Guidebook highlights a different kind of Colorado vacation

By Kate Schwartz

"Ramble Colorado" is not your typical guide book, and Eric Peterson is not your typical travel guide. As a Colorado native, Peterson sets out to do the unthinkable: dispel the notion that Colorado is a giant ski resort and re-energize the image of the state as a whole.

His travelogue is a unique combination of obscure facts, anecdotes and soundtrack recommendations, culminating in what is best described as a holistic approach to Colorado travel.

"Ramble Colorado" hinges on the theory that the bestway to understand the essence of a community is to look no further than a local market, barber shop, or in Peterson’s case, a bar. Although the travelogue begins with one of the longest bar crawls in history, you soon understand the significance: If you truly want to understand the place, you must understand the people, and where better to make conversation than a bar?

From the eastern plains to the western slopes, from the Wyoming border to the Arizona desert, Peterson will tell you the best places to score a fabulous meal, the strangest landmarks in the area, and the tunes to set the mood. If you are looking for a guide to traditional Colorado travel, this may not be your cup of tea. But for those interested in taking a journey down the longest urban street in Colorado (on foot), and getting to know why rural Trinidad, Colorado, is the sex-change capital of the world, "Ramble Colorado" will not disappoint.

Related Orbitz resources:

• Colorado vacation

Kate Schwartz is a marketing coordinator for Orbitz. When she’s not searching for the best travel deals, she’s out taking advantage of them!  From hiking the Rockies to lounging on the beaches of Barcelona, Kate is always looking for adventure.

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