There’s a little bit of Speed Racer in every Coloradan. We can’t help it: The rush of zooming though mountains high and deserts dry is too thrilling to resist. Our easy access to the country’s best scenery demands we do a little heavy-duty accelerating.
Sure, gas prices are intimidating. And, yes, the best escape routes tend to clog up on weekends. But that just means you need to plan your getaways more carefully than before.
So if today’s opening of “Speed Racer” the movie isn’t enough to get you motoring, maybe these six suggested destinations will help you sort out a route. High art, dusty drinking holes, far-flung family fun at the movies — there’s sure to be something here that inspires you. Whatever your speed.
TELLURIDE: The wild bluegrass yonder
Call it the ultimate Colorado road trip. And what a drive it is, winding south and west to the world-famous Telluride Bluegrass Festival.
This year’s festival, June 19-22, will play host to some of the biggest names in bluegrass, as well as alt-country and pop, including Ryan Adams, Bela Fleck, the Swell Season, Tift Merritt, Ricky Skaggs and others. Catch the entire lineup at .
Driving music: It’s a long trek, so you’re gonna need more than one album. Try “Once,” the movie soundtrack featuring the Swell Season; “Demolition,” by Ryan Adams; or Merritt’s “Another Country.” And for a little background: Skaggs’ “Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947.”
CASPER: Brew beyond the border
The drive to Casper is just a little shy of 300 miles, but it feels like a trip into the Old West. Most signs of human life vanish just north of Cheyenne, except for the occasional windswept High Plains outpost.
By the time you reach Casper, Wyoming’s second-largest city, it’s time for a frosty one. The brews come cold and fast at Wonder Bar (256 S. Center St.) and there’s a lengthy, meaty menu perfect for cowpokes just off the trail. Just don’t be too surprised if you hear hoofbeats nearby — one of Wonder Bar’s proudest traditions is serving beers to riders on horseback.
The pitch-black highway makes it wise to spend the night before heading back Colorado way. Look into a room at theIvy House Inn (815 S. Ash St.), a bed and breakfast near downtown Casper.
Driving music: “The Tigers Have Spoken,” by Neko Case. It’s interesting enough to get you through those wide-open spaces.
WESTCLIFFE: All that and a bag of popcorn
After a long day winding your way through Cripple Creek and Victor, over the Royal Gorge and into the sublime beauty of the Wet Mountain Valley, the resilient and imaginative arts community in Westcliffe is happy to welcome you to the bright lights of the Jones Theater (119 Main St.). The community nonprofit runs recent Hollywood movies on weekends, and hosts theater productions and traveling musicians on other nights, in a restored building that used to be an 1880s saloon. Buy a $2 bag of popcorn from the original 1930s lobby machine.
Driving music: Willie Nelson’s “Teatro” project from 1998. Nelson holed up with partners Daniel Lanois, Emmylou Harris and others in an old Mexican movie theater to create a lush Tex-Mex mix and a haunting song cycle of love and loss. Pop this in the CD player, and you may keep cruising all the way to New Mexico.
ESTES PARK: Where all roads lead to steak
Colorado’s greatest attraction will always be Colorado itself. While you wait for the late-May opening of Trail Ridge Road, preview the season with a drive along the Peak-to-Peak Highway from Black Hawk to Estes Park. This easy, slowpoking day drive (take your time and explore Nederland and Allenspark en route) is a perfect prelude to a sundown supper on the porch at Nicky’s Steakhouse in Estes Park (1350 Fall River Road, call 866-464-2597 to let them know you’re coming). The signature Cattleman’s prime rib, slow-roasted in rock salt, is soft, rich and rib-sticking satisfying. And at about $20 a plate you’ll have plenty of green left over to fill up the tank for the drive home.Driving music:Nothing complements a drive through the Rockies better than Beethoven’s grandiose Sixth Symphony, the “Pastoral.”
COLORADO SPRINGS: Race down to The Great Race
Nothing will bring out your inner Speed Racer like the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb, set for July 20. The “race to the clouds” dates to 1916 and is the second-oldest motorsports event in the United States. This is the race that launched the Unser family dynasty.
You may not qualify for the winding, 12-mile race that begins at 9,200 feet and finishes at the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak, but you can fantasize the whole drive down there. The weather is extreme, so dress for sunburn at the bottom of the mountain and freezer burn at the top. Best spot to watch from: Devil’s Playground.
If you’re looking to take in a little local culture an hour south from the big city, catch a show at the cozy Black Sheep (2106 E. Platte Ave.), pop by the true-to-name Independent Records(headquartered there, various locations) or grab a quick bite at the reliably fresh Bhan Thai (1025 N. Academy Blvd.)
Driving music: How about “Radar Love,” by Golden Earring? Or maybe “Mother’s Little Helper,” by the Rolling Stones.
SANTA FE: Where the desert blooms with art
No city in America has more art per square mile than Santa Fe, which boasts at least a dozen art museums, more than 200 art galleries and eight other museums, not to mention a rich, multiethnic cultural history dating back centuries.
And this summer is a particularly good time to visit because of such offerings as SITE Santa Fe’s international biennial of contemporary art, which runs June 22 through Oct. 26, and the city’s annual art fairs, including the annual Indian Market, which typically draws about 100,000 visitors. This year’s installment is set for Aug. 23 and 24 in and around the historic plaza.
Driving music: No music better captures the expansiveness and energy of the American West than Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo.” Try the recording of the ballet by conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony.
John Moore, Ricardo Baca, Michael Booth, John Wenzel, Kathleen St. John, Kyle MacMillan and Tucker Shaw contributed to this report.
