Taking Denver and Vicinity by Storm.

Without a doubt, the absolute number one, best part of living in the RV and exploring the country is finding out, firsthand, just how much there is to see and experience. Cities and towns, big and small, all have stories to tell. We approach each of our stops without any preconceived notions, with a wide eye, and a determination to see something new and noteworthy. We are discovering America slowly, one city at a time, and Denver, another place never visited before, just knocked our socks off. If I had known that Denver was going to be so amazing, I would have added another 4 days to the stop. Busy, ohh my yes, and I think having our #1 son, Josh, come visit, just made it all that more unforgettable. Josh flew in from Boston to spend about a week with us, and we were on the go the entire time. Admittedly, I’m not fond of a writing style that just mindlessly lists excursions or experiences like a travel brochure; however, for this Denver post, that’s exactly what I need to do to best describe just how much these RV’rs +1 did in Denver and the surrounding area. 

Big Foot Crossing on our way to Pikes Peak

Explored Downtown Denver on a Food Tour

A fabulous food tour combines all the best ingredients:

• Exposure to a mix of restaurants and menus that best illustrate the gastronomic attributes of the city.

• Recommending complimentary libation concoctions that enhance the food selections.

• A tour guide who can lead a group in an orderly fashion through the city streets whilst explaining 125 years of Denver culinary history.

We started by having pizza at Marco’s Coal Fired Pizza and we completed our journey with dessert at the Terminal Bar, located in the restored 1914 Union Station. One of the best 3 hour, 5 stop food tours I’ve ever joined, and we got a real sense of the downtown area.

Denver Food Tour stop at Marco's Coal Fired Pizza

Hung around our amazing campsite in Cherry Creek State Park

This was an absolutely fantastic state park campsite. So far, we have been really impressed with the quality of the site, the space allocated to each site, and the amenities provided by the park. And they’re usually ½ the cost per night when compared to a private RV park. First, Cherry Creek State Park is located in Aurora, which is close enough to Denver, the airport, and even Colorado Springs. Our site was on the far end of the last loop, way out in the 4,200-acre park.  Plenty of room and privacy, and some excellent shade from some well-placed and mature Cottonwood Trees. This was an excellent place to meet up with some extended family living in the Denver area. Yes, as some readers will attest, we have been known to plan camping stops in locations so that we may visit with friends and family.  We spent a very pleasant afternoon eating at our campsite picnic table, enjoying the warm breeze, and catching up with Cousins Deena and Pat.

 

Hanging out at the campsite with Deena & Pat

Took a guided Jeep tour to the top Pikes Peak 

Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. The ultra-prominent 14,115-foot fourteener is located in Pike National Forest, 12 miles west of downtown Colorado Springs. We met our Jeep tour guide in the town of Manitou Springs which lies at the base of the Pikes Peak highway entrance, and before you know it, we were climbing the 8,000 some vertical feet to the top of one of the few 14,000-foot-tall mountains you can drive to. I’ll also add that I was so GLAD not to be driving, and that we were in a very comfortable jeep with a completely retractable roof. It was an amazing trip to the top. The scenery, the views, the rock formations are unlike anything I have ever seen before. I even got a little sensitive to the higher elevations. When you’re up at 14,000 feet of elevation, the air you breath has only about 60% of the oxygen as compared to sea level atmosphere. After years of experience, the National Forest Service has EMTs stationed at the top to aid tourists and guests and administer oxygen, if needed. None of us needed such attention. Josh, as usual, was ALWAYS TOO CLOSE to the edge, for my comfort level. I’ll let the pictures below tell the story of Josh climbing a rocky ledge over a 500-foot crevasse.

Perched Precariously on a ledge at the top of Pikes Peak.

Romantic Moment on Pikes Peak @ "Double Cut" Overlook 

Saw a Concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater

Known simply as Red Rocks, what an amazing open-air amphitheater. After driving about 10 miles towards the mountains from Denver, we followed signs to the parking lot. Following the crowd, we started our pilgrimage towards the enormous red sandstone monolith. We climbed a pedestrian bridge and approached the naturally formed amphitheater, perched between two massive red rock formations that cradle the stage and provide for the amazing acoustic properties. The concert venue holds just about 9,500 people sitting on wood and concrete benches. There really isn’t a bad seat in the house. We were close to the front, approximately 28 rows back, and center stage. What a special night. As we’re sitting there watching the crowd pulse into the amphitheater, Josh lets it be known that this is his first concert! Say what? Yes, come to find out that we were all together as Josh attended his very first concert at Red Rocks, seeing and listening to Glass Animals. Wow! Also, it appeared to us, that the band was as in awe of the red rock amphitheater as we were. The mother of the lead singer of the Glass Animals, Dave Bayley, was in attendance, and he occasionally turned on the house lights to see the entire amphitheater come to life. Of course, like any good venue, a 30-minute traffic jam ensued in the parking lots as concert goers made the mass exodus from the venue. We didn’t care, we were still buzzing from the show.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre to see Glass Animals

Rode Horses into Rocky Mountain National Park 

Riding a horse is a quintessential Colorado experience. Riding a horse in Rocky Mountain National Park is an unparalleled experience. We rode a trail amidst the grandeur of McGregor Mountain, Big Head Mountain, and Deer Horn Mountain, all standing over 10,000 feet above sea level. We went for a two-hour horseback ride being led by our adopted son (not really), Michael. A little back story is probably necessary. Our son, Josh, has been friends with Michael since the earliest days of elementary school. The boys must have played at least 8 years of soccer together, and both are avid skiers / snowboarders. We have spent more than a dozen weekends skiing with Michael over the years, and our families are close. So, we kind of consider Michael as our adopted son, and the same could probably be said for Josh around Michael’s family. For a second summer, Michael is a cowboy wrangler, leading tours on horseback from the National Gateway Stables through Rocky Mountain National Park. (Sounds like a great summer job, doesn’t it?) So, on Michael’s day off, we drove north from Denver to Estes Park, CO, where we met him bright and early for a wonderfully picturesque horseback ride, just the 4 of us. After the ride, we had a picnic lunch at the stables before heading into the very quaint small town of Estes Park. With Michael leading the way we returned to the National Park for more sight-seeing. One stop in particular had us exploring the “Alluvial Fan” and the beautiful cascade of water flowing down through a boulder field. I wish we could have spent more time together, but the day was slipping away, and Josh had to catch an evening flight back to Boston, so we dropped Michael off at the stables and headed back to Denver. 

Our Wrangler Guide, Michael, in Rocky Mountain National Park

Childhood Friends Hanging Out Together on Horses

When planning this Northern Rockies trip, Denver was an inevitable stop for a couple of reasons.  Probably the most important reason was the airport. Denver’s airport is a major hub, offering many direct flight opportunities to the rest of the country. After spending much of our trip in places without major airport connections, this was our first chance to fly non-stop directly to Florida to visit with Judy’s elderly parents. Similarly, we also found easy and convenient non-stop flights from Boston for Josh to fly out for a visit. After so many weeks on the road, Denver offered a chance to visit with friends and family. The geographical reality is that Denver sits on the eastern edge of the Rockies, and by the time we complete our stop here we have completed our Rocky Mountain journey. From now on our driving direction will be east. From here we head toward the great plains states of Kansas and Missouri. We still have another month’s worth of traveling and exploring, so please continue to follow along with us as we tell… the Rest of the Story.