Colorado Pictures
These are pictures from my Colorado trip about three years back. Basically, I planned this trip about one week in advance. I was flying so I had to plan at least a short while in advance. Normally, if I take a road trip, I don't know about it until I'm packing my bags the evening before. During this trip, I flew into DIA and I rented a base-engined Mazda MX-6 to tour Colorado in one week. I saw several places and I'll be able to show you all the pictures here. It was a very enjoyable tour and I truly enjoyed being alone. Yes, that's right - I went alone. I get tired of waiting for others to find free time so I've learned it's best to just take off and do what I want to do. It's a unique experience, travelling alone. I liked it so much that two years later, I drove from home (in the midwest) to see Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. I drove about 4,300 miles in a total of six days. I'll put a couple pictures from that trip here for you to see as well. You can see a short description below each image.
This is Independence Pass. It's a beautiful mountain area full of nice views. I'll put history here when I get a chance. It's been a long time so I forget the details. I was mostly there for the scenery and the mountain driving. This is a nice view that gives an idea of what I saw when approaching mountains by road. I really love altitude more than anything. Speed and altitude give me the biggest high.
This is a famous overlook at Independence Pass. You can see how everyone is enjoying the scenery. There are plaques here that describe the history of the pass.
Another view, taken in the vicinity of Independence Pass.
This shot was taken at the base of Mt. Evans, about an hour or so west of Denver. Isn't it beautiful? The lake was so peaceful, as you can see here. Mt. Evans is a bit off the beaten path and it's not nearly as popular as the famed Pike's Peak. I must say that Mt. Evans was just as much fun as Pike's Peak. The altitude of the mountains is about the same. While Pike's Peak Road is mostly dirt/gravel and privately owned ($5 entrance fee), Mt. Evans Road is completely public and free.
This should offer an idea of what Mt. Evans Road is like. This is a particularly nice shot because it shows a heavy downpour and a jogger in the background.
This was taken at the very top of Mt. Evans. After you park your car, you climb to the very top of the peak. You can look straight down. I believe the lake you see is the same lake from the previous photo. It's kind of hard to tell. If you look closely, you'll also see a road that comes near the lake.
While in Colorado, I had to see the ever-so-popular Pike's Peak. It's a real fun drive to the top. Pike's Peak is just west of Colorado Springs. Before going to the famous mountain, I spent the morning at the Garden of the Gods. Basically it's a park full of these reddish colored rock formations. There are several postcard shots of Pike's Peak from this place. Here's my version.
Pike's Peak Road, pretty much as you see it. Nothing but dirt/gravel most of the way up. The bottom area is paved but most of the real climbing is done on this gravel. It gets really messy from the constant rains and melting snow.
More of the road.
Even more of the road.
A nice view from the top of clouds. This was actually taken from an overlook at the top. There really isn't much to see, even on a clear day. A train that cimbs the mountain operates on the tracks you see here. I do have a picture of the train but I didn't bother to scan it in. Perhaps I'll add it later.
My rented Mazda MX-6. The car had the base four cylinder engine so it was a real dog going up. Especially since the air becomes so thin, causing whatever little horsepower there is to become next to nothing. Notice how dirty the car has become. It looked much worse after I went down the mountain.
An overlook at Mesa Verde National Park. This park is full of Indian cave and ground dwellings. You won't see any in this picture though. Look below.
An example of one of the better sights at Mesa Verde.
