Going to Red Rocks

[braumeister]

One of the things visitors always ask about the Air Force Academy chapel is "Why are there 17 spires?"

Nobody really knows except the architects, but the common reply is "It's for the 12 Apostles and the 5 Joint Chiefs of Staff."

 

[Bamaman]

Last time I went out west driving, it was 850 miles (I-40) before I found anything interesting to look at.

We can fly on Frontier for $114 round trip into/out of Denver. I love road trips in interesting places, but the route through the Midwest is just not interesting enough to make me drive. You can actually save money if you fly out and rent a car.

 

[MRG]

Last time I went out west driving, it was 850 miles (I-40) before I found anything interesting to look at.

We can fly on Frontier for $114 round trip into/out of Denver. I love road trips in interesting places, but the route through the Midwest is just not interesting enough to make me drive. You can actually save money if you fly out and rent a car.

Have you seen the World's Largest Ball of Twine?

 

[Jerry1]

So jealous! Who are you going to see at Red Rocks? I really wanted to see the Turnpike Troubadours/American Aquarium show out there this summer, but I don't think we can pull it off. My DH saw Jethro Tull there a couple of years ago with a buddy and said it was incredible.

Second on the Estes Park recommendation, and also if you are a train buff, we took the Winter Park Express train from Denver up to Winter Park while on a recent visit and it was really, really cool. Beautiful scenery and no need to drive. Definitely enjoyed it.

We are going to see Chris Tomlin. DW is very put off by smoking of any kind. I grew up with a smoking mother and I might have inhaled mj over the years so it doesn't matter to me. Anyway, I thought that the best chance of a mild influence of mj at the concert could best be had at a Christian event. Of course, no guarantees but it is also not allowed at RR even though legal in CO. Hoping for the best. FWIW, DW isn't a prude, the smoke really bothers her. Can't tell you how thankful we were when MI made all restaurants smoke free. Plus, it just so happens that Chris Tomlin is at RR on our anniversary.

I will definitely look into the train. Being the driver, it's disappointing to be in beautiful places and have to keep my eyes on the road.

Last time I went out west driving, it was 850 miles (I-40) before I found anything interesting to look at.

We can fly on Frontier for $114 round trip into/out of Denver. I love road trips in interesting places, but the route through the Midwest is just not interesting enough to make me drive. You can actually save money if you fly out and rent a car.

I will consider flying. The only reason I feel like driving is that my Dad's house is about halfway between my house and RR. A couple days visit with him will be good. I try to get by there a couple times a year.

The Route 66 idea from ajs56 is an idea we'll consider. This is our first retired road trip and there will be plenty of time to drive slow and/or stop along the way as we see fit. I'm looking forward to it. During working years, I only took one 2-week vacation. We drove south and then back up the Blue Ridge Parkway. No reservations except for a couple nights in Ashville and then toward the end of the trip at the Homestead in Hot Springs VA. Only one night did we get caught without a easy hotel reservation. We pull into a town with a college sport event going on that night. No rooms to be had. Had to back track around 45 minutes to get a room. Still, a great trip.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Oh that will be cool if he is an artist you both enjoy. They also have yoga at RR some days you might want to check out. A friend of mine did that a few years ago and said it was really fun.

There’s not a lot of smoking or there, that I saw. Edibles are definitely making inroads and are much less intrusive to those around you.

I love road trip planning—and allowing for unexpected things of interest along the way.

You might get a few hotel apps on your phone to help with last minute comparisons if you aren’t booking stays ahead of time. And if you are campers, there’s also ones for finding the state parks.

Nothing really beats having a good road atlas in the car with you though. I’m a total map junkie and a fan of perusing potential stops while not driving.

 

[COcheesehead]

For a real Rocky Mountain experience based near Red Rocks, I would definitely go up Mt Evans. That time of the year is notorious for afternoon thunderstorms so head up high early and plan to be down early afternoon to avoid lightning. On the way down stop in Evergreen at Creekside Cellars. Great lunch spot and very good, non “tourist” wines made from Colorado’s wine country, Palisade.
If you are into beer, I would skip Coors and head into downtown. Fun tours and good beers at Great Divide with dozens of other brew pubs and craft spirit places within walking distance. Take in a Rockies game if they are in town.
If your stay is short, adding in drives to Estes Park or Colorado Springs will take some of the enjoyment out of the trip. Denver traffic is annoying. You will see almost the same scenery on Mt Evans. If you want more, drive up to Loveland Pass. It’s within an hour of Red Rocks. One other tip, the restaurants in Morrison, the tiny town next to Red Rocks are all pretty bad. Better to drive into Golden for food.

 

[DenverGuy42]

unfortunately, the Chapel will be closed for the next four years starting June 17th 2019...

https://gazette.com/military/air-fo...cle_50852b84-049f-11e9-8777-8f99da26b1ce.html

and they changed their minds again:

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/03/27/air-force-academy-chapel-renovation-halted/

looks like it might be open....

 

[walkinwood]

I will definitely look into the train. Being the driver, it's disappointing to be in beautiful places and have to keep my eyes on the road.

The train runs only on winter weekends since its main purpose is to transport skiers to Winter Park.


Chris Tomlin is playing at the end of July. Get rain gear (a poncho) because there's a fair chance that there will be a thunderstorm in the evening.