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IT'S WHERE THE ROCKIES SOAR OVER THE GREAT PLAINS...
A LAND WITH MORE HIGH PEAKS THAN ANY OTHER STATE.
BUT ALSO, TOWERING MOUNTAINS OF SAND
AND A RIVER OF RED ROCKS
THAT LURES MUSIC LOVERS WITH ITS PERFECT SOUND.
IN COLORADO, ATHLETES PUSH THEIR BODIES TO THE LIMITS
IN THEIR QUEST FOR GOLD,
AND OTHERS CLIMB TO HONOR HEROES WHO DIED.
HERE, ENGINEERS SPAN SOME OF AMERICA'S DEEPEST CANYONS,
AND WILD HERDS THRIVE.
FROM ITS ALPINE VALLEYS
TO THE TOPS OF ITS DEADLY BELLS,
IT WAS HERE WHERE A YOUNG POET WAS INSPIRED
TO WRITE ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST PATRIOTIC SONGS.
AERIAL COLORADO TELLS THE STORY OF HOW A TINY MINING TOWN
BECAME ONE OF THE GREATEST CITIES IN THE WEST,
WITH A MILE-HIGH TEAM
THAT'S MADE THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN STATE PROUD.
FROM ITS SKI SLOPES
TO ITS SKIES,
THIS IS WHERE AMERICA COMES TOGETHER
ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE.
THIS IS COLORADO!
IN 1858, A MINER IN GEORGIA NAMED WILLIAM GREEN RUSSELL
HEARD AN INTRIGUING RUMOR THROUGH HIS CHEROKEE WIFE.
MEMBERS OF HER TRIBE HAD FOUND GOLD
IN A REMOTE CREEK IN COLORADO.
RUSSELL AND EIGHT COMPANIONS DECIDED TO SET OUT
AND SEE IF IT WAS TRUE.
ALTHOUGH MANY JOINED THEIR PARTY ALONG THE WAY,
MOST GAVE UP AND RETURNED HOME.
BUT RUSSELL STUCK IT OUT,
AND IN JULY 1858, HE, TOO, STRUCK GOLD.
WORD OF RUSSELL'S FIND SPREAD ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
AND SOON THOUSANDS OF HOPEFUL PROSPECTORS
FLOODED IN TO COLORADO.
MOST OF THEM WERE HEADED TO AN AREA
THAT GEOLOGISTS NOW CALL THE COLORADO MINERAL BELT.
DEEP BELOW THE PEAKS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
LIES A RICH BELT OF ORE-BEARING ROCK,
FULL OF GOLD AND SILVER.
FORMED BY FIERY VOLCANIC FORCES,
THE BELT STRETCHES ACROSS CENTRAL COLORADO
FROM THE NORTHEAST DOWN TO THE SOUTHWEST.
IN THOSE EARLY DAYS,
GETTING THE ORE OUT MEANT DIGGING IT OUT BY HAND
AND LIVING IN CROWDED MINING CAMPS
WITH HUNDREDS OF OTHER ROWDY PROSPECTORS.
THAT'S WHAT LIFE WAS ONCE LIKE
HERE IN THE FORMER MINING TOWN OF TELLURIDE,
WHICH WAS FOUNDED IN 1878 AT THE BASE OF THIS NARROW BOX CANYON.
THESE DAYS, TELLURIDE IS BETTER KNOWN
FOR THE HOMES OF CELEBRITIES
LIKE TOM CRUISE AND RALPH LAUREN.
BUT ONCE THIS TINY TOWN BUSTLED WITH EAGER MINERS,
ENTREPRENEURS,
AND COLORADO'S MOST WANTED.
IN 1889, BUTCH CASSIDY RODE INTO TOWN,
WALKED INTO THE LOCAL SAN MIGUEL VALLEY BANK,
AND PULLED OFF HIS FIRST BANK ROBBERY,
WALKING OUT WITH $24,580 IN CASH,
WHICH WOULD BE WORTH MORE THAN A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS TODAY.
WHEN IT CAME TIME TO MAKE THE MOVIE
BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID,
DIRECTOR GEORGE ROY HILL CHOSE A LOCATION NEARBY
TO SHOOT ONE OF THE FILM'S MOST MEMORABLE SCENES.
LOCOMOTIVES HAVE BEEN PULLING CARS THROUGH THIS CANYON,
SOUTH OF TELLURIDE, SINCE 1882.
TODAY, THE DURANGO AND SILVERTON RAILWAY
CARRIES HISTORY BUFFS AND TOURISTS.
BUT IN BUTCH CASSIDY'S TIME,
IT HAULED GOLD AND SILVER ORE OUT OF COLORADO'S MINERAL BELT.
IN THE 1969 FILM, PAUL NEWMAN AND ROBERT REDFORD
STOP THE TRAIN AND TRY TO BLOW UP ITS SAFE,
BUT BLOW UP THE ENTIRE MAIL CAR BY MISTAKE.
THE MONEY THEY WERE AFTER RAINED DOWN ON THE TRACKS,
JUST AS IT DID FOR MANY OF COLORADO'S SMALL MINING TOWNS
AS THEY RODE TO PROSPERITY ON THE RAILS.
TRAINS FINALLY ARRIVED IN TELLURIDE IN 1890.
AND AS ORE FROM THE TOWN ROLLED OUT, WEALTH ROLLED IN.
A BUILDING BOOM GAVE THE TOWN
A DISTINCTIVE 19th CENTURY MAIN STREET
THAT'S NOW THE VENUE FOR ITS FAMOUS ANNUAL FILM FESTIVAL.
THESE DAYS, THERE'S NO TRAIN TO TELLURIDE,
JUST ONE ROAD
AND THIS SINGLE HIGH-ALTITUDE AIRSTRIP.
THE HEYDAY OF COLORADO'S GOLD RUSH IS LONG GONE.
MANY OF ITS OLD MINING TOWNS WERE ABANDONED
WHEN THE ORE RAN OUT.
BUT ONE HAS BEEN REBORN AS AMERICA'S SKI CAPITAL--
ASPEN.
IT WAS NAMED FOR THE NATIVE TREES
THAT BLANKET THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS.
IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY,
ASPEN HAD THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SILVER MINES IN AMERICA.
AT THE TIME, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT WAS SCOOPING UP
ALL THE SILVER IT COULD GET ITS HANDS ON
FOR ITS NATIONAL RESERVES.
WHEN THAT BUYING SPREE ENDED,
ASPEN'S MINES CLOSED ALMOST OVERNIGHT.
BUT THEN, AN ENTREPRENEUR TURNED THE TOWN'S FORTUNES AROUND
AND TRANSFORMED THIS LITTLE MINING TOWN INTO A SKI RESORT.
ASPEN IS ONE OF MANY SKI RESORTS SCATTERED ACROSS THE ROCKIES,
INCLUDING TELLURIDE, BRECKENRIDGE, VAIL,
COPPER MOUNTAIN, ARAPAHOE BASIN,
AND STEAMBOAT SPRINGS.
BUT ASPEN WAS THE FIRST TO MAKE COLORADO AMERICA'S SKI CAPITAL.
FOUR MAJOR SKI SLOPES BLANKET THE PEAKS AROUND ASPEN.
EVEN IN THE OFF SEASON,
PARAGLIDERS USE THESE SLOPES TO LAUNCH THEMSELVES INTO THE SKIES
AND SOAR OVER THE COLORADO ROCKIES
AND SOME OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE HOMES IN THE WORLD.
ASPEN'S SILVER BOOM HAS BEEN REPLACED BY ONE IN REAL ESTATE,
DRIVEN IN PART BY THE TOWN'S POPULARITY WITH CELEBRITIES.
JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN, AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS NARROW VALLEY,
IS THE 160-ACRE ESTATE OF ACTOR KEVIN COSTNER.
HE'S ONE OF DOZENS OF CELEBRITIES
WHO HAVE CALLED ASPEN HOME OVER THE YEARS.
OTHERS INCLUDE HUNTER S. THOMPSON, GOLDIE HAWN,
AND JACK NICHOLSON.
BUT MANY WHO PASS THROUGH ASPEN
AREN'T HERE TO RUB SHOULDERS WITH HOLLYWOOD STARS
OR HIT THE SLOPES.
THEY COME TO TRY TO CLIMB SOME OF THE MOST DANGEROUS PEAKS
IN THE UNITED STATES.
TOURISTS KNOW THESE TWO DISTINCTIVE BELL-SHAPED PEAKS
AS THE MAROON BELLS.
BUT CLIMBERS KNOW THEY CAN ALSO BE DEADLY.
THEY ARE SOME OF THE MOST PHOTOGRAPHED MOUNTAINS
IN THE WORLD.
THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF HIGH PEAKS IN THE ROCKIES,
BUT MOST WHO SET EYES ON THE BELLS NEVER FORGET THEM.
BUT THE BEAUTY OF THESE PEAKS CAN MASK THEIR DANGER.
CLIMBERS HAVE ONLY TO TAKE ONE STEP ON THESE STEEP SLOPES
TO DISCOVER WHY.
TRAILS CAN GIVE WAY SUDDENLY
AND SEND A CLIMBER TUMBLING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN'S JAGGED FLANKS.
ON THE WAY UP,
A SIGN POSTED BY THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE
WARNS OF THE MOUNTAINS' DANGER--
"THE BEAUTIFUL MAROON BELLS ARE UNBELIEVABLY DECEPTIVE,"
IT SAYS.
"THE ROCK IS LOOSE AND UNSTABLE. IT KILLS WITHOUT WARNING.
THE SNOWFIELDS ARE TREACHEROUS, THE GULLIES, DEATH TRAPS.
ONLY RARELY HAVE THESE MOUNTAINS GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE."
IN 1965, EIGHT PEOPLE DIED ON THE MAROON BELLS
IN FIVE SEPARATE CLIMBING ACCIDENTS--
TRAGEDIES THAT GAVE THE MOUNTAINS THEIR NICKNAME,
"THE DEADLY BELLS."
BUT THIS PART OF COLORADO
HASN'T JUST CLAIMED THE LIVES OF CLIMBERS,
IT'S ALSO BEEN HOLDING ON TO FASCINATING EVIDENCE
OF THE ICE AGE CREATURES
THAT ONCE PROWLED THE COLORADO ROCKIES.
ON OCTOBER 14, 2010, JUST OUTSIDE OF ASPEN,
IN THE VILLAGE OF SNOWMASS, A BULLDOZER OPERATOR,
BUILDING THE NEW ZIEGLER RESERVOIR,
MADE A REMARKABLE DISCOVERY--
THE FOSSILIZED BONES OF A MASTODON.
SCIENTISTS RUSHED IN TO SEE WHAT OTHER PREHISTORIC TREASURES
MIGHT BE BURIED HERE.
OVER 70 DAYS THEY SIFTED THROUGH 7,000 TONS OF DIRT
AND UNEARTHED 4,500 FOSSILS FROM MORE THAN 40 DIFFERENT SPECIES--
A COLUMBIAN MAMMOTH, MUSKRATS, SLOTHS,
HORSES, CAMELS, AND BIRDS--
MAKING IT ONE OF THE GREATEST SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES
IN COLORADO HISTORY.
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO,
THIS FUTURE RESERVOIR WAS THE SITE OF A PREHISTORIC LAKE.
THE ANIMALS WOULD HAVE COME HERE TO DRINK.
BUT WHY THESE CREATURES ALL DIED TOGETHER REMAINS A MYSTERY.
ONE THEORY IS THAT AN EARTHQUAKE
SUDDENLY TURNED THE LAKEBED TO QUICKSAND,
WHICH SWALLOWED THE BEASTS WHOLE.
THOUGH, NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE.
TODAY, THESE MOTOR SCRAPERS ARE THE ONLY GIANT CREATURES
ON THIS ANCIENT LAKE.
AND THE BONES FROM ZIEGLER RESERVOIR
ARE BEING STUDIED BY SCIENTISTS
AT DENVER'S NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE ICE AGE HISTORY OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
WITH SO MANY MOUNTAINS IN THE COLORADO ROCKIES,
IT'S NOT SURPRISING TO FIND EVIDENCE OF UNIQUE DISCOVERIES
BEHIND MANY OF THEM.
WHAT LIES NEAR THE SOURCE OF COLORADO'S TINY CRYSTAL RIVER
IS NO EXCEPTION.
THIS IS THE SITE OF ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE FINDS IN AMERICA--
A VAST BURIED FORTUNE OF SOME OF THE PUREST MARBLE IN THE WORLD.
MINING ENGINEER GEORGE YULE FIRST CAME ACROSS
THIS BED OF STONE IN THE 1870s.
LATER, THE ROCKEFELLERS INVESTED MILLIONS
TO GET THE MARBLE OUT.
WHAT MAKES YULE MARBLE SO SPECIAL
IS THAT IT'S COMPLETELY WHITE,
WITHOUT ANY OF THE STREAKS FOUND IN MOST MARBLES.
THAT'S WHY IT WAS SELECTED TO BUILD THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL
IN WASHINGTON, DC,
AND THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNS AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY.
UNLIKE MOST MARBLE QUARRIES,
THIS ONE LIES ENTIRELY UNDERGROUND.
PILED OUTSIDE ARE BLOCKS WITH FLAWS
THAT WILL BE SOLD AS SCRAP.
IN 2004, YULE MARBLE BECAME COLORADO'S OFFICIAL STATE STONE.
THESE DAYS, MOST OF IT ENDS UP OVERSEAS IN ITALY AND CHINA,
BUT THE FIRST MAJOR PROJECT TO BE BUILT WITH THIS MARBLE
WAS MUCH CLOSER TO HOME--
THE INTERIOR OF THE COLORADO STATE HOUSE.
WHEN COLORADO BECAME A STATE IN 1876,
DENVER WAS CHOSEN AS THE CAPITAL,
SECURING ITS PLACE
AS THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN STATE'S PREMIERE CITY.
BUT DISPUTES OVER THE DESIGN OF ITS NEW STATE HOUSE
DELAYED CONSTRUCTION FOR DECADES.
IT WASN'T UNTIL 1908, MORE THAN 30 YEARS LATER,
THAT THE CAPITOL'S GIANT DOME WAS FINISHED
WITH A COAT OF GOLD LEAF...
A MONUMENT TO COLORADO'S EARLY MINERS
AND THOSE WHO FIRST SETTLED THIS CITY.
SOON AFTER GOLD WAS DISCOVERED AT THE BASE OF THE ROCKIES,
ENTREPRENEURS OPENED A SALOON NEARBY.
THAT TAVERN WAS THE FIRST PERMANENT BUILDING
IN A LITTLE MINING TOWN CALLED DENVER.
OVER THE NEXT 30 YEARS, DENVER MUSHROOMED
AS IT CATERED TO PROSPECTORS ON THEIR WAY TO AND FROM THE MINES.
BY 1890, DENVER HAD A POPULATION OF 107,000
AND WAS THE SECOND LARGEST CITY IN THE WEST,
AFTER SAN FRANCISCO.
ITS FIRST BANK, POST OFFICE AND BOOKSTORE WERE LOCATED HERE
IN LARIMER SQUARE, THAT'S NOW AN UPSCALE SHOPPING AREA.
HIGH ABOVE, DENVER BRISTLES WITH SKYSCRAPERS
AND A DARING NEW BUILDING
THAT WAS DESIGNED TO LAUNCH THE CITY INTO THE FUTURE.
THE DENVER ART MUSEUM WAS FOUNDED IN THE 1890s,
BUT ITS OLDER BUILDING WASN'T QUITE IN KEEPING
WITH ITS GROWING MODERN ART COLLECTION.
SO IN 2000,
IT COMMISSIONED INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED ARCHITECT
DANIEL LIBESKIND
TO DESIGN NEW GALLERIES
THAT WOULD SECURE THE MUSEUM'S RELEVANCE FAR INTO THE FUTURE.
LIBESKIND BASED HIS DESIGN
ON THE THRUSTING, EXTREME ANGLES OF THE ROCKIES
AND CLAD THE NEW MUSEUM IN 9,000 TITANIUM PANELS.
OUTSIDE STANDS THE BIG SWEEP,
A 35-FOOT-HIGH SCULPTURE OF A BROOM AND DUSTPAN
BY ARTISTS CLAES OLDENBURG AND COOSJE VAN BRUGGEN.
THE INFLUENCE OF THE ROCKIES ON DENVER'S MODERN ARCHITECTURE
ISN'T LIMITED TO THIS MUSEUM.
OUTSIDE OF TOWN, A SERIES OF PEAKS APPEARS ON THE HORIZON.
ARCHITECT CURTIS W. FENTRESS
CAME UP WITH THIS MOUNTAIN-INSPIRED DESIGN
FOR THE NEW JEPPERSEN TERMINAL AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
TEFLON-COATED FIBERGLASS NO THICKER THAN A CREDIT CARD
COVERS THIS NOW ICONIC
1.5-MILLION-SQUARE-FOOT TERMINAL.
INSIDE ITS WALLS ARE LINED WITH THE STATE'S OWN YULE MARBLE.
COLORADO'S MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE
CAUGHT THE EYE OF FILMMAKER *** ALLEN IN 1973,
WHEN HE WAS LOOKING FOR A FUTURISTIC BACKDROP
FOR HIS NEW SCIENCE FICTION PARODY, SLEEPER.
HE FOUND IT HERE ON GENESEE MOUNTAIN,
JUST OUTSIDE OF DENVER.
PERCHED IN THE TREES, THIS FUTURISTIC-LOOKING HOUSE
WAS DESIGNED BY ARCHITECT CHARLES DEATON IN THE '60s.
"PEOPLE AREN'T ANGULAR," DEATON EXPLAINED,
"SO WHY SHOULD THEY LIVE IN RECTANGLES?"
IT WAS IN THIS HOUSE
THAT *** ALLEN'S CHARACTER MILES MONROE WAKES UP
AFTER BEING CRYOGENICALLY FROZEN FOR 200 YEARS
AND FINDS HIMSELF WORLDS AWAY FROM HIS FORMER LIFE
IN 20th CENTURY MANHATTAN.
SLEEPER WAS AN INSTANT HIT
AND HAS MADE THIS COLORADO HOUSE FAMOUS.
BUT IT'S NOT ARCHITECTURE OR THE MOVIES
THAT DENVER IS ULTIMATELY MOST FAMOUS FOR.
THAT HONOR GOES TO ITS HOMETOWN TEAM,
HERE AT MILE HIGH.
[WHISTLE BLOWS]
THERE'S A GOOD REASON WHY DENVER'S MILE HIGH STADIUM
HAS BEEN SOLD OUT FOR ALMOST EVERY FOOTBALL GAME
SINCE THE 1970s.
ITS HOME TEAM, THE DENVER BRONCOS,
IS ONE OF MOST SUCCESSFUL IN THE NFL.
THEY'VE WON SIX AFC CHAMPIONSHIPS
AND TWO BACK-TO-BACK SUPER BOWLS,
AND THEY'RE KNOWN TO PLAY BEST ON THEIR HOME TURF,
WHICH IS ONE REASON IT TAKES SUCH A BEATING.
IT'S REPAINTED BEFORE EVERY GAME
IN BRONCOS BLUE, ORANGE AND WHITE.
WHILE MILE HIGH IS GETTING PREPPED, SO, TOO, IS THE TEAM.
JUST OUTSIDE OF DENVER IN ENGLEWOOD
IS THE BRONCOS' CONDITIONING CENTER.
THIS IS WHERE THE TEAM TRAINS BETWEEN GAMES.
LEGENDARY BRONCOS QUARTERBACK JOHN ELWAY PRACTICED HERE
UNTIL 1999, WHEN HE BROUGHT HIS TEAM TO VICTORY ONE LAST TIME
AT SUPER BOWL XXXIII.
THE TEAM HASN'T BROUGHT HOME A TROPHY SINCE,
BUT TODAY, PLAYERS WORK HARD TO CONTINUE ELWAY'S WINNING LEGACY.
IN THE 1990s, DENVER AND ITS SUBURBS, LIKE ENGLEWOOD,
MADE UP ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING
METROPOLITAN AREAS IN AMERICA.
RISING INCOMES, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND HOMEOWNERSHIP
MADE DENVER METRO THE ENVY OF THE NATION...
WHICH MADE WHAT HAPPENED HERE ON APRIL 20, 1999,
IN THE SUBURB OF COLUMBINE, THAT MUCH MORE SHOCKING.
ON THAT MORNING, TWO STUDENTS HERE AT COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL
UNLEASHED A WAVE OF TERROR.
WHEN THEIR HOMEMADE BOMBS FAILED TO DETONATE,
THE TWO HEAVILY ARMED 12th GRADE BOYS GUNNED DOWN 13 PEOPLE
BEFORE TAKING THEIR OWN LIVES.
THE EVENTS OF THAT DAY LED TO A NATIONAL SEARCH FOR ANSWERS
THAT WOULD EXPLAIN THE VIOLENCE.
BUT EVEN AFTER MORE THAN A DECADE,
MANY STILL WONDER HOW COLUMBINE COULD HAVE HAPPENED.
ON THIS FALL SATURDAY,
COLUMBINE LOOKS MUCH LIKE ANY OTHER COLORADO HIGH SCHOOL--
CHEERLEADERS AND THE BAND PREPARE FOR AN UPCOMING GAME.
BUT THE EVENTS OF APRIL 20, 1999,
HAVE NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN.
THE ORIGINAL LIBRARY, WHERE MOST OF THE VIOLENCE TOOK PLACE,
HAS BEEN DEMOLISHED
AND REPLACED BY THE NEW HOPE COLUMBINE MEMORIAL LIBRARY,
BUILT TO HONOR THOSE WHO DIED.
COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL LIES IN WHAT'S CALLED THE FRONT RANGE,
WHERE COLORADO'S ROCKY MOUNTAINS MEET THE GREAT PLAINS.
TO THE EAST, FARMLAND STRETCHES 150 MILES
TO THE STATE'S BORDERS WITH NEBRASKA AND KANSAS.
THIS IS COLORADO'S BREAD BASKET.
MANY THINK OF COLORADO AS THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN STATE,
BUT NEARLY 50% OF IT IS ACTUALLY FARMLAND.
THE STATE'S 36,000 FARMS PRODUCE CASH RECEIPTS IN THE BILLIONS,
PUTTING COLORADO IN THE TOP TEN IN THE NATION
FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ALFALFA HAY, POTATOES AND WOOL.
BUT WHAT'S INTERESTING IN COLORADO
IS SEEING WHAT HAPPENS WHERE THE MOUNTAINS AND THE PLAINS MEET.
ESPECIALLY HERE, IN THE SAN LUIS VALLEY.
THIS VALLEY LIES IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE STATE,
BORDERED BY THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS TO THE EAST.
WITH AN AVERAGE ELEVATION OF 7,500 FEET,
IT'S THE HIGHEST ALPINE VALLEY IN NORTH AMERICA.
OVER MILLENNIA, MOUNTAIN STREAMS HAVE POURED SEDIMENT
INTO THE SAN LUIS VALLEY.
WINDS FROM THE SOUTHWEST
PUSH IT TOWARDS THE SANGRE DE CRISTO RANGE.
BUT WHEN STORM WINDS FROM THE MOUNTAINS PUSH BACK,
THAT SEDIMENT GETS TRAPPED IN THE MIDDLE,
AND PILES INTO THESE TOWERING DUNES
THAT COVER NEARLY 150,000 ACRES.
750 FEET HIGH IN PLACES,
THESE ARE THE TALLEST SAND DUNES IN AMERICA.
AN EARLY EXPLORER DESCRIBED
THE APPEARANCE OF THESE WAVES OF SAND
AS "EXACTLY THAT OF THE SEA IN A STORM."
GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK
IS ONE OF THE MANY SURPRISING SIGHTS THAT APPEAR
WHERE COLORADO'S PLAINS AND MOUNTAINS CONVERGE.
BUT THERE ARE SURPRISING SOUNDS HERE, TOO...
LIKE THOSE THAT REVERBERATE OFF THE WALLS
OF RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATER,
IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE ROCKIES OUTSIDE OF DENVER,
DRAWING THOUSANDS TO ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS OPEN-AIR ARENAS
IN THE WORLD,
THANKS IN PART TO THE BAND U2.
BONO USED THE STUNNING SETTING OF RED ROCKS AS A BACKDROP
FOR U2'S ICONIC VIDEO FOR THE SONG "SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY."
TONIGHT, FANS ARE GATHERING TO HEAR SNOOP DOGG
AND SOUND TRIBE SECTOR 9.
WHAT MAKES RED ROCKS A UNIQUE PERFORMANCE VENUE
IS ITS STUNNING NATURAL ACOUSTICS.
CONCERT HALLS CAN SPEND MILLIONS PERFECTING THEIR SOUND,
BUT THE STEEP ANGLE OF THE ARENA
AND THE WALLS CREATED BY THESE ROCK FORMATIONS
PROVIDE THEIR OWN PERFECT ACOUSTICS NATURALLY,
THANKS TO A STROKE OF GEOLOGIC LUCK
THAT WAS SET INTO MOTION NEARLY 300 MILLION YEARS AGO.
RED ROCKS LIES ALONG A RIVER OF SANDSTONE PEAKS
THAT CONTINUES SOUTH DOWN THE FRONT RANGE.
FIRST THRUST UP BY GEOLOGIC FORCES,
THESE ROCK FORMATIONS WERE THEN SOFTENED
BY MILLIONS OF YEARS OF EROSION.
THEY PASS THROUGH SUBDIVISIONS, GOLF COURSES...
...AND A GARDEN OF THE GODS.
WHEN TWO SURVEYORS MAPPED THIS COLLECTION
OF SANDSTONE PINNACLES BACK IN 1859,
ONE OF THEM THOUGHT IT WOULD BE THE PERFECT SPOT
FOR A BEER GARDEN.
BUT THE OTHER CONSIDERED IT A PLACE WORTHY OF THE DIVINE,
AND SO HE NAMED IT THE GARDEN OF THE GODS.
AND HE WASN'T THE LAST ONE TO FIND GOD ON THE FRONT RANGE.
OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS,
NEARBY COLORADO SPRINGS HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A NATIONAL HUB
OF CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALIST WORSHIP.
HERE MEGA-CHURCHES, NOT MOUNTAINS, RISE FROM THE PLAINS.
OVER 100 RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS CALL THE AREA HOME,
LEADING SOME TO BRAND COLORADO SPRINGS
THE MECCA OF CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIANITY.
ONE OF THE CITY'S MEGA-CHURCHES WAS RECENTLY ROCKED BY SCANDAL.
IT WAS HERE AT THE NEW LIFE CHURCH
THAT PASTOR TED HAGGARD
PREACHED VEHEMENTLY AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY
TO HIS 14,000-MEMBER CONGREGATION.
BUT IN 2006,
HAGGARD ADMITTED TO HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH A MALE ESCORT,
FROM WHOM HE'D ALSO BOUGHT THE DRUG CRYSTAL ***.
FATHER TED RESIGNED FROM NEW LIFE CHURCH
AND ENDED UP SELLING INSURANCE.
RISING ABOVE COLORADO SPRINGS IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE ROCKIES,
ONE SPIRITUAL CENTER STANDS APART...
THE CADET CHAPEL AT THE U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY.
IT'S THE MOST VISITED MANMADE SITE IN COLORADO.
BUDDHIST, JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN SERVICES ARE HELD HERE,
ALL UNDER ONE EXTRAORDINARY ROOF.
THE CHAPEL IS THE CENTERPIECE OF A SLEEK, MODERNIST CAMPUS
DESIGNED AT THE HEIGHT OF THE JET AGE
BY ARCHITECT WALTER NETSCH.
AT ANY GIVEN TIME, UP TO 4,000 CADETS TRAIN HERE
TO BE THE AIR FORCE'S NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS,
AND FIND INSPIRATION IN THE 17 SOARING SPIRES
THAT INVOKE JETS TAKING FLIGHT.
MANY OF THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY'S GRADUATES LAND HERE,
AT NEARBY PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE.
THEY MIGHT EVEN GET A CHANCE TO FLY THIS V-22 OSPREY
TAKING OFF FROM THE BASE.
THIS CONTROVERSIAL NEW AIRCRAFT LIFTS OFF LIKE A HELICOPTER
BUT CAN FLY LIKE A PLANE.
PETERSON IS HOME TO THE HEADQUARTERS
OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND,
WHICH OVERSEES SATELLITE AND CYBER OPERATIONS
FOR THE U.S. MILITARY.
BUT ONCE, MANY OF THE TOP SECRET OPERATIONS
NOW UNDER WAY AT PETERSON
WERE BURIED DEEP INSIDE A NEARBY MOUNTAIN,
BUILT TO WITHSTAND THE IMPACT OF NUCLEAR ATTACK.
A SINGLE RAILCAR WINDS ITS WAY UP COLORADO'S PIKE'S PEAK,
HIGH ABOVE COLORADO SPRINGS.
A REGULAR TRAIN WOULD SLIDE RIGHT DOWN THESE TRACKS,
BUT THIS SWISS-MADE CAR USES A COGWHEEL
TO GRAB HOLD OF TEETH ON THE RAILS
AND RATCHET ITSELF UP.
BY THE TIME IT REACHES THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN,
IT'S THE HIGHEST RAILROAD OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD.
BUT IT WASN'T ALWAYS SO EASY TO GET TO THE TOP OF PIKE'S PEAK.
IN 1893, A POET NAMED KATHERINE LEE BATES
REACHED THE SUMMIT...
ON A MULE.
"WE HIRED A PRAIRIE WAGON," SHE RECALLED,
"BUT NEAR THE TOP, WE HAD TO LEAVE THE WAGON
AND GO THE REST OF THE WAY ON MULES.
I WAS VERY TIRED.
BUT WHEN I SAW THE VIEW, I FELT GREAT JOY.
ALL THE WONDER OF AMERICA SEEMED DISPLAYED THERE,
WITH THE SEA-LIKE EXPANSE."
INSPIRED, BATES WROTE A FEW VERSES
WHICH LATER BECAME THE LYRICS TO "AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL."
CLIMB HIGH IN THE COLORADO ROCKIES,
AND IT'S NOT HARD TO SEE WHY
BATES WAS SO AWESTRUCK BY THE VIEW.
DOWN BELOW, HERDS OF WILD ELK CROSS THE MOUNTAINS
IN THEIR SEARCH FOR FOOD.
THERE ARE MORE OF THESE ANIMALS IN COLORADO
THAN IN ANY OTHER STATE.
LOCAL HUNTERS CALL THE DENSELY TREE-COVERED VALLEYS
WHERE THEY GRAZE "DARK PINE,"
A PERFECT DESCRIPTION OF THIS LANDSCAPE
WHEN SEEN FROM THE AIR.
NEARBY, A LONE MOUNTAIN GOAT SEARCHES FOR ITS FLOCK.
THIS SPECIES IS ONLY FOUND
IN THE WESTERN HALF OF NORTH AMERICA
AND RANGES ALL THE WAY UP TO ALASKA.
BUT NO MATTER HOW HIGH YOU GO IN COLORADO,
THERE'S ONE PLACE YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO SEE FROM UP HERE--
A PLACE THAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS WORKED HARD TO KEEP HIDDEN
FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY.
JUST A FEW MILES FROM PIKES PEAK IS WHAT LOOKS LIKE A MINE SHAFT,
BUT ACTUALLY, IT'S THE ENTRANCE TO ONE
OF AMERICA'S MOST LEGENDARY MILITARY COMMAND CENTERS.
WHEN THE NORTH AMERICAN AEROSPACE DEFENSE COMMAND,
OR NORAD, WAS FIRST FORMED IN 1958,
IT NEEDED A SAFE HOME FROM WHICH IT COULD WATCH THE SKIES
FOR SOVIET MISSILES
AND TAKE A DIRECT HIT IN THE EVENT OF NUCLEAR WAR.
SO MILITARY ENGINEERS CREATED A HIDDEN FORTRESS
CARVED 2,000 FEET INTO THE GRANITE CORE
OF COLORADO'S CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN.
INSIDE, 1,800 PEOPLE ONCE WORKED IN A SERIES OF BUNKERS,
EACH MOUNTED ON SPRINGS
TO ABSORB THE SHOCK OF A POTENTIAL NUCLEAR BLAST.
THEY MONITORED THE SKIES AROUND THE GLOBE
FOR LONG RANGE MISSILES
AND PLAYED ELABORATE COMPUTERIZED WAR GAMES
THAT PREPARED THEM FOR ARMAGEDDON.
BUT A NUCLEAR ATTACK NEVER CAME.
AND IN 2006, ALMOST 50 YEARS AFTER BUILDING IT,
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT PULLED MOST OF NORAD OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN.
THE THREATS TO U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY HAVE SINCE EVOLVED.
A BUNKER DEEP INSIDE THE ROCKIES
ISN'T NECESSARILY THE BEST DEFENSE
AGAINST TODAY'S CYBER ATTACKS, TERRORISTS AND DIRTY BOMBS.
BUT THERE IS ONE PLACE IN COLORADO
THAT'S BEEN DESIGNED TO DEAL
WITH EXACTLY THESE KINDS OF THREATS,
OR AT LEAST THE PEOPLE WHO PERPETRATE THEM.
JUST 30 MILES SOUTH OF CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN LIES ADX FLORENCE,
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S SUPERMAX PRISON.
OPENED IN 1994, THIS IS THE MOST SECURE PRISON IN THE WORLD.
AND THE REASON WHY
IS THAT IT HOLDS 500
OF THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS CRIMINALS.
SUPERMAX HAS BEEN DESIGNED
TO MAKE SURE NO PRISONER WILL EVER ESCAPE,
AND NONE HAVE...
...AT LEAST NOT YET.
INMATES HERE SPEND UP TO 23 HOURS A DAY
IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT--
CONDITIONS ONE PRISONER CALLED "A LIVING TOMB,"
AND A FORMER WARDEN DESCRIBED AS "A CLEAN VERSION OF HELL."
INSIDE THIS FACILITY IS UNABOMBER TED KACZYNSKI,
FBI TURNCOAT ROBERT HANSSEN
AND RAMZI YOUSEF,
THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THE 1993 WORLD TRADE CENTER BOMBING--
A SHOCKING ATTACK THAT KILLED SIX, INJURED 1,000 MORE,
AND FORESHADOWED ONE OF AMERICA'S GREATEST TRAGEDIES...
A TRAGEDY THAT'S BEING REMEMBERED TODAY, NEARBY,
HIGH IN THE COLORADO ROCKIES.
AN ABANDONED RAILROAD LINE CUTS A STEEP PATH
UP COLORADO'S MOUNT MANITOU.
A GROUP OF DETERMINED FIREFIGHTERS
IS FINALLY REACHING THE TOP.
FULLY LOADED WITH OXYGEN TANKS,
THEY'VE CLIMBED MORE THAN 2,000 FEET
IN THE HEAT OF THE BLAZING COLORADO SUN.
BUT THEY'RE NOT HERE TO PUT OUT A FIRE
OR RESCUE AN INJURED HIKER.
THEY'VE COME TO HONOR THEIR COLLEAGUES
WHO DIED CLIMBING THE STAIRS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER
EXACTLY 10 YEARS EARLIER ON 9/11, 2001.
SINCE THERE ARE NO SKYSCRAPERS IN THIS PART OF COLORADO,
THESE FIREFIGHTERS HAVE DECIDED TO HONOR THIS DAY
BY CLIMBING THE MANITOU INCLINE, INSTEAD.
OLD RAILWAY TIES HAVE CREATED THIS MILE-LONG STAIRWAY.
IT'S NOT ONLY A POPULAR PLACE
FOR HIKERS TO TEST THEIR ENDURANCE,
BUT ALSO A FAVORITE TRAINING GROUND
FOR AMERICA'S TOP ATHLETES.
FOR MEMBERS OF THE U.S. WRESTLING,
SPEED SKATING AND VOLLEYBALL TEAMS,
THIS KILLER CLIMB HAS BECOME A RITE OF PASSAGE.
BUT THE BULK OF THEIR CONDITIONING HAPPENS HERE,
JUST DOWN THE HILL,
AT THE U.S. OLYMPIC TRAINING CENTER IN COLORADO SPRINGS.
THIS FACILITY CAN HOUSE MORE THAN 500
TOP ATHLETES AND COACHES AT ANY GIVEN TIME.
GOLD MEDALISTS SWIMMER MICHAEL PHELPS
AND SKATER APOLO OHNO HAVE BOTH TRAINED HERE.
THE FACILITY LIES 6,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL.
ATHLETIC ACTIVITY IS HARDER ON THE BODY IN COLORADO
THAN IT IS AT LOWER ELEVATIONS.
WITH LESS OXYGEN UP HERE, THE HUMAN BODY GOES INTO OVERDRIVE--
MUSCLES WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY AND LUNG CAPACITY EXPANDS.
IT'S THE PERFECT PLACE FOR ATHLETES
TO PUSH THEMSELVES TO THEIR LIMITS.
AND IT'S WHAT MAKES DENVER THE PERFECT PLACE TO HIT A BASEBALL.
AT COORS FIELD IN DENVER, WORKERS ARE BUSY PREPPING
FOR ANOTHER HOME GAME OF THE COLORADO ROCKIES.
SINCE OPENING IN 1995,
COORS FIELD HAS EARNED A REPUTATION AS A HITTER'S PARK.
THANKS TO DENVER'S THIN MOUNTAIN AIR,
A HOME RUN HIT HERE IN THE MILE HIGH CITY,
CAN TRAVEL 9% FARTHER THAN A HOME RUN HIT
AT SEA LEVEL AT YANKEE STADIUM.
BUT THIS ADVANTAGE HASN'T ACTUALLY PAID OFF YET
FOR THE COLORADO ROCKIES.
IN NEARLY 20 YEARS OF PLAY,
THE TEAM HAS NEVER WON A WORLD SERIES.
COORS BOUGHT THE NAMING RIGHTS FOR THIS STADIUM IN 1995.
IT SEEMED LIKE A PERFECT MATCH
FOR THE BEER THAT BRANDS ITSELF AS HAVING A "MILE HIGH TASTE."
BUT IT WASN'T THE ALTITUDE
THAT FIRST DREW GERMAN BREWMASTER ADOLPH COORS
HERE IN 1873--IT WAS THE WATER.
HERE ON THE BANKS OF CLEAR CREEK,
AT THE FOOT OF THE ROCKIES WEST OF DENVER,
COORS FOUND THE PERFECT SPOT FOR A BREWERY.
FIRST SELLING HIS BEER TO THIRSTY MINERS,
HIS BUSINESS GREW.
THE TINY OPERATION HE STARTED
IS NOW THE LARGEST SINGLE-SITE BREWERY IN THE WORLD.
EVERY BOTTLE AND CAN OF COORS IS MADE RIGHT HERE
WITH THE FRESH SNOWMELT OF THE ROCKIES.
THERE'S A REASON THIS IS SOME OF THE BEST WATER IN AMERICA.
FOLLOW GOLDEN'S CLEAR CREEK INTO THE MOUNTAINS AND KEEP CLIMBING
UNTIL YOU REACH THE TOP, AND YOU'LL FIND OUT WHY...
THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE.
THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE CROSSES THE UNITED STATES,
FROM THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF MONTANA
TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF NEW MEXICO.
IN COLORADO, IT FOLLOWS A SERIES OF PEAKS THROUGH THE ROCKIES.
THE TALLEST OF THESE IS ALSO THE TALLEST IN THE STATE--
MOUNT ELBERT.
THIS HIKER, ATTEMPTING THE SUMMIT
OF MOUNT ELBERT'S 14,433-FOOT PEAK,
IS WALKING THE RIDGE THAT LITERALLY SPLITS AMERICA IN TWO.
ANY RAIN OR MELTING SNOW TO HIS LEFT
FLOWS WEST TOWARDS THE PACIFIC,
SUPPLYING WATER TO THIRSTY POPULATIONS IN THE SOUTHWEST.
THE WATER THAT FALLS TO THE RIGHT OF THIS RIDGE
FLOWS EAST TOWARDS THE ATLANTIC,
AND HELPS NOURISH COMMUNITIES AND FARMS FROM COLORADO'S PLAINS
ALL THE WAY TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
A QUARTER OF ALL WATER IN THE U.S.
ORIGINATES HERE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS,
WHICH IS WHY PROTECTING THIS WATERSHED IS SO IMPORTANT.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE MOUNTAINS ALONG THE DIVIDE
ALSO HOLD SOME OF THE RICHEST MINERAL DEPOSITS IN AMERICA.
THE CHALLENGE IS TO GET THOSE MINERALS OUT
WITHOUT POLLUTING THE DRINKING WATER OF MILLIONS.
25 MILES NORTH OF MOUNT ELBERT,
THE CLIMAX MINE STRADDLES THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE.
IT'S ALSO THE LARGEST PRODUCER OF MOLYBDENUM IN THE WORLD.
"MOLY," AS IT'S KNOWN FOR SHORT,
IS A KEY MINERAL USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF STEEL.
TO MINE IT, THIS COMPANY CUTS AWAY THE EARTH UNDER THE ORE
AND THEN, AS THE ROCK ABOVE FALLS AND BREAKS,
GATHERS IT FOR PROCESSING.
INSIDE THIS GIANT DOME,
CHEMICALS ARE USED TO SEPARATE THE VALUABLE MOLYBDENITE
FROM SURROUNDING ROCK.
THE CHEMICAL WASTE IS THEN SENT TO PONDS,
WHICH COVER SEVERAL SQUARE MILES.
BUT UNDERNEATH THESE PONDS,
A CONSTANT STREAM OF GROUNDWATER FLOWS DIRECTLY
TO DENVER'S WATER SYSTEM.
IN ORDER TO KEEP THIS WATER SOURCE PURE,
THESE TAILINGS PONDS HAVE TO BE CAREFULLY DESIGNED AND MANAGED
SO THAT MINING CHEMICALS
DON'T LEACH INTO THE GROUNDWATER BELOW
AND POLLUTE THE WATERSHED OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE.
ON THE EVE OF HALLOWEEN, 1974,
AUTHOR STEPHEN KING AND HIS WIFE CHECKED IN AT THIS HOTEL
IN THE COLORADO ROCKIES.
THE STANLEY HOTEL IN ESTES PARK
ALREADY HAD A REPUTATION AS A VERY CREEPY HOTEL.
FOR YEARS, VISITORS HAD REPORTED
SEEING GHOSTS AND SPIRITS IN THEIR ROOMS,
AND THE HOTEL PIANO PLAYING ITSELF--
ALL PERFECT MATERIAL FOR A MASTER OF THE MACABRE.
INSPIRED BY THE HOTEL AND ITS STORIES,
STEPHEN KING WROTE HIS NOW-FAMOUS TERRIFYING TALE,
THE SHINING.
FOR THE NOVEL, KING TURNED THE STANLEY INTO A FICTIONAL HOTEL
NAMED THE OVERLOOK.
HE EVEN INCLUDED HIS OWN ROOM NUMBER.
ONE OF THE HOTEL'S WORKERS HAD WARNED LITTLE BOY DANNY,
"A BAD THING HAPPENED.
THAT WAS IN ROOM 217,
AND I WANT YOU TO PROMISE ME YOU WON'T GO IN THERE, DANNY.
NOT ALL WINTER.
STEER RIGHT CLEAR."
TODAY'S GUESTS KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR KING'S CHARACTERS--
SPOOKY TWINS AND DEAD LADIES IN BATHTUBS.
THE GHOST OF F.O. STANLEY, THE HOTEL'S FORMER OWNER,
IS ALSO SAID TO WALK THE HALLS.
HAD STEPHEN KING VISITED HERE BACK IN THE 19th CENTURY,
HE MIGHT HAVE FELT RIGHT AT HOME IN THIS VALLEY.
THAT'S BECAUSE HIS BACKGROUND IS SCOTS-IRISH.
BEGINNING IN THE 1870s,
A WAVE OF IMMIGRANTS FROM THE BRITISH ISLES
SETTLED THIS CORNER OF THE ROCKIES.
ONE OF THEM WAS THE EARL OF DUNRAVEN,
AN IRISH NOBLEMAN WITH A PASSION FOR SPORT HUNTING,
WHO BOUGHT MUCH OF THE VALLEY TO CREATE A GAME RESERVE.
DESCENDANTS OF THOSE SETTLERS STILL CELEBRATE THEIR HERITAGE
AND THEIR LOVE OF SPORT RIGHT HERE IN TOWN
AT THE ANNUAL LONGS PEAK
SCOTTISH AND IRISH HIGHLAND FESTIVAL,
THE LARGEST CELTIC EVENT IN THE WEST.
FOR FOUR DAYS MEN AND WOMEN HERE COMPETE
IN A WIDE VARIETY OF GAMES.
BAGPIPE BANDS COME FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY
TO TRY TO IMPRESS A PANEL OF JUDGES FOR TOP PRIZE.
THE COMPETITION HERE IS FIERCE.
THIS GAME, CALLED THE SHEAF TOSS,
HAS BEEN PLAYED SINCE THE MIDDLE AGES.
USING A PITCHFORK,
EACH COMPETITOR HAS TO HURL A 24-POUND BURLAP SACK OVER A BAR,
WHICH MOVES HIGHER AND HIGHER AS THE GAME GOES ON.
THE WINNER THIS YEAR CLEARED 34 FEET.
THE LONGS PEAK FESTIVAL IS NAMED AFTER A NEARBY MOUNTAIN
THAT LIES IN THE HEART OF ONE OF AMERICA'S GREAT NATIONAL PARKS.
RISING MORE THAN 14,200 FEET,
THE SUMMIT OF LONGS PEAK IS OFTEN OBSCURED BY THE CLOUDS.
MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE HAVE DIED
TRYING TO CLIMB IT SINCE THE FIRST ASCENT 1868.
FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES AT THE TOP KILL CLIMBERS.
AND SNOW BLANKETS THE PEAK MOST OF THE YEAR.
WHEN THAT SNOW MELTS,
IT FEEDS SMALL STREAMS THAT FLOW OFF LONGS PEAK
AND THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS.
TOGETHER, THESE WATER COURSES
FORM THE HEADWATERS OF THE COLORADO RIVER,
LONG BEFORE IT FLOWS THROUGH THE GRAND CANYON
AND DOWN TO THE GULF OF MEXICO.
FOR YEARS, ENVIRONMENTALISTS FOUGHT HARD
TO PROTECT THE PARK'S NATURAL RESOURCES.
AND FINALLY, IN 1915, THEY SUCCEEDED,
WHEN PRESIDENT WOODROW WILSON SIGNED LEGISLATION
TO CREATE THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK.
THE PARK COVERS 416 SQUARE MILES.
INSIDE ITS BORDERS ARE 114 PEAKS THAT RISE ABOVE 10,000 FEET.
IT'S THE HIGHEST NATIONAL PARK IN THE U.S.,
WHICH IS WHY THIS ALPINE ECOSYSTEM HAS BEEN CALLED
THE "LAND ABOVE THE TREES."
IT WAS FROM HERE THAT THE COLORADO RIVER
GRADUALLY FORGED A PATH WEST THROUGH THE ROCKIES.
THE RIVER'S WORK HAS BEEN IMPRESSIVE.
GLENWOOD CANYON CUTS RIGHT THROUGH THE STATE,
FROM EAST TO WEST.
IT TOOK MILLIONS OF YEARS
FOR THE COLORADO RIVER TO CARVE OUT THIS CANYON,
SO IMAGINE HAVING TO BUILD A HIGHWAY THROUGH HERE IN JUST 10.
IN THE 1960s, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROPOSED
PLACING INTERSTATE 70 AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CANYON.
ENVIRONMENTALISTS WORRIED THAT IT WOULD DAMAGE THE RIVER
AND FOUGHT BACK.
THE RESULTING CONTROVERSY STALLED THE PROJECT FOR YEARS.
THEN THE FREEWAY'S ENGINEERS CAME UP WITH AN INNOVATIVE
AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SOLUTION.
THE ROADWAYS ARE SUSPENDED ON GIANT CANTILEVERS
OVER THE COLORADO'S BANKS TO PROTECT THE RIVER ITSELF.
BUILDING THE ROAD DECKS ON TOP OF EACH OTHER
LIMITS THE FOOTPRINT ON THE LAND.
AND BLASTING KEY TUNNELS THROUGH THE CANYON'S WALLS
ENSURES THAT THE RIVER'S NATURAL BENDS REMAIN INTACT.
TO KEEP TRAFFIC FROM CLOGGING THIS PRISTINE LANDSCAPE,
THE HIGHWAY'S MAIN TUNNEL IS ARMED
WITH CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY
THAT TRACKS EVERY CAR THAT ENTERS.
IF A VEHICLE DOESN'T EXIT OUT THE OTHER SIDE
EXACTLY WHEN IT SHOULD,
AN ALARM NOTIFIES OFFICIALS THAT THE HIGHWAY MIGHT BE BLOCKED.
CURVING GRACEFULLY AS IT HUGS THE CANYON WALLS,
THE GLENWOOD CANYON HIGHWAY HAS BEEN HAILED
AS A SUCCESSFUL EXAMPLE OF NATURE-FRIENDLY DESIGN,
AND IS NOW CELEBRATED AS THE CROWN JEWEL
OF AMERICA'S INTERSTATE SYSTEM.
IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO BUILD HIGHWAYS THROUGH THE ROCKIES,
SO IMAGINE WHAT IT TAKES TO SUSPEND A ROADWAY ACROSS THEM.
THAT'S WHAT ENGINEERS DID HERE
TO MAKE THE ROYAL GORGE BRIDGE.
THIS WOODEN ROADWAY SOARS
956 FEET ABOVE THE ARKANSAS RIVER.
ITS 150-FOOT TOWERS ARE EMBEDDED IN THE GORGE'S ROCKY CLIFFS.
IT WAS THE HIGHEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE IN THE WORLD
WHEN IT WAS BUILT,
AND IS ONE OF THE SCARIEST FOR THOSE WHO DARE TO CROSS.
BUT WHAT'S SURPRISING ABOUT THIS BRIDGE
IS THAT IT WASN'T EVEN REALLY BUILT FOR TRAFFIC.
IT'S ACTUALLY THE CENTERPIECE OF A THEME PARK,
WITH A BUNGEE RIDE THAT SENDS DAREDEVILS SWINGING OUT
OVER THE GORGE...
...AND A GONDOLA.
THE ROYAL GORGE BRIDGE WAS COMMISSIONED
BY NEARBY CAÑON CITY BACK IN 1929
TO GENERATE TOURISM DOLLARS
AND WAS COMPLETED IN JUST SIX MONTHS.
THERE ARE SO MANY AMAZING FEATS OF ENGINEERING
ALL ACROSS COLORADO,
IT'S EASY TO TAKE SOME OF THEM FOR GRANTED,
LIKE THIS SEEMINGLY SIMPLE ROAD UP MOUNT EVANS.
THE SUMMIT OF THIS MOUNTAIN LIES AT 14,265 FEET,
ATOP A MASS OF FORMER MOLTEN MAGMA.
BUT WHAT'S EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE IS THE 28-MILE ROAD TO GET HERE.
IT TOOK 10 YEARS TO BUILD AND CLIMBS 7,000 FEET.
BY THE TIME IT REACHES THE TOP,
IT'S THE HIGHEST PAVED ROAD IN AMERICA,
LEADING TO ONE OF THE HIGHEST OBSERVATORIES IN THE WORLD,
IN AMERICA'S HIGHEST STATE.
IT WAS THE VIEW FROM THE TOP OF COLORADO'S PEAKS
THAT INSPIRED JOHN DENVER
TO WRITE HIS FAMOUS "ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH,"
A SONG THAT'S INSPIRED THOUSANDS TO COME TO COLORADO,
WHERE AMERICA'S GREAT MOUNTAINS MEET ITS GREAT PLAINS,
WHERE GOLD AND SILVER ONCE RODE THE RAILS...
...AND THRILL-SEEKERS HIT THE SKIES.
THIS IS THE LAND OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH.
THIS IS COLORADO!