We left Glacier Lodge in Estes Park on Thursday morning after a great reunion with family.(See previous post). Several were flying out later in the day Thursday so we made our way to Boulder for one more gathering, and ate lunch together at Lazy Dog Bar and Grill on Pearl Street. My first time to Boulder and although it was about 100 degrees, it was still fun to be together one last time and to look around at a few of the stores on Pearl Street.
We left the area about 2pm and drove to Denver and checked into our hotel. We had planned to stay two more nights in the area and do a little sightseeing with Ruth and Earl. After resting awhile at the hotel, swimming in the pool, the four of us went to dinner at Ling and Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill in downtown Denver. The evening was still warm and we were able to eat outside and just enjoy the weather and the food. Afterwards we stopped at the Cheesecake Factory for some low carb cheesecake.
On Friday we got up and went to the Waffle House for breakfast. Ever since Doug had first discovered the Waffle House in Florida (several years ago) his radar has picked up the signal if there is one nearby. Since we don’t have them in Washington it is usually a treat for him, and wouldn’t you know it, as we were leaving the airport at the beginning of this adventure we passed a sign for one. So of course we had to go. Fortunately, they have sugar free syrup for the waffles, and I suppose having just one is not so bad. J
After breakfast we went to Red Rocks Park to see the Amphitheatre. We had planned to be there for a tour however the person who was to give the tour was sick. We spent quite a bit of time going through the visitor center and looking at the amphitheatre. Since there was a concert that night we were not able to go down to the stage but it was amazing to see the natural red rocks that formed the backdrop for the stage. I would love to be able to hear a concert there.
We left Red Rocks and continued on the scenic highway on our way back to Denver. Along the way we stopped to see Buffalo Bill's grave. We stopped in Georgetown, which is a scenic little town. We had lunch in the courtyard of Ed’s Café which was fun. After lunch we went across the street and toured the Hotel de Paris Museum and learned about the history of the area. We shopped a little then headed back to Denver to our hotel. 
That evening Earl and Ruth had decided to meet Josh and Robin and kids at a local park for dinner and Doug and I decided to rest then go out for dinner. We spent some time relaxing, swimming and Doug working on things then headed out to dinner about 8pm to the Hacienda Colorado in Englewood. The food was good and the décor of the restaurant was really nice. It was starting to get dark out and they had a courtyard with a fireplace for those who were waiting to get in.
On Saturday morning we got up early, checked out of our hotel and met Ruth and Earl to go down to Colorado Springs to meet up with Mike and Carol for breakfast. They had left Estes Park and headed to Colorado Springs to stay and go golfing. They were staying at the Broadmoor Hotel which was beautiful. The property is several acres with a lake and lots of individual buildings. We had a nice breakfast and then walked through the lobby of the hotel and across the lake and over to the main building. We left them for their tee- time and we headed out to see the Garden of the Gods which was on the other side of Colorado Springs.
Garden of the Gods is a drive through park with all kinds of natural red rock stone natural formations. There are several areas to stop and hike or get closer to the formations. It was starting to get very warm out so for the most part we stayed in the car and took pictures from there. It was amazing to see these geological wonders. Afterward we drove up toward Pike’s Peak but determined that we wouldn’t have time to drive to the top because we needed to get to the airport by 2pm.
We headed back to Denver and picked up our car at the hotel and said goodbye to Ruth and Earl and headed to the airport. Although our flight had a layover in LA, we were able to exchange it for a direct flight and get home much sooner than expected.
Home again after a wonderful first trip to Denver. I went away feeling like it was a place that I could live and call home. I loved the scenery and spending time with family. Need to do it more often.
To see more pictures from this trip, click below.
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