Kimberly, with our neighborhood in the background highlighted by sunset across Horsetooth Reservoir
Joyce and I have lived in Colorado for just under 40 years having had our careers and raised our family here. We spend much of our time enjoying the beauty of our adopted state. We enjoy a lot of high adventure such as backpacking in the mountains, flying in the valleys, and cycling the passes. While I’m always happy to talk about these activities, this blog will focus instead on more family-friendly outings available to those with a little less time. But feel free to contact me (rick-turley at comcast.net) for suggestions regarding the more high adventure options. Or take a look at the Bearfoot Theory blog for some ideas of adventure travel in Colorado.
My plan for this blog is to cover the unique activities Colorado has to offer. With a claimed 300+ days of sunshine each year (probably a myth, but part of the ethos,) Colorado is the perfect place for outdoor adventure. Locals are rabid about their physical activity – cycling, hiking, running, rafting, kayaking, SUPing, skiing/boarding (snow and water,) camping, etc. Colorado – nicknamed The Centennial State for having been accepted in the Union in 1876 – has a rich but recent and very visible history. There are still very clear remnants of the Gold Rush and Mining eras. And we’ve never really lost the Cowboy aura.
Colorado is also on the leading edge of many trends including micro brewing, foodieism (is that a word?) and that other one. There are more than 300 breweries in Colorado – and more than 20 each in Boulder and Fort Collins. There are also more than 50 craft distilleries in Colorado – many in the Boulder and Fort Collins area.
Future blog entries will cover some of the activities suggested above. Please feel free to suggest topics. Also, ask any and all questions. I will quickly respond to what you need to know – and share the information with others on this site.
But first, a little geography lesson.
Colorado consists of essentially four regions – each running north/south. The “eastern plains” comprise about the easternmost third of the state. This is part of the “high plains” of the USA. The area is semi-arid and is most know for dryland wheat farming. Moving westward we come to the “front range.” This is the transition area from the plains to the mountains and includes the foothills leading to the Rockies. This where the bulk of Colorado’s population resides along the I25 corridor running from Fort Collins in the north to Pueblo in the south and including Denver. The next region westward is the Rocky Mountains. With 53 peaks exceeding 14,000 feet, this is the mountainous area of the state. It is home to the majority of the ski areas and resort destinations. Finally, the west most region of Colorado is known as the “western slope.” This region forms the transition from the mountains of Colorado to the desert of Utah. It is spectacularly beautiful in its own right with towering red rock formations. It is also home to Colorado’s nascent wine making region.
The wedding events will all take place along Colorado’s Front Range. But attendees will have easy access to the rest of what the state has to offer.
Joyce and I look forward to meeting all of you in Colorado this Labor Day to celebrate such a joyous event. We hope we can also share some of our enthusiasm for our adopted state of Colorado. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions by using the comments feature, or via email.
Rick & Joyce Turley