Estes Park, Boulder and Denver, Colorado July 30- August 5, 2017
Sunday - We left Dodge City stopping briefly in Goodland, KS to get gas and snacks. By chance we discovered Goodland's gigantic roadside attraction. The gigantic painting perched on a gigantic easel is Van Gogh's Sunflowers, appropriate since Kansas is the sunflower state. We then drove on to the Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, CO. This food market was awesome! I've been following it for a while on Instagram. We walked around it, downstairs and upstairs. So many cute restaurants, shops and food stalls! We had Sazza Pizza for a late lunch and the best part of this indoor market is that they allow dogs inside! I got a delicious cappuccino in Logan House Coffee Co before we left. We drove on to Estes Park, checked in to our hotel, and had Starbucks sandwiches and bagels before bed.
Monday - We took a four mile hike to Lake Hiayaha in Rocky Mountain National Park and the scenery was beautiful. For lunch we went to The Egg and I, a breakfast/lunch place we tried last year and really liked. This time I loved it even more because I tried the gf oatmeal pancake with homemade strawberry sauce on the side, creamy scrambled eggs, bacon and grits. This pancake was unbelievable with syrup poured over it and I wish I could eat this every morning for breakfast! Afterwards we drove to Boulder and went to two very cool record stores in cool neighborhoods near the university. We drove to the pedestrian street mall along Pearl Street and discovered the very cute and well stocked kitchen store Peppercorn. We had a yummy dinner at Cheesecake Factory.
Tuesday - Paul went for a longer hike to the top of Estes Cone and I caught up on magazine and book reading. I brought along all the magazines and newspapers I hadn't read that had piled up over summer break. For lunch we ate at Estes Park Pie Company and this place was delicious! I had assumed it was only a bakery but read about it in the local tourist magazine and realized they have delicious sandwiches and other dishes. I ordered the meatloaf with tater tots and a side of roasted, sliced Brussels sprouts with bacon. I really want to make these Brussels sprouts as soon as possible. They had been mandolined and the bacon pieces were small and thick. For dinner we went to Fajita Rita's, a place we enjoyed last summer. This year I fell head over heels for this place because the taco plate has way improved. I had four street tacos (spicy Cajun shrimp, margarita chicken, Texas beef and ginger BBQ pork) and two very strong margaritas! I can't wait to return to this place again. I'm glad it's a chain so I can hunt it down in another city!
Wednesday - Paul and I drove up to the the Alluvial Fan Trail. We took a couple of walks around boulders and streams taking pictures. We drove further along Trail Ridge Road and made a few stops to take pictures. We saw two marmots hanging out on a hillside, a large elk walking by itself, a herd of elk grazing, three deer, and many chipmunks. Paul had been getting up earlier and earlier each morning to prepare for his imminent 2:30 AM hike to Long's Peak so we were done with our excursion by 8:00 AM. We drove back to Boulder to spend more time shopping and eating. We went to Bart's Record Shop and I was delighted to discover Le Frigo right beside it. Le Frigo is a small European grocery with a separate walk-in cheese room in the back. Also next door was Ozo Coffee Company where I had a very flavorful and satisfying cappuccino. (It was so good that I bought a whole bag of beans in Whole Foods two days later.) We went to the 29th Street Mall and had lunch at Morimoto Burrito Sushi, a place we tried in Denver last summer and yes, it was even better this year. The Korean beef burrito with cucumbers, spicy sprouts, rice noodles and kimchi was heavenly! We also shopped in Sur la Table, always a treat! For dinner we returned to Estes Park and had Village Pizza, yet another place that seemed even better this time. Any place that has a salad bar and gf pizza is a winner for me.
Thursday - Paul got up at 2:00 AM and headed out to climb to the top of Long's Peak. I slept until 6:00 AM and then caught up on more reading. At 6:30 I took our dog for a short walk and helped a young Serbian couple get a cab to work. It was pouring rain and they couldn't call a cab on their phone. They were spending their summer working in Estes Park. I felt so happy to do this small act for them that I floated in happiness for two hours after. I did my last bit of shopping along the main drag of Estes Park and even got to shop the Thursday Farmer's Market that was set up! I found a stall that was only gf baked goods!! The cinnamon roll was delicious and the spicy cheese crackers were amazing! I had lunch at the Himalayan Kebab House and this small restaurant was crazy crowded. Because the weather had turned very cold and rainy, everyone was jammed into all the stores and restaurants. I was seated immediately but felt guilty taking up a whole table while a large family waited 30 minutes to be seated. The papadums with mint and tamarind sauces were good and the butter chicken was decent too. I'll always be spoiled to India Palace and Mayuri in Memphis. Nothing ever lives up to them! I stopped in Kind Coffee and had a cup of Bear Lake blend. It was roasty, toasty with a medium blend firm kick. For dinner we went to Latitude 105 Ale House where we had elk burgers with melted Brie and cherry marmalade. The tater tots were unreal because they were basically hash browns smushed into balls and then deep fried with aioli sauce for dipping. We drove to Denver to spend the night and it was so good to be back at the Ramada on sleazy and super fun Colfax Ave!
Friday - After walking the dog around the courtyard of our hotel I walked down the street to VooDoo Doughnuts. I really, really love this place and I love being able to walk into it at 6:30 in the morning to get the best selection. I ordered the raspberry madness (raspberry filled), the ole dirty bastard (covered in peanut butter and Oreos), the apple bear claw, and the chocolate coconut. Paul and I drove to Beet Box Doughnuts where I ordered every flavor of gf doughnut they had (and ironically loved the gf chocolate muffin the best). We drove to two food halls: Denver Central Market and The Source. These places were so cool, especially Denver Central Market which had very photogenic food spaces inside. We then went to two record shops, a cool bookstore called Kilgore Books, and discovered Chuey Fu's for lunch! This was one of our best discoveries in Denver so far. The further we dive into this city the better it gets! Chuey Fu's is Latin Asian fusion. I had street tacos with Korean flavors and some of the best guacamole ever. Paul had the pho burrito. This was an unbelievably delicious and unusual burrito: bean sprouts, Thai basil, Serrano, green onion, cilantro, rice noodles and pho broth. Later we visited another record store, stopped briefly in a very busy REI, and had dinner at Vine Street Pub and Brewery. I loved this place. They had gf beers and their buffalo chicken nachos were incredible. We will definitely visit this place or one of its other locations again! Afterwards we went back to REi and Paul bought some new hiking boots.
Saturday morning I woke up early and went grocery shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. I take grocery shopping very seriously now that I live in a small town. The grocery list has to be carefully planned. There are simply foods I cannot buy in Dodge City. After a brief stop at Chick Fil E, Paul and I drove home. It was an unbelievable summer of travel. I am awestruck with gratitude when I think of all my summer 2017 travels. This has been an unforgettable summer.
Sunday - We left Dodge City stopping briefly in Goodland, KS to get gas and snacks. By chance we discovered Goodland's gigantic roadside attraction. The gigantic painting perched on a gigantic easel is Van Gogh's Sunflowers, appropriate since Kansas is the sunflower state. We then drove on to the Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, CO. This food market was awesome! I've been following it for a while on Instagram. We walked around it, downstairs and upstairs. So many cute restaurants, shops and food stalls! We had Sazza Pizza for a late lunch and the best part of this indoor market is that they allow dogs inside! I got a delicious cappuccino in Logan House Coffee Co before we left. We drove on to Estes Park, checked in to our hotel, and had Starbucks sandwiches and bagels before bed.
Monday - We took a four mile hike to Lake Hiayaha in Rocky Mountain National Park and the scenery was beautiful. For lunch we went to The Egg and I, a breakfast/lunch place we tried last year and really liked. This time I loved it even more because I tried the gf oatmeal pancake with homemade strawberry sauce on the side, creamy scrambled eggs, bacon and grits. This pancake was unbelievable with syrup poured over it and I wish I could eat this every morning for breakfast! Afterwards we drove to Boulder and went to two very cool record stores in cool neighborhoods near the university. We drove to the pedestrian street mall along Pearl Street and discovered the very cute and well stocked kitchen store Peppercorn. We had a yummy dinner at Cheesecake Factory.
Tuesday - Paul went for a longer hike to the top of Estes Cone and I caught up on magazine and book reading. I brought along all the magazines and newspapers I hadn't read that had piled up over summer break. For lunch we ate at Estes Park Pie Company and this place was delicious! I had assumed it was only a bakery but read about it in the local tourist magazine and realized they have delicious sandwiches and other dishes. I ordered the meatloaf with tater tots and a side of roasted, sliced Brussels sprouts with bacon. I really want to make these Brussels sprouts as soon as possible. They had been mandolined and the bacon pieces were small and thick. For dinner we went to Fajita Rita's, a place we enjoyed last summer. This year I fell head over heels for this place because the taco plate has way improved. I had four street tacos (spicy Cajun shrimp, margarita chicken, Texas beef and ginger BBQ pork) and two very strong margaritas! I can't wait to return to this place again. I'm glad it's a chain so I can hunt it down in another city!
Wednesday - Paul and I drove up to the the Alluvial Fan Trail. We took a couple of walks around boulders and streams taking pictures. We drove further along Trail Ridge Road and made a few stops to take pictures. We saw two marmots hanging out on a hillside, a large elk walking by itself, a herd of elk grazing, three deer, and many chipmunks. Paul had been getting up earlier and earlier each morning to prepare for his imminent 2:30 AM hike to Long's Peak so we were done with our excursion by 8:00 AM. We drove back to Boulder to spend more time shopping and eating. We went to Bart's Record Shop and I was delighted to discover Le Frigo right beside it. Le Frigo is a small European grocery with a separate walk-in cheese room in the back. Also next door was Ozo Coffee Company where I had a very flavorful and satisfying cappuccino. (It was so good that I bought a whole bag of beans in Whole Foods two days later.) We went to the 29th Street Mall and had lunch at Morimoto Burrito Sushi, a place we tried in Denver last summer and yes, it was even better this year. The Korean beef burrito with cucumbers, spicy sprouts, rice noodles and kimchi was heavenly! We also shopped in Sur la Table, always a treat! For dinner we returned to Estes Park and had Village Pizza, yet another place that seemed even better this time. Any place that has a salad bar and gf pizza is a winner for me.
Thursday - Paul got up at 2:00 AM and headed out to climb to the top of Long's Peak. I slept until 6:00 AM and then caught up on more reading. At 6:30 I took our dog for a short walk and helped a young Serbian couple get a cab to work. It was pouring rain and they couldn't call a cab on their phone. They were spending their summer working in Estes Park. I felt so happy to do this small act for them that I floated in happiness for two hours after. I did my last bit of shopping along the main drag of Estes Park and even got to shop the Thursday Farmer's Market that was set up! I found a stall that was only gf baked goods!! The cinnamon roll was delicious and the spicy cheese crackers were amazing! I had lunch at the Himalayan Kebab House and this small restaurant was crazy crowded. Because the weather had turned very cold and rainy, everyone was jammed into all the stores and restaurants. I was seated immediately but felt guilty taking up a whole table while a large family waited 30 minutes to be seated. The papadums with mint and tamarind sauces were good and the butter chicken was decent too. I'll always be spoiled to India Palace and Mayuri in Memphis. Nothing ever lives up to them! I stopped in Kind Coffee and had a cup of Bear Lake blend. It was roasty, toasty with a medium blend firm kick. For dinner we went to Latitude 105 Ale House where we had elk burgers with melted Brie and cherry marmalade. The tater tots were unreal because they were basically hash browns smushed into balls and then deep fried with aioli sauce for dipping. We drove to Denver to spend the night and it was so good to be back at the Ramada on sleazy and super fun Colfax Ave!
Friday - After walking the dog around the courtyard of our hotel I walked down the street to VooDoo Doughnuts. I really, really love this place and I love being able to walk into it at 6:30 in the morning to get the best selection. I ordered the raspberry madness (raspberry filled), the ole dirty bastard (covered in peanut butter and Oreos), the apple bear claw, and the chocolate coconut. Paul and I drove to Beet Box Doughnuts where I ordered every flavor of gf doughnut they had (and ironically loved the gf chocolate muffin the best). We drove to two food halls: Denver Central Market and The Source. These places were so cool, especially Denver Central Market which had very photogenic food spaces inside. We then went to two record shops, a cool bookstore called Kilgore Books, and discovered Chuey Fu's for lunch! This was one of our best discoveries in Denver so far. The further we dive into this city the better it gets! Chuey Fu's is Latin Asian fusion. I had street tacos with Korean flavors and some of the best guacamole ever. Paul had the pho burrito. This was an unbelievably delicious and unusual burrito: bean sprouts, Thai basil, Serrano, green onion, cilantro, rice noodles and pho broth. Later we visited another record store, stopped briefly in a very busy REI, and had dinner at Vine Street Pub and Brewery. I loved this place. They had gf beers and their buffalo chicken nachos were incredible. We will definitely visit this place or one of its other locations again! Afterwards we went back to REi and Paul bought some new hiking boots.
Saturday morning I woke up early and went grocery shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. I take grocery shopping very seriously now that I live in a small town. The grocery list has to be carefully planned. There are simply foods I cannot buy in Dodge City. After a brief stop at Chick Fil E, Paul and I drove home. It was an unbelievable summer of travel. I am awestruck with gratitude when I think of all my summer 2017 travels. This has been an unforgettable summer.