I do like the Durango area but that is the only part of the Rockies I've been to. For an outdoor life style, they have it all. Costa Rica deserves a look also. There are many Americans already retired there.

One of the men I previously worked with who is retired also, is of Italian ancestry and has been on vacation there a number of times and loves it. He has aquired Italian citizenship and will likely move there in the next year or two. He likes the scenery, the people, the food and the was of life. Reading cycling journals on Crazy Gut On A Bike about touring in Italy, that would be a prime choice.