Denver Trip - Part 3 of 3

Journal from Denver vacation - Wed Aug 3rd - Sun 7th, 2011:

POST #3 of 3: Saturday Aug 6th: Garden of the gods, Royal Gorge and Casa Bonita

After our awesome day in Rocky Mountain National Park on Friday, I seriously considered heading back there for a second round. But I wanted to make sure that we hit the main locations, so we headed South today toward Colorado Springs and the Garden of the gods.

On the way south we passed the Air Force Academy and football stadium. I didn't realize how far from the highway it is, but it lies nestled in the foothills of the mountains. Driving by you can barely see the famous chapel in the distance.

A good hour's drive from Denver, the Garden of the gods seems to spring out of the landscape. We first spent about an hour in the massive visitor's center opposite of the actual park. Here we picked up many a fun things, including one of Ben's new favorite - Wolfy: the strangely-spherical wolf stuffed animal.

The park doesn't take that long to drive through, but the views are incredible. There are enough trails to keep the most avid of hikers busy for a good day. It was a very hot day and we had other destinations, so we didn't walk around that much. But we did have to get out to explore the famous balanced rock! I had heard that it had fallen over, so I had been keeping an eye out for it. I was slightly disappointed to discover that it had been put back on its pedestal and reinforced with concrete... How you call that a "Balanced Rock" with a straight face I'll never know. But it still looks cool.

Yeah, not that impressive with the CONCRETE holding it up!!

Yep those are guided tours on Segways. Only in America!

We next set out for the Royal Gorge. I had been excited to explore the massive gorge and accompanying bridge. Like many of these tourist destinations, it is surrounded by gimmicks and a full amusement park on each side! I thought I had read that it was free to drive across the bridge, but upon arrival we discovered that they wanted $25 per person to gain access to the amusement park (which of course is the only way one can get to the bridge). They also structure it in such a way that is impossible to even see the bridge without entering the park.

After sadly choking up $50, we entered the park vowing to drink from every fountain and use every restroom to get our money's worth. But after driving for over 2 hours I couldn't NOT check it all out. I guess they figure that's how they get you. The views though were incredible however! The main visitor center hangs over the edge of the gorge. Exiting out the back doors you find a terrific view off a large deck hanging over the side. Tiffany convinced me (by telling me I had to) to go across the gorge on the "Aerial Tram". This gondola is suspended across the massive gorge and as our conductor told us: "The ride is 4 minutes across, and 8 seconds down!". I stood in the very middle of the thing.

"Its four minutes across, or 8 seconds down..."

Do you see the rafters?

Standing in an observation point on the far side of the gorge, my Iowa State shirt was apparently visible enough for a Hawkeye fan to heckle me from his spot on the passing Aerial Tram 30 yards away! I also got some great video of some crazy people flying far out beyond the edge of the gorge on what they call the "Skycoaster" - basically a human slingshot for insane people to enjoy.

We crossed back to the original side of the gorge by crossing the bridge on foot. The bridge is just barely wide enough for two cars, and it is mostly clogged with pedestrian traffic. So we decided against driving across it. But I think you get a lot more out of the experience by walking across the bridge. Being an engineer I also had to check out the supports and construction elements to the bridge, of course.

Tired and very hot we returned to the car for a long drive home. On the way out I just happened to notice a "Skyline Drive" road sign, with no other details and I thought: "Hmm, I wonder that is". My curiosity got the better of me on the return trip and I veered left at the sign. It is a strange thing - there is a one-lane, one-way road heading up steeply into the foothills with this name and no other information what-so-ever. There is a gift shop type place at the bottom, but it was closed. So, as any other self-respecting American would do, I put the little Yaris in drive and headed up! Skyline Drive is awesome! At times the narrow cliff upon which you are driving is barely wide enough for the road, and both sides drop off very sharply hundreds of feet below! At some points, it feels as though you are floating - just don't get too distracted and veer left or right! Tiffany was very nervous...

We finally headed back to Denver to check out a massive Mexican restaurant called "Casa Bonita". This was a recommendation from one of my team members at work. It is really hard to describe this place without just showing it, but suffice it to say it is a massive place with waterfalls, stages, and numerous little alcoves with seating. It is more of an experience than a restaurant, and excellent for kids! Every 15-30 minutes they have a mini show of some sort, and divers actually jump from the top of the 3-story waterfall to the pool below. They then climb back up the rock face of the waterfall and repeat the exercise!

Leaving on Sunday and watching the mountains fade away in the rear-view mirror was truly an exercise in self-control. I really wanted to call home and report that we were spending an extra day... But it was hard to be away from Ben for so long and we both wanted to see him. It is almost like I could imagine him in my arms, and they felt empty! So we started our non-stop 12-hour drive home to Des Moines. It was a long journey, but seeing Ben running to us was worth it.

Reflecting on the trip as a whole I made two conclusions: 1) If we go back to Denver, we should try to stay near or within the Rocky Mountain National Park and spend several days there. 2) I really want to go back to Yellowstone, but that is a slightly longer journey. Perhaps we can take Ben there! Regardless, there are many great sites to see around Denver, even if you have a few days. But you could easily spend a week exploring the area. Thanks for reading! I'll add a link to the full gallery of photos when I get them all arranged.