Ground Control to Major Tim

Total distance covered: N/A (still in Denver)

We decided to spend another day in Denver as we recover from the monotony of Nebraska.  After sleeping in (and not worrying having to worry about getting an early start), we decided to pay a visit to Red Rocks, located about 15 miles outside of Denver.  Prior to our departure, we did a quick load of wash, which resulted in the demise of my cell phone (R.I.P. sometime in 2006-8/5/09).  We tried vacuuming the excess moisture from the phone as well as placing the phone in a bag of rice (neither worked).  After a brief period of mourning, we set out for Red Rocks.

Eve Note: It was so nice to wake up in a house rather than a motel. Jim and Molly have generously made us feel at home, and we had health food instead of truck stop treats for breakfast. 

Red Rocks is located in Morrison, a small town situated at an even higher altitude than Denver.  As we approached Red Rocks, we could see the huge rock formations from a distance.

We parked the car and set out on foot to see the amphitheater.  The combination of the altitude and series of ascending stairs made the relatively short trek grueling, but the hard work was well worth it.  The view from the top of the park is truly amazing.

After admiring the view from the top, we returned to parking lot and set out on foot down a "1.3 mile" trail.  We hiked on this trail for at least 40 minutes and saw some beautiful sights.  I must have taken at least 50 pictures as we traversed the park and encourage everyone to 

check out the full compliment of photos on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2322392&id=8202674).  Saturated with sweat and eager to see the rest of Denver, we said goodbye to Red Rocks and set out for downtown.     

Eve Note: There were deer and grasshoppers all over the trail. They were clearly used to humans as the hoppers seemed to be flinging themselves at our feet and the deer would simply look at us with the disdain of locals for tourists when they saw us, rather than running away. I love having an opportunity to anthropomorphize things.

We found parking at 17th and Stout and set out to further inspect the giant blue bear (pictured in yesterday's post).  Along the way we walked around the 16th street Mall, a street closed to traffic that features different shops and restaurants.  We grabbed a quick bite to eat and made 

our way the the Colorado Convention Center, home of the giant blue bear.  After snapping some pictures of us harassing this larger than 

life member of the Ursa family, we continued our walking tour of Denver.  We saw the Spire Center for Performing Arts, the Bell Atlantic Telephone and Telegraph building, the Bovine Metropolis (for the study of dance and drama), and a very officious building with elaborate white pillars and stone rams guarding the entrance.  After our tour, we got back in the car and drove to City Park (Denver's version of NYC's Central Park).  This park contains the Denver Zoo and Natural Sciences Building.  Exhausted from out hike and the sun, we headed back to Jim and Molly's.

Eve Note: I love love love that bear.

Tomorrow we make our way over the Rockies heading towards Salt Lake City.