So, we arrived in Colorado in the USA yesterday and are both extremely excited to be here! We got some brochures and a map at the tourism office in Denver Airport, got a bite to eat @ a Mexican takeaway and then picked up the rental car and off we went!

We've decided to camp for most of the trip through the Southwest as it'll be cheaper than staying in motels and we'll end up paying $10-$15 a night each, instead of $50! Also, we'll be able to see and stay in places which are a bit off the beaten track and experience some country life. For Wendy, this is a novel experience - she only went camping with her sister and dad when they were kids. And I can't remember the last time I went camping but I think it could have been 4-5 years ago! Anyways, we avoided Denver as it is a huge city and would take us ages to get around, so we headed straight to Colorado Springs which has been in the news lately due to massive forest fires in the region. At the local information office, we got directions to a place called Camping World to buy a tent, sleeping bags and an air mattress (absolutely essential for us Camping Divas). Hopefully, we'll be able to take these with us on the flight to San Francisco, so we can camp in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks.

Wendy had already done some research in Costa Rica and found a place called Arrowhead Point Campground which is about 5miles north of a tiny town called Buena Vista. This, we found out after a couple of hours of continuous driving, is very very high up in the Rocky Mountains! We are at an elevation of at least 10000feet above sea level. Yet again, we managed to get to reception just before closing time and, instead of setting our tent up in the wet and cold night, we decided to "glam" it up and sleep in a rustic cabin so we could get some proper sleep on the first night.

In the morning we drove south, to an even higher altitude, to Cottonwood Lake. There were plenty of folk fishing for trout and we walked partway around the lake, ate leftovers from the day before and had a power nap in the flower-filled meadows overlooking the calm waters. We've both been feeling the effects of altitude sickness: fatigue, heavy head/aches, burning/swollen eyes, mild nausea and difficulty breathing. We'll have to take it easy for the next couple of days but it doesn't help that wherever we go sightseeing, we end up going up and down mountain passes of differing heights - it's like being on a prolonged and extremely high rollercoaster ride!

After our picnic by the lake, we drove back to the campsite to set up our tent. It didn't take long to set up, but I hope and pray that we don't encounter heavy rains because it's only water resistant - not waterproof! We also bought 2 camping chairs - they were only $6 each - how could we resist? The idea is that we will sit on them around the fire and sip a glass or 2 of wine before bedtime. I'm really getting into this camping thing - I hope I'm this optimistic after the first night in the outdoors!

In the afternoon, we drove to the famous ghost town of St Elmo. The Town Hall & Jail has been restored after it was burnt and destroyed by a fire in 2002. St Elmo is one of the most intact ghost towns in the West - the entire town, with a total of 43 buildings, was listed as a historical district in 1979. In 1875, a vein of high-grade silver ore was discovered nearby on Chrysolite Mountain and claimed as Mary Murphy Mine. The town reached its peak in 1881 with a population of 2000, but later the closing down of the railway line, a couple of major fires and the end of mining in the area resulted in a rapid decline of the population. Only 2 families remained until the 1950's. The area now is full of tourists and RTV drivers and a couple of people have opened up shops. Outside one of the stores, we saw dozens of chipmunks (being fed seeds by members of the public) and hummingbirds (sipping sugar water from special feeders hanging outside the storefront)!

The rain starting falling down hard so we escaped and drove down the gravel road lined with silver birch and pine trees until we got to the Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort. Here, we relaxed for a couple of hours, first in the river where the hot thermal underground and ice-cold spring waters blend. Then we moved to a lukewarm swimming pool to do some laps and finally in the steaming hot plunge pool where the water reaches a scalding 103 degrees Fahrenheit. I don't know what that is in Centigrade, but I felt a bit light-headed after spending a few minutes in there.

Dinner was a take-away roast chicken with salad from the local supermarket, which we ate at the campsite on the benches and table in front of our tent. We were too tired to light a fire - it's been a looooooong first day and we've got more places to explore tomorrow! Looking forward to the adventures ahead...

P.s. I have decided to do an animal count in the USA. Unlike Australia, there seem to be more live animals than dead! So, today's animal count is as follows: 2 Kingfishers, 1 deer, dozens of chipmunks and hummingbirds.