They call the color Alfa red, and when it’s on a caravan of sprightly Italian convertibles and coupes, it turns heads and evokes a single question.

“What the heck?”

For members of the Alfa Club of the Rockies on their summer road trip, the answer was easy:  Alfa Romeos — those sports cars made famous in the United States by Dustin Hoffman in the 1967 movie The Graduate. Though these quirky cars have not been marketed here since 1995, they’re easy to spot if you watch for their stylized triangular grilles punctuated by round Alfa logos featuring a red cross and a green serpent.

On this trip, Alfa club members painted a moving mosaic as their vintage red cars (well, one of them was black) snaked along mountain curves under brilliant blue Colorado skies. Borrowing from Italian, they call themselves Alfisti, and they relish the idea of Alfas being reintroduced to the American market, possibly in 2014.

But for now, the caravan’s cars ranged in age from a 1959 Giulietta Spider to a 1991 Spider Veloce.

“Age?” asked Scott Walker, president of the Alfa Club of the Rockies and driver of the ‘59. “What’s age? A state of mind, perhaps. Oh, and some spare parts.” He put together the rambling, three-day, 800-mile journey from Denver to the Western Slope and back. It passed near the mines that supplied some of the uranium for the Manhattan Project (atomic bomb effort) and within an easy side trip of the quarries that yielded marble for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – and so much more of the state that is believed to have prompted Teddy Roosevelt to say, “The scenery bankrupts the English language.”

And so it does. “Get the Alfas out on these roads, and life is better than good,” Walker said. It’s enough to justify, spiritually if not financially, ownership and maintenance of the aging cars.

Driving trips through Colorado don’t require Italian sports cars, of course. Any group of cars – or even one car – will do for this fun route.

Day 1

This trip began with 10 Alfisti from the Denver area and their five Alfas meeting on a Saturday morning about 9 near the Alameda exit on Highway C-470. The temperature was great – 62 degrees – and the mission was clear: Get to Montrose in time for dinner and hotel check-in before dark.

After greetings, and lowering the convertible tops, it was time to hit the road — Highway 285, which climbed steadily past wonderful place names such as Windy Point, Parmalee Gulch, Turkey Creek, Wagon Trail, Pine Junction, Deer Creek and Crow Hill – all before hitting Bailey at 7,732 feet. Then it was on to Kenosha Pass (10,000 feet) for a brief stop. So far, so good – no boil overs, no mechanical problems and oil levels were OK.

The success meant lunch would come as scheduled at the Eddy Line Brew Pub in Buena Vista where riders enjoyed the fruits of the brewer’s labors, and designated drivers looked on in envy. Soon it was time to head south to Poncha Springs, then west on Highway 50.

A winding side trip up Highway 347 led to the headquarters of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Visitors can hike rim trails or even the steep trail down to the Gunnison River (as much as 2,722 feet below the rim) and back. If you’re tempted to try the longer hike, please be advised that the park’s official website warns that poison ivy grows to an astounding five feet near the river; while you’re dodging that, watch out for the plentiful bears which would love to purloin a backpack and eat your lunch. Fortunately for the Alfisti, there was no time for a day-long hike into poison ivy and bear country, so they settled for a brief rest at the rim before heading to dinner and lodging in Montrose.

Day 2

Another beautiful Colorado morning made for a pleasant departure from Montrose, south to Ridgway, and a scenic, 23-mile stretch of Highway 62 over the Dallas Divide (8,970 feet) and to Placerville.  From there, it was on to Vancorum and one of the most striking segments of the journey: Highway 141.  (Be sure to start with a full tank of gas for this beautiful but remote stretch of road.) Anticipation was high for this portion of the trip – the Unaweep Tabeguache Scenic Byway, surely one of the prettiest routes anywhere. The winding two-lane road offers wonderful views of the soft red sandstone formations of the Uncompahgre Plateau and the Dolores River Canyon, and passes Uravan, home to historic uranium mining.

The midday goal was the Gateway Auto Museum, home of an impressive car collection, one of Colorado’s best. The museum (www.gatewayautomuseum.com), an outpost that occupies a Spanish-style building in an oasis along the highway, was established by John S. Hendricks, founder of the Discovery Channel. Its cars date to a 1906 Cadillac Model H Coupe and include such classic names as Pierce-Arrow, Duesenberg, Auburn, Packard – to say nothing of a stunning 1938 Cadillac V-16 Town Sedan and 1960s muscle cars.

After lunch, there were more mountains to climb, wineries to pass and rock formations to admire. The Alfas reconnected with U.S. 50 at Whitewater, then headed to Delta and Hotchkiss. Highway 133 provided more picture-book scenery over McClure Pass (8,755 feet) and to the delightful town of Redstone. An optional side trip leads to the Yule Marble Quarry, which supplied stone for the memorial in Washington.

The Tudor Revival-style Redstone Inn (www.redstoneinn.com) is deservedly on the National Register of Historic Places. Built more than a century ago, it originally was a dormitory – fancy for the time – for miners employed by industrialist John Cleveland Osgood. Over dinner featuring elk chops, mountain trout and more, the Alfisti celebrated their growing friendships and Colorado adventure.

Day 3

Leaving Redstone, the Alfisti headed through the White River National Forest to Carbondale, then to the historic Woody Creek Tavern (www.woodycreektavern.com), whose guests have included the late Hunter S. Thompson and Food Network star Rachael Ray. Over lunch, the Alfisti contemplated a looming challenge: the steep climb to Independence Pass (12,095 feet), the trip’s high point. The Alfas’ performance was as beautiful as the view, and that says a lot.

At the summit, the parked Alfas drew the usual attention from other motorists and their cameras. Soon, though, the highway beckoned.

“It’s all downhill from here,” said Patty Burnett, as she climbed into her ’91. “I think the car will be happy.”

Whether the cars were happy is another story. But the drivers certainly were as they headed past Twin Lakes to Leadville (10,152 feet), America’s highest incorporated city, and on to I-70 for the return to Denver.

Their love affair with Alfas intact, despite a little sunburn, the Alfisti already were planning their next summer outing – from Denver to Santa Fe, N.M.

Other cars may go faster, run smoother and start easier. But they’re not Alfas. The loyalty runs deep. As Alfisti will happily tell you, A-L-F-A really stands for Always Looking For Another.

–Written for AAA Eccompass Magazine