Remember back to the summer or 2021 to a time of calm and excitement. The vaccine had been rolled out and the rates of infection were way down compared to the winter and even spring numbers. We didn't know it then but what we were looking at was a window not a door. We rolled up our sleeves anyway and jumped out that window!
I did more traveling in July, August, and September than I did since July 2019. (remember how nice the teens were!) Mrs. North and I kicked it all off with a 23 hour visit to Colorado to see Guster paly at Red Rocks.
This was my first trip to Colorado where I wasn't just driving through to Utah or catching another plane at Denver International. It was also my first trip where I didn't rent a car. The train from the airport takes you to Union Station in downtown. From there we were able to catch a coach bus to Red Rocks.
Outdoor eateries at Union Station, and bars too.
The bus ride from Denver to Red Rocks was about 45 minutes, it's just west of Denver. Open containers were encouraged but I didn't know that before boarding. What I did know is that Guster fans are a friendly fun loving bunch and we made friends easily.
As we drove into the park the skies opened up and it poured sheets of water for a half hour or so. There were rivers of red rock flowing down the hillside and over the road. For a while it seemed like the show would not go on. Our driver assured us that afternoon rains are very common here, although maybe not this bad.
A rainbow after the storm!
Fans lined up to get into the venue. Not a bad spot to wait!
The Red Rocks Amphitheatre is beautiful.
The view from the top.
One of the coolest parts was being in a completely different environment than the Upper Midwest. Everything is just so different, new, and exciting. It was a very small taste of the semi-arid Colorado mountains and it wouldn't my last visit.
We love live music, this was our first show since 2019.
While we did get a hotel room, we had to catch the very first train out of Denver to catch our 6AM flights back to MSP. It was a crazy trip and my whole body was tired in a way that I haven't felt since we had a newborn in the house. It was an epic trip with Mrs. North and a few of our friends. I'm lucky to have a spouse who is not only willing to go on these trips but is the primary instigator.
- Ride North
July 24th & 25th
I'm all caught up with your 2022 (so far) and 2021 Posts. You've been having fun and a treasure to see places I know through some other eyes! Been very near but never to Red Rocks, seems I can't quit traveling... there are still places yet to see. Very cool that you've got that (16'?) camper. Our 1960 Forester sheltered us all over the West with a trailer-load of memories, fun to see yours on the shores of the mighty Zumbro. I worked last week in Osceola, was a bit too early so stopped in the park. It's been a long time since a couple of young bucks swam over to the MN side and back again from that parking lot. Last summer I was in Cuyuna, crossed and paralleled the trail many times, that Post still simmering.
ReplyDeleteSafe and adventurous exploration in '22, hopefully a full-sized door for you and your family!
Hay Coop, very good to hear from you and thank you! I'm thinking 2022 will be full of new adventures for the Ride North crew. I've got a pile of 2021 stories on deck that I need to document here and some fun trips booked for this spring and summer. 2020 was a huge shift in our priorities, traveling seems to have come out on top. The camper is quite the game changer too. I co-own it with my father-in-law, who would sleep on the ground with nothing but the brim of his hat for shelter, but now he doesn't have to spend a week recovering.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing where your rig takes you this year and hearing about the gardens. I wish all the best to you and yours! Cheers to getting out there and taking it all in. :)
Jason