Denver, Colorado

Denver, The Place For Mile High Fun
by Rhonda Burnham

Southpoint recently visited Denver, Colorado. The weather in Denver in June is nearly perfect with highs in the low 70s and lows in the high 50s. We walked through downtown Denver and along the riverfront where we watched a helmeted kayaker battling the white water. Just across the river is the original REI store in a huge red brick warehouse building.

The liveliest street in Downtown Denver is 16th Street where only public transportation is allowed to make way for pedestrians. We strolled through the Brown Palace Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Denver, with a magnificent eight-story atrium (see above).


We visited the Denver Zoo for an afternoon where we were entertained by various monkeys, leopards and anteaters. There were quite a few brightly plumaged peacocks strutting their stuff throughout the open areas of the park not to mention all the Canada geese with lines of yellow-grey goslings in tow. The monkeys and large cats were our favorites.

We also made a short 60 mile trip from Denver up to Rocky Mountain National Park. The main road through the park had just opened up a couple of weeks before. We had hoped to drive along the Old Falls Trail road but found that it is open only from July 1 - Sept 30. This is the original road through the park. It is not paved and is one-way only and open to vehicles under 24 feet and vehicles pulling trailers aren't allowed. The elk were plentiful as we drove through the park. We also spotted several mule deer, a marmot and many tiny chipmunks. We took a short 3/4 mile hike up to Alberta Falls. The trailside was still spotted with snow even in early June.

We decided to take in a Colorado Rockies baseball game while we were in the area. Coors stadium, the Rockies home field, is located at the edge of downtown Denver. The highlight of the night was seeing Ken Griffey Jr. hit a home run even though he was on the opposing Cincinnati Reds team.

The clean air and gorgeous views of the nearby mountains around Denver are almost intoxicating. There are lots of fun things to do, so plan ahead.