9/27/20 staying in Golden, Co - will we meet up with Travis McArthur????

Golden is a city and former gold rush town at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, in Colorado. Clear Creek Trail is a network of paths running along a waterway. It passes Clear Creek White Water Park, a kayaking course. The Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum has exhibits on earth science and mining history. Northeast is the Colorado Railroad Museum, with vintage trains and an 1800s-style railroad depot.

Our site at Dakota Ridge RV Park turned out to be very pretty.  It is a small park nicely positioned near Golden.  We were fortunate to get a site at the rear of the park backing up to the mountain and a beautiful walking trail that leads to the "summit" (not very high, but steep enough to get you winded for sure).  Sites are tight, so it was nice when we didn't have neighbors :)

Our trip into Golden for exploration was nice, but less than climatic.  With COVID restrictions in place, the streets were empty, most stores were closed, and we experienced mask requirements in the streets for the first time.  So, we just shot some photos and moved on... 

Murals of the Good Ole Days Murals of the Good Ole Days

We couldn't come all the way to Golden without seeing friends from the past, so it was BREWERY TIME!  Met up with the Chandlers at a great local brewery and had a fantastic night of conversation, food, and beer.

On to our site seeing adventures (thank you Laura for the recommendation)!

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The colors were simply amazing...

The sites were around every turn... Can't you just picture a beautiful homestead nestled down in this valley?

                                        Welcome to Georgetown, Colorado

What a great little town in the mountains of Colorado... The main street was blocked off for foot traffic and was very inviting! Many more stores and art galleries open to explore.

Georgetown Trading Post Look, no mask required! Unless you enter a store, of course. The original firehouse... beautiful structure, quite unique!

YES, we did get to meet up with Travis McArthur!

Scott's nephew lives and works for the U.S. Navy in Denver.  We were lucky enough to catch him with a few hours off in the morning to meet for brunch.  While we awaited his arrival, we found another couple of photo ops!

Tried to figure out how we could take this with us.... If you squint, you can see the sign of where we ate... Denver Biscuit Company! Mmmmm....

About 2 miles from Dakota Ridge RV Park, is the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater.  Natural rock formations created the setting for an amazing feet of architecture that maximizes the natural acoustics of the area.  The park was open for us to drive through and get photos, but of course, the amphitheater was closed...par of your trip.  :( 

The geology of Red Rocks Park continues to fascinate both casual fans and geologists. For scientists every layer of rock is a page of geologic history, starting with the Pennsylvanian Period about 300 million years ago. At that time Colorado was not landlocked as it is today, but rather a landmass surrounded by ancient seas. Those seas, rising and falling over millions of years, left sandy beaches that became sandstone formations. Some of the rock formations in Red Rocks slope as much as 90 degrees, while others tilt backwards. The southern monolith, that bears resemblance to a ship, is named “Ship Rock.” On the opposite side of the amphitheater stands “Creation Rock.” Both monoliths are taller than Niagara Falls. Red Rocks Amphitheatre was once listed as among the Seven Wonders of the World.

How pretty this setting would be for an evening concert...

Weathering decomposes the rock, releasing minerals such as iron, which oxidizes to give rock a reddish-pink color. During burial and compaction of the Fountain Formation, iron-rich groundwater percolated through the rock leaving behind great rust-colored swirls.

The wildlife was still present as well made our way through the small park... Red Rocks Amphitheater Nestled between two rocks jutting out. Not only music.......A drive in movie lot

That was about all for the Golden, CO area.... On to Colorado Springs!