Denver, Colorado

Denver has been on our list of places to explore since 1984.  Each of the times we have driven through the city, we were on our way somewhere else so it was always "maybe next time".  We're finally here and ready to see what the city has to offer.  We have a tendency not to make campground reservations too far in advance and this time we had to take what we could get.  Denver has few campgrounds and they stay booked.  We did get a site at the Denver East KOA, not the best of campgrounds but the site we were assigned was very spacious.  Now, it's off to explore the city for the next couple of days.

Our view of Denver from the Jeep.

Researching landmarks to visit, the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Mint stand out.  We'll plan to visit the Denver Mint another time, their website stated they would not be manufacturing coins during our stay.  So, we're off to see the Art Museum.

One of the Museum's notable outdoor sculptures Big Sweep by Claes Oldenburg.

The Denver Art Museum's interior is as interesting and unique as its exterior.

No photos of individual works this time, instead the art galleries offered.

We were intrigued by the huge bronze sculptures Scottish Angus Cow and Calf  by Dan Ostermiller.

Thirsty and hungry, we enjoyed a nice meal at the Blue Moon Brewery.

Across the street from the Brewery, this unusual 3-D mural displays something different from the left side, front view and the right. 

Even this mural seen from the Brewery parking lot is eye-catching!

The weather forecast for the next several days called for unsettled weather.  This was the last semi-clear day left so we decided we better take our drive up to Lookout Mountain and the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave. The city of Denver is there somewhere in the haze.

Driving the Lookout Mountain Road towards the town of Golden, the view eastward of Denver gets a little clearer.

At another road pullout, we get a good view of Golden, Colorado.  The large building left of center is the Coors Brewery. The white streaks you see are snowflakes.

Some of the exhibits from the Buffalo Bill Museum.

Curiously, his Wild West Show even visited Raleigh, NC in 1880, 1895, 1913 and 1916.

Buffalo Bill's grave on Lookout Mountain.

With our current campground reservations expiring, we needed to move to the Denver West KOA campground.  We were only able to secure reservations for 5 nights as they were completely booked for the upcoming Memorial Day Holiday weekend.  We found this campground exceptional with its high location overlooking the town of Central City.  The sweeping valley views below were beautiful especially when we woke up the next morning. Denver and surrounding regions all experienced a record-breaking late May snowfall on May 21st, in fact it was the latest snow and coldest temperatures in 44 years.

That's the view of Central City from the Campground overlook. Once an old mining and gambling town established in 1859, now it's a newly remodeled, modern gaming town.

Ronnie measured just under 7 inches of snow.

Morning snowy view of Central City's surrounding valley.

This campsite was empty but what a great view for its next occupants.

This cloudy, cold and blustery day was good for strolling the streets of Idaho Springs.  Home of Colorado's first substantial gold discovery in 1859, the historical downtown was lined with restored old building fronts, quaint shoppes and restaurants.  We browsed a little, enjoyed some hot coffee and had a nice dinner at the Tommyknocker Brewery.

Unfortunately the weather never cleared for the 4 days while we were camped on the west side of Denver.  So, what to do with our time?

We decided to visit the nearby historic Indian Hot Springs for the day.  Discovered in 1863 and built in 1869, the mineral hot springs are a highlight of Idaho Springs. We were amazed at the huge trees, ferns, tropical plants and flowers growing under the translucent insulated canopy, surrounding the steamy warm water pool.  It sure was a welcome relief from the chilly, cloudy weather.

Finally, on our last evening the snow stopped, the skies cleared and we get to enjoy the mountain views of Central City.

 We will have to come back another time when the skies are clearer to make the Mount Evans Drive (the highest paved road in the US) and the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway from Black Hawk to Estes Park.

More Later
from warmer, sunnier Grand Junction.
(Unfortunately all of the campgrounds in Glenwood Springs were also completely booked for the Memorial Day Holiday, we'll need to come back to visit the famous hot springs another day too.)