Denver, Colorado and Estes Park, Colorado - August 2016
For our final trip of summer 2016 Paul and I drove to nearby Colorado. Paul wanted to hike Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park and knew from previous experience that he would need at least a day to acclimate to the elevation before hiking it. We drove to Denver and checked into our hotel on Colfax Avenue. Then I made a beeline for Voodoo Doughnuts. I'd wanted to check this place out on our last trip to Denver in October 2015. There is never enough time in any city to see and do everything! In any case these doughnuts are delicious! The flavors are as over-the-top as the unrepeatable names of the doughnuts! Over the course of two days I went twice. I tried the chocolate-peanut, mango madness, grape ape, peach fritter, apple fritter, and Memphis Mafia. They were ALL my favorite. Paul and I had lunch at a Mexican sushi place I found online. It's called Komotodo and it was a perfect uncrowded place in the middle of downtown to try giant sushi burritos. They were delicious!
After a trip to Trader Joes, Sprouts and driving around town for coffee Paul and I headed to the 16th Street Mall and had Cheesecake Factory for dinner before heading to Coors Field for the Rockies game. Paul is a baseball nut and we hadn't been to this stadium before. I love baseball too and though I didn't try the elk brats or the Rocky Mountain oysters or any of the other delicious stadium food I did drink a Coors Light at Coors Field. It seemed unfriendly not to.
The next morning I went to Voodoo Doughnuts and there was no line to my surprise. You have to go early in the morning for these doughnuts. Paul and I drove up and down Colfax one more time and stopped in Hot Chick a Latte. I thought the names of the Voodoo Doughnuts were naughty but these coffee drinks were eye-popping! The friendly waitresses at this hot pink walk-up coffee stand were wearing bikinis and lingerie! There must be men who get their coffee here every morning just for the scenery! For the first time ever my husband enjoyed coffee! Paul and I then drove to Boulder, Colorado for lunch and I ran in Home Goods and the bundt cake store Nothing Bundt Cake while he ordered Red Robin burgers to go. We ate them in the Jeep and gave a few bites to our dog. Then it was on to Estes Park to check into our hotel and get hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park!
Estes Park, Colorado
It was a little overcast and thundering when we started our hike to Bear Lake so we only made a short hike. This was a good warmup, though. It is hard to breath at high elevation unless you're used to it. For dinner we ate at Fajita Rita's and though the menu didn't look exciting the food was absolutely delicious! Everything is homemade and the hot salsa and corn tortillas were my favorite. The frozen margarita was delicious too. The restaurant boasts the second largest selection of tequilas in Colorado.
The next morning we got up early and went to Bear Lake again. This time we made it all the way up to Emerald Lake and I took pictures of the beautiful scenery. We saw chipmunks, deer, wood peckers and a very fluffy brown bunny. For lunch we ate at The Egg and I. The bacon avocado omelette was delicious and so were the grits! Paul went for a drive to find the entrance to Longs Peak and I explored the Estes Park main street of shops. There are so many cute souvenir shops with taffy, caramel apples, Christmas ornaments and local art. I ended up with a large bag of caramel and cheddar popcorn, a magnet and a tee shirt. For dinner Paul needed to fill up on carbs for his 3:00AM hike to Longs Peak so we found Village Pizza and the pizza was yummy. The salad bar was nice too. I miss salad bars! Where did they go?
After Paul's 9-hour hike we ate lunch at The Wild Rose Food and Spirits and both had tasty elk burgers. Then after more exploring the main drag and a long walk to the hotel I caught up on reading all my food magazines I'd brought along. For dinner we ate a delicious meal at the Appenzell Restaurant and Pub. We shared a cheese plate, an elk brat and some spicy hot wings. Paul had a whisky and soda cocktail with muddled cherries. It was a perfect final meal for our trip to the Rockies. I can't wait to return next summer!
Friday morning we drove to Boulder to get some groceries at Whole Foods and then made our way home to Dodge City. The next day we had our annual Bastille Day hot dog and French food party. It was a belated Bastille Day Party this year because everyone we knew was traveling on July 14th! Summer 2016 is in the books and it was a marvelous summer of food and travel!
For our final trip of summer 2016 Paul and I drove to nearby Colorado. Paul wanted to hike Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park and knew from previous experience that he would need at least a day to acclimate to the elevation before hiking it. We drove to Denver and checked into our hotel on Colfax Avenue. Then I made a beeline for Voodoo Doughnuts. I'd wanted to check this place out on our last trip to Denver in October 2015. There is never enough time in any city to see and do everything! In any case these doughnuts are delicious! The flavors are as over-the-top as the unrepeatable names of the doughnuts! Over the course of two days I went twice. I tried the chocolate-peanut, mango madness, grape ape, peach fritter, apple fritter, and Memphis Mafia. They were ALL my favorite. Paul and I had lunch at a Mexican sushi place I found online. It's called Komotodo and it was a perfect uncrowded place in the middle of downtown to try giant sushi burritos. They were delicious!
After a trip to Trader Joes, Sprouts and driving around town for coffee Paul and I headed to the 16th Street Mall and had Cheesecake Factory for dinner before heading to Coors Field for the Rockies game. Paul is a baseball nut and we hadn't been to this stadium before. I love baseball too and though I didn't try the elk brats or the Rocky Mountain oysters or any of the other delicious stadium food I did drink a Coors Light at Coors Field. It seemed unfriendly not to.
The next morning I went to Voodoo Doughnuts and there was no line to my surprise. You have to go early in the morning for these doughnuts. Paul and I drove up and down Colfax one more time and stopped in Hot Chick a Latte. I thought the names of the Voodoo Doughnuts were naughty but these coffee drinks were eye-popping! The friendly waitresses at this hot pink walk-up coffee stand were wearing bikinis and lingerie! There must be men who get their coffee here every morning just for the scenery! For the first time ever my husband enjoyed coffee! Paul and I then drove to Boulder, Colorado for lunch and I ran in Home Goods and the bundt cake store Nothing Bundt Cake while he ordered Red Robin burgers to go. We ate them in the Jeep and gave a few bites to our dog. Then it was on to Estes Park to check into our hotel and get hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park!
Estes Park, Colorado
It was a little overcast and thundering when we started our hike to Bear Lake so we only made a short hike. This was a good warmup, though. It is hard to breath at high elevation unless you're used to it. For dinner we ate at Fajita Rita's and though the menu didn't look exciting the food was absolutely delicious! Everything is homemade and the hot salsa and corn tortillas were my favorite. The frozen margarita was delicious too. The restaurant boasts the second largest selection of tequilas in Colorado.
The next morning we got up early and went to Bear Lake again. This time we made it all the way up to Emerald Lake and I took pictures of the beautiful scenery. We saw chipmunks, deer, wood peckers and a very fluffy brown bunny. For lunch we ate at The Egg and I. The bacon avocado omelette was delicious and so were the grits! Paul went for a drive to find the entrance to Longs Peak and I explored the Estes Park main street of shops. There are so many cute souvenir shops with taffy, caramel apples, Christmas ornaments and local art. I ended up with a large bag of caramel and cheddar popcorn, a magnet and a tee shirt. For dinner Paul needed to fill up on carbs for his 3:00AM hike to Longs Peak so we found Village Pizza and the pizza was yummy. The salad bar was nice too. I miss salad bars! Where did they go?
After Paul's 9-hour hike we ate lunch at The Wild Rose Food and Spirits and both had tasty elk burgers. Then after more exploring the main drag and a long walk to the hotel I caught up on reading all my food magazines I'd brought along. For dinner we ate a delicious meal at the Appenzell Restaurant and Pub. We shared a cheese plate, an elk brat and some spicy hot wings. Paul had a whisky and soda cocktail with muddled cherries. It was a perfect final meal for our trip to the Rockies. I can't wait to return next summer!
Friday morning we drove to Boulder to get some groceries at Whole Foods and then made our way home to Dodge City. The next day we had our annual Bastille Day hot dog and French food party. It was a belated Bastille Day Party this year because everyone we knew was traveling on July 14th! Summer 2016 is in the books and it was a marvelous summer of food and travel!
Bear Lake hiking and an elk grazing in front of our hotel.
The spooky, haunted Stanley Hotel where Stephen King set "The Shining."
Estes Park shopping and dining. Elk burgers below.