I chose Denver City, the capital of Colorado, as my next stop because it has many places to have fun, eat, and visit the “best” brands in the United States. In terms of partying, it can be considered the “beer capital of the world”!
The state of Colorado means "red" in Spanish (Color – red), possibly referring to the red sandstone formations in the area or the reddish-brown color of the Colorado River. The land became part of the United States after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and Mexico ceded the land in 1848. Many people came to the capital Denver during the Colorado Gold Rush of 1859. Also, because the state was admitted to the United States a century after the United States declared independence, the state is also known as the "Centennial State".
Leaving Kansas via Highway 24, Colorado greeted me with a pretty sweet brake call! The “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” sign was located next to the road but was hidden behind an overpass, so stopping in a flash at speeds of up to 130 km/h was not an easy task for me.
On the way back to Burlington city to rest, I really enjoyed looking at the long green lawns with herds of cows grazing, a few windmills gently blowing to dispel the summer heat on the long road.
The feeling of enjoying a peaceful land mixed with the first experience of driving through many winding mountain passes and pine forests made me both scared and... excited!
Taking a 30-minute trolley ride along the South Platte River, a “fun” corner of Denver city will be revealed through the driver’s deep narration: “Walking along this road, visitors will discover the city’s tourist attractions such as: Denver’s thrilling amusement park, the children’s museum, the football field of the famous Denver Broncos team, the Downtown Aquarium, the bridge with hundreds of bird’s nests…”
Confluence Park is also an ideal place for you to lie down on the grass, watch the cool river and local residents come to run along the walking path or bathe... outdoors in the river.
Colorado State Capitol Building
A must-see on any road trip is the Colorado State Capitol, built in the 1890s and opened in May 1894 at 200 E. Colfax Street. It welcomes approximately 300,000 visitors each year.
Designed by architect Elijah E. Myers, the building is a replica of the US Capitol in Washington DC, with its white granite construction and distinctive gold dome at the top. The dome itself is covered with gold-plated copper panels from Colorado mines – perhaps also to commemorate the Colorado Gold Rush of 1859.
The interior of the building is decorated with rare marble from quarries near Beulah. “Yule Mable” marble from quarries near Marble is also used throughout the building for the floors. This marble is formed from metamorphosed limestone found in the Yule Creek Valley in Colorado’s West Elk Mountains, about 4.5 kilometers southeast of Marble.
Many of the State Capitol’s windows are painted in true “polychrome” style, depicting people and events related to Colorado’s history. The third-floor dome is decorated with portraits of U.S. Presidents and other works of art.
Denver is nicknamed the "Mile-High City" because it sits exactly one mile above sea level. In 2003, a more precise measurement using modern equipment determined the 13th step of the State Capitol to be the mile marker.
During your visit, your tour guide will explain in detail the Colorado state flag designed by Andrew Carlisle Johnson. The blue stripes and red "C" are the same blue and red found on the United States flag. The colors of the flag represent the geographical features of Colorado: yellow represents the state's abundant sunshine; white represents the snow-capped mountains; blue represents the clear blue sky and red the state of the land; or the history of August 1st each year being designated as "Colorado Day" to celebrate the birth of the state of Colorado; and many other things such as the meaning of the state's round seal, the state mascot is the mountain sheep, the lavender columbine is the state flower, the official state song...
Explore Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
The 15,000-acre preserve is located northeast of Denver. More than 330 species of wildlife, including bald eagles, hawks, rabbits, bison, black-footed ferrets, deer, coyotes, and a variety of prairie dogs, also known as prairie dogs, are burrowing herbivorous rodents native to the grasslands of North America. To protect the wildlife and habitat, driving is limited to designated roads.
I drove slowly along the 11-mile one-way road, stopping occasionally to zoom in on the grass, where prairie dogs were so dense that they sometimes outnumbered the grass. In the reeds appeared a family of ducks, with mother ducks and ducklings huddled together. Or over there were rabbits scurrying for food, deer grazing and occasionally chasing each other.
I waited until my eyes were red until almost the end of the route, then the giant bison lying leisurely under the Rocky Mountains appeared as I was looking for. It took me about an hour to drive all the way and this was truly an unforgettable experience in my life.
The Rocky Mountains are also a popular winter destination for skiers. Skiing has been a local sport since the 1880s, but it became popular after World War II. With its high snowy terrain, Colorado attracts winter sports enthusiasts from all over.
“Beer capital of the world”?
In every state I visit, I love to try the local beers, so it was a natural to try some Colorado beers and do a “beer tour”!
If you are a fan of beer, especially American beer, the Coors Brewing Company brand will be intoxicating when you come to Golden City. This is the largest brewery in the world, able to brew up to 22 million barrels and package up to 16 million barrels/year with more than 100 teams working to create countless famous beers in the world.
The tour is free. Parking is free, the shuttle to the brewery is free, the smell of the yeast and the tasting are free! What more could you want?
The Budweiser Ft Collins Festival is another fun experience. They offer brewers a history lesson, a tour of the headquarters, interactive play areas, live music, and BBQ meats marinated in the company’s own sauce. The beer isn’t free, but who wouldn’t pay for such a fun and festive occasion?
There are also a whole forest of breweries in Colorado, most of which are very successful and produce a variety of delicious beers. Perhaps part of the reason, as rumor has it, is the cool, clear water from the Rocky Mountains.
The name "Colorado" has many pronunciations in English. People who grew up in Colorado often pronounce it as "Co-lơ-ra-đô", while people in the eastern United States and eastern Canada often pronounce Colorado as "Co-lô-ro-đô". In the south, it is "Co-lơ-ro-đơ", in the northern United States, it is "Cả-lơ-ra-đô", and on the West Coast, it is "Co-lô-ra-đô". The pronunciation "Co-lô-ra-đô" above is the Spanish pronunciation and is also a common pronunciation among Vietnamese Americans.
As for me, I took another sip of Budweiser and started praising this place: “Oh, Colorado - Ochen' khorosho” (which means very good in Russian)!
MORE INFORMATION
+ Travel:
- Always apply the principle "Avoid...trucks, it's not embarrassing", because the interstate through Colorado has quite a lot of trucks.
- When planning a road trip, if you have to drive into the city center for sightseeing, you need to add a little extra time and prepare to wait because of traffic jams.
- When you want to take pictures with the welcome signs at the "Colorado State Line Sign" on the interstates between two states, you must pay attention to the GPS and estimate the time of arrival because these signs do not have specific addresses.
+ Note:
- Each state in the United States will have its own 2-letter identification symbol. Colorado's symbol is CO.
- There will be a lot of pollen along the roads in the spring so you can easily get allergies if you are not used to it. You should bring anti-allergy medicine.
- The Colorado State Capitol is open to the public from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed on weekends and most state holidays.
- Tours last approximately 1 hour with free guides every hour from 10am to 3pm.
- Visitors should arrive at least 20 minutes before the tour to register as there are usually a lot of people signing up to participate.
+ Cuisine:
- Vietnamese food: Pho Nastic - 229 E Colfax Street right next to the Capitol Building. When ordering, only order a small bowl, which is suitable for Vietnamese people.
- Korean Food: DAE GEE KOREAN BBQ - 827 Colorado Blvd and 460 Broadway, Denver
- Chocolatey delights: Kilwins Chocolates & Ice Cream - Old Town Square in Fort Collins
- Columbine Steak House and Lounge - 300 Federal Blvd in Denver serves delicious steaks at affordable prices.
+ Sightseeing:
- If you travel by train, you will have the opportunity to experience looking through the window to see the train tunnel and the parallel Moffat Water Tunnel, 10 km long with the highest peak up to 2,816 m above sea level in Northern Colorado. You can also see the rugged Glenwood Canyon, about 20 km long with vertical cliffs up to 400 m high reflecting on the Colorado River, the heart of the 80 million year old Rockies mountain range stretching 4,800 km from the northernmost part of Canada to the southern United States.
- Sign up for a brewery tour and free beer tasting at Anheuser-Busch Brewery (2351 Busch Dr. - Fort Collins), MillerCoors (13th & Ford Street - Golden), Wynkoop Brewing Co. (1634 18th Street - Denver)...
- The trolley operates from May 31 to September 3 every year, every 30 minutes, starting from 11am - 5pm every day of the week, except Tuesday and Wednesday. Ticket price: 5 USD/adult, 2 USD/child, free for children under 4 years old. Website: www.denvertrolley.com.
- Free MallRide runs along 16th Street every 5 minutes. Visitors can shop downtown, dine, visit the Capitol Building and more.
- Tiny Town (6249 South Turkey Creek Road, Morrison City) will take visitors to a world of tiny people by tiny train.
+ Accommodation:
- Hotels in the city center are all large corporations, so the price of accommodation is quite expensive. Prices range from 152 USD to 402 USD/night.
- You can book small hotels, motels, inns along E Colfax Highway in the Montclair, Aurora area... then drive into Denver city for sightseeing. Prices range from 52 USD to 87 USD/night.
- Sharing room booking service via airbnb.com is also a good choice for roadtrip.
