Happiness is losing track of how many times one has visited Colorado. By my estimation, I believe I’ve visited the Centennial State more times than any other place outside of Missouri. (A native of Hannibal, I refuse to count Quincy, Illinois, a.k.a. “America’s Armpit”, because I only went there for their mall and off-track betting.)

Travis Naughton

The first time I can remember visiting Colorado was when I was very young, maybe six or seven years old, back in the late 1970s. My family and I toured the Colorado Springs area on our way to California, taking in attractions such as the popular Seven Falls park and the Royal Gorge bridge. 

That road trip included stops at the Grand Canyon, Disneyland, and the Golden Gate Bridge as well, and it proved to be the only big vacation our family ever took together due to my parents divorcing just a few years later. Maybe that’s why I make family vacations such a priority now.

~ Read the rest in today’s Journal ~