Page 66 - DreamScapes Magazine | Spring/Summer 2024

GETAWAYS
THE GREAT
COLORADO
ROAD TRIP
If life is a highway, you’ll want
to ride it all day long in Colorado.
BY DEBBIE OLSEN
As a teenager, I once asked for a rock ’n’ roll album for Christmas and received John Denver’s Greatest Hits instead. I didn’t try to hide my disappointment when I opened the well-intended gift. Since it was the only album I owned, I listened to the record often and I learned to love the music—though I never admitted it then. Recently, as my hus- band Greg and I drove through Rocky Mountain National Park in northern Colorado, I found myself humming Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” the entire way. I finally understood why he sang so passionately about Colorado.
Colorado was made for road trips—remarkable landscapes filled with beauty and grandeur, quaint small towns, and cosmopolitan cities ripe with arts and culture. The Rocky Mountains took our breath away, but so did the Garden of the Gods, an awe-inspiring national landmark of striking sandstone formations near Colorado Springs. We loved driving through panoramic scenery, but we also enjoyed exploring the galleries and museums in Denver and stopping in communities so picturesque, they inspired parts of the Disneyland theme park.
COLORADO’S CREATIVE CAPITAL
Denver is the capital of Colorado, the largest city in the state, and it’s also the best place to start a road trip. Nicknamed Mile High City, due to being exactly one mile above sea level, Denver is an artsy favourite with delectable restaurants and unique attractions.
We spent two days delving deep into Denver. We explored the city on a guided electric tuk-tuk tour with local operator, the Ultimate Urban Denver City Tour. Our guide/driver Erik
66 DREAMSCAPES SPRING/SUMMER 2024