JeffPo's Denver, Colorado Page
Last update: 05/29/10
Denver, Colorado: April 8 - 15, 2018
Lynn and I took a trip to Denver, Colorado from April 8 through April 15,
2018. The first half of the week I dedicated to the SAS Global Forum conference
for my work but the second half was dedicated to doing touristy things around
the Denver area. Our hotel room was a corner unit on the 20th floor and had a
spectacular view of the city. We loved Denver and had a blast. While I was at
the conference Lynn took in things like the capitol building, Union Station, and
the Molly Brown House museum. We visited the nature and science museum and loved
it. Their dinosaur and fossil facility is top notch. They also had a Creatures
of Light exhibit going on. We went on a tour van exploration of the Rocky
Mountain national park. Even swung by the Stanley Hotel, Stephen King’s
inspiration for The Shining. We visited the US Mint to see where and how coin
money is made.
We rented a car and did some exploring on our own. The visit to the Garden of
the Gods was neat. The red rock formations reminded me of the Magic Rocks kits
that grow in water. We also went “caving” in the Caves of the Winds. Actually did
two tours there, one of the electrically lit areas, and a second with only
candle light lanterns in portions of the cave without electricity (accented by
myths and ghost stories). Also visited the Royal Gorge Bridge, the highest
bridge in America at 955 feet above the Arkansas River. I told Lynn if you fell
off that thing, you’d have time to call the undertaker and make arrangements for
your arrival before you got to the bottom!
The trip was capped with a visit and drive up to the summit of Pikes Peak,
America’s Mountain, which is 14,115 feet tall. The air was mighty thin up there,
and cold. The drive up and down can be kind of nerve wrecking given the sheer
cliffs and the lack of guardrails. The views were spectacular! It was like being
on top of the world.
We had a great time!
NOTE: There are a LOT of images below. While I resized them for display on this webpage, they are still at 50% resolution on the server, so downloads might lag on slower connections.
Denver, Colorado
We tried to take in as much of the city as we could. The view from our hotel room was magnificent. The images below include the capitol building, Union Station, the Molly Brown House, and the U.S. Mint. We also took advantage of happy hour a few times.
Denver Science Museum
The Denver Science Museum is a top notch museum. They do actual research there.
Cave of the Winds
The Cave of the Winds is a cave complex located near Colorado Springs. We love taking in cave tours. We noticed that this cave system didn't have as many formations as the ones we have visited in North Carolina and Virginia. We wondered if maybe the wetter conditions on the east coast give rise to more formations. We took in two tours. One was the regular tour in the lit section. The other was with only candle light lanterns in portions of the cave without electricity (accented by myths and ghost stories).
Royal Gorge
The Royal Gorge Bridge, is located near Canon City. Built in 1929, the bridge is about 955 feet above the Arkansas River.
Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods is a park in Colorado Springs with beautiful red sandstone rock formations.
Rocky Mountains National Park
For our trip to the Rocky Mountains National Park, we decided to let a tour company do the driving so we could enjoy the scenery more and not worry about the logistics. We highly recommend Colorado Sightseer: https://www.coloradosightseer.com They also provided water and snacks. Our tour guide Wendy was excellent. She had a very bubbly personality and was a wealth of knowledge. Definitely kept us entertained. She let us customize the trip a bit too with a side excursion to the Stanley Hotel.
Pikes Peak
The trip was capped with a visit and drive up to the summit of Pikes Peak, America’s Mountain, which is 14,115 feet tall. Pikes Peak is located near Colorado Springs. Earlier in the week the road was not cleared to the summit. When we learned on Saturday that the road had been cleared to the top, we decided to keep the rental car an extra day and make the trip early Sunday morning, especially given our flight didn't leave until late. We arrived at the front gate of the mountain right before they opened. The drive up and down can be kind of nerve wrecking given the sheer cliffs and the lack of guardrails. Lynn refused to look out the window and would lean toward the center of the car when we went around a curve. The air was mighty thin up there, and cold. The views were spectacular! It was like being on top of the world.
