Nature called– and I when I gotta go I gotta go.

Geeeez… I mean Colorado has so many natural destinations that it would have been cruel punishment to visit the state without going to any of nature’s wonders.

RED ROCKS PARK AND AMPITHEATRE

Just south of Denver, Red Rocks Park is full of… duh… red rocks. And not just sumo-sized boulders either. Imagine Arizona’s Grand Canyon as a big velvet cake. God sliced it up but on his way to the picnic table, he dropped chunks of that canyon cake upon Colorado.

Unfortunately, our minimal time only allowed visits to the “man-made” areas of the park. We bypassed the dozens of trails leading up hills and around mountains, past cliffs to see… a stadium! In the park! Due to the natural acoustics of the hills and canyons, some wise, old people decided to carve and build a stadium into the mountainside. A walk through the nearby museum revealed an impressive lineup over the past decades from the Beatles to Mariah Carey. (I wonder if an avalanche was ever caused during an insanely loud concert?)

Next we drove (yes, our lazy butts) to nearby Dinosaur Ridge. A short walk– along a road that rose with the hill– we played with the piles of broken slates– led us to a station. Darkened by scientists of old to improve the visibility, large footprints dotted that hillside. At different points in time, several dinosaurs had decided to climb that hill, and now their footprints were forever frozen in time.

Red Rocks Park and Ampitheatre is a beautiful, large chunk of art. Everywhere you look there is a pile of red rocks, short and squat bushes, or a congregation of tall trees. The scenery is breathtaking… if your eyes can get away from the occasional blue port-a-potty. Most of the areas we visited in the park also drew scores of other visitors– so don’t expect to easily “get away from it all.” The geographic location is crazy– one second we were driving past hotels and McDonalds… the next second we were surrounded by pieces of God’s cake mess. Nature called and I went.

Click on my pictures to see a few decent pics of the park

Parking and admission free

Park open year round– visitor center open at varying times.