USA - my plans

Traveling to the US primarily to spend time with my daughter and son-in-law, Katy and Chris Martin in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  I plan to do lots of excursions around the Rocky Mountains as well as visiting the Rocky Mountains Quilt Museum in Golden on the outskirts of Denver and also the Houston International Quilt Fair, Houston, Texas.

Golden, Colorado

Situated less than 40 minutes from Denver International Airport (DIA) and often by-passed by visitors to the Colorado ski areas.  It is fall and the aspen trees are in full color.  It is a beautiful time to be in the US.  Golden is a small mining town in the eastern foothills of the Rockies and home of Coors beer - you can smell the hops in the air.  I stayed the night in the Table Top Mountain Inn which was extremely comfortable, well priced and with a great mexican restaurant on site.  Golden is a great option for that first night of arriving in the Denver area prior to accessing the ski slopes, if you are driving yourself.

DIA is probably the best and most organised airport I have been through.  It is extremely large and well laid out with minimum walking and with creative use of a huge area of land, car hire is very easy as they are all located 5 minutes from the terminal building and accessed by their own buses, plus they have a huge range of vehicles.  Book and pay in advance or in less busy times select from their stock on site.

Enjoy your drive through the Rockies - roads are excellent, historical sites and beauty is plentiful - see Idaho Springs and Georgetown for history and Silverthorne for outlet shopping.