On the Road, part 2: Colorado
Us entering Colorado. The wonders of Photoshop...and Lina's magical identical twin!
We arrived in Denver late Monday (9/3) and Melissa (and Baxter and Miss Charlie) greeted us with an incredible abundance of delicious vegetarian food. We feasted on quiche, fresh from the garden tomatoes, artichoke fritters, cheese and avocado, and even more that is escaping me. After catching up a little, Eric and I pretty well crashed. Who knew driving could be so exhausting??
A rainbow and beautiful scenery greeted us as we entered Colorado
Denver Art Museum
Denver Art Museum
On Tuesday we wandered around downtown/the museum district, stopping into Daniel Libeskind'sDenver Art Museum. I've been a bit skeptical of Libeskind's work, but I thought this museum was very successful. The sharp and unexpected angles used throughout the building formed a consistent language as you moved through the varying exhibits, created exciting thresholds to separate and emphasize different artwork, and gave the entire museum a playful personality. Because of the angular spaces, the museum builds wall additions to create vertical surfaces; beautifully, the physical spaces becomes akin to artwork and change according to the needs of each exhibit. The branding, type, and signage throughout the museum are also wonderful and feel perfectly integrated.
After leaving the museum, we wandered around to the Denver Public Library, State and City Capitols, and an awesome lunch at DiFranco's (highly recommended). We had a tasty dinner at with Melissa, accompanied by great conversation and a failed attempt at eating dessert. Something about pasta just leaves no room for anything else.
Lily Pond at the Denver Botanic Garden
Lots of plants at the Denver Botanic Garden
Wednesday morning found us up bright and early at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The temperature was perfect, around 65, and we almost had the place to ourselves (minus the older folks who come in to volunteer in the morning). The whole place is really great; beautiful plants all around, laid out wonderfully, and super cool buildings on the campus. To top it off, Melissa found us a buy one, get one free entry coupon. I'm really glad we squeezed in a visit before heading into the Rockies for Redstone.
Crystal Creek at Redstone
Redstone, our stomping ground for Wednesday night, is a quaint town of 130 (and that number seems generous). We stayed at the Redstone Inn, which has an interesting past and great vegetarian-friendly dining options. We indulged in both the pool and the hot tub while enjoying the spectacular mountain views (and incredible temperatures: not too cold for the pool, not too warm for the hot tub) and walked up and down the city street (and I mean 'the', not 'a' city street). Dinner was at Crystal Club Cafe, a sweet little restaurant/bar that had both a portobello sandwich AND vegetarian burger on their menu. Eric and I were in heaven. Lina, however, was a little on the chilly side so Eric kindly shared his jacket with her.
Eric and Lina, sharing a jacket and maybe some food
The big happening in Redstone was when we awoke Thursday morning to find Lina's food bowl empty, even though it had been full when we went to sleep. My first thought was 'that's strange, since she doesn't normally eat at night, but I suppose she was very hungry," until Eric inspected the bowl more closely and found a smattering of chipmunk droppings in it. We suspect a little woodland critter came in, ate all her food, and then topped off the offense by pooping in her bowl! Talk about a personal space violation...
We headed out early Friday morning with our sights on Salt Lake City, but I must mention Glenwood Springs and its neighbor Glenwood Canyon, two really quaint and charming Colorado towns that we passed through on our way down the mountain. I really hope we'll have a chance to visit for a little longer.
The changing landscape as we left Colorado
Leaving Colorado