by Susan Tweit
If you’re a wildflower lover as I am, take a trip to Colorado’s High Plains soon. This year’s unusual dose of early monsoon moisture has painted the shortgrass prairie in a vivid array of scarlet, yellow, purple, and magenta wildflowers.
Chose one of the scenic byways that traverse eastern Colorado’s seemingly endless sea of prairie and you’ll be find both glorious spring color and fascinating stories.
Head to southeastern Colorado, for instance, and follow the Santa Fe Trail, either beginning at Trinidad, or at the Kansas border east of Lamar on U.S. Highway 50.
“This byway traces one of the West’s historic commercial routes… When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, the United States gained a new trading partner. (Spain had kept its borders firmly closed to U.S. trade.)