The Wilderness on the Edge of Town
We've established that Denver is cool. But its edges are also steeped in some of the most incredible scenery I've seen in the states so far.
On our first day in Denver, we headed to Red Rocks - a park and ampitheatre only half an hour out of the city. Approaching it is an interesting experience, especially in winter - the snow-drenched foothills suddenly, inexplicably, give way to fiery red formations which arch up out of the ground like ginger giants.
We parked at the base of one of the exits, - and were immediately caught up in a fierce dirt storm. The powerful wind gained strength as our car doors slammed shut, scooping up and propelling the gravel from the floor of the carpark into us and sending Phil's Dallas Stars cap dancing into the tangled undergrowth. Never fear - he retrieved it, but we felt warned. This is a wild place, and should be treated as such. We zipped up windbreakers, donned hats, and started to ascend.
The scorched rocks looked more and more incongruous as we climbed, and were treated to views of a snowy, January landscape stretching out for miles. Their ruddy, layered appearance would have seemed more at home in the Grand Canyon or somewhere arid and sun-baked, not in this freezing, mountainous place. I have no idea what geological phenomenon makes them red, but they make a pretty impressive sight. Their iconic aesthetic has attracted much attention over the years, which is why the gaping canyon at its centre is used as an outdoor concert venue, and has played hosts to greats such as Springsteen and the Beatles.
Our appetite for the outdoors was well and truly whetted. Apart from Breckenridge, we've spent most of our trip navigating cities, so we were eager to explore some more of America's great wilds. Next on the list? Rocky Mountain National Park.
It took us around one hour forty five minutes to drive there from Denver, but it's worth the trip. It's absolutely huge, so the best way to explore it is to drive through it, stopping off in places you'd like to explore or take photos. This is what we did, especially as the air had suddenly started to feel meaner and colder. An ominous fog hanging over the mountains soon told us why - a snow storm was blowing in. It lent the scene an atmospheric, spooky and almost apocalyptic feel. I did feel a bit like Helen Hunt out of Twister as we ducked in and out of the car in the ferocious winds, before gunning it onwards, trying to beat the storm. It was a place like I've never seen before, full of undulating valleys and fearsome mountains, the sun glowing fiercely behind the pines. We even casually came across a whole herd of deer, grazing peacefully by the road. Later, a herd of elk crossing in front of us halted traffic for ten minutes, demonstrating the simple strength and power of nature at work. Pictures can probably do a better job of describing it than I can.
Heading back into the city of Denver, we were reluctant to leave the wilderness behind. We'd had a taste of how vast, beautiful and wild nature can be here, and perhaps what we can hope to discover when we reach Canada, and we wanted more. Luckily then, nature can still be found, albeit on a smaller and tamer scale, within the limits of Denver.
We spent a quiet, reflective morning wandering around the Denver Botanic Gardens. What probably blooms with life and colour in summer was muted by cold and snow; but this didn't make it any less beautiful. What was joyous became haunting and ethereal - tendrils of plants determined to survive broke through the ice; half-frozen streams sang a quiet melody in the frost; Japanese pagodas sat silent, waiting for spring to come.
I loved our time in Denver. But, as is always the case, it was time to move on. Specifically, it was time to board a 15 hour train journey to Salt Lake City.
We've spent the last few days relaxing and recharging in Salt Lake, which along with Idaho Falls, is a pitstop on our way to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I'm currently on the Salt Lake Express, somewhere in the snowy plains of Utah, on our way to Idaho. The driver is battling against driving snow, and apart from a lorry I can just make out a way ahead, there's nothing else around.
Have you ever been to Idaho Falls? What would you recommend?
