"The highest state in the nation" Colorado by goingsolo

Colorado became a state in 1876, earning it the nickname "The Centennial State." But the U.S. interest in Colorado began in the 1850's with the discovery of gold. Colorado became a territory in 1861 and by 1870, the Denver Pacific Railroad was established. During the 1870's, Colorado's mining camps became more and more populated, which lead to its admission as a state.
Colorado is the eighth largest state and is divided into three gepgraphical regions. The eastern plains, the Rocky Mountains and the southwestern Colorado Plateau. Currently, the majority of Colorado's population resides in the area known as the Front Range- from Boulder in the north extending south to Denver and west to the Continental Divide.

Colorado National Monument

I traveled to Colorado a few times when I was young, and barely remembered it I took my first "real" trip out to Colorado in May, 2003. During that trip, I had the chance to visit Denver, Aspen , Gunnison, Crested Butte,
Black Canyon, Colorado Springs, Boulder and RockyMountainNationalPark.

The beauty of the state captivated me so much that I came back in November of that same year to continue traveling its roads and hiking its mountains. On that trip, I headed south, exploring the mountain towns of Durango and Ouray, along with a side trip to Great Sand Dunes National Monument. I took a detour through the western portion of Colorado, stopping to visit Colorado National Monument, shown in the picture, and finished the Colorado journey in Vail.

Visit number 3 was an unexpected business trip in January, 2005. Arriving in Denver, I was greeted by clear skies and record setting 70 degree weather. I managed to wrangle a day off for exploring and went back to my old stomping grounds of RMNP and Boulder.

Colorado inspired, or perhaps, evoked, a strong sense of wanderlust and restlessness in me. I longed to move here, to see the mountains every day and hike and climb every weekend I could. I've driven through a large portion of the state and hiked, snowshoed, climbed and skiied some of it as well. Certain things prevented my relocation here, but Colorados roads and mountains always remain in my heart. Of the places I've seen, this is one I always long to return to.

Durango

There is so much natural beauty in Colorado that its almost too scenic; every road has breathtaking views, every mountain is grand in its own sense and there's no greater feeling than the sun raining down from the cobalt sky above. There is no blue like the Colorado blue and the skies of the Sunshine State truly pale in comparison.

I'm doing my best to capture my impressions of Colorado in these pages, along with providing some information that might be helpful. I still haven't posted all the pictures yet so the Colorado pages remain a work in progress. For now, I hope that they somehow convey the beauty of this state, the striking contrasts of its scenery and the offbeat yet genuine good nature of its people. Colorado is definitely worth exploring, even if its only through the photos and journeys of others.

• Pros:More beautiful than any other state.
• Cons:Locals cannot give directions and lack perception of time and distance.
• In a nutshell:It's different out here, man!