Colorado – Roaming free – tales of wanderlustbykelley

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Travel is a big deal these days. No matter where you turn, you can find books, articles, v-logs, and a million different Instagram photos, showing off people’s latest adventures and encouraging you to hit the open road yourself.

And, of course, there’s no doubt about it. Travel really can have an immensely positive, and transformative effect on your life. Seeing new places, meeting new people, and “getting out of your comfort zone”, can completely shift and revitalise the way you look at the world.

The thing is, if you listen to some of the more ardent travel enthusiasts out there, you’d have to assume that it was only possible to get any of these benefits from travel by going on long haul international trips to far-flung corners of the world.

The reality, though, is that some of the most potentially transformative and awe-inspiring travel experiences can take place closer to home. If you’re an American, for example, visiting the rocky state of Colorado could be an excellent idea, whether you’re looking for hotel deals in Limon, or camping opportunities in the great outdoors.

To demonstrate that fact, here are some things to do on a visit to Colorado.

Visit the Garden of the Gods

The Garden of the Gods is a registered natural national landmark, and is by all accounts likely to be one of the most beautiful places you will ever see.

The Garden of the Gods features front range climbing, jeep and Segway tours, rental bikes and electric bikes, and a series of monthly presentations, classes and activities, with an adventurous flavour.

The park itself offers an extraordinary and breathtaking view of the Colorado wilderness. There you will find majestic, soaring red-rock outcroppings, forests, and blue skies as far as the eye can see.

Play your cards right, and you may even find a dinosaur or two roaming around.

Scare yourself silly at Stanley hotel (or not)

Do you remember the classic Jack Nicholson film, “The Shining?” If you’ve ever seen the film, odds are that you found to be a pretty harrowing, and psychologically disturbing experience.

Well, it turns out that the shining was shot in Colorado. To be precise, in the beautiful and historic Stanley hotel.

The hotel bills itself as being famous for its “old world charm”, and offers various luxurious rooms, in addition to stunning views of the Rocky Mountain National Park.

Of course, the museum also has attractions, and mementoes related to “The Shining” for you to enjoy and spook yourself out with.

Go back in time to the ancient days of the Pueblo people, at the Mesa Verde

The Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 to “preserve and interpret the archaeological heritage of the ancestral Pueblo people.”

The site boasts many striking historical attractions, perhaps most significantly of all the 600 cliff dwellings, which are known to be some of the best preserved and most notable in the United States.

It would be a crime for any archaeological buff to visit Colorado without visiting the site. Simply seeing the dwellings carved into the sheer rock of the mountainside, is liable to be a breathtaking experience.

After a beautiful road trip through California and camping in the amazing Joshua Tree national park, it was time to continue the journey towards New York. Next up, the fabulous Las Vegas! Driving through Nevada was amazing, with stunning views of the desert. It is unbelievable to drive through a desert, with not much going on, to hit a hectic city in the middle of a desert! Las vegas is like no other place. It is hard to describe ‘sin city’, you just have to absorb the atmosphere. Time was spent, relaxing under the palm trees in the pool and shopping by day. Night we spent exploring the hotels, casinos and bars. A very different experience, but still very enjoyable.

After Vegas, it was time to get back on the road. Next, Arizona. We stopped by the beautiful Lake Mead and Hoover dam (highlighted in a different post), before moving on to the breathtaking Grand Canyon national park, where we camped and hiked park of the park (also, highlighted in a separate post). The views driving through Arizona are beautiful! After the visit to the Grand Canyon, the next main stop was the four corners. A very remote area, the only place in the United States where four states intersect at one point. The Northeastern corner of Arizona, Southeastern corner of Utah, Northwestern corner of New Mexico and the Southwest Corner of Colorado.

Next, the gorgeous Colorado. Driving through, we saw some of the most scenic views. One of the highlights, was a stop in Sliverton, with its breathtaking mountain views and being one of the highest towns in the United States. Next was camping at Elk creek, which was a great way to relax and enjoy nature. Colorado is a state that I need to visit again, perhaps during winter time, to hit the slopes.

Driving through the desert and mountains was a memorable journey, enjoying the varying environments that the US has to offer.