COLORADO SPRINGS

 Established by railroad baron William Jackson Palmer in 1871, Colorado Springs nestles below Pikes Peak. The mountain is a stunning backdrop for the modern city of Colorado Springs. The first resort town in the western US, it was initially nick named “Little London” because of the scores of English tourists it attracted. In the 1950s, Colorado Springs was chosen to be the home of the prestigious US Air Force Academy and the National Missile Defense Headquarters (NORAD). The latter is situated on the city’s southwestern fringe, deep within the bombproof Cheyenne Mountain. Modern-day Colorado Springs is one of the fastest-growing cities in the US, with rows of houses extending into the foothills to the west, and the vast plains to the east. Colorado Springs averages 300 days of blue skies each year.

Pikes Peak looms over Colorado Springs.

Visit Colorado Springs

DOLORES RIVER

 The Dolores River flows for more than 200 miles through south-western Colorado, starting high in the San Juan Mountains and descending to its confluence with the Colorado River near the Colorado-Utah border.Dolores River was named “El Rio de Nuestra Senora de Dolores” when a Spanish trader encountered the river in 1765. But in many ways, the only sorrowful thing about the Dolores River is that like so many rivers in the West, it is, perhaps, too well loved. With headwaters at 14,000 feet and a nearly 230-mile run, the Dolores is a gateway to truly world-class scenery.

The autumn blaze of gamble oaks and narrow leaf cottonwoods bring glorious color to the banks of the Dolores River in San Juan National Forest

 

The San Juan National Forest encompasses about 1.8 million acres in the south-western corner of Colorado.  Terrain ranges from high-desert mesas to alpine peaks, with thousands of miles of back roads and hundreds of miles of trails to explore. Visitors can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities including hiking, mountain biking, hunting, fishing, alpine and nordic skiing, horseback riding, and camping.

Received from my penpal Diane in California

FOUR CORNERS

The Four Corners is the only place in the United States where four states (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado) come together at one place. The original marker, erected in 1912, was a simple cement pad placed after government surveys showed the location of the terminus of the four state boundaries. The monument was refurbished in 1992 with a bronze disk embedded in granite. Each of the state boundaries radiate from the disk and each state's seal rests within that state's boundary. The scenery immediately surrounding the Four Corners Monument is somewhat bleak, but nearby you will find incredible sites that typify Southwest desert country. 

The only place in the entire United States where a person can stand in four states at once. The corners of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah meet here

The area surrounding the monument is Native American land, which includes part of New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona and covers some 25,000 square miles. Both the Navajo, or Dine, and Ute people live in the Four Corners area. Artisans and craftsmen from both Indian nations are represented at the monument. The area is very remote. The tiny community of Teec Nos Pos, AZ, is six miles away.

For more information visit: Four Corners Monument

DENVER

A young, active city at the base of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Denver is the 23rd most populous city in the U.S. Local boosters named the frontier mining camp on the South Platte River "Denver" after Kansas Territorial Governor James Denver in hopes of gaining political favor. Central City, located about 45 minutes west of Denver, is known as the "Richest Square Mile on Earth" due to the half billion dollars of gold that was mined there.

Denver, Colorado, "The mile high city" where the Great Plains meet  the Rocky Mountains.

Denver is near the mountains, not in them. The Mile High City is located on high rolling plains, 12 miles east of the "foothills," a series of gentle mountains that climb to 11,000 feet. Just beyond is the "Front Range of the Rocky Mountains," a series of formidable snowcapped peaks that rise to 14,000 feet. Denver might not be in the mountains, but the mountains still dominate the city. The picturesque mountain panorama from Denver is 140 miles long. There are 200 visible named peaks including 32 that soar to 13,000 feet and above.

Postcrossing Postcard US-1142290