Red Rocks

August 4, 2018

Last Day in Pine with Kevin and Chris

Not ready to admit that yet.

Another late night turned into a late start to the morning. I actually was up fairly early and Kevin already had the coffee all set so I went and sat outside with the dogs, furiously trying to catch up on this blog because those days in Crested Butte without internet access put me so far behind. I just absolutely adore these three dogs with all of my heart. Each one has a separate and distinct personality. Magellan can’t hear anymore, not that he listened too much while he could. He digs holes alllll over their yard and just lays in them. It’s the freaking cutest thing (when it’s not your lawn it’s happening to!). He fully enjoys laying down and getting his belly rubbed. He has the sweetest eyes. I will miss my Jelly, Fancy Pants, Ferdinand. Zeb, or most commonly Zebbie is just my best pal. This pup loved getting massages all week and would reward me with little kisses afterwards. He is the enforcer, letting everyone know what’s happening with his adorable bark. He also lays on my feet and keeps them warm so I like that about him too. Zeke is the master face maker! I have never seen such an expressive dog! He absolutely lets you know that he wants and deserves all of the attention. He brings toys to you, wants to be loved, and is essentially a Velcro to you if you pet him at all. He also didn’t pick up on Bear’s cues of “we aren’t friends, I am just tolerating you”. 😂 He just kept working at Bear for the full two weeks. He and Patch seemed to understand each other. Find the closest human, get them to pet you for a very long time. Zeke also has the biggest smile ever and it just warms your heart.

So basically I pet the dogs forever, knowing it could be years before I pet them again. I needed them to know I loved them and they are amazing. I think I accomplished that.

Jason awoke and started conversations with Kev and Chris about the rest of our travels. I was not ready to admit we were packing and leaving, even though once Jason was awake I quickly went in and packed everything so I didn’t have to think about it anymore. Jason, Kevin, and Chris mapped out our travels for Sunday and Monday while I decided to cook my last meal in the house.

Lunch

Beyond. Meat. Burger. I have wanted this for over a year now. It’s nearly impossible to get your hands on back in Rhode Island. But here, in the vegan haven of Colorado, you can have what your heart desires.

These burgers are made totally from plants. They actually look and cook like burgers do! 3 minutes on each side and done. I added some sliced tomato cheese and plated up all the rest of the leftovers for a small taster for everyone.

Disc Golf

Kevin and Chris are basically so cool, they have their own disc golf area in their backyard. I sat under the tree and blogged while they all played for about an hour. Essentially, it’s three frisbees per turn and you try to get it in the goal. Looked super hard!

Kelly

I sincerely hope I spelled her name correctly. I have to tell you about the wonderful woman named Kelly who made our stay exponentially better by her kindness and friendship.

Kelly is a coworker of Chris’s. She lives a little ways away from Pine, but she so kindly and generously stayed with Zeb and Magellan during our trip to Crested Butte for 4 days since they are just not able to keep up with hiking a lot anymore. She also swooped in to save the day on tonight, the night of the concert at Red Rocks.

We had left Bear and Patch at the house locked in the bedroom a few times this trip, but never more than a few hours. They are not used to being trapped in a space since they have free range at our house. Kelly, so amazingly, offered to spend the night at the house so that we didn’t have to worry about either letting the dogs stay outside or locking them in. Epically, Kelly said there was quite the wind and lightning storm that happened up in Pine (which didn’t happen 30 minutes down the mountain at Red Rocks). Patch stuck very close to her side (typical Patch) and Bear mostly hung out in the room or outside. We are so incredibly thankful for Kelly and her assistance in making this trip so memorable.

Lunch/Dinner in Evergreen

We headed back to Evergreen to a place called Larist Lodge Brewing Company. On the way, elk decided to take over the road!

We stopped to take some pictures and eventually the road cleared enough for us to go through. The difference between Colorado and Rhode Island? No one beeped, no one really blinked. There is such an amazing respect for wildlife here. It’s very much understood that there is a shared nature between us. Beautiful.

A flight, corn and bean tacos, and sweet potato tots rounded out my meal here.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

I told Chris that the next time we come back to Colorado, we cannot do Red Rocks on the last day. When we came three years ago, we stopped at Red Rocks, which is open to the public if there isn’t a show, on the way to the airport. Twice now I’m leaving CO with the most epic venue pulling me back.

Tonight we actually got to see a concert, the Infamous Stringdusters and Yonder Mountain String Band. We tailgated in the parking lot and then took a walk around the park area. When Kevin and Chris moved out here, they worked at Red Rocks for a few summers. Great way to grab extra cash and hear awesome bands at a top 5 venue.

We definitely had to take a few breaks walking up those stairs!! In the far background… that’s Denver! That’s right. We are higher than the mile high city!

There really is no venue like this one. We had great seats dead center and danced to the blue grass music. Infamous Stringdusters definitely have a few new fans. They totally brought the energy and we loved it!

Vegan at Red Rocks

I was slightly worried because finding food at a concert venue can be hard. Pretzels are usually a go to, but I wanted more. And I found it! They had vegan tofu dogs!!!!

Add onions and mustard to have a very happy Shannon!

Add friends, crazy clouds, and Jason and it was an epic night. Happy to have finally seen a show at Red Rocks. I will definitely fly in if DMB ever plays here again. No question about it.

Drive to home base

When we left Red Rocks, it was 75 degrees outside. We bet what temp it would be when we got home. Kev- 62. Jason-61. Shannon-60. Chris- 59. Well we were all wrong. In the 30 minute drive, and about 3000 feet in elevation change, it was 53 degrees when we parked the car. Brrrrrr! Gotta love Colorado weather! Kevin said earlier in the night “you can only see the weather for the next 20 minutes in Colorado”. He sure is right.

We said our thank you’s again to Kelly and headed straight to bed. Tomorrow came faster than we anticipated, but that’s what happens when good things come to a close.