denver anyone?

[maverick]

hi folks!

i'm off to denver later this month and need to finalize my travel plans. i've never been there, and am wondering if any of you are familiar with the place and might be able to recommend places to go. i'd like to add a day to my trip after i'm done with work for sightseeing - red rocks looks very cool!

i'm planning on packing in the aeronaut and either a messenger bag or a backpack.

thanks!

[Fat Crip]

Never been there I'm afraid, or anywhere your side of the pond, but you're quite right Red Rocks does look amazing though!

[Climb14er]

Take a drive, go to Boulder on 36W, once there, make a left (west) on Canyon Blvd and drive this up Boulder Canyon to Nederland. Go North on the road (72) to Estes Park via (7), this is called the 'Peak to Peak' Highway. You'll be seeing fantastic views of the Indian Peaks all the way to Rocky Mountain National Park. Spend hours there, driving and walking, and remember to bring some warm clothes and drink a lot of water (before you get to Colorado due to altitude) Return via 7 to Lyons, then south to Boulder then back to Denver.

I take folks who are coming to Denver for the first time on the same above-mentioned road trip and they are blown away by the scenery and experience.

Sure, you could walk around downtown Denver, visit the Denver Mint, or hit the fantastic brew pubs like 'The Falling Rock Tap House'. Visit the Colorado Historical Museum on Broadway.

Enjoy.

Or you could head up into the mountains and see the 'real' attraction(s) of Colorado!

[maverick]

Take a drive, go to Boulder on 36W, once there, make a left (west) on Canyon Blvd and drive this up Boulder Canyon to Nederland. Go North on the road (72) to Estes Park via (7), this is called the 'Peak to Peak' Highway. You'll be seeing fantastic views of the Indian Peaks all the way to Rocky Mountain National Park. Spend hours there, driving and walking, and remember to bring some warm clothes and drink a lot of water (before you get to Colorado due to altitude) Return via 7 to Lyons, then south to Boulder then back to Denver.

I take folks who are coming to Denver for the first time on the same above-mentioned road trip and they are blown away by the scenery and experience.

Sure, you could walk around downtown Denver, visit the Denver Mint, or hit the fantastic brew pubs like 'The Falling Rock Tap House'. Visit the Colorado Historical Museum on Broadway.

Enjoy.

Or you could head up into the mountains and see the 'real' attraction(s) of Colorado!

thanks Climb14er! i love the outdoors!

how cold does it get up there so i know what to pack?

[AVService]

I would second the route Climb14er suggests and Boulder is truly a sight in its own right.

You could also head to Golden and experience a little taste of that area.
You also can really be in the mountains quickly if you want to explore and there are lots of interesting things in Denver itself.
I am told they have the most park land of any city in the country.
The food is great and I wouldn't rule out a trip to the "Springs" either.
Just depends upon time and inclination.

It can be very cold and windy but it can also be moderate there that time of year.
I like to be prepared and bring some heavy clothes just in case.
Actually I go in the summer and fall mostly as the weather is so spectacular.
We spend Thanksgiving there and it can be really warm or very nippy,sometimes in the same day!

Sounds like fun.

Ed

[PM4HIRE]

Checkout this website below for places to eat when
traveling: http://chowhound.chow.com/boards?tag...er;header_logo

[Climb14er]

thanks Climb14er! i love the outdoors!

how cold does it get up there so i know what to pack?

Temps vary this time of year. As long as the sun is out, things warm up nicely and by that I mean... it might be twenty to thirty degrees but when in the sunshine, you feel comfortable in wool sweater, merino wool zip T, warm turtleneck, merino wool underwear, lightweight long johns, etc.

I always dress in layers, keep a Stetson or other hat on my head in all seasons and an Icebreaker wool beanie is almost always with me. Bring light/moderate gloves wool socks, good boots/shoes, trail runners, etc and don't forget your sunglasses and some sunscreen as if you're outside, it's VERY bright up at altitude.

I'm outside A LOT and have done a substantial amount of climbing and mountaineering and in Colorado, the sun and wind dictate the 'comfort' level as to what to wear.

I see people taking HUGE down coats and then try to hike and walk distances and they overheat immensely. That's why layers are advantageous.

Hydrate BEFORE you get here drink tons of water once you're here. It's unbelievably DRY in Denver and even more so at altitude. Bring some aspirin/advil or whatever pain reliever you normally take as this aids in averting altitude sickness.

Denver is great, downtown is fun, the beers here are the best anywhere in the U.S. as this IS the center of the microbrew industry and where it all began. The Vietnamese food is TOPS here and the Mexican is absolutely delicious.

If you're staying downtown, WALK around and get a feel for the area. I've been here in Denver for thirty six years and have climbed all over the state and climbed all of the 14,000 ft peaks, many of the technical 13,000 and 12,000 ones too. Estes park is a BEAUTIFUL area and DO get out on at least one of the trails, like Glacier Gorge, Bear Lake, etc.

I recognize that you only have a little time to spend and if the weather is A-OK, head to the mountains as mentioned.

Right now, it's downright COLD but this will pass in a couple of days. I've been up high on the peaks in late January and if a warming trend has hit the area, it'll feel downright incredible at 10,000+ feet.

Send me a PM if you have any additional questions or post 'em here.

[Moose]

Hi Maverick,
If you have time head west out of Denver to Idaho Springs. There's a great pizza place there, BeauJo's I think its called. Great whole wheat crust. Estes Park is wonderful. As Climber14 suggested, drink lots and lots of water. This coupled with your OTC pain killer of choice will help a lot. I lived in Colorado Springs for 30 years and have still have family there. If you run out of travel time for road trips the Botanical Gardens in Denver are worth a visit. If its possible DIA at night is pretty amazing too. Did I mention drink lots of water? If you even think maybe you're getting a headache head for the pain meds, don't wait until you're sure.
Take it easy and enjoy, its beautiful country.
Moose

[Colorado]

I'll put a bid in for my hometown of Colorado Springs--90 minutes or so south of Denver. The Garden of the Gods is beautiful--a very pretty for a driving tour or for some on-foot explorations. You can take the cog railway to the top of Pikes Peak--it runs year round now. Manitou Springs, at the base of the Peak, is a cute, slightly quirky, town with some good food (Adam's Mountain Cafe and The Loop are very good).

Lived in Boulder and Denver for years--both are great and, at least for me, more politically tolerable, though that isn't likely a problem in the short term. :-) All the above suggestions are good. Boulder is fun and the views up the canyon into Nederland are nice. Estes Park and the drive to it from Boulder is very pretty. I don't find Golden all that interesting personally.

Dress in layers, drink a lot of water, and not too much alcohol--it hits you harder at a mile up.

If I had a day I would either up to Boulder or down to the Springs. I think Estes might be kind of far for a day trip.


http://www.cograilway.com/
http://www.gardenofgods.com/home/index.cfm?flash=1

[maverick]

thanks folks! i'm looking forward to getting out there, and hope to have some pictures to share when i return!

[BPritchard]

We've flown into the Denver airport on a couple of our trips out west.
One excellent feature is they have shops and different eating establishments in the concourse area.
You do not have to return to the main airport area and go through security again.

[maverick]

hi folks!

i'm here in denver!

i had a lovely trip out here!

this is the first time i've flown since they implemented the body scanners. however, the entire experience was quite pleasant. i had a nice chat with the security officer while i was waiting to have my documents checked at washington dulles airport (IAD). there were just a couple of people ahead of me. we talked about vegan food - i was carrying a box with vegan mac and cheese and boolgogi that i had picked up at cafe green in washington, dc earlier this afternoon.

i was flying southwest and checked in on my iphone. it presented me with a boarding pass on my iphone which i presented to security. but they couldn't accept it because there was no bar code. so i went back upstairs and got a printed boarding pass and came back down. sometimes, technology gets in the way more than it helps.

the security officer told me to go to the shortest of the lines to go through security. there were no body scanners - just the metal detectors. i guess they are still in the process of rolling out the body scanners (something i would choose to opt out of, not wanting to expose myself to unnecessary radiation).

i was traveling with my 11" macbook air inside a cache, which was inside an imago messenger bag. and that imago messenger bag was inside an aeronaut. a clear quarter packing cube held my toiletries in an end pocket of the aeronaut.

i pulled out the clear quarter packing cube when i went through security, but the imago, cache, and macbook air stayed inside. the tsa says that ipads and the macbook air do not need to be removed for inspection. i was glad to find this to indeed be the case.

the flight was fine - filled with sarcastic commentary that is customary on southwest airlines, making the usually mundane announcements that you get when you're taking off a little more bearable.

i checked into my hotel and went to a near by whole foods to pick up some groceries. i haven't gotten any headaches. it is dry here, and i am drinking plenty of water. amazingly, it's warmer here by about 15 degrees than it was in dc!

folks here are very friendly and very chatty! i'm glad to be here!

[ams123]

Interesting about the ipad and macbook not needing to be removed from your bag. I have a kindle and 10" netbook, and I have gotten conflicting responses from security each time I fly. I usually pack them both in a packing cube and security has objected to that because they say this makes them look "too dense" and they can't tell what they are on the xray machine when they are in my luggage. How did you have your ipad and macbook packed?

[Colorado]

Enjoy Colorado. I've lived here for 12 years and really can't imagine being anywhere else (well maybe the Northwest--and not just to be closer to the store). I hope you have a great time.

[maverick]

Interesting about the ipad and macbook not needing to be removed from your bag. I have a kindle and 10" netbook, and I have gotten conflicting responses from security each time I fly. I usually pack them both in a packing cube and security has objected to that because they say this makes them look "too dense" and they can't tell what they are on the xray machine when they are in my luggage. How did you have your ipad and macbook packed?

hi ams123!

yes, i think it really depends on the security officer. when i travelled last may with my ipad (which i no longer have), i was asked to remove it from the ristretto in which i was carrying it as i went through security.

i had the macbook air inside the cache, which was inside the imago, which was inside the aeronaut.

i'll let you know what happens as i go through security here in denver on the way back.