have therefore done a decent job of not rushing. But our recent 28 day stay in Larkspur, Colorado has been our longest stop yet.
It might be somewhat premature to say it, with only 25% of our summer travel complete, and another four or more fabulous states on our itinerary. But I think that I have found my new favorite state! Certainly not an exhaustive list, but here are some of the reasons we have become big fans of the Centennial State:
- Well, it is frankly, GORGEOUS! From Grays peak, to Red Rocks, to Royal Gorge, to Garden of the Gods, to Breckenridge, to just about any place we have taken a drive in our visits, this area and state is beautiful. The clouds just seem to be larger, puffier and hang lower in the sky than back east. The Cottonwood trees shed their fluffy seeds like a summer snowfall. The vistas are ever changing – green and flat topped buttes, snow capped massive mountains, rushing whitewater rivers, deep gorges and vast open space – the state has impressed our senses.
2. The wildlife is accessible and diverse. We have seen so many animals – bison, marmots, prairie dogs, pika, mule deer, white tail deer, cattle and birds of great variety. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge was an easy start to our animal exploration (and remarkably close to the Denver airport), but there are so many places to hike and get close to wildlife that the options are endless. On a visit to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, we were able to learn a bit about the animals in the habitats of Colorado, and also find a number of different ways to seek some of the harder to find animals (wolf, elk, bear, pronghorn, and mountain goat). Even in our campground and a trip to the local post office produced multiple sightings of deer.
3. There are so many options! The diversity of vistas and wildlife are only the start. There is such a variety of things to do, both indoors and outdoors! We checked off a lot on our to-do list for Colorado, but we still have a far longer list of things left undone! DONE: ride a historic carousel, walk a country road, explore Red Rocks, hike Grays Peak, drive through Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, hike Garden of the Gods, tour Cave of the Winds, shop Manitou Springs, eat at Fogo de Chao restaurant, walk the halls of the Denver Art Museum, dine at Ted ‘s Montana Grill with the best server EVER, visit the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, cheer at a Colorado Rockies baseball game, eat our first Pho, shop fun thrift stores, go to the movies, hike Devils Head Trail, ride a train through the Royal Gorge and much more! YET TO BE DONE: see a concert at Red Rocks, ascend Pikes Peak on a cog train, attend a Denver Broncos vs Ravens game, paint some art, ride on a white water raft, tour some historic buildings, traverse a mountain on a gondola, fly fish on a river, ride an eBike through a beautiful place, tour on a Segway…the list of cool things to do goes on and on and on in Colorado.
4. Coloradans are welcoming, friendly and very proud of their state. Wherever we explored, we ran into some exceedingly friendly residents that were ready and willing to “SELL” us on the merits of Colorado! After all that we had experienced, it certainly wasn’t a difficult pitch, but it was clear that those who live in the state, LOVE living there! We certainly have noted that with each mile westward, the people have become friendlier and more open (sorry. fellow East Coasters, but I don’t think this is any great secret or mis-truth). Coloradans are among the most kind and open Americans we have met along the way. The difference-maker for us, however, is that the pride is expansive in Colorado.
Those that are native, born and bred are especially proud to be so! These folks may be residents by default, but they CHOOSE to remain in Colorado because they believe so strongly in the beauty and wonder of their state. This is a palatable difference than we experience in other states. Then there are those that moved here by choice, years and decades earlier. They arrived, fell in love and remained residents of Colorado. These folks were always so happy to share their story and learn our story as well. Once they heard about our nomadic lifestyle, it was not long before they pitched us all the reasons that we should end up in CO once we decide to slow our travel and plant roots once again.
One similarity we noticed with our home state of Maryland is that state pride flies clearly in the extensive use of the state flag. While Colorado’s flag is not as unique or beautiful as Maryland’s, it is equally ubiquitous – displayed throughout the state, not only on flag poles, but on hats, shirts, housewares and more.
Throughout Colorado, and especially in the Castle Rock area outside of Denver, there has been record-breaking population growth for many years. Economic prosperity was evident in the areas of larger population, but we did also witness some of the inevitable challenges of such growth and success. Housing clearly was in short supply and expensive, we witnessed homelessness in Denver, and we saw traffic problems due to overcrowded roads and construction that seemed to not be able to catch up to demand. We clearly could see that water shortages are becoming an issue as a result of the state’s tremendous population growth and the impact of global warming.
No state is free of problems. The difference in Colorado? Not one single person spoke a single negative word about their state. Whatever difficulties and challenges the great state of Colorado is facing, we didn’t hear about it from the residents. Instead, they wanted to share all that they love about their state, and welcome us – as visitors or perhaps even future residents.
It seems that 28 days was a great way to fully explore the eastern half of the state, including Denver and the surrounding regions. We explored some of the highest elevations of a Colorado “fourteener” in Grays Peak and the lowest elevations of the Arkansas River in the Royal Gorge. We enjoyed our peek into the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountain regions. But there is so much more we have yet to see, having not even touched upon the beautiful Colorado Plateau, which lies to the west of the Rocky Mountains and the Intermontane Basin, found in the far northwest corner of the state.
Yes Colorado, we have enjoyed exploring you tremendously. We will be back to finish the job someday. And maybe, just maybe, we will find that perfect little house on a lake, with a mountain view that we are seeking to settle upon again someday – and maybe that little house sits in Colorado.
“Colorado has always been a good place to find what you’re made of.”
John Hickenlooper
“Our peace shall stand as firm as Rocky Mountain.”
William Shakespeare