Rain...

Unfortunately for our vacationers, Sunday was not one of Denver's fabled 300 days of sunshine. As beautiful as Saturday's 75 degree pristine blue skies was, Sunday was cold and wet. However, the rain hadn't started when we woke up in the morning so we went to Red Rocks Park to get a bit more outdoor playtime in before rain stopped us.

Red Rocks Park has been described as the Eighth Wonder of the World. I haven't seen any of the Seven Wonders, so I can't really pass judgment. But Red Rocks is certainly a spectacular combination of prehistoric geology and modern day rock and roll. The rock formations themselves were caused by some kind of mighty geologic upheaval, and look like gigantic shards of shattered red clay jutting up from the earth. The terrain at Red Rocks is also different. Unlike the flat grasslands of the prairie to Denver's east, and the evergreen-dense forest of the mountains, Red Rocks is like the desert. The soil is sandy and mahogany-colored and covered in yucca, prickly pear cactus, and fiery-red low brush (fireweed? sumac?).

We parked near the Trading Post and hiked the steep ramp to the amphitheater. Even though it was misty and overcast, the ramp offered great views of downtown Denver and the plains. Once in the amphitheater, the two enormous monoliths that rise up to make up the walls of the amphitheater make you feel dwarfed and awed (360 view of the amphiteater). And of course, in keeping with our dwarfed and awed feeling, we snuck behind the gate and went on to the Red Rocks stage--the same stage where so many of music's biggest stars had played in the past.