Early last year I spent a little over three months house- and cat-sitting for an old friend at her house in Fort Collins, Colorado. She and her husband were in Arizona. But for about a week, her husband needed to come back to Fort Collins for his work so I took that opportunity to roam around Colorado for a bit.
The first place I wanted to go to was Leadville, partly because it wasn’t terribly far away (I did only have one week, after all) but also because it’s the highest (in altitude) incorporated city in the United States and, you know, why not? It stands at 10,152 feet/3,094 meters.
The area was first settled in 1859 during the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush and Leadville itself was founded in 1877 and it has retained its Old West feel.

Well, mostly. What I noticed was that the upper halves of the buildings had that vibe. The lower half had your typical neon signs, advertisements, cars parked in front and all the trappings of a modern tourist town, the picture above being an exception. So, I’ve decided to show you the town as I chose to see it – looking up.

The town was fun to walk around in. When I was there, the weather was just about perfect. Even the drive up was nice.
I’d never ventured much into the Rockies before. I’d seen them from a distance a time or two (you can hardly help but see them) but had always been driving from somewhere to somewhere so never really took the time to explore. I’m so glad I finally did.

I took the photo above when I got lost and ended up out at the airport! It’s not a great pic, but shows how the mountains go on and on and on….

….and this photo was taken from within the city limits of Leadville. How’s this for a backdrop to your high school baseball game?!

“Breathtaking” hardly describes the sights I saw. These mountains are so grand. I’ve got to go back someday. I feel I’ve barely scratched the surface.