Why Colorado is the Best

Simply the best! Better than….oh man, Tina Turner, you got be on this one! Let me tell you this, a month in Colorado is the best choice we could have made! This state is so amazing, there is so much to see, and I’m glad we had the time to do most of what we wanted to do. Although we didn’t get to do everything we wanted to, it gives us a great reason to come back! While in Colorado, we got to see so much, and really fell in love with this amazing state, making it one of the best places to visit!

I know I have written about a lot of US cities in great detail, but as state overall, I would say Colorado has been one of my favorite places for many reasons. Colorado is simply the best because of its weather, lack of bugs, amazing views, endless outdoor activities year round, and excellent quality of life!

Weather

The weather in June was absolutely beautiful 99% of the time. When you wake up in the morning, it would be high 50s to low 60s, so you could really enjoy a cup of coffee with some layers on outside. The day would heat up to high 70s to high 90s depending on the day, but usually stayed in mid-80s. Because Colorado is considered high desert, it is very dry, making the heat a lot more tolerable compared to other more humid states. We only had a couple days that we felt were “too hot.”

Every day around 3ish, some clouds would roll in with or without some wind and a short rain shower. As the sun started to dip down, the air would start to get cooler, making for great running weather! From what we were told, the winter is a little crazy, but not in a bad way. They do get snow storms that can dump a lot of snow, depending on where you are, after the snow is done dumping, the sun comes out, the temperatures rise, and the snow is gone within hours. Out of all the places we visited, Colorado was the best for its weather!

Very Few Bugs

As the sun really went down, you almost always needed to layer up stay comfy, but the best part? Little to NO BUGS! We SAW some mosquitos, but they totally left you alone! The grocery store chain, King Soopers keeps their entry way wide open all day long! I’d say that makes Colorado the best, because who likes getting bit by bugs?

Lots of Outdoor Activities

Colorado is the best for finding unlimited opportunities for outdoor activities, which is something that is very important to me! In addition to many places to hike and explore, there are rivers and lakes to kayak in, bike friendly streets and trails as well as rentals, outdoor pedestrian malls, and a bunch of other winter activities!

Variety of Places to Live

As far as living goes, there are many options. Living in the city of Denver, Boulder, or Colorado Springs were very expensive, but there were many towns within 30-45 minutes from those cities, that were far more affordable.

Denver/Aurora

In early June we flew into Denver from Nashville, and booked 4 weeks with the most amazing host ever! Our place was in Aurora, which we picked because it was so close to Denver, but was also very affordable because of the monthly rate we received, and I’m so glad we did. They say people come into your life for a reason, and I truly feel that our host, Ingrid, was put into our life with purpose. Maybe people knock on Aurora, but I’m glad we stayed there because if we didn’t, I would have missed the opportunity to meet our amazing host, and new friend!

While in Aurora, we explored a lot of Denver, including numerous breweries, restaurants, bike rentals, saw Disco Biscuits at Red Rocks, a Rockies Baseball game, Coors Brewery tour, Buffalo Bills grave and a lot more. We also took a few day trips to Colorado Springs to see Garden of the Gods, Rockies National Park to do some hiking and scenic driving, drove to the summit of Mount Evans, Fort Collins Brewers Festival, and the list goes on!

Whirlwind Tour Around Colorado

After our our Denver/Aurora stay, we decided to wrap up our last week in Colorado with a whirlwind road trip! Normally, we like to stay in one place for at least a few weeks, so we can develop a bit of a routine and really get to know an area, but sometimes there is just so much to see, and so little time, so we are forced to bounce around a bit. Keeps things exciting! Our whirlwind road trip took us through famous South Park on our way to Breckenridge, where we enjoyed the quaint ski town’s great beer, food, and activities! From Breckenridge, we headed to Grand Junction, stopping at a winery in Palisade on the way! Our purpose for being in Grand Junction was its proximity to both Colorado National Monument and Arches National Park in Moab, Utah.

Colorado Springs

From Arches, we headed on a long, boring trip to Durango, CO. Although I like to share all the great things we do, our travel experiences are not always glamorous! When we got there, we found out we had no place to stay. Our Airbnb host was MIA, no instructions on how to get in, and we were forced to get a hotel in Farmington, NM about an hour away. This worked out just fine, because we had reliable internet at the hotel, a comfy king bed, and saw a great firework show!

The next morning, we got some work done, then hit the road for another long road trip to Colorado Springs. We stayed with a really nice military family, similar ages as us. We got to relax, drive up Pikes Peak, explore Manitou Springs and check out a few more breweries, before our flights “home” to New England for the summer!

Stay tuned for more posts on why Colorado is the best, including the craft brew scene, outdoor activities, and must see locations!

 

 

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