Road Trip!: Day 6: From prairies to mountains

Today, drove south from Cheyenne, WY, to Boulder, CO. In distance, this is not far: just 93 miles; an hour and a half. But in geography, geology, and horticulture, they are worlds apart. We left the far-as-the-eye-can-see grasslands and prairie, and arrived in the mountains. Practically the second we crossed into Colorado, the mountains appeared on the horizon. So striking! Boulder was our first stop. This is a lively, colorful, pretty, college town. Their main shopping area is called Pearl St. Mall, and is a four-block, pedestrians-only shopping district. The buildings and architecture are historic; the shops are artistic and eclectic. We had fun wandering there for awhile. We then drove on scenic 119, through Boulder Canyon, to Nederland, a former mining town. The drive was spectacular! We stopped at many nicely-placed pull-outs so we could gape and take pictures. When we weren’t stopped, I had my camera out the window, snapping pictures in every direction. The rocky cliffs were so picturesque. But, just as remarkable were the colors. This is prime time for the aspen trees to change to gold. That sunny gold mixed in with the deep green of the evergreen trees on the mountainsides was just beautiful; really outstanding. Tomorrow: more beautiful northern Colorado scenery. The weather today was a perfect, sunny 67 degrees, and the sky was an impossibly deep blue.