The Colorado guide: Landscapes, cityscapes, escapes

No one summed up Colorado better then US President Teddy Roosevelt when he said, "The scenery bankrupts the English Language." Dominating this striking scenery are the Rocky MT's that run through the middle of the state. constituting a mountainous area three times as large as the Swiss Alps. Colorado's peaks are legendary-over 1,140 of them are 10,000 feet or higher [54 are over 14,000 feet high] The state's colorful history comes alive at the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park and in the former mining boom towns of Leadville and Central City. Woven into the historic fabric are the unmistakable impacts of Anglo, Hispanic, and Indian culture, all indelibly etched into Colorado's character. As native Coloradans, we enjoy sharing tips about the state with friends who come to visit, this is the intent of our guidebook. With an insider's perspective of Front Range cities, small mountain towns, and areas far from civilization, we unlock some of Colorado's best kept secrets. We spent over a year building on an already well established knowledge of Colorado, doing research in musty libraries and traveling the state to discover exciting, out of the way places. The result is a complete, easy to use and unbiased guide that we hope will provide years of use while imparting some of the fascination and love we feel for the state.