America 250 #38 — Colorado: We Really Need to Get Out of the Airport

I have been to Colorado.

Well… technically.

John and I have been through the Denver airport. 😂

That is about the extent of my Colorado experience, so unlike some of the states in this series, I don’t have a personal story to tell you about a favorite restaurant, a family memory, or someplace we visited years ago.

Maybe that’s what makes Colorado fun to look at.

I started with what I thought I knew: Denver, skiing, Aspen and the Rocky Mountains.

Turns out, there is a whole lot more to Colorado than that.

The Centennial State

Colorado became our 38th state on August 1, 1876.

That timing is important. The United States had just celebrated its 100th birthday on July 4, which is how Colorado became known as the Centennial State.

I’d say that makes Colorado a pretty perfect stop in an America 250 series.

By the time Colorado joined the Union, people had already been living in this part of the country for thousands of years. Native peoples, Spanish explorers, fur traders, miners, ranchers and settlers all became part of the state’s story.

And then, of course, came gold.

The discovery of gold in the late 1850s brought thousands of people west with dreams of striking it rich. Mining towns seemed to spring up almost overnight, and some of those old towns are still part of what makes Colorado interesting today.

Those mountains really are a big deal

You really can’t talk about Colorado without talking about the Rocky Mountains.

Rocky Mountain National Park alone has more than 60 peaks over 12,000 feet.

One of the things that caught my attention was Trail Ridge Road. It crosses the park between Estes Park and Grand Lake and climbs above 12,000 feet.

You can see alpine tundra, mountain peaks and wildlife without having to hike your way up there.

Now we’re talking.

Beautiful mountain scenery with a comfortable seat sounds like a perfectly good way to enjoy Colorado to me. 😂

But this is the place that really surprised me

Mesa Verde National Park.

This is the Colorado I hadn’t really thought about.

The Ancestral Pueblo people lived in this region for hundreds of years, and the park protects hundreds of cliff dwellings and thousands of archaeological sites.

Some of the homes were built right into alcoves in the cliffs.

That changes the way you think about “American history.”

We tend to talk about the history of the United States beginning with European settlements on the East Coast, but communities were living, farming, building and raising families across this land long before the United States existed.

That is one of the things I like about doing this series. Every state seems to have a piece of the American story that I either didn’t know or hadn’t really thought about before.

Then I found the trains

Okay, Colorado. You have my attention now.

There are several historic railroads where you can actually ride through the mountains.

One of the best known is the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in southwestern Colorado. The railroad dates back to the mining days of the 1800s and still carries passengers through the San Juan Mountains.

Historic train.

Mountain scenery.

No driving.

I’m in.

And it isn’t the only one. Colorado has scenic rail trips through canyons, mountain passes and old mining country.

For someone who likes finding different ways to experience a destination, that may be one of my favorite discoveries about Colorado.

What’s for dinner?

You know I wasn’t going to leave Colorado without finding out what we should eat.

Colorado is known for Palisade peaches, Rocky Ford melons, Olathe sweet corn and Pueblo green chiles.

The Pueblo chile may be the one I’d most like to try.

You’ll find green chile on burgers, burritos, fries and plenty of other dishes around Colorado.

There is even a Pueblo specialty called a slopper — basically an open-faced cheeseburger smothered in green chile.

Messy?

Probably.

Would I try one?

Absolutely.

Then somebody can bring me something made with those Palisade peaches for dessert.

Colorado is also known for Rocky Mountain oysters.

I’m just going to leave that right there.

If you know, you know.

And if you don’t… Google is your friend. 😂

Maybe someday we’ll make it past baggage claim

The more I looked at Colorado, the more I realized how little I knew about it.

Yes, there are ski resorts and incredible mountains.

But there are also ancient cliff dwellings, mining towns, scenic railroads, farms, orchards, historic communities and some pretty interesting food.

Colorado feels like one of those states where you could take completely different trips and still barely scratch the surface.

So maybe the next time John and I land at Denver International Airport, we need to do something radical.

Leave the airport.

Have you been to Colorado? If you could send us to just one place in the state, where would it be?

And in Brock’s World, that’s the truth—with just the right amount of twist. ⛰️✨