My Scenic Colorado - A blog sharing everything cool about Colorado

Happy 135th Birthday Colorado!!!!!!!

2011-08-01T13:15:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Colorado! 135 years ago today Colorado became the 38th state to join the United States. Before become a state, we were part of the Texas Territory, a vast and untamed land that seemed to stretch forever.

Can you imagine the how the groups of settlers felt, crossing the prairie for what had to seem like an eternity, then coming up over the rise just past Sterling, Strasburg or Kiowa to catch a glimpse of the majestic Rocky Mountains? Then as they ventured West, they became more massive before them. Rumors had probably spread East about the amazing mountain range, but a story about it could never compare to seeing it!

If you would like to experience that same feel, load up the car and take what we call the Pioneer's Trips:

Northern Colorado:
Head East to Iliff, CO on either I-76 or across Hwy 14 to Hwy 138. While in Iliff, why not stop at the Iliff Tavern (Formerly Cecilia's Kitchen) for a bite, reasonably priced American Standards at the Iliff Trading Post shopping center. We have not been there yet, but would love to see your feedback if you get there before us. Finish your journey by heading west on Hwy 138 back to Hwy 14 or I-76 and watch as the magic unfolds, best just as the sun sets, really amazing! (while your up there, try to plan a detour to the Pawnee Grasslands, they are incredible during the latter parts of the day as the shadows are long and the sun is golden. Don't forget your camera!

Central Plains:
Head East on I-70 or Hwy 24 to Hwy 287 & Hwy 40 South toward Hugo, CO. Hugo was a water stop for the railroad back in the 1860s, Teddy Roosevelt stopped over on a visit West and stayed the night in Hugo. Now Hugo's main industry is wheat and agricultural. There are several places to eat in town and a Loaf N Jug (so you can use your fuel points from King Soopers). Then drive West over Hwy 24 to Colorado Springs, I-70 to Denver and watch as the Mountains seem to spring up over the horizon! Late afternoon or early evenings offer the most breathtaking effects.

Southeast:
This Journey is East to Las Animas and back, but a detour to John Martin Reservoir is a wonderful day trip and destination. From Trinidad take Hwy 350 Northeast to Hwy 50 East. From Pueblo take Hwy 50 East. Las Animas through the Arkansas Valley. John Martin is the largest of Colorado's Reservoirs and the Arkansas River travels over 1450 to join the Mississippi River just North of New Orleans. Although the terrain may appear flat along either highway, it is filled with winding canyons and live prairies. A beautiful road trip.

So as you enjoy these Pioneer Trips, try to imagine what the early settlers saw, enjoy the heritage and please let us know how your travels went, where you stopped, what you saw, etc.

Beat the Gas Price Blues with a Few Tips:

2011-07-25T09:56:00.052-06:00

With gas at its highest prices in two years, you may find yourself less excited to head on a road trip, let alone leave your house for even just a few errands!

Here are some tips to help you spend less money at the pump:

Find the cheapest of gas prices on websites like GasPriceWatch.com or GasBuddy.com.
Cruise Control can save you big time when driving long distances on a highway. Keeping a consistent speed will conserve gas, but for trips to the store, it is best really just for keeping you within the speed limit. You won't really see a savings on smaller trips.
Be mindful of the speed limit. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is equivalent to paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas.
Avoid aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking), it wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds and by 5% around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.
Enjoy a Train Ride through the mountains:
- Manitou & Pike's Peak Cog Railway
- Royal Gorge Route Railroad
- Georgetown Loop Railroad - April - Dec
- Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
Remove unnecessary heavy, bulky items from your trunk, less weight uses less fuel.
Avoid packing heavy or bulky items on top of your car, this restricts the vehicle's design wind resistance and will lower your mpg.
If you have Over Drive use it. When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear. If you have a tachometer, watch for between 2500 and 3000 rpm for optimum shifting (most manual transmission passenger vehicles). Listening to your engine will give you the same clues, if your engine is constantly wrapping up or "whining" as you drive, that is eating gas. Again, you'll see the larger fuel savings on longer trips.

The San Juan Skyway - July 2011

2011-07-18T15:45:00.003-06:00

I thought the West Elk Loop Scenic Byway was the most beautiful route I had ever traveled ... but now after driving the San Juan Skyway between Durango and Ridgeway over 550, it is close!

The journey is supposed to take around two hours, but as we stopped to enjoy and photograph all the beauty we saw, it ended up being closer to four or five hours! Molas Pass is where we spent the bulk of our time, with the twisting and turning road, a breathtaking view or rock formation or waterfall revealed itself.

Red Mountain is an abandoned mining camp that is being reclaimed and it sets the backdrop for some amazing views. With the multi-tonal greens of the evergreens, the aspen and the meadow grasses, the rusty ore color just pops against the sky. When we drove it there were big storm clouds forming overhead, so the sunlight shot through like a spotlight framing the colors so magnificently.

A portion of this journey runs along the Million Dollar Highway and it is one of the scariest roads I have ever driven. The switchbacks are high and steep with very little shoulder room. Not for the faint of heart or distracted driver by any means! (like Trailridge road in RMNP)

I highly recommend this journey! If you are interested in enjoying Colorado's Scenic Byways, request your free Colorado Scenic Byways Guide today.

Our First CMMart Post ...

2011-03-10T10:59:00.001-07:00

Well we have decided to create the Colorado Metro Mart blog through Blogger rather building our own blog application. While that may seem crazy, considering what our background is, we are all about getting the best results while spending the minimal amount of time and money.

Blogger is a free Google service, but it already has the SEO tools and GUI (Graphical User Interface) perfected, so why reinvent the wheel? Also, did I mention it is free? So we would be crazy not to use it!!!

So what can you expect to see here?

We will use this blog for a few very specific things:

1. To promote CMMart.com, Colorado Travel and our Colorado Business Friends

2. To share interesting towns, history and other cool stuff we create or find along the way

3. To promote local events and smaller communities along the road less traveled.

4. To post cool photos and road trip info from places all across Colorado!

So visit often, and we'll also have a link to our Colorado Metro Mart Facebook page.