DENVER -- They're called the fourteeners -- mountains more than 14,000 feet above sea level -- and Colorado has more than 50 them. On this one tank trip, you can almost take your sport utility vehicle to the top of one beautiful fourteener -- Mt. Evans.

The road to the top of Mt. Evans is the highest paved highway in the country, but you can't climb a fourteener on an empty stomach. Stop by Kittredge to have a Mount Evans Benedict -- eggs, brie, portobello mushrooms and hollandaise sauce.

It'll cost you $10 to climb Mt. Evans in a car and you can't pick the wildflowers along the way. But if you're an artist like George Bodine, you can capture them by painting. His advice for your trip up the mountain is take your time.

"You know what, this state is so incredible as far as scenery. The slower and closer to the land you get, the more you're going to stop," said Bodine.

You can't go very fast on the stretch of road, which is above timberline, but some people go to extraordinary pains to avoid getting near the side of the road, especially when the shoulder of the road drops down 1,000 feet.

There's always room to pull over to take pictures of the bighorn sheep because you may need that time to handle your nerves or the final mile or two up to the parking lot. The view at the top is breathtaking. On one side, you're looking at South Park, about 15 to 20 miles away. On the other, if you look through the haze, you may be able to see Denver.

The view from 14,127 feet above sea level is breathtaking, literally. If you really want to make it to the very top, that's about another 120 feet up and you will have to do some hiking. For some of us, that's a one tank trip of another kind -- a tank full of oxygen.

Summer storms can close Highway 5, the road to the top of Mt. Evans, and if you're going to the top, bring plenty of water and take your time.

Bill's Trip Notes

The Country Road Cafe in Kittredge is a local treasure. Go up Highway 8 from Morrison, and you'll find it at the west end of Kittredge at 26490 Highway 74. You'll meet locals, fellow tourists, maybe even an artist or two but they all have a common bond. They're hungry!

Mark's solid menu leaves 'em all smiling for three reasons: it's all good food well prepared; it's priced right, and; there's enough of it to provide a decent second meal for all but the most voracious of appetites. Just don't feed the wild animals along the way. It's not good for them to be eating human food and it encourages even the meekest among them to become panhandlers.

Heading up the road we met artist George Brisbane. George is from Ohio, but he has a pretty good take on Colorado scenery. And we found him to be a very pleasant guy to just talk to about what he's seen. He is having a one-man, 40-painting show at the Breckenridge Gallery in Breckenridge in August. George will be there to present his work Saturday, Aug. 2 from 2 to 5 p.m. There's more information at the gallery's Web site Breckenridge-Gallery.com.

Going up the Mt. Evans Scenic and Historic Byway, you'll be traveling along the highest paved road in this country. "What about Trail Ridge Road?" you ask. Trail Ridge is the highest continuous paved road. Mount Evans just ends at the top. Which means that once you get there, and you've had a chance to survey the countryside, you have to drive back down the same terrifying road that brought you there.

Of course, once you're past the scary part, you can stop at the Echo Lake Lodge for what, I'm told, is a killer piece of apple pie. Then, go back down to Idaho Springs and take I-70 back home. The road to Mt. Evans is usually open through mid-September.