Tuesday, May 31, 2022
When I woke up this morning, the burning sore throat had lessened a lot but my head congestion had increased. After a hearty breakfast, we got in the toad and Jane drove us south to Northglenn where we picked up Stephanie and continued southwest for about 30 minutes to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater. Red Rocks is an open-air amphitheater nestled among rock structures and is about 6,400 ft. asl with long-range views. A large angled rock is behind the stage with a huge vertical rock bordering stage right and large rock outcrops stage left and behind the curved bench seating (9,525 capacity) that slopes down to the stage. Red Rocks is legendary among music fans, especially amateur musicians like me, because of the many famous performers that have played in this unique setting that has a special ambiance all its own. I have seen many videos of Red Rocks performances, the latest being an entire concert by John Fogerty, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to visit this musical mecca.
From the upper parking area we walked down into the amphitheater and beheld the bowl-shaped seating area surrounded by red rocks with the famous stage at the bottom. The stage lights had been lowered to the floor and preparations were being made for the next concert. The lower section closer to the stage was roped off but visitors had free range over most of the amphitheater.
Once satisfied that we had viewed and photographed the amphitheater from all angles and maxed out on absorbing its magnificent ambiance, we proceeded into the Museum in an attached structure at the top of the seating. There we learned that occasional concerts were performed as early as the 1890s. The privately-owned venue was sold to the City of Denver in 1928 for a little over $54,000. The city hired an architect to design the amphitheater and employed cheap CCC labor to clear rocks as well as construct the seating and stage areas. The museum also documented the myriad musicians who have performed at Red Rocks over the years, a Who’s Who of the music world. In 2021, Red Rocks was named the top-grossing and most-attended concert venue of any size anywhere in the world.
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| Red Rocks Amphitheater |
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| Stage Right View |
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| (Almost) Stage View |
We then drove a short distance lower on the same property to The Red Rocks Trading Post that houses the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. The hall of fame had exhibits about musicians that have contributed significantly to the music history and culture of Colorado. John Denver was honored by a separate room of displays and an outdoor stature. Other musicians included Dan Fogelberg, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Judy Collins, Sugarloaf, Zephyr, and many more. I was disappointed that the Boulder-based bluegrass band, Hot Rize, only received a poster in the Music Hall of Frame.
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| Boulder-based Hot Rize including Pete Wernick (Dr. Banjo) |
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Steph hanging with John Denver outside of
the Colorado Music Hall of Fame |
We took a short drive to nearby Dinosaur Ridge. We first visited a small museum that contains some interesting local dinosaur fossils. Then we moved the car across the street to the trail head of a mile long (one-way) hike along the ridge. As we walked, signage educated us about various fossils embedded in the road cuts and the geology of the region. By far, the most awesome site of this journey was an exposed area covered with hundreds of dinosaur footprints. The footprints were of various orientations, shapes, sizes and spacings. It was intriguing attempting to interpret the patterns using the rather sparse information provided by the signage.
By this time the weather had turned nasty, cold winds and rain, and my head cold was bothering me. We had about a quarter of a mile left of the trail before turning around. Intrepidly, Jane volunteered to walk back to the car and pick us up at the trail’s end, another museum with gift shop. We agreed and not too long after Steph and I reached shelter from the cold and rain, Chauffeur Jane arrived in the parking lot.
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| Allosaurus Skull |
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| Stegosaurus Tail Spike |
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| Bone Fossil along the Dinosaur Ridge Trail |
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| Dinosaur Stomping Grounds |
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| Closeup of Dinosaur Footprintts |
Jane drove us from Dinosaur Ridge back to the the Clancy’s house where we drank coffee and tea to warm up. We stayed and enjoyed dinner with Steph and John, fresh rainbow trout that Dale had caught, with veggies and a chocolate dessert. We said our final goodbyes to the Clancy’s and Jane drove the hour-long trip back to our motorhome where we quickly crashed.
