The rumors are true - Colorado is cool.

I realize I'm behind on these posts, oopsies. Zeb and I (I guess I don't have to call him boyfran all of the time. My next post will explain why...) spent four days in Denver, Colorado at the end of June. My sister and her husband have good friends who live in Denver, who were traveling at the time so they graciously loaned us their house! (We were also given permission to use the bikes and truck as well).

So, here was how it all shook out:

Thursday: We took the bus and light rail to our temporary abode. It took us awhile, but totaled to $24 instead of a $60+ cab ride. Lately, I've preferred taking the less expensive method of transport to get a better feel of the city, even if it takes longer. After a walk to the grocery store for a light lunch and a subsequent nap, we met Emily and Zach for cocktails in Larimer Square. We ended up at Corridor 44, a champagne bar and Emily and I both had "Pin's Cups" which had Pimms and something else in them. Mmm, yum.

Friday: We took the bikes (a mountain bike with sketchy brakes and a clunky cruiser that probably should have been named Bessie) to Stranhan's Whiskey Distillery. After the pungent tour, we had the best mac 'n' cheese of our lives at Rackhouse Pub. We biked through Washington Park, then went home to nap. Napping in the middle of the day is GLORIOUS.

We took the lightrail to Coors Field for the Rockies v. Padres game. The Rockies won and put on a dynamite fireworks show at the end, which was quite possibly one of the best shows I've seen. (Zeb and I are on a MLB stadium tour as part of our shared bucket list). We had a brew at Falling Rock and then a cocktail at Green Russel. I know it's super Portlandia, but I really enjoy a well-crafted cocktail that takes time and effort to concoct.

Saturday: We ate breakfast at Lucille's (amazing food), then headed to the Cherry Creek Farmer's Market before setting off for Golden, CO. When we arrived at the Coors Brewery in Golden, it was a 1.5 hour wait in the blistering sun, so Zeb convinced me to skip it and we headed to the Golden City Brewery instead which really was just a shoddy patio with resident dogs and a few plastic chairs. It was still cool. We headed out of the historic town (we missed Buffalo Bill's gravesite) and made our way to Morrison, CO.

I saw a "National Dinosaur Park" on the map near Red Rocks and begged Zeb to stop. We missed it, headed for tacos at Morrison Inn, then the park closed. The dinosaur park closed. I was devastated.

So, instead, we drove to Red Rocks Amphitheater to see the Avett Brothers. (Not that this wasn't planned for months). It. was. glorious. Seriously, if you've never seen this red sandstone, it is so intensely beautiful your mind can barely comprehend how it exists. (I'm a huge fan of rock formations by the way, because they rock). The show was phenomenal, the ride home painful (stuck on a mountainside for an hour), the memories, vivid.

Sunday: We went to yet another farmer's market on South Pearl Street, then had ice cream at Bonnie Brae, strolled through City Park, and headed home to lock the house up and bus it to the airport.

{Home again}