Have to admit, I LOVE Denver Airport. It's exactly how an airport should function, easy to navigate and find whatever is wanted or needed, the loop-train servicing the 3 terminals and central baggage claims runs every 2 minutes, all with excellent hookups and well thought-out connections.
It certainly shows up how 3.world Melbourne's Tullamarine is...hell, they even have a dedicated railway line between the airport and Denver Central
Rental-Central is a few k's west of the airport and right on the freeway with its own on/off ramps....huge parking lots with offices out front, all under tall sodium lamps which continuously fry+sizzle the frantic insect-swarms.
Adding another 2 bods+gear to the traveling party (the kids came up from Florida) something bigger than a Prius was needed. The snow-job doesn't take long...
"You want a tollway-unit, sir? Only $15/ day..."
"You might want to think about changing your choice of vehicle, sir...going into the National Parks, you say?...how about a 4WD, it's been snowing up there for the last few days....only $25 extra/ day"
"You want? You want??"
We'll stick to what was booked, some sort of mini-van with plenty of space in the back for 4 lots of luggage plus all the extras, the esky, lunch, drinks, boots...should've booked a trailer, too, by the looks of it.
"Out to the car lot, people-movers on isle H on your left... pick any vehicle you like, keys are in the console". Easy
There's a nippy breeze out there, the bugs are buzzing above..."she said: snow, right?"
A huge asphalt apron in the middle of the high desert, rows of minivans, 2 people dragging luggage on tiny wheels around...another check on profile depth of the hoops on the Toyota ("rears good, front crap)...another grapple and feel in some black wheelarch ("bugger that one, pretty skinny everywhere") until something black and big is found which sprouts the required profile depth of rubber all round to maybe tackle some snow and sleet up in the mountains.
Another spaceshuttle set of buttons on a 42" display
The next morning shows up a near-new, all-singing, all-swinging, bleeping +beeping, flashing + dashing Kia Sedona (Carnivale in AUS??)... no surprise the hoops felt good while groping around in the dark. In hindsight, it turned out a lucky pick...but half the buttons and switches would still make for a Mars-probe.:???:
Quick stop on the Boulder Turnpike the next morning...the bike-path runs parallel and has fixed-installed service + repair facilities for the hordes of peddlers...all S/S gear, from bike-stands to tire-pumps and a whole bunch of tools/spanners on long s/s cables. Awesome stuff!! :bow:
Pretty spot to repair a flat, too....
Out of the whole 3 weeks... if there was ONE PLACE where the heart really cried out for a motorcycle (and a D/S type bike at that!!)...it'd HAVE to be Colorado.
Just stick around...and you'll agree
3 minutes out of Boulder....
10 minutes out of Boulder...(and on the first bit of gravel)
Chapel-On-The-Rock along the Peak-to-Peak Hwy
Not a bad view over the other side, too...
Quick map: (as it's currently November and many of the roads used are closed for the winter, Gmaps doesn't allow continuous routing loops, therefore maps have to be split)
Part 1 ....about 100miles worth.
Up the Boulder Canyon Drv....the little rt.122 (just above the 119) for some first-dirt...then the Hwy towards Estes Park (bypassing that tourist-trap via Marys Lake)
...
then into the Rocky Mountain Nat. Park!!...
and here....then a cracker gravel road
b through a narrow valley to the highest point of the main tourist road and the Alpine Visitor Center at just on 12.000ft. (3600m) asl.