Monday, February 21, 2022

Colorado Front Range Favorites with Friends

 


As I mentioned in my last blog post, we had friends visiting and staying at our home last weekend.  They flew in from Pennsylvania on Saturday, and we caught up after many years of not seeing each other. I went to high school and nursing school with my friend Pat in Brooklyn, New York, and was part of her wedding party, so we go back a long time! She and her husband Dennis now live in a suburb of Philadelphia. They flew out to Colorado to go skiing in Steamboat Springs, Colorado but wanted to adjust to the altitude at our elevation for a few days and it was the perfect time to catch up with us!




We live only minutes away from Red Rocks Amphitheater, so it is always a place we bring visitors. Since moving to Colorado we've attended many concerts at Red Rocks, one of which you can read about here,  It is a magnificent outdoor music venue!  It was built into the natural formation of rocks along the foothills of Morrison, Colorado, in the years 1936- 42 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, which you can read more about in this post.   We visited the amphitheater's indoor museum and reminisced about the many musical groups that have performed there over the years.  The list grows longer every year!





The city of Denver, Colorado, can be seen in the distance from Red Rocks Amphitheater.  Even though it is situated on the relatively flat prairie, twelve miles (19 km) from the foothills, it is a mile high (5280 feet or 1609.344 meters) above sea level! 






Pat and Dennis standing in front of the northernmost red rock of the amphitheater, called "Creation Rock."


More views of the interesting red rock formations around the area.



We then drove over to the nearby town of Golden, Colorado.




Golden is a picturesque town with many shops and restaurants,




It is also home to the Colorado School of Mines, which is a top-rated science, engineering, and research public university.  In the past my husband and I visited the interesting geology museum located at the school--you can read about that here.



Golden is also the location of the Coors Brewery!  This is a statue of the founder, Adolph Coors, Sr., and a plaque about him on the main street of Golden, Washington Ave.  Please click on the photo collage to enlarge the photo to read the plaque, and to see a view of the brewery from Lookout Mountain.  Unfortunately, the wonderful Coors Brewery Tour was not being conducted during our friend's visit. The website said it was being upgraded.  My husband and I have brought many a visitor to the tour.  You can see a blog post I wrote about the tour on this link.



We walked along Clear Creek in Golden for a bit.  It was one of the first places gold nuggets were found and the location of the most intense early mining activity during the Colorado Gold Rush of 1859.





Our next destination was a drive up Lookout Mountain in Golden!  It is a winding, switchback drive up and up to its summit at 7,377 feet (2,249 m).  I blogged once about driving up during a snowstorm--here.  




The views from the top are beautiful!

This view is looking northeast, where North Table Mountain can be seen, as well as the suburbs of Golden.  We once climbed to the top of North Table Mountain which you can see on this blog post.




This view is direct east with Denver, Colorado, in the distance





This view is looking west at some of the Rocky Mountains in the distance.





Buffalo Bill's grave is located at the very top of Lookout Mountain. If you enlarge this photo by clicking on it two times you can read the plaque that tells the story of why Buffalo Bill is buried here.  We did not walk up to see his grave, as there was a lot of snow on the path, but if your read this post, it will tell you more about Buffalo Bill Cody and show his gravesite.





We drove down the west side of Lookout Mountain and continued west at bit on the Lariat Loop Scenic Byway




At one point, traffic came to a full stop to allow a herd of elk to cross the street.  They all took their time and the head of the herd, a big bull, looked like he had been in many a battle during the rut, as his antlers were broken.





As we passed through Evergreen we could see the large lake was frozen and we saw ice skaters and ice fishermen who had set up their tent on the ice to fish.




When we returned to our community, we stopped to show our friends what remains of the Bradford Perley House.  The first occupant, Robert Boyles Bradford, built this house in 1860 and set up the Bradford Wagon Toll Road to convey miners and settlers from Denver, first to "Bradford City" and then into the foothills to what is present-day Conifer, and then to the mining camps in the mountains, to Tarryall, Fairplay, Leadville and eventually to Breckenridge.  You can read more about Bradford and see more photos of the house, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places, on this blog link.

It was a very full, fun day and we returned to our house to watch the Superbowl! We had some dips and crudites and chips, and then for dinner during halftime we had an Italian-style feast of eggplant parmigiana, sausage and meatballs, chicken cutlets, and a salad that I had prepared ahead of time.  

In my next post, I'll show you more favorite and beautiful places we visited the next day with some more surprise wildlife that we encountered.

In the meantime, you can also find me on

I'm linking this post to some of the following blog events:

 Mosaic MondayBlue Monday, Through My Lens MondayHearth, and Soul Link PartyYou Are the Star Blog Hop, Inspire Me MondayHome Matters Linky Party,  Good Random FunNature NotesGrand SocialTravel Photos, Travel TuesdayHappiness Is Homemade, Our World TuesdayRuby TuesdayTuesday's TreasuresTuesdays With A Twist, Wordless Wednesday on a TuesdayWordless WednesdayOh My Heartsie Girl's Wonderful Wednesday, Wednesday My Corner of the WorldWonderful WednesdaySigns2 Little Things ThursdayThankful Thursday,  Thursday Encouraging Hearts and Home,  Thursday Thinking Out Loud, Thursday Favorite ThingsFriendship FridaysA Morning Cup of JoeFriday Features Linky Party, Skywatch FridayWeekend Roundup,  Pink SaturdaySaturday SparksSaturday CrittersSunday on Silverado

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34 comments:

Gillena Cox said...

Awesome pics. Happy Monday. I am at #7 of the linky

Much love...

eileeninmd said...

Hello,
You are a wonderful host, what a great tour. Beautiful scenes and photos.
Take care, enjoy your day and week ahead.

Life Of 2 Snowbirds said...

Looks like you had a great time with your friends. And you even had a herd of elk crossing the street in front of you! What a great memory to make together!!

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

It looks like you and your friends had a wonderful, beautiful day. I would love to go to a concert there!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

You have an amazing place to show off when someone comes to visit! WOW! Love the snow covered mts and the herd of Elk. What beautiful weather you had to drive around!

Pat said...

Thanks for documenting our visit so well. I’ll spend some time reading the links to the sites. We visited. Thanks again to you and Vinny for being great your guides and sharing your love of your new area.

Pat said...

Thanks for documenting our visit so well. I’ll spend some time reading the links to the sites we visited. Thanks to you and Vinny for being great tour guides and sharing your love of your new area

Barbara Rogers said...

Loved the virtual tour...reminded me of my 05 visit in Aug...there wasn't any snow of course. I went through Red Rocks and Golden quickly, then up another mountain, one of the 14s...and took my poor rental car through the Rocky Mountain National park...it was a wonderful week. No skiing though! Can't wait till your next post!

Veronica Lee said...

Looks like you had a fantastic time with your friends.

Such wonderful memories to make together!!

Happy Monday, Pat!

Handmade in Israel said...

What fabulous scenery! You took your friends to some amazing places. The super Bowl dinner sounds good too :)

Lydia C. Lee said...

I think I say this every time but that road with the mountains is a stunning shot!Not a bad view if stuck in traffic!

Joanne said...

That sounds like such a lovely day with friends. You saw so many wonderful sights together.

stevebethere said...

What a fab post I enjoyed all the pics too and the smiles

Have a rangetastic week 👍

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

There is lots to see and do in your neck of the woods. I always loved the town of Golden. I've done the Coors brewery tour six or so times.

Hena Tayeb said...

Oh my.. looks like such a wonderful trip. Great photos.

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

Getting together with friends is one of the great joys in life

William Kendall said...

Wonderful shots!

Jeanie said...

Wow! You know how to show your friends a wonderful time! Were they blown away by the elk crossing? I would be! I've been to Red Rocks for a concert -- it's a fabulous place; I didn't realize you were so close. And Golden looks charming. You have such a beautiful state -- I know you had a wonderful time.

Janice said...

As my BFF from childhood once noted longtime friends are the best. You can pick right up right were you left off like it was just yesterday. Thank you for sharing Colorado's winter beauty.

ellen b. said...

What wonderful hosts and tour guides you are for out of towners! Beautiful scenery captured in your photos!

Angie said...

Pat - what terrific tour guides you are for your friends! I didn't realize people visited Red Rocks even in the winter. My brother used to have a furniture store in Golden. How lucky to see a herd of elk! Thanks for your birthday wishes, and thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

handmade by amalia said...

Wow! Your friends must have had a fantastic day! Glad you took us along.
Amalia
xo

Ruth Hiebert said...

The scenery in your area is just spectacular . Sounds like you had a full and fun day.

Donna @ Modern on Monticello said...

Colorado is definitely a stunning and beautiful place. Thanks for sharing your photos with us again. #HomeMattersParty

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

You covered a lot of territory in one day! Truly a magnificent area to visit any time of the year! Always enjoy the history behind all the pictures you share. So wonderful that you were able to connect so many years later with your friend!

Breathtaking said...

Hello, :=) The scenic views are jaw dropping, and the gigantic rock formations impressive.I'm sure your friends appreciated their visit with such splendid hosts. The town Golden looks inviting, and the deer sighting rounded it off beautifully.

Spare Parts and Pics said...

You really know how to give a good tour of your area! I didn't realize the amphitheater has been around for such a long time. I love those red rock formations!

Lowcarb team member said...

Such a nice tour.
You've shared some beautiful scenes and photographs.

All the best Jan

Jim said...

Scenic view.

diane b said...

You sure are great hosts and tour guides. The views from the top are amazing.

Photo Cache said...

The mountains are too beautiful. Someday I will go visit this great state.

Worth a Thousand Words

Laura | Everyday Edits said...

HI Pat, I live 40 minutes away from Golden and Red Rocks and I love to read of all your adventures! Great pics too! laura

Rambling Woods said...

How nice to be able to visit with friends...It has been 2 years since I have seen any friends in person...and what amazing scenery...Michelle

Light and Voices said...

Greetings and Salutations! Oh my I really, really enjoyed tagging along on this cyber tour. Amazing views.