Best Road Trips: From Denver Pt. 1

Settled in the heart of the Rocky Mountain range, Denver is surrounded by countless options for gorgeous and scenic road trips. Although the options are nearly endless, I’ve narrowed it down to a number of spots that are within a few hours of Denver and provide stunning views with plenty to do.

Telluride, CO

Stunning and picturesque, Telluride is about a six-hour drive from Denver and a great weekend destination. Enjoy the views as you traverse from the Foothills just outside of Denver, through the winding roads of the Rockies, and the beauty of the Western slope before settling into the heart of the mountains. The view from downtown Telluride appears as if it is directly out of painting, blending the charm of an old mining town with the prestige of a world-class ski resort. If skiing or snowboarding isn’t of interest, enjoy the breathtaking landscape by snow biking, ice skating, snowmobiling, or even dog sledding. If you find yourself in a town outside of the winter, try one of the many hikes or golf courses in the area or scratch your adventurous itch with off-roading on ATVs, horseback riding, or fly fishing. No matter when you visit, be sure to stroll through the intriguing shops and restaurants in town and look into other year-round offerings such as nearby hot springs and gondola rides to take in the views. 

Aspen, CO

Similar to Telluride, Aspen is a lovely ski resort town settled in the heart of the Rockies but is closer to Denver, only requiring about three and a half hours of driving. In addition to offering many similar experiences and views to other mountain towns, Aspen sets itself apart with the Maroon Bells (a series of distinctively bell-shaped, wine-colored peaks towering 14,000 ft. above elevation) and has hosted the X Games for the last twenty years, bringing elite athletes and spectators to town from around the world. 

Moab, UT

If you’re looking to venture out of Colorado, there are a number of places worth checking out that don’t require a cross-country drive. One of these nearby destinations is Moab, situated just on the other side of the Colorado-Utah border in the Beehive State. Just over five hours from Denver, Moab is the gateway to Utah’s beauty and is highlighted by Arches and Canyonlands National Parks offering some of the best of red rock landscapes in the world. With the Colorado River passing through and the quaintness of its downtown, Moab is a premier destination for anyone looking to escape the city for a weekend. 

Black Hills, SD

Many travelers tend to venture west from Denver but don’t forget about the beautiful north of the Centennial State. Less than six hours from Denver, the Black Hills, and Badlands in western South Dakota combine stunning landscapes with a rich history. Highlighted by Mount Rushmore National Memorial, this region showcases diverse wildlife and mystical landscapes featuring buttes and spires, unlike anything you’ve seen before. Explore caverns and caves, unearth prehistoric fossils, or ride your motorcycle just up the road for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. 

This abbreviated list only showcases a handful of the incredible views and experiences at your fingertips if you’re looking to venture out from Denver for a long weekend or road trip with your favorite travel buddies. 

There is one thing that is always at the top of people’s minds when they go to buy a used car. What has the certain vehicle been through in its life? The best way to find this out is to look at its history report. 

Why is this important? Well, first it can tell prospective buyers if the vehicle has been in an accident. While this type of information is not always displayed based on a few things (if the accident was reported to the correct authorities if the person involved was able to fix the issues themselves, or simply the severity of the accident didn’t reach a certain threshold.) However, a vehicle history report is the best place to find out the story through the different owners. 

There are pretty much the big three when it comes to history reports, Carfax, AutoCheck, and an up-and-coming report company named Bumper. Carfax is the oldest name in the market, but that doesn’t always mean they catch everything. 

You can find links and purchase a vehicle history report by clicking on the button below.

The history of the electric car dates back nearly 200 years, which may be a surprise to some. Certainly, the first model electric cars were far more primitive than their current fully electric passenger car counterparts today, but the last few decades have greatly expanded the capabilities and demand for electric vehicles.

The first model electric vehicles began popping up around Europe in the 1830s with electric locomotives ramping up around the same time. It wasn’t until a couple of decades later in the 19th century that the first full-scale electric vehicles began to take form, eventually expanding in their manufacturing just before the turn of the century. The popularity of electric vehicles grew quickly in the United States at the start of the 20th century as they offered a handful of advantages over their competitors, including the avoidance of requiring gear changes and manual effort to start. The turn of the century saw 40 percent of automobiles being powered by steam, 38 percent by electricity, and 22 percent by gasoline. 

Sales of electric cars peaked in the early 1910s but dwindled in the coming decades due to a lack of power infrastructure and the growing desire for a greater range than that offered by electric cars. Many companies began expanding their experiments and innovations in electric cars throughout the 1960s and in 1971 an electric car received the unique distinction of becoming the first manned vehicle to drive on the Moon. The energy crises of the 1970s and 1980s brought about renewed interest in the perceived independence electric cars had from the fluctuations of the hydrocarbon energy market with a number of companies making battery electric vehicles converted from existing manufactured models. Throughout the 1990s,  consumers in the United States began preferring larger, truck-based vehicles, causing U.S. automakers to adjust their product lines to sport utility vehicles instead of the smaller cars that were preferred in places like Europe and Japan. 

Tesla began the development of its Roadster in 2004 before delivering it to customers in 2008, which introduced the widespread use of lithium-ion battery cells. This sparked increased consumer demand as well as renewed innovation and production efforts by automakers throughout the 2010s and the sales of electric cars continue to expand today. The Tesla Model 3 is the world’s all-time best-selling plug-in electric car. Sales of electric vehicles are at an all-time high and with the improving power infrastructure as well as concerns for the environmental impact of vehicles, they don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.

I didn’t buy my first car until I was 25. I was able to use one of my parents’ old cars throughout college (they usually came to me as they were falling apart and I attempted to extend their life as long as I could before they’d collapse) and I lived in cities with good public transportation following college so it was easier not to have a car. However, around my 25th birthday I moved across the country and was going to need my own vehicle so they time had finally come to dive into the world of car shopping. Not having my own vehicle to test drive others made it challenging but I had friends nearby that graciously offered to shuttle me between dealerships one cloudy Saturday. I scoured used car websites for a couple weeks leading up to the day I was test driving them and saw dozens of cars come and go through the websites. I planned ahead and called the dealerships the day before I was going to test drive the different vehicles to ensure they were still there and mapped out the most efficient route to hit four different dealerships in the span of a few hours. 

I had narrowed down my choices to a handful of different SUVs/crossovers. I looked at a Toyota RAV4, Chevrolet Equinox, Jeep Compass, and Ford Escape, all ranging from 3-8 years old at the time. The experience at each dealership was different in their approach but I was able to drive away from the dealership with my “new” 2013 Ford Escape. Disappointingly, my first ride in my own car was through a torrential rain storm so it wasn’t much of a joyride but I was still excited to have made it through the process and have my own car. 

I was never one for naming my cars, but I decided to call this one Murphy if anyone asked for two reasons. First, it seemed like a simple, reliable vehicle and was a few years older but still pretty steady. This reminded me of my neighbor’s dog when I was a kid, an old golden retriever named Murphy. She was calm and steady, just like my Escape. Second, are you familiar with Murphy’s Law? It states anything that can wrong, will go wrong. Well my vehicle wasn’t a complete lemon, it had a number of issues that kept popping up every time I brought it in for a simple oil change. I finally had to cut my losses and sell the vehicle when I was told I’d have to replace the transmission but I still appreciated everything Murphy had done for me. That vehicle was the first I had to myself and represented a major transition in my life, literally carrying me across the country. I’m glad I reflect on that vehicle with a positive lens, despite the headaches and hits to the bank account Murphy provided. We always remember our first love.

Having older siblings, I missed the excitement of having a “new” car when I turned sixteen. Instead, I got to join the rotation of sharing the car once I was able to drive on my own. Although I didn’t get to experience the freshness of a car that was new to the family, I appreciated knowing what vehicle I had coming my way (two cars actually). When I was coming of age into my driving years, my family had a pair of older Mazda 626’s. The older one was a 1991 white 626 and the other was a 1997 forest green 626. Growing up in Minnesota, they were great little cars to zip around in the summer but became a very different experience in the brutal northern winters. 

The cars were very light and easy to maneuver, which made them nice cars for learning to drive. I remember sitting in a gravel lot with my dad as I put the car into gear and the surprise of an idling engine inching the car forward. It didn’t take me long to get comfortable and I started to enjoy driving. I always liked driving other vehicles like snowmobiles, ATVs, and go-karts and the 626 felt closer to a go-kart than a pickup. I didn’t know much about the specifics of the car like horsepower, torque, or engine details, but I knew the feeling of freedom that access to the car offered me and that was enough. 

Shortly after turning sixteen, the older white Mazda began breaking down on us so we were forced to sell it to a recycler but the little green sedan held on with us for a couple more years. I’ll always have fond memories of those first vehicles and the impact that having access to my own car had on me.