The Drive That Started It All-How Colorado Fueled My Love for Travel

There are moments in life that stick in your mind like snapshots, filled with emotion, color, and sound. One of my earliest and fondest travel memories comes from a drive that changed everything. I was just a kid, sitting in the backseat of our family car as we moved to Colorado. My parents were up front, my siblings were next to me, and the radio played a Classic Country station that now feels like the soundtrack of my childhood. As the flat plains turned into the rising Rockies, I felt something shift—not just in the landscape, but within me. The mountains appeared like a promise on the horizon. And that’s exactly what they became. What followed were years of weekends spent exploring Colorado’s trails, peaks, and small towns. With my parents leading the way, we hiked, swam, had picnics, and wandered—and without realizing it, they taught me why we travel. Not for the photos or even just for the destination, but for the connections: to nature, to each other, and to the stories we carry forward. My parents are no longer with us, but their love of adventure still lives in me. It’s in every mountain I climb, every road I take, and every journey I help someone else plan. That drive into Colorado was the beginning of it all. On tough days or wonderfully busy days, I close my eyes and picture that moment—the hum of the road beneath us, the radio playing softly, and the Colorado mountains rising up like an open invitation. That’s the kind of travel I believe in. The kind that stays with you. And that’s the heart of Traciable Travel.