Colorado is the only state we traversed so far where we said to each other, "We could live here." Well, except maybe for winter. But we weren't here in winter - we entered the state at the beginning of autumn. After the beautiful but dry desert of Utah & Arizona, we entered a lush land of blue mountains, yellow aspens, gently flowing brooks and tall green trees.
We entered Colorado from Four Corners, and immediately noticed the green trees and flowing water. We only drove 40 miles, and stayed overnight in Cortez. From there the next day, we began to climb through forested mountain slopes. The landscape quickly turned to alpine heights of breathtaking beauty.
We stayed overnight at a lovely Airbnb in Delta, CO. On the way in, the towns nearby were kind of industrial, but we were near a small but charming downtown with a nice Italian restaurant and an Art Deco-style "Egyptian" theater a few blocks from our place.
The next morning we drove to Aspen. Another lovely drive in the heart of the Rockies.
Paul had been to Aspen over 40 years ago. He flew out from Chicago to hike in the White River National Forest. He went with a backpack, stayed in a $60/night motel, and hiked solo for 12 days. When he returned to Aspen, he attended the music festival downtown. There were lots of food trucks. He has fond memories of the trip, and wanted to return. The town of Aspen was much different from the town he remembered. We paid over $300/night for a kind of small-ish room in a "resort" which was more of a motel/hostel. The town itself was extraordinarily expensive. There were no motels, and no food trucks.
The next morning, we took the gondola up Mount Aspen. Paul says, the mountains are the same. It was beautiful. We ate ramen in a cafe at the top and admired the view.