Category: USA

Colorado is one of the most picturesque places to visit in the great U S of A. If you’re a fan of Mother Nature, look no further than this mountainous state! From hikes to concerts to big cities and bright lights, Colorado has it all. Here are our top three picks for a stellar outdoors experience in this American gem. All you need to do is pick up your sweet Transfercar rental from Denver and go exploring!

Pikes Peak America’s Mountain

The best way to connect with Mother Nature during your trip to Colorado is to hike up to Pikes Peak, if you’re feeling fit enough that is! This mountain is the most visited in the entire country and is open the whole year round. Take a hike on the 19-mile Pikes Peak Highway or check out the Barr trail. Lassie and Fido can get in on the fun too, as the entire park is pet friendly, but don’t forget your pooper scooper. Rumour has it that one of the best reasons to visit Pikes Peak is to catch a glimpse of the elusive Big Foot. No, I’m not kidding. There have been several sightings of Big Foot since 1988. You just may be the one to capture him on film (and then sell the images for thousands online!).

Fun Fact: On March 25, 1929, Bill Williams, an average joe from Hondo, Texas spent a gruelling 21 days on the Pikes Peak Highway. His goal?  To push a peanut from the base of the mountain to the summit. With his nose. Apparently he went through 3 pairs of shoes, 12 pairs of gloves and roughly 150 peanuts. Did he achieve his goal? Yes. Did it make the world a better place? Not so much, but it’s still an impressive achievement I must admit!

Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre

The Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre is the ultimate Colorado experience. World renowned as the only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheatre, visitors not only get to groove here but they can also discover the region’s different flora and fauna. The summer concert series brings some of the best acts from all over the country. From Sting and The Beatles, to opera stars and U2, every artist aspires to play on this magical, spiritual and emotional stage. In 2015 you can count on seeing Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Kings of Leon, Led Zeppellin and even Drake vs. Lil’ Wayne! The amphitheatre opened in 1941 and is still going strong today. With 9525 seats this is a great concert venue and not something you should miss on your trip.

But it’s not just a great place to catch a concert. The 868 acres of geological wonders, prairie and old dinosaur stomping grounds is where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains. There are a number of recreational options available to you here at Red Rocks, from  hiking, biking, guided tours, and even shopping and fancy dining for those of you who are more at home in the mall rather than nature!

Fun Fact: On June 10, 1971, a riot involving Jethro Tull, led to a five-year ban of rock concerts at Red Rocks. 1,000 people without tickets arrived at the sold-out show and when police directed the non-paying crowd to an area behind the theater, some of the people attempted to enter the amphitheatre by charging at the police line. Then they began lobbing rocks at the police, and well, the police responded with tear gas that the wind then carried over the hill, into the paying crowd and onto the stage. It all ended in tears so to speak. Since then there haven’t been any more riots. Ah the 70’s! Good times…

Rocky Mountain National Park

You may have heard of the Rocky Mountains?! Of course you have silly, who hasn’t?

Adventure seekers shouldn’t miss out on trekking and hiking at the Rocky Mountain National Park. There are activities for every level of fitness here, so don’t worry if you haven’t been hitting your local Cross Fit gym lately, there’s something here for you. You can go skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, fishing, hunting and horseback riding. But if you want something slower paced then just get your shoes on and go for a walk! The stunning views and spectacular vistas are just begging to be seen. If you’re into animals Rocky Mountain National Park offers a wide variety of wildlife. In the higher alpine areas, you’ll find yellow-bellied marmots and pikas. Larger mammals that inhabit the park include elk, bighorn sheep, black bears, mountain lions, mule deer, and moose. Leave your shotgun at home, ok? This is a no hunting zone!

Fun Fact: The oldest rocks in the park are metamorphic, and estimated at 1.7 billion years old, making them some of the oldest rocks within the National Park System. That’s some old rock! If you know any geology nerds, make sure you save a seat for them in your free rental car as the geological wonders of the Rockies will blow their minds!

Ugh, enough about nature for a minute. Let’s talk about the capital city of Denver. With a population of 2,697,476 people, Denver is Colorado’s largest city and the 22nd most populous city in America. Once you’ve natured-up in the Rockies head into this fabulous city and catch a show at the Opera House or spend some hard-earned cash at the 16th Street Mall, a pedestrian and transit mall that runs along 2km of Denver’s 16th Street! In the summer there are heaps of festivals to watch out for such as The Great American Beer Festival (hello! Glug! Glug!), the Dragon Boat festival in July, and the Moon Festival in September. For foodies, Denver offers the best New Mexican cuisine America has to offer, so pack some Pepto Bismal for the aftermath of spice!

Getting to Colorado is easier now that Transfercar has free rental cars available to you year round. Have you registered yet?

There aren’t many man-made structures in the world that are as iconic as the Golden Gate Bridge. This feat of engineering was constructed over a mere four years from January 5, 1933 to the date of its opening: May 28th, 1937, but the dream of spanning the massive Golden Gate Strait had been long on the minds of men in San Francisco for well over a century they say. Good on ya, boys! However, with big dreams come even bigger consequences: Eleven men died during the construction of this thirty-five million dollar bridge. The cost to construct a new Golden Gate Bridge in this day and age would be approximately $1.2 billion dollars. Well, that’s just kind of insane.

San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge used to be the longest span in the world at 4,200 feet until New York’s Verrazano Narrows Bridge came along in 1964 and stole GGB’s thunder. Not cool, NY! We’re coming for you! The Verrazano is only sixty feet longer, but it too got over-shadowed by another great bridge, the Humber Bridge, in the UK. Reap what you sow my friends. Reap what you sow…

But hey! This isn’t some kind of wacky bridge competition! Everyone knows that size doesn’t really matter, amiright? So, let’s have a look at what makes the Golden Gate Bridge so darn awesome. Sure it’s iconic, but what else do we know about this guy?

The Golden Gate Low-Down

Fun fact: The Golden Gate Bridge is not just a bridge. There’s something for everyone here! For instance, The Bridge Pavilion has a wonder shop with all kinds of bridge-related paraphernalia and historical information of the construction of this beaut. Open from 9-6 everyday, the Pavilion is the first on-site centre that is dedicated to telling the riveting stories of the Gold Gate Bridge. Speaking of riveting, did you know that each tower has 600,000 rivets holding the structure together?! If that’s not riveting, I don’t know what is. But I digress.

Exhibitionists Welcome

Well, more historical exhibitions that is. The rest of you can go to the local nude beaches. With the incredible outdoor exhibits, visitors to the Golden Gate Bridge can learn more about the history, science and the mastery of engineering of the Bridge’s construction through both interactive and stationery exhibits.

Walk Like a San Franciscan

If you’re truly interested in the history of the Golden Gate Bridge, there are free walking Bridge tours offered twice-weekly (Thursdays and Sundays) by San Francisco City Guides, a non-profit organization associated with the San Francisco Public Library. Keep in mind that roller skates, skateboards, electric scooters and wheelbarrows are NOT allowed on the Bridge sidewalks. You just leave that wheelbarrow at home now, Mister.

YUMS

What would a great bridge be without an even better café? Head on into the Bridge Café if you’re looking for a delicious and casual snack that won’t break the bank.

Be an Exploradora

Did you know that both ends of the Bridge touch the Golden Gate National Parks? Picturesque trail and vista points await you and your digital cameras. This is one of the world’s largest national parks located in an urban area. This is not to be missed! And once you’re sick of all the nature head into the San Fran centre for some craft beer and music.

Now it’s time for some super fun Bridge Facts:

1. The Golden Gate Bridge is NOT made from Gold. Nor is it painted a gold colour. It is the bright hue of “International Orange”. Initially the military wanted it be painted in stripes. That’s right. Stripes. This was due to the fear that Navy ships could get trapped in San Fran if the bridge was bombed or collapsed. The Navy pressed for the bridge to be painted in black and yellow stripes. The Army wants a festive hue of red and white. Thankfully neither of them had a say in the outcome! Orange you happy?
2. And speaking of orange the colour of the bridge wasn’t meant to be permanent. Irving Morrow, the consulting architect preferred the vivid hue of burnt red and orange to the more conventional paint choices. That’s just so bad-ass. The perks to the orange are that it’s highly visible in the fog and it complements the natural topography of the surrounding hills. Nice work, Morrow.
3. Chief engineer Joseph Strauss produced the bridge’s original design in 1921. Apparently it was a bit of a mess; a hybrid, quote-unquote upside-down rat trap and Strauss eventually agreed to scrap the design. While it was functional, nothing about “rat-trap” says “stylish” so he swallowed his pride and brought rival engineers onto the project in order to produce a beautiful suspension bridge design.
4. And last, but certainly not least, the Golden Gate Bridge remains the top suicide location in the world. The first of this kind of thing happened in August 1937 and there have been a total of 1500 people who have leapt from this bridge. Surprisingly, more than thirty people have survived the fall. There are currently eleven crisis telephones on the bridge and plans are in the works to build a net under the span to serve as a deterrent.

And there you have it, heaps of wonderful reasons to visit this iconic bridge, except for that last fun fact thank you very much. If you’re looking for a cheap way to get to San Francisco to check this bridge out with your own eyes, get in touch with us and we can hook you up with a free rental car. That’s a feat in itself, don’t you think? Register today and pick up your free rental tomorrow.