I grew up in the Eastern suburbs of Cleveland Ohio but always wished I was living on a farm in the country. My wife died in 1995 and later that year went to Grand Lake Colorado for my stepsons wedding. Grand Lake is right at 8500 feet, up in the Rocky Mountains. Grand Lake at that time had an old west feeling: the main street was dirt with board walks lining the street. Six months later I was living in a, newly built home, in Grand Lake. A 35 minute drive into the Rocky Mountain Park puts me at 13,000 feet -- that time frame is from my house. Life is wonderful!
Denver is a 2 1/2 hour drive with nothing more that sparse mountain living in between. My last trip to Denver was 3 years ago -- the cooler temperature at the higher altitudes dissuades any desire to have a day trip into the hellish heat of Denver during the summer, and the wild snow during the winter, is enough to abort a trip too.
I have one comforter on my bed year round, even when we have an outside temperature of -40 degrees and a blizzard thrown in just for the fun of it. Over night temperatures generally range betwween 45 to 55 degrees during the summer. The next day can have a deep blue sky, the trees leaden with snow and sun giving enough heat to sweat while snow blowing the drive
They did pave the main street through town a few years ago - but the board walks remain.
You couldn't drag me back into the nightmarish city living.