Denver 2003

Note: This travelog was written in 2019, so many details have long been forgotten since we took the trip.

	Saturday, October 25, 2003: We flew out to Denver late the night before. We started this day by picking up our friends Pete and Sally to spend the day sightseeing. We hadn't gone very far when we had our first prairie dog sighting.
	We had forgotten to bring our camera, so we bought a videocamera at Target before picking up our friends. Therefore, some of the photos on this page were taken by Pete and some (like this one) are screen captures of the video we took that day.
	Here's an open field covered with prairie dog burrows.
	We drove up to Lyons and stopped at 450 Main Street for lunch. We don't recall the name of the restaurant, but it became Cilantro Mary in 2006, and has been Lyons Fork since 2010. By the time you read this, who knows what it will be?
	Here are Tom, Sally, and Pete.
	Here are Sally and Pete again, in a photo specifically designed to catch the capri-overall-wearing hipsters in the background.
	Come again! We sure will, if you're still in business the next time we are in town.
	We took a brief stroll to the other end of the block.
	Next, we headed to Estes Park, outside Rocky Mountain National Park.
	We passed a herd of elk as we drove through the town of Estes Park.
	We drove past the Stanley Hotel and ended up stopping right around the corner at this scenic little spot.
	Pretty, huh?
	We circled back to get a photo of the majestic Stanley Hotel, ...
	... and a shot of the view from the road in front.
	Back in town, we found the elk herd was still there, slowing down traffic.
	So we found a spot to park and watch them.
	Pete took a photo of Sally as the elk grazed nearby not minding our presence a bit.
	Here's Pete's photo.
	Debbie joined Sally and the best-looking elk for a group photo.
	On our way out of town, we stopped at the lovely Estes Park sign carved into rock. We had seen it on our way in and vowed to stop on our way back. Here we are, ...
	... and here are Sally and Pete. We rushed back to Denver, dropped off Pete and Sally at Ruth and Tom's house, then we headed to our hotel to change into our Halloween costumes. We were here to attend Ruth and Tom's famous annual Halloween party. Although we had come from Indianapolis, technically Pete and Sally travelled the farthest to attend, because they are from New Zealand. We had just seen them the previous weekend in Santa Fe at a conference which was the real reason for them being in the US.
	Here are our attractive hosts, Ruth and Tom (AKA Other Tom), dressed as a bride and groom.
	We dressed as Siegfried (Debbie) and Roy (Tom). It was in very bad taste since the Siegfried and Roy lion attack had just occurred earlier in the month.
	Our mutual friend, Dave, was in attendance. Like Pete and Other Tom, Debbie knows Dave from the 4D developer community.
	Can you tell that Dave and Other Tom are long-time friends?
	Here's our lovely hostess, Ruth.
	We got some very grainy footage of the party. Here is Other Tom with Debbie.
	One of the party guests was Spongebob Squarepants, ...
	... and this guy was the Incredible Hulk.
	Tom and Ruth's home had a balcony that overlooks the city of Denver, making it a great place to take a short break during a rocking party.
	Saturday, October 26, 2003: The next morning, Pete and Sally had a very early flight out while we got to sleep in a bit. Here's the view from our room at the Lakewood Hampton Inn where we stayed for the weekend. We checked out and joined Tom and Ruth for a hearty Colorado breakfast at a cafe they love.
	We didn't get any pictures of breakfast but we did get out the videocamera when we went to Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
	Hey! Get out the way, Other Tom!
	Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a performance venue carved right into the rocks.
	When concerts aren't being held, it is open to visitors to look around. The setting is magical.
	Views are lovely in all directions.
	Off in the distance to the north west, ...
	... downtown Denver was visible.
	Here's the back of the venue looking to the north ...
	... and to the south.
	Tom got a shot of Debbie and Ruth chatting, ...
	... and some footage at the giant rock structures towering over us.
	Next, we drove out to I-70 for a glimpse of ...
	... the lovely Rocky Mountains.
	This particular location offers a view of bison on the hill south of the highway.
	For real, bison.
	Too soon, it was time to say goodbye to our friends and head to the airport. Our route took us through downtown Denver. Here's the pretty Colorado capitol building.
	Here's Sherman and 13th Avenue.
	Here's another view of the Colorado capitol building's shiny, shiny dome.
	We passed the Colorado History Museum, which has since been torn down.
	What's this? A U.S Mint right here in Denver?
	Yes, indeed. It's a fortress.
	The building itself is quite attractive.
	We made a vow to come back and visit someday. Someday.
	A skyway near the now-defunct Adam's Mark Hotel blocked some of the view of the cool 1700 Broadway building.
	The Mile High City loves the number 5280, which is the elevation of the city.
	Our last footage of our trip is this plane art suspended in midair at Denver International Airport. ** THE END **