Welcome to Leadville, Colorado

Leadville, Colorado ~ Elevation 10,200 ft

Welcome to Leadville, Colorado.  At an elevation of 10,200 feet above sea level, it is the highest incorporated city in the United States.  Incorporated in 1878, Leadville became the focal point of the Colorado Silver Boom in the late 19th century.  The area around Leadville also produced significant gold, lead, zinc and copper.

The mines around Leadville eventually closed, and today the area is becoming a center for outdoor mountain recreation.  Situated high in the Rocky Mountains, the town is a popular stopover for mountain bikers and hikers traversing the nearby Continental Divide Trail.

Leadville is the county seat of Colorado's Lake County.  In fact, it is the only municipality in Lake County!

You Need Pie!

You Need Pie! - Most enticing slogan on a truck?

This should get an award for "Most Enticing Slogan on a Truck."  The truck belongs to the Estes Park Pie Shop & Bakery. It is parked near the busiest intersection in the little town of Estes Park, Colorado.  It is all but impossible to drive through Estes Park without seeing that truck, and the slogan is effective, I can tell you that!  Were it not for that truck, I may never have noticed the little bakery tucked in the corner of a small shopping center, and I might never have sampled their delicious, freshly baked pie.  And that would have been my loss.

Photos: Hoosier Pass and Blue River, Colorado

Colorado State Highway 9 crosses the Continental Divide at Hoosier Pass, elevation 11,539 feet.

Hoosier Pass, Continental Divide, Colorado

A bit north of Hoosier Pass -- but south of Breckenridge -- is a tiny town of fewer than 1,000 residents called Blue River, Colorado.  Here is a photo of the building that serves as Blue River's Town Hall and Municipal Court.

Town Hall at Blue River, Colorado

Sign: Welcome to Estes Park, Colorado

This stone welcome sign is found at the eastern edge of Estes Park, Colorado, along US Highway 34.

Estes Park, Colorado - welcome sign

The town of Estes Park is situated adjacent to the eastern side of Rocky Mountain National Park at an elevation of about 7,500 feet (2,300 meters).

Sign: Jackson Hole, The Last of the Old West

This welcome sign was spotted at the airport at Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - welcome sign

Jackson Hole is in Western Wyoming, at the edge of Grand Teton National Park.  The airport serves visitors to the park and to the nearby town of Jackson, Wyoming.

Photo: Welcome to Winter Park, Colorado

This is the first posting from my collection of photos of welcome signs.

Welcome to Winter Park, Colorado

Winter Park, Colorado is a tiny ski town located at the southern end of Colorado's Fraser Valley, in Grand County. US Highway 40 passes through the town.

As its name implies, Winter Park is snow-covered for about six months of the year.

Sign: Bears frequent this area

I spotted this sign at a campground in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.  Obey the sign or you'll be fined -- unless the bears get you first!

Sign at a campground  in Rocky Mountain National Park