Colorado Adventure Day 7

Day 7 - Denver Museum of Nature and Science

This is a BIG science museum!
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science is downtown right next to the Zoo. I like that the parking is free. We also go lucky, because admission was free with our Reading Museum membership.

There are so many exhibits, it's difficult to pick a favorite.





The Gems and Minerals display in Coors Mineral Hall is really neat. The entrance is a wooden mine you walk into. The pictures don't do this justice, because with some of the displays it makes it feel like you're in a mine seeing it. Below is one huge rock formation that stretches back far.
 Below is the largest rhodochrosite found, and it's really big!

 Below is a large collection of rhodochrosite. This was neat because it was found in Colorado. We liked the displays of the Colorado rocks the best.

 This is one of their dioramas. They also had a display showing how it was made, which was impressive when you realize all the work that went into it. The sign said this was the last one created by the museum.

 They had a large exhibit of America Indian artifacts, which was very interesting, and a wooden hogan the kids could walk into.

 The Expedition Health exhibit was very hands on. When you got there you were given a plastic card that you put in a computer and input basic information. There were stations around the rooms where you inserted your card and did health things, like pulse. Below is a machine that measured your stride. Then you could go to a second machine and it told you things about your stride, like it would take me 17 minutes to walk around Echo Lake.

 The dinosaur exhibit was neat because of how it was arranged. You started in the era before dinosaurs, and as you walked the exhibit the displays and time changed until you were at the end of the dinosaur era. And they had a lot of displays.

 There was a small display on Gem Carvings of Russian Folk Life. Really amazing when you consider these were hand carved of various gems.

Colorado Adventure Day 6

Day 6 - Denver Capitol

Today we were downtown touring the Capitol. We found great metered parking just behind the Capitol for only $0.50/hour, which seems really cheap for a city.

We got to the building about 10:40, and the next tour didn't start until 11, so we hung out and waited.

This is a view on the first floor of the main staircase.

This is a view looking up at the dome, which was closed to tours because of renovation.

 There are a series of paintings (they might actually be screen prints, I forget what they said) hung on the walls around the one room. They show the history of water use in Colorado.

 Next is a large fabric wall hanging, all stitched, showing women throughout Colorado history. It's very pretty and impressive how many stitches it took.

The kids enjoyed this painting of the city. The closer you stand, the less it looks like anything but streaks. But if you stand back far, it looks like a cityscape.

 They have a hall of Governors and paintings of each state governor. I don't know any of them, but I liked this portrait because it seems so western. Most of the others are just guys in suits.

 After the tour (we bailed early because it was a large group and with the dome renovations it was very hot inside the building) we went to the steps outside and took photos at the One Mile Above Sea Level markers. Monkey is at the original. The one above him was from a second study, but then several steps below monkey they used GPS and put a more modern, accurate marker for the one mile. (We liked the historic marker).

The tour guide showed us Food Truck Row, and since were were there on a Tuesday there were a lot of trucks. We walked the short walk to where they were and got lunch from various trucks.

Next stop ... the Governor's Mansion.

The kids were not thrilled with the idea of this one, but I insisted. They only open for tours in summer on Tuesdays for two hours, and we were right there.

It was a very nice house. We only saw the first floor, which was the only thing open to the public, but it was nice, and it took less than an hour.

Day 6 was hot, and we went swimming afterward.

Colorado Adventure Day 5

Day 5 - Denver Zoo

 Today we visited the Denver Zoo. One of the highlights was seeing the baby leopard, who was born this year. He was racing around the room playing and pouncing. It was really cute.

 Their reptile house is very large with many exhibits! We went in twice to see everything. This is a Komodo Dragon. I just missed getting a photo of him with his mouth open.

 We got timed tickets (free with admission) to see the new Toyota Elephant Pavilion, which just opened. It's a very large area with lots of room for the elephants to move around and many different outdoor areas they can go into.

We rode the little train they have, which just goes in a little loop. They also have this sculpture kids can climb on, which seemed to me to be a very Colorado-specific thing, so I took photos of the kids (and monkey) on it.

Overall it was a fun but tiring day at the zoo. We were there about five hours and saw almost everything. Having been to many zoos, I'd say the elephant area is the nicest and most unique.

Colorado Adventure Day 4

Day 4 - Mt. Evans

We stopped at Subway and got hoagies for a picnic lunch to take along on our trip. It was about 40 minutes drive North to the town of Idaho Springs. We didn't get to see the town on on this visit, but plan to go back another day.

Our first destination was Echo Lake, which has a picnic area. Apparently everyone had the same idea, because the parking lots were crowded and the picnic tables were full. We hiked around the lake a little to find an empty table.

In this photo, taken near an covered picnic area we didn't stop at, you can see the top of Mt. Evans. The place we picnicked was across the lake and can probably be seen in this photo.

After our picnic (we ended up sharing the large wooden table with another family that came and asked if we had room - that's how crowded it was) the kids climbed the rocks along the shore. Sock monkey climbed and almost got tossed into the lake! He sat and rested and enjoyed seeing the clouds reflected in the clear water. There were also ducks and little fish to see.

We stopped at the ranger station and paid our $10 to drive to the top of Mt. Evans. Honestly, I know there's a fuss about it, but it's only $10, the road is nice and there is a lot to stop and see.

This photo is Summit Lake. I like this photo because the man fishing in the lake gives you some perspective. He's standing on rocks. From the shore to where he is is all rocks and very shallow. It seems to drop off after that.

From the parking area at Summit Lake you walk up a gravel path. We passed what I guess was a little ranger station where volunteers had out furs and animal horns to tell you about the wildlife. We stopped so the kids could pet the furs and heard some interesting stories about the animals that live in this area.

At the top of the path is an overlook of the Chicago Lakes. It's a nice wide overlook with great views. I'm glad we stopped and walked up, because driving past you really can't see what's up past Summit Lake.

Next is the long drive up Mt. Evans. I have to say, I was nervous about it beforehand, having been absolutely terrified driving up Pike's Peak on our previous trip. This is nothing like that! The road is all paved, for one. And, it's wide enough for two cars everywhere. And there is something of a shoulder almost the entire way. And at the turns there's a little shoulder. And the incline itself doesn't feel nearly as steep driving. So, again, nothing like Pike's Peak. I actually enjoyed this drive.

This photo was taken looking down at the parking area from the summit. You park and walk 200 feet (that's what they say, but I don't know if that's vertical distance or walking distance) up switchbacks in the rock to the top. It would be considered a moderate trail. More adventerous people climbed the rocks a little, but there's a real path wide enough for going up and down and you only have to step on or around rocks. In the distance you can see the buildings behind the parking lot. There's nothing on the summit itself but rocks.

This is one of the views from the summit of Mt. Evans. But you can really see 360 degrees, so there are views in any direction.

We liked the white goats better, but these were right at the building and weren't afraid of people, who were all gathered around taking photos of the goats (who ignored us and continued eating).

This is a photo taken on the way down. It might look steep and scary, but, like I said, it's not as bad as Pike's Peak!

Colorado Adventure Day 3

Day 3 - Colorado Springs

We stopped at the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center first. Off to the right you could see wildfire damage (far to the right of this photo).

We parked and walked the Scotman's Trail until it intersected the Garden Trail.

We walked up to the rocks and climbed on the ones visitors could climb on. The kids loved that.

All the pictures of Garden of the Gods are so neat, it's difficult to pick which ones to post.

Next stop, after lunch, was the Cliff Dwellings in Manitou. The kids liked exploring, especially the four little rooms at the end that you can to access by ladders.

After that the next stop right after the cliff dwellings on the highway is Cave of the Winds. On the GPS the switchbacks seemed to overlap.

This was my first visit inside the caves. The tours got backed up, so we were stuck in one little tunnel waiting our turn for 20 minutes! That wasn't fun for me. And the 45 minute tour took us an hour and 10 minutes.

This is looking into Williams Canyon from the visitor center at Cave of the Winds.

Sock monkey and I stayed on the ground and watched the others do the Wind Walker. It was too high up for us!

Colorado Adventure Day 2

Day 2 - Boulder, CO

On the second day of our trip we drove about an hour Northwest to Boulder, CO. We let the kids sleep in after the late-night concert and got a late start, so by the time we got to town it was time for lunch. I did a quick google search on best places to eat in Boulder and found KT's Real Good BBQ listed as the winner for BBQ for best places to eat in Boulder. We plugged that into the GPS and made our way there.

Delicious! I had the Pig Pile, which was more than I could eat. The baked beans were spicy but delicious. The red skinned mashers were fantastic!

From there we drove to Celestial Seasonings to do the factory tour.

I had looked online and it sounded like tours started every hour, so we were going to kill time until the 1 p.m. tour. I'm glad we walked inside to check it out, because there was a 12:30 tour we got in. They give you a teabag packet as your "ticket."

The hairnets are very fashionable!

You can't take photos on the tour because it's in the actual working factory. All Celestial Seasonings tea is made right here. It was a really nice tour. I survived the Mint Room! (They open the metal doors and let you stand in the room where they keep the mint. The smell is strong. VERY STRONG! They can't even keep the doors open because the smell would permeate all their teas.)

They have a tasting room where you can sample teas before and after the tour (and it seemed like you could come in and sample without doing the tour).

They let you try EVERY one of their 70 tea blends. They say, "We're open until 6 if you want to try them all!"

Around the room is framed art from all the teas. I liked this one, which is also on a large poster on a wall in the factory - Tension Tamer. Looking at the art was cool.

After the tea we drove to see NCAR - the National Center for Atmospheric Research. I especially wanted to see the building itself.

Inside there are displays on weather, which the kids enjoyed viewing and touching (most are interactive). It's not big, but we were there just under two hours. We also walked around the building.

Photos inside of I.M. Pei, the architect, diagrams of the building and a large model of it before construction.

The building itself is really neat.

The views from the building are fantastic!

After NCAR we drove back toward Bouder and stopped at the trail along the river. We didn't hike today, but we walked the path a little and stopped here, where we could put our feet in. The water is very cold!

We had a little difficulty finding Boulder Falls. Luckily I found a site that listed the GPS coordinates for it. It turned out we just hadn't driven far enough. You can't really climb near the falls, but you can walk up fairly close to see it.

Dinner was at Chipotle in town. It was our first time eating at one. It was ok. The portions were large. I think I prefer Qudoba better.

Then we walked around Pearl Street for about an hour. There are lots of shops to see, and it was crowded. Everyone seemed friendly. They have a lot of street performers.

Day Two was busy!