American Highway allows KNLS listeners to travel America's back roads, highways, and byways.  You'll find some of this nation's most interesting people, places and events in the transcript below.

Traveling Through Southern Colorado

Travel through southern Colorado and you can see some of the most diverse terrain the American highway has to offer. From grass covered plains to snow capped mountains, lush river valleys to high desert, Colorado has it all.

Our trip begins in southeast Colorado at the Spanish flavored town of Pueblo. Located 110 miles south of Denver, along the front-range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, lies the town of Pueblo. Evoking all the characteristics of the American Southwest with its plains, rivers, mountains and culture, Pueblo has both a modern and historic charm.

Like the popular chile peppers grown in the surrounding fields, Pueblo itself is flavorful. The city offers a unique cultural diversity that produces great food, unique shopping, fine arts and various cultural opportunities. Museums range from El Pueblo Museum, a division of the Colorado Historical Society that focuses on the history of the area, to a memorial museum featuring more than 26 historical military aircraft. The Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center features art exhibits, a theater, a children’s museum and an outdoor summer concert series.

Downtown, the Union Avenue Historic District is a perfect place to shop while viewing where history left its mark. A restored train depot and the Pueblo Art Guild and Gallery find their home on this splendid street.

Also running through downtown Pueblo is the 26-acre Historic Arkansas Riverwalk. Lined with pedestrian pathways and bike paths that lead to beautiful Lake Pueblo, visitors can spend the day perusing numerous shops, taking a riverboat cruise or gliding along the river in a pedal boat. Paintings along the Arkansas River Levee make up the "World’s Largest Mural," according to the Guiness Book of World Records.

Every year, during the fourth weekend of September when the chiles have turned ripe and red, Pueblo celebrates its heritage with the Chile and Frijoles Festival. Now in its sixth year, this event attracts over 20,000 people annually. The harvest celebration includes authentic food, an historical market and live entertainment consisting of more than 100 regional artists, jugglers, mariachi bands and Native American and Hispanic dancers. Don’t miss the tortilla toss, bean-spitting competition or the fiery chile cookoff!

Heading west from Pueblo, along Highway 96 toward the majestic Wet Mountain Wilderness and Sangre de Cristo Range, the 103-mile Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway carries visitors along a route once traveled by Frontier explorers. Winding its way from Pueblo, the Byway passes a vast array of surviving high-country homesteads, wilderness, valleys, and mountain ranges. The views through Hardscabble Canyon are incomparable, while the ghost town of Rosita and the historic mining and railroad towns of Silver Cliff and Westcliffe provide doorways to the past.

In south central Colorado at the base of Pikes Peak, or "America’s Mountain," lies the historic town of Manitou Springs. Once an area considered by Native Americans to be a holy residence of great gods and spirits, modern Manitou Springs has retained its mystical aura, making the quaint, little town a visitor’s dream come true. Manitou Springs has long been known for its abundance of natural springs. The pure water originates from snowmelt off the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak and other surrounding mountains. As it travels through rock fractures and limestone caverns, it is heated and mineralized before bubbling to the surface in Manitou Springs. For the Native American, the bubbling water represented the breath of the Great Spirit or "Manitou," after which the city is named. Today, Manitou Springs has 26 bubbling natural springs, nine of which are approved as drinking water. All of the natural springs are free to the public and maps of the springs are available for those who want to undertake a walking tour, or "springabout."

During the 1800s, Manitou was known as an exclusive health spa and resort because of the natural springs. By 1873, the town was blossoming with elegant hotels, Victorian homes, Queen Anne cottages and a thriving business district (now the historic town center). Travelers not only came for the elite status and healing power of the water, but for the views—containing such breathtaking beauty as to inspire Katherine Lee Bates to pen "America the Beautiful." Today, Manitou Springs is one of the largest National Historic Districts west of the Mississippi.

Pikes Peak and the Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway Named for Lt. Zebulon Pike, who never actually made it to the top, Pikes Peak seems insurmountable at first glimpse. Today the easiest way to get to the top of the 14,110-foot peak for a view of the "beautiful, spacious skies, amber waves of grain, purple mountain majesties, and fruited plain," is to drive. Visitors can make a more leisurely ascent with a ride on the Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway. The three-hour trip on the highest rack railway in the world is a treat not to be missed. Operating April through November of every year, it allows for a sightseeing climb unlike any other.

For a glimpse into the past to see how the natives of this land once lived, visit the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. More than 40 rooms, including a ceremonial kiva, lookout tower and sleeping quarters are available for exploration.

The Cave of the Winds is the oldest attraction in this region. Tours allow a peek into the true geological wonders of Colorado through beautiful and colorful cavern rooms. Spacious chambers and paved pathways make the "Discovery Tour" a treat for the entire family. Try a historical perspective via lighted lanterns, or for the very adventurous, explore a wild cave with an experienced caver.

Our trip through southern Colorado takes us next to the Durango area. A 500-mile, recreational trail created through the efforts of thousands of volunteers stretches across the Rocky Mountains through fields of wildflowers and along the water’s edge of serene lakes and running rivers. It is known as The Colorado Trail. Accessible by foot or mountain bike, this recreational trail allows exploration of some of Colorado’s most stunning and uninhabited mountainous areas.

The Colorado Trail connects Durango, located in the southwest portion of the state, to the centrally located capital city of Denver. Its diverse landscape, varied terrain and tremendous changes in altitude make it a challenging adventure. The trail covers eight mountain ranges, seven national forests, six wilderness areas and five river systems. The trail winds through serene valleys and rugged peaks, all the while twisting and turning through some of the most beautiful open spaces in the state, and earning it the accreditation of being one of the top ten long trails in the United States.

Hard-core backcountry adventurers can pack up and hike the entire trail over a 6-8 week period. For those with less time to spare or little experience, trekking programs are also offered. Sponsored by The Colorado Trail Foundation, supported trek programs include all the planning, carrying, and cooking. These programs are available for as short as a week to the full seven-week trek across the entire 500 miles. In addition, storytelling, painting, and wildflower identification workshops are offered each summer. Each weeklong course takes place at the headquarters in southwest Colorado near Lake City. Set among the breathtaking mountains of the San Juan National Forest, the sessions include daily classroom lessons, hikes and excursions.

Vacationers can also experience the backcountry as a volunteer. Volunteers from all over the world come to donate time for The Colorado Trail. Volunteers camp along the trail at various points and work for a week or a weekend from mid-June through August each summer, repairing damage, improving the tread and building new routes from the South Platte River near Denver to the San Juan Mountains in Durango. There are a few free days in the week for exploring the area too, whether it be hiking, biking or fishing.

For more information on southern Colorado, visit the State Tourism website.  

(Story courtesy of Colorado State Tourism office.)

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