This is part two in a four part series highlighting my 3D Printing #ShapewaysRoadtrip across America. Yesterday, I featured the Shapies of Las Vegas. Today is a recap of my stop in Denver, and my adventures in Chicago and Cincinnati are still in store.

Coming off a great first event, I was excited to meet with the Shapies of Denver. We had a refreshing number of folks from the area respond through our blog comments, and conveniently my point person there felt a local pub would make for the best meeting location. I certainly didn’t argue. If you haven’t ever driven a car through southern Utah and western Colorado, or seen a man on a motorcycle doing such, you must. The ethereal beauty of Moab, UT and the epic ascent through the Rockies is breathtaking.

The Denver crowd was delightfully engaged. A blend of Shop Owners, academics, and designers, specializing in movie props, realistic evolutionary animal skeletons, and gorgeous custom jewelry. They were full of suggestions and were proud of the maker community in Denver, where the first 3D printer brick and mortar store opened six months ago. They were excited for the future and offered up unique and valuable perspectives from the classroom and movie sets. Four and half hours of meetup later, we parted ways with hugs and smiles.

The drive through the Rockies had me entranced and itching for adventure outside the car. Derek, a friendly Denver Shapie and president of the design club at MSU Denver took me around Washington Park with Martini. Distracted by the sun and fun company, I didn’t get on the road until after 5 p.m. Under the cover of a darkness only achieved in the Great Plains, I made the insipid conquest of Nebraska to Omaha, just shy of the Iowa border.

When I arrived at 2:30 a.m. and presented my AAA card, Joe, the night manager, chuckled, “at this time of night, it’s a made up rate anyway darling. Breakfast is supposed to go out at 6 a.m., but I’m about to put it out if you want anything.” I was starving.  After walking Martini, I headed to the buffet to refuel. We settled in for a brief nap before the rest of the 1,000 mile journey to Chicago, the subject of my next post from the road.

Want us to visit your city someday in the future? Let us know in the comments!