Red Rocks

Red Rocks

Monday, July 13, 2015

Colorado vacation, vacation, vacation...

With Hunter off in Sioux Falls, we had to do the vacation thing without him. We started Sunday 7/5 with an 11 hour road trip (including some torrential thunderstorms) to Ft. Collins Colorado, where we arrived just in time to watch the US women win the World Cup.

Monday morning it was off to Colorado State University and a tour. The boys were impressed by the Recreation Center (huge draw at colleges nowadays) but not as impressed by the school's A&M past, as in this photo:




We also got soaked by another rainstorm. Then we drove to University of Colorado Boulder for their tour. After bragging about the 300 days of sunshine a year we toured the campus in rain and never did see the mountains that normally dominate the campus skyline. Better tour, probably a better school but the distractions would be tough. Biking, hiking, skiing, fishing, etc. when does one do homework? Out of state tuition is not kind, either.


The next morning we ate at Snooze and headed west to Breckenridge.





Rain, rain, rain. We arrived at our rented condo, Tami went with boys to rent mountain bikes and yours truly put away bags, figured out how to grill burgers outside without a grill, and got us ready to watch the US men take on Honduras in the Gold Cup.


Wednesday morning the boys got up early and headed for the slopes. Did I mention it was raining???







Tami and I rode to the top with them one time near the end of the day, so here is a view from the chairlift and another from the top:




They rode hard and got disgustingly dirty but swore it was one of the best days ever. We ate a meal of tomato bisque, squash ravioli, and hot dogs. Yum.

Thursday morning we checked out and took the back road through Keystone where we encountered this youngster:

























We continued to Loveland Pass, where Tami and the boys did some hiking ( the boys making it to the land of Marmots):








We drove into Denver, checked into the Renaissance Hotel in Stapleton, ate Dinner at the Bass Pro Shops restaurant Islamogordo. alligator appetizers, good seafood. after a little shopping we headed for the airport to pick up Alex. Her flight had been diverted around a big storm and so arrived over an hour late. Short term parking was full so we drove around the loop a number of times before we could park. We found her.

The next morning I took Luke, Will, and Alex to one of the Denver Snooze restaurants. long wait ( the big city) but great food. we picked up Tami and headed to the Clyfford Still Museum in downtown. Convenient parking right across the street and inside was a real treat. He is one of the great American abstract painters who happened to be born in Grandin, ND but spent most of his youth and young adulthood in eastern Washington state and Alberta, Canada.






But which was my favorite? Why this one, of course:




Or maybe it was this one:




Then it was off to Red Rocks for the concert Friday night. We were in line by 4:00, gates opened at 6:00, great seats in Row 17, and Lake Street Dive on at 7:30. They were magnificent, incredible musicianship, did suffer a little with the venue which is too big for that style but I loved it.




















After a one hour lightning delay, the headliners The Avett Brothers took the stage and put on a good show. Again, great musicianship and songwriting but not really best suited for the big outdoor ampitheatre:  



We had a safe drive back to the hotel, and called it a day. The next morning we slept in a little and started the trek back home, getting rained on (one last time) in Cheyenne, WY.   Dropped Alex of at home at 1:30 a.m. Sunday, and home with most of Sunday to recover.