My squad is currently only Level 11, so it's not yet ready to face Liberty Buchanan. So, I'm trying to reach Denver to see Valor Buchanan (Level 9). I've tried every single road that heads north (i.e., due north, northeast, northwest) and indirect routes south hoping they will turn north eventually. No luck.

So how do I get to Denver without running into Liberty?

My impression is that you're not supposed to, and that it's one of those mandatory "meet the big bad" encounters where you just have to accept that you're not yet ready to fight them. Or maybe it's possible? I had the option to do so, but I figured it would indeed end with my Rangers bring turned into a fine, red mist. Because a game can always chuck out more points than I have.