Arrival in Denver

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The start of a few days getaway in Colorado. Our trip here was prompted by our son’s completion of his Master’s Degree in Music at Colorado State University. As we would be here, Susan and I planned to extend our stay in the state a few days. My only previous trip to Colorado was to Denver in 1982 to attend a conference. Susan had never been to Colorado.

Our United flight from Washington Dulles arrived at 10:10 a.m. Denver is a hub for United and the terminal was very busy. You must make your way to the main terminal for ground transportation. The Budget bus picked us up there to take us to our rental car. All of the car rental company lots are located on the airport exit road. I was surprised how empty the land surrounding the airport is. Denver International Airport opened in 1995, yet there has been next to no development around it. By design? The transportation infrastructure is quite developed, with a dedicated roadway leading to I-70, a tolled bypass, I-470, leading to I-25 and Fort Collins and a passenger rail line leading to downtown Denver. (The latter is quite similar to the rail system linking DFW Airport to Dallas and Fort Worth.)

Our destination was Fort Collins. But first a lunch break at In-N-Out Burger. I like this California fast food chain, but as it does not extend east past Colorado, here was an opportunity. GPS took us there on a most interesting scenic byway. Eschewing I-70 and I-25, we traveled backroads through newly developing suburbs. The topography around Denver is on a flat plain (a part of the High Plains) set at over 5,200 feet (1585 m). The Front Range of the Rocky Mountains is visible in the distance as soon as one leaves the airport. Reunion, Colorado, appears very new, with much of the landscape open. But farms are marked for sale and housing developments are replacing the fields, mesquite and prairie grass. The In-N-Out location is at Thornton, a more established suburb. We arrived at Noon and it was packed!

The entrance to I-25 north to Fort Collins is just as you leave the restaurant. The Front Range stays within sight the whole way. Fort Collins was only 44 miles from here. The highway distance marker gave Cheyenne, Wyoming as 75 miles distant. We were in The West!

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Photos

Front Range
Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. View from Thornton, Colorado.
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Denver International Airport
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Alexander Model A-14 Eaglerock
Alexander Airplane Company Model A-14 Eaglerock NC205Y. The aircraft was built in Colorado Springs in 1930. Displayed at Denver International Airport.
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In-N-Out Burger
In-N-Out Burger, Thornton, Colorado.
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