The USA has such diverse climates and several years ago in the month of June we decided to visit where the masses of UK visitors do not venture - Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota. Our journey from Manchester to Denver via Atlanta went smoothly and we stayed at Denver airport for one night before picking up our car the following day.

Leaving Denver our first stop was two nights at The Baldpate Inn, a classic mountain lodge located near Lily Lake at the entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park. The hotel has the world’s largest key collection in a dedicated room which we found very interesting. Humming birds are plentiful as the owners feed them. Snow covered peaks are mirrored in the still waters of the lake. The scenery in this area is truly spectatcular with classic views of mountains, valleys and tundra.

We left Colorado for Wyoming where we visited Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming, which was founded by the US Army to protect Union Pacific Railroad against Sioux Indian attacks. Travelling north we stayed in Rapid City and visited the four Presidents at Mount Rushmore. This is a pilgrimage for the American people and truly worth a visit. Nearby is the Crazy Horse Memorial which is also carved from living rock. This monument was started in 1982 and when completed it will be 564 feet in height and 640 feet in length and will be the largest statue in the world.

Our journey continues in the next issue...