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
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.
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.