23 May - Red Rocks Amphitheater, Buffalo Bill Cody Grave, Downtown Golden, Dinner with Orlen and Carolyn Wolf

23 May
This morning we finished up laundry, filled the fresh water tank and some other housekeeping tasks and then after lunch headed just west of Golden CO and visited the Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater, or at least we tried.  We saw the Red Rocks but due to a Jethro Tull concert tonight the amphitheater was closed to visitors.  Sure would have loved to been there for that concert!  The acoustics are supposedly perfect and was once listed as one of the seven natural wonders of the world.  The park was quite a sight!

Red Rocks Amphitheater is a natural, geologically formed open-air theater located in the 808 acre Red Rocks park

A naturally-formed tunnel leads you to the entrance to the amphitheater

Amazing rock formations

Creation Rock, sandstone monolith.

A view from just outside the visitor center

A panoramic show the tunnel and surrounding area.

A small waterfall down the sandstone.

Next we headed to downtown Golden CO and visited the shops and sights.  It was a nice break as we strolled the various shops and stopped for an ice cream.

A tribute to the gold miners, hence "Golden" CO!

Adolph Coors and your's truly

Nana being silly!

Re-purposing skis and snow boards into a park bench.  

After our stroll of downtown Golden we headed up to Buffalo Bill Cody's museum and grave site, which is located on Lookout Mountain near Golden CO.  William F (Buffalo Bill) Cody herded cattle, worked on a wagon train, mined gold, rode in the Pony Express, and scouted for the Army.  His skills as a buffalo hunter gained him the nickname "Buffalo Bill".  His wild west show traveled the world leaving a lasting vision of the America West.

Museum entrance

 

A view of Golden CO below.

"Nana" Oakley, and Liberty peaking around the corner

A portrait of Buffalo Bill

We were unable to visit the museum due to the dog, but we explored the outside exhibits and walked to to the grave site.  Buffalo Bill was buried here in 1917.

The actual grave site.

Buffalo Bill was a Master Mason

After the Buffalo Bill visit we headed to the residence of Orlen and Carolyn Wolf, great friends from our time at Loring Air Force Base Maine.  We are very grateful that Orlen and Carolyn would take the time to travel from Golden CO to Des Moines to attend my military retirement in July 2015.

Orlen's RAM 1500 after a nasty tennis ball sized hail storm last week.  It damaged all of his vehicles including his RV, ripped siding from his garage and banged up his standing seam steel room.  That is one battered up RAM right there!

Orlen's neighbor's building.  Quite the brick job!!

It;s a beut' Clark!

Carolyn, Orlen and your's truly.

Carolyn prepared dinner and we shared stories and reminisced about our Air Force days and times at Loring.  Orlen is a staff member at the School of Mines and described his duties there.  he also gave us a tour of his "Ham Shack" and all his parts, antennas, coax, test equipment and other comm-geek items.  I felt right at home!!!  We are so thankful that they were home such that we could get together.  Orlen is a lot like Bill Callison - one of the smartest people I have ever met.  I learned a ton from Orlen and appreciate his mentorship.  

Tomorrow we head for Estes Park and the Rockie Mountain National Park.