I have been to Colorado many times over the years since 1975 when my college had a skiing P.E. class in Breckebridge. I was in Boulder for my 30th birthday (as "devastating" age to reach!!) which started my tradition of waking up on my birthday in a town other than where I livd at the time. One of my very favorite national parks -- Black Canyon of the Gunnison -- is in the state.

This trip was mostly to use up some flight credit I had with United for a trip cancelled in 2020. Since I had some national parks remaining to visit in COlorado, I booked a short trip into Denver. From there, I drove to four national parks: Florrisant Fossil Bed, Great Sand DUnes, Curecanti, and, a revisit to Rocky Mountain (where I had been in 1984 right after Boulder and came here this trip just to photograph the park entrance sign to show I have been to the park).

With this trip done, there is just one national park to visit in Colorado of its dozen - Yucca House.

Despite my being here in late April, there was really no sign of spring blooms -- no flowers or colorful bushhes or trees. The evergreen trees are still their year-round green and this state has an abundance of them. In fact, I saw snow on the ground in a number of places excluding mountain tops where snow is expected. There are many farms in west central Colorado and many cows. Unable to tell if fields will be growing crops this year since it was too early to tell. I was surprised to see so many farms with the square/rectangular vs. the giant cylinder-shaped bales of hay.

Colorado homes other than in the Denver area are often built for winter -- tall south-facing windows, sometimes bermed. The lifestyles of the two different parts of the state -- Denver vs. rural, it quite distinctive. The Denver area residents are out riding bikes and getting "artificial" or "technology" exercise while the rural residents are getting exercise working on their farms. The streets in the towns of Golden and Boulder kept changing with a multitude of turning lanes. For someone driving through town the first time, especially where roads curve often, it is quite a challenge to figure out where to go to continue on the main road. And, Boulder was still like I un-fondly remember as its main attribute -- a traffic light at every intersection and all are designed to turn yellow-red within seconds of the previous one turning green.

The terrain along I-25 south of Pueblo is rather boring to look at. Surprising for a state known for its beautiful landscape. Colorado has two basic terrain. Moutains in the western half, all west of Denver. Flat farms in the eastern half and look much like its neighbor Kansas to the east.