Day 2 - Wheat Ridge, Colorado

Cool and a little cloudy today, so I decided to drive towards the mountains and see where I ended up, with the option of retreating should it rain. Fortunately the sun shone at intervals, so I pootled through the very cool town of Nederland into Boulder - to which I will return later in my trip. A very attractive town, giving views of the Flatirons through the side streets.

The road north out of Boulder winds its way up through Boulder Canyon - a wonderful twisting road climbing 2,000 feet to 8,500 feet, with the river burbling beside the road all the way. Perfect for climbers and walkers, there are some extraordinary rock formations. At the top of this road is Estes Park, a great base for exploring the Rocky Mountain National Park (which I intend to do in a week or so).

Local architecture tends to the 'log cabin' style - some houses really are very small log cabins, others are much larger and very elaborate takes on the style, with steeply-pitched roofs, wooden walls, verandahs and patios - all tucked into the landscape.

Heading east, I took a back road to Glen Haven - even twistier, and again following the river - and then through Loveland (a pleasant looking town with a lake in the middle of it!) to the I-25. Back south to the Denver area on cruise control with the local C&W radio station playing at full volume!