"My Colorado Adventures" by Joe Thissen

Colorado is a great place to visit but I have the fortune to live here! Colorado is 380 miles from East to West and 280 miles from North to South. I have traveled across Colorado; in fact I’ve been to 3 quarters of the state. The only place I haven’t been to yet is the 4 corners area where 4 states meet at a perfect spot, which is in Southwestern CO. 

My favorite spot in CO are the mountains; they have so much to offer; camping, fishing, hiking, skiing, old mining towns, and the 14ers which are the 14,000ft peaks across the region. Colorado is broken down into many regions; we offer the Eastern plains where farming is the main way of life. The Front Range is the area along Interstate 25 which runs the 280 miles North to South. The Front Range is nestled at the base of the foothills which are the gateway to the mountains. The Great Rocky Mountains run through our state like a river. 

Then there is the Western Slope where the elevation goes down slightly. Denver is the mile high city as it sits 1 mile above sea level; and Leadville is the 2 mile high city sitting at 10,560ft above sea level! We also offer the beautiful Northern Colorado area and Southern Colorado area. Our other main interstates are I-70 which runs the 380 mile span East to West across Colorado; I-76 which is a tribute highway to Colorado as we became a state in 1876. I-76 runs from Denver through Northeastern Colorado to Nebraska where it turns into I-80. 

Ok now about my adventures across this great state! I have visited many cities and town in my travels and I have fished, camped, and hiked in the mountains. I grew up in Denver and been to the mountains many times; and I currently live in Northern Colorado. One of my favorite adventures was driving across a mountain pass known as Independence pass; it runs from Leadville to Aspen. It’s the 4th highest paved road in the state and the scenery is just breathtaking. When you reach the end there is a valley as you enter Aspen just amazing! 

My all-time favorite adventure takes me from Estes Park to Grand Lake along Highway 34 which is Trail Ridge Road the highest paved road in America towering at 12,183ft at the peak! But the view as you turn the corner into my all-time favorite Colorado city Grand Lake is just beautiful! Words can’t describe it! Grand Lake offers a spectacular view of Rocky Mountain Nation Park from the west side of the park. Estes Park sits on the east side of the park and is my second favorite CO city. 

One other adventure I really liked was a trip to Northwestern CO and into Dinosaur National Park; I was able to explore the Yampa Valley. I drove to the top of the valley and even through it taking many pictures of the beautiful valley! I recommend if you ever find yourself in CO to look me up! Well this is my short article about some of my adventures throughout CO hope you enjoyed it!

Joe Thissen

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