Background on Colorado

Connect Four Going from State to the next in One Step

Colorado is nicknamed the Centennial State due to the fact that it became the 38th state to join on August 1st 1876, exactly a hundred years after the Declaration of Independence was originally signed. Colorado also has something called the Four Corners Movement, located in Southwest Colorado if you stand in the middle of the square you can be standing in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico all at the same time. Just taking one step you can cross state lines and be in a completely different state. The average altitude is 6,800 feet while in Texas the average altitude is only about 1,700 feet. With the highest point in Colorado standing at 14,433 feet is Mount Elbert.

Cannonball? No Cannabis Legalizing the drug and other cool facts

It is known to many people that Cannabis, marijuana is legal in Colorado. On November 6, 2012 Amendment 64 was passed allowing recreational use of marijuana starting in 2014 for people age twenty-one years old and up. Which when people think of Colorado, that tends to be the first thing people think of, but Colorado has a lot of other interesting things about the state. Near where I was staying in Grand Junction is the world's largest flat top mountain the Grand Mesa which I got to see in person. Colorado has four National Parks, Rocky Mountain, Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes, and Black Canyon. It is also the only state in history to turn down hosting the Olympics.

Stay Green Save the Turtles

Something I learned pretty quickly while I was in Colorado was that they do use plastic bags at any major known stores, you have to either buy a reusable bag or bring your own bags. As Colorado has a ban on single-use plastic bags which went into affect on January 1st, 2024 as a part of the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act. Something that I completely forgot about was the big difference in elevation, I didn't experience any altitude sickness, but it's better to be prepared then not since it usually impacts a lot of people. I actually was fine the first day there, but when I woke up the next morning I was having horrible head pain that would not go away. Both times I have gone to Colorado I have had this issue but it only last just the one time and I go my entire trip without issues.