Colorado Road Trip in Autumn

Driving through southern Colorado on my way to the Four Corners park via the Trails of the Ancient bi-way was an unforgettable America the Beautiful Road Trip. That road trip was three years ago, and I knew I had to come back to see the main part of the state.

That time was this month. Life has just been so busy in the last few months that we needed a new scenery even just for few days. It’s nice and fun to be in the City, but the quiet, peace and natural beauty of the mountains are more refreshing! Four of us flew out to prove that even though everything may not be big as it is in Texas :), that Colorado is indeed beautiful, in a big way to call for comments from two peoples I know who told the truth, ha.

Mile High City

We landed in Denver, Colorado, which has an official elevation of exactly one mile (5280 feet or 1609.3 meters) above sea level, making it the highest major city in the United States. 

Rental Car Shuttle

Rental Car Companies have counters in the terminal. Sometimes they are not manned. You will have to go ahead outside of the terminal to the rental car shuttle bus stops on either side of the building.

We stepped out of the airport to wait for the rental car shuttle. It was chilly but we saw people in their summer clothes. The temperature was in the lower 40’s. It was double that in Texas just two hours earlier. Fall just started. I actually timed our vacation enough to see fall colors but when it’s not yet freezing cold. 

Rental car companies have good business. They were so busy it was over an hour before we got the vehicle. I was so thankful and relieved that this time, I was sitting on the front passenger seat. Link was driving so I got to enjoy the road trip without the stress of driving in an unfamiliar city, that according to him, have ‘hyper’ drivers; he had to speed up over the limit to avoid being rear-ended. The entire time I did not see a cop car along the highways. But then, a road sign somewhere said about aerial speed monitoring, or the like. From Denver, we drove south, passing through lovely Colorado Springs and saw the Focus on the Family sign. 

When planning a trip, one of the important things to consider is the weather. We monitored the weather days ahead of the trip, and we know what was coming. That it won’t rain or snow while we were there. We hoped so dearly. Despite the blanket of dark clouds, the silver lining was clear, and we enjoyed no rain. Colorado landscape is indeed beautiful, and as the sign shows, it’s breathtaking! We drove up the curvy roads on the mountain to the Royal Gorge Bridge Park (more about it later).

“And if these mountains had eyes, they would wake to find two strangers in their fences, standing in admiration as a breathing red pours its tinge upon earth’s shore. These mountains, which have seen untold sunrises, long to thunder praise but stand reverent, silent so that man’s weak praise should be given God’s attention.”
– Donald Miller, Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road.