Greetings from Denver, Colorado!

So I just returned from a Department of Labor conference in Denver, Colorado. I tacked on a day at the end to do some hiking. All-in-all it was quite successful.

After arriving, I took a stroll over to the state capitol. It’s blue. That was a bit surprising to me until I remembered that ours is pink. All told, the Texas capitol grounds take up roughly four city blocks; the Colorado capitol and environs are downright cozy in comparison. And there was a lot of construction going on there, but a nice building.

Colorado Capitol Building - Jul 14 — Colorado Capitol Building – Denver, Colorado – July 2014

The hotel was around the corner from Denver’s 16th Street Pedestrian Mall, so I took my meals there. The exception was dinner that I had at Row Fourteen Bistro and Wine Bar by the Convention Center. Best meal I had in Denver. The Bison Bolognese was fantastic!

Other than Row Fourteen, I ended up eating at Marlowe’s on the pedestrian mall. Here’s some sights from their patio.

Rosemary Rickey - Marlowe's - Denver, Colorado - July 2014 — Rosemary Rickey – Marlowe’s – Denver, Colorado – July 2014

Blackberry Old Fashioned – Marlowe’s – Denver, Colorado, July 2014

Steak Frites - Jul 14 — Steak Frites – Marlowe’s – Denver, Colorado, July 2014

Hari Khrishnas - Jul 14 — Dinner Floor Show – Marlowe’s – Denver, Colorado, July 2014

On Friday after the conference concluded, I went hiking in O’Fallon Park near Evergreen. It was an easy 30-minute drive from downtown Denver. It’s located in the front range of the Rockies and has several trails you can hike. I did the Meadow View Loop, the West Ridge Loop, and part of the Bear Creek Trail – about 7 miles altogether. This is a real gem in Denver; I hope I have the opportunity to go back.

Vista - Jul 14 — Vista – O’Fallon Park, Evergreen, Colorado, July 2014

Aspens1 Jul 14 — Aspen Grove – O’Fallon Park, Evergreen, Colorado, July 2014

Mule Deer - Jul 14 — Mule Deer – O’Fallon Park, Evergreen, Colorado, July 2014

Meadow1 - Jul 14 — Meadow – O’Fallon Park, Evergreen, Colorado, July 2014

Snow Caps – O’Fallon Park, Evergreen, Colorado, July 2014

River - Jul 14 — Bear Creek – O’Fallon Park, Evergreen, Colorado, July 2014

Bee Balm - Jul 14 — Bee Balm – O’Fallon Park, Evergreen, Colorado, July 2014

Cactus - Jul 14 — Cactus – O’Fallon Park, Evergreen, Colorado, July 2014

Thistle Flower - Jul 14 — Thistle Flower – O’Fallon Park, Evergreen, Colorado, July 2014

Meadow - Jul 14 — Wild Flowers – O’Fallon Park, Evergreen, Colorado, July 2014

On Saturday, I spent the day at Castlewood Canyon State Park near Franktown, Colorado. Since this is away from the mountains, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it has a lot of diversity. It reminds me of Enchanted Rock here in the Hill County. There were a lot of people, but it was easy enough to find some solitude on the more challenging trails. I did the Dam, Homestead, Inner Canyon, Lake Gulch, and Rimrock trails – about 13 miles in all.