Our first full day in Denver was a Friday, and we were super fortunate to have our friend Kelly take the day off from work to show us around. Thank you Kelly, Tedy and Fenot for all your hospitality during our stay–we’re looking forward to returning the favors!
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre
Our first stop was Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, which boasts a scenic open-air amphitheatre surrounded by incredible red rock sandstone monoliths. The day we visited, there were quite a few people sitting in the amphitheatre and also using the stairs to exercise, although we’d certainly imagine how fun it would be to have this be the backdrop of an evening concert or musical event (we noticed that quite a few musical bands would be playing in the coming months that we’d be happy to check out if we were in town)! There are even high school graduations that take place in the amphitheatre, which would be quite special. There are several hikes to do at Red Rocks, and we did a fairly easy hike, where we even saw a den of snakes (at least 4 in the same area!), as well as saw some birds, squirrels and reptiles that were starting to creep out on this sunny and warm day.
Dinosaur Ridge - #1 Recommended By Paleontologists
Not too far from Red Rocks was our next stop, Dinosaur Ridge, an outdoor museum situated 20 minutes’ west of Denver, where you can see over 300 fossil tracks. It’s a short walk uphill to see these incredibly well-preserved fossil tracks, which include those of the stegosaurus, the apatosaurus, allosaurus, crocodilian tracks, and others. It was amazing to see hundreds of these tracks so clearly, and we could see why paleontologists have ranked it as the top dinosaur tracksite in America as a result!
By this time we were starving (hiking and identifying dinosaur fossils for a few hours will do that to you), so lunch was at New Saigon Bakery, an authentic Vietnamese restaurant and grocery store that focuses on banh mi, traditional Vietnamese sandwiches. The banh mi were served in huge rolls and as the ultimate sandwich, we were able to take it to eat at a nearby park, where the weather started to cool down since the hike earlier in the day.
International Church of Cannabis - A Real Religion
Fortunately, the next place we visited was indoors at the International Church of Cannabis, which is actually a religious organization that uses cannabis as a sacrament, based on the belief that this helps elevate people to a higher understanding of oneself. Most Coloradans will tell you that the state was the first in the US to sell legal recreational marijuana, and there’s no problem finding a dispensary in any town or city in Colorado. While none of us are religious, we were interested in checking out the church, and it was just perfect that the guided meditation and laser light experience that we went to watch was at 4.20pm (get it, right)? The experience was pretty trippy, even sober (no cannabis consumption allowed during the show),, as we sat back in pews or on the floor, with the seats adorned with fluffy cushions of mushrooms and other characters. The entire room is filled with psychedelic music and colors throughout the meditation and light experience, and it’s a fascinating glimpse into the organization and its beliefs.
The show is every day at 20 minutes past the hour, with the last showing at 7.20pm, with tickets costing $25. In addition to the show, the Church also has a room filled with games, and an outdoor area to relax in. The show and all Church public hours are family and dog-friendly, so we also couldn’t help giggling and wondering what Sheila was thinking as the room filled with bright colors and music during the meditation and laser light experience!
High Point Creamery was a Highlight
We had dessert ahead of dinner, which was a visit to High Point Creamery, which bills itself as an upscale ice cream parlor, with several stores and a food truck in Denver. Michael loves ice cream and both he and Lisette consider him to be quite the ice cream connoisseur. High Point Creamery exceeded expectations! The flavors were very unique–and our favorites included basil with blackberry swirl, and cardamom and lemon. But we sampled a few other flavors and the Salted Caramel flavor, which Bi-Rite in San Francisco does best, tasted pretty much the same at High Point Creamery! Needless to say, we highly recommend High Point and would be happy to try more flavors (or all of them) should we return to Denver!
West African (Togo) Dance Class
We kicked off the next day around lunchtime, with Kelly and Lisette going to Cleo Parker Robinson Dance for a West African Dance class. Lisette used to go dancing multiple times a week when we lived in San Francisco (mostly to West African dance, as well as shuffling, house, and other dances from the African diaspora), so she’d been missing her dance classes while on the road. The West African dance class at this studio is taught by Koffi Toudji, who is originally from Togo, so Lisette was excited to go since she had never been to a dance class from there.
While the instruments are the same (there’s live drumming on the djembe and dundun, and there was even a balofon–similar to a xylophone–in the class), the dance style itself was very different to the Guinean dances that Lisette is accustomed to. The class used two handkerchiefs throughout, but it was also just as high intensity (lots of jumping!), and relied heavily on listening to the drums to know when to start, and what moves to do. Koffi is a fun and funny teacher, with lots of laughs throughout the class. Lisette and Kelly loved his class, although Kelly got blisters on her feet afterwards, while Lisette had burst a blood vessel on her foot from jumping around so much!
Clearly they’d worked up an appetite, so Lisette and Kelly met Michael and Kelly’s husband and son at the Spice Room, an Indian restaurant with an extensive menu, including many vegan and vegetarian options. Everything seemed delicious, but a few notable items that we had included the Gol Gappa/Pani Puri (a popular Indian street food; a deep-fried breaded hollow spherical shell, filled with a combination of potatoes, raw onions, chickpeas, spices and topped with tamarind chutney), the jackfruit curry, biryani, and vegetarian korma curry.
More Denver City Attractions
In the afternoon Michael, Lisette and Kelly checked out some of Denver’s quirkier attractions. Denver is known as the “Mile High City”, and on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol there are two markers on the steps noting where the city is one mile above sea level. Except the words “One Mile Above Sea Level” is also on a third step different to the markers, so it’s a bit confusing as to which step is the current correct one!
“The Yearling” is a short distance from the mile-high steps, in front of the Denver Public Library. This sculpture is of a gigantic red chair with a pinto pony on the seat, and one of the city’s most beloved art pieces. It had started to drizzle by this time, and Kelly was surprised to see so many people walking around with umbrellas–apparently an uncommon sight in Denver, as it doesn’t rain much!
We loved the Mayan Theatre, only 1 of 3 remaining theatres in the US that’s built in the Art Deco Mayan Revival style (the other two are in Los Angeles, California, and San Antonio, Texas). The theatre is still operating and plays independent movies. A historic landmark, It’s a two-storey building that features pre-Columbian motifs, including jaguars, masks and flora in Aztec and Mayan designs.
Another historic building we dropped into was Buckhorn Exchange, Denver’s oldest restaurant. It’s a steakhouse that also serves other game meats, including yak, elk, and ostrich, and customers eat with dozens of taxidermied animals staring down at them, which is certainly rather eccentric! The restaurant is strict about not taking photos though unless you are a customer, so we popped back out and continued on with the art attractions, walking around Denver’s Santa Fe Art District (not to be confused with Santa Fe in New Mexico), which had some colorful buildings, funky murals, galleries and cafes.
As the sun started to set, we stopped outside the Enchanted Hart Haus, a private residence adorned with mosaic art, glass bottle sculptures, and metal sculptures. The name of the residence is inscribed on the roof, although it’s easy to miss amid all the mosaic tiles, which make the homes next door seem rather plain in comparison!
We hung out with our friends in the evening, and although we weren’t hungry following our late lunch, we ended up devouring Tedy’s homemade baba ganoush, which was definitely the best eggplant dip we have ever tasted! When we left their home in the evening to walk the 50 yards to our RV, we realized it was sleeting! What very wild weather, to go from sunny and pleasant to a sudden cold snap in one day!
Sunday is for Korean Spa Day
On our last day in Denver, Michael spent it catching up on work and relaxing, while Lisette went with Kelly and one of her girlfriends to a Korean Spa. Have you ever been to a Korean spa? Lisette has been to Japanese bathhouses/spas in Japan and in San Francisco, and they are quite similar to each other. While sometimes these are co-ed, often men and women have separate spas, where you strip naked and have a shower before spending time in the different saunas (often there’s a wet and dry sauna), and plunge pools (there are several with different temperatures). There are often additional saunas (such as a mud sauna and a jade/crystal sauna), and you can also pay extra to have treatments, including massages and body scrubs.
Lisette, Kelly, and Kelly’s friend Dana went to Havana Health Spa. No reservation needed to use the spa facilities, and it’s $31 for as long as you want! As it was a Sunday, there were quite a few other women using the facilities, but it wasn’t too crowded and it seemed like a relaxing way to hang out with girlfriends for many. Because the only thing you’re wearing is your birthday suit (or occasionally a towel), time flew by and before Lisette knew it, we’d been at the spa for over 2.5 hours, or 30 minutes over the time that we’d planned to leave! Clearly by that time we were very relaxed, and after a very convenient stop at the Korean grocery store next door (you get hungry after going to the spa), it was time to head back.
Michael, Lisette and Sheila had one last meal with Kelly, Tedy and Fenot before leaving Denver, en route to Boulder. It was so wonderful to spend time with friends, especially someone who Lisette has known since university, and who we can pick up conversations with so easily and have so much in common with! We were sad to go, but are so thankful for the time we spent catching up and seeing a city through the lens of friends who live there. After driving for a short while, we found a spot to park by a quiet trailhead on the outskirts of Boulder, with a flock of birds hanging on the branches of a nearby tree as the sun was setting.
Route Map
