Martin started with a bit of history to set the scene. He told us that in 1858 Colorado was part of the Kansas territory. Then gold was discovered and Colorado became its own territory in 1861. Denver was named by William Larimer after the Governor of Kansas, James Denver, to curry favour since he had questionable rights to the claim camp that was the beginnings on which the city was built, having threatened the original claimant’s life to take its ownership!

 

As the town became more established, a visionary developer called Henry Brown foresaw that Denver would become the capital so he donated land for the State Capitol building so that his surrounding land would become more valuable. He had some time to wait since it only became capital in 1881. In the meantime, because of all of the delays, he changed his mind and wanted his land back. He was denied, took the matter to court, lost, got bitter and said he’d never step foot in the Capitol building, which he didn’t… until, insult to injury, he was ‘honoured’ with his body lying in state in that very same building after he died. 

 

Denver is nicknamed The Mile High City because it’s a mile above sea level, at 5280 feet. The 15th step on the Capitol building was labelled the Mile High step until future elevation surveys moved the label to the 18th, 13th and now 17th step as the land settled and new technology allowed for more accurate measurement.

 

We walked past the Judiciary buildings to the Cultural Centre with the Civic Centre Park, Greek Theatre, Library (still relevant with digital labs and content), art museum (that looks like a modern art castle and contains 80,000 pieces of art post the $25M renovation). Martin pointed out pieces of art as we walked, explaining that the impressive amount of public art around Denver was because of legislature that compels new development over $1M to donate 1% to art for the city. What a joy to see the broad selection of art pieces and murals for all to appreciate. 

 

Martin also told us of a mayor called Robert Speer who did 3 terms in the early 1900s and was responsible for a lot of the set up of the cultural district we were walking through. A real visionary, Speer initiated a City Beautiful project that saw the 12 hectare park in the city centre earmarked for these gorgeous buildings, monuments and park. He said he wanted to make Denver ‘the Paris of America’… and yet, as elegant as they were, all the buildings were Greek architecture inspired.

 

Martin bid us farewell at Union Station at around 12h30. We had done our homework and had an itinerary that commenced immediately with jumping in an Uber to take us to Balistreri Winery. Highly rated online, the establishment was located a little out of town in a light industrial area. We reasoned that this made sense because the winery brought in grapes from Colorado and California but produced all their wine on site. Hence, they didn’t need to be out in the countryside to accommodate a vineyard nor would it make sense to pay downtown rentals for their production space. They had a lovely shaded garden set-up and we were very happy to test 2 mixed flights of 5 x 1 ounce (2 sips) of their range. We paired with a phenomenal pork belly and smashed chimichurri baby potatoes.

 

Very pleased with our first tasting, we chased with Bigsby’s Folly craft winery. A very different experience in an elegant bar with chandeliers and high tables. We loved the pink bubbles and paced ourselves with the smaller 3 x 2 ounce flights.

 

We were now on the edge of the RiNo (River North) district, where we planned to stretch our legs and absorb the local atmosphere. The neighbourhood’s claim-to-fame was street art so every corner brought new brightness and incredible murals on every available surface. We wandered through the modern suburb of mostly apartment and were lured into the community park and playground by a sign that announced free craft beer tasting in conjunction with the Great America Beer Fest, an annual Denver event. It happened to fall on the weekend we were there but was out of town with a hefty entrance fee so we had waived the idea in favour of our walking tour and self-guided wine route. We sampled the IPAs we were offered – keeping a poker face with the super crafty apple doughnut flavoured beer so as not to offend our host who was super friendly.

 

Our next stop was Ratio Beerworks punk rock bar, a minimalist industrial bar with a beer garden attached. We got ourselves a pint of the local and sat at the end of a long peninsular table. We had barely had the first sip when the people at the other end of the table struck up a conversation with us. They were from Grand Rapids and were in town for the English Premier League street festival we had seen outside Union Station. Decked in their Liverpool shirts, they reported that the event had hosted more than 15,000 people in the designated fan zone! After a short download of their entire life story, our new friends were off. We were realising that Colorado people are next-level friendly. 

 

Next up was supposed to be an early dinner at the Central Market, which promised a generous selection of food stalls selling delicious things.  But we didn’t make it there because we succumbed to live music belting out of Larimer Lounge as we were passing. What a treat to get an impromptu concert of an alt-indie local band called Skin Suit. 

 

As we were headed for home, we were waiting at a pedestrian crossing for the lights to change and struck up a conversation with two fellas waiting along side us. They invited us to join them at the baseball bar they were on their way to… so we did. They bought us a beer, told us about Denver and baseball, and then were off. We sure did make love-‘em-and-leave-‘em friends easily!

 

 

With no particular plan for the day except to Take It Easy before the big event, we appreciated a decent night’s sleep and the blessing of not having an alarm clock or a schedule calling the shots. We eased into the day with a slow jog around the now-familiar neighbourhood, all the way up to Capitol Hill (which was hardly a hill by Northriding standards) and on to the King Sooper supermarket we’d earmarked as a better contender for our breakfast pastry since their website boasted about their on-site bakery.

 

Disappointed again! Not a pain au chocolat in sight. More glazed family-pack doughnuts and the odd Danish for good measure. We went Sandwich. A big meaty cheesy sub to eat on the steps outside Capitol Hill while we discussed ambitions for the day.

 

We had four hours at our disposal before the obligatory pre-concert Sit. I had seen an Ariat store on our walking tour, which reminded me of my previous visit to Denver 20-odd years prior where I’d bought 2 pairs of Ariat Fatbaby cowboy working boots that had been conversation pieces almost every time I’d worn them. I was keen to return to the Larimer Street store to see what they had on offer. Both of us were keen to lunch on a Denver Omelette (ham, cheese, onions and peppers). Neither of us had been to a Denny’s Diner. We had a plan. 

 

We walked across town to fill in the photo opps from the walking tour that were too busy on a Sunday, but perfect for a Monday morning. The Ariat store produced little but suggestion for a stop-in at a Boot Barn along our roadtrip since there was not a Fatbaby cowboy boot to be seen. Nevermind, the walk through the University of Denver gave all new hope for humanity and made us wish we were going back to school – so clean and modern and organised, with young people populating the common areas studiously with books and laptops. Then a last turn past the Bronco’s local stadium and up the hill to Denny’s for a diner feast fit for a (burger) King.

 

Not wanting to be exhausted for the main event in the evening, we caught an Uber home, stopping only to source pre-game supplies. Having learnt that beers at Red Rocks sell for an eye-watering $15 a pop, it seemed prudent to have a pre-game stash for the transfer bus we’d booked in advance. Bursting with excitement for the show ahead, we tread water in the hotel room, biding our time until bus o’clock. 

 

Finally, the hour came and we walked down to Union Station to catch the mini-bus. Our driver, Linda, greeted us like old friends. Our co-passengers were also good timekeepers and we were soon off and headed to Red Rocks Amphitheater – at breakneck speed! 

 

What a literally awesome venue. The air grows crisp as you ascend the winding red-dirt trails, the sharp scent of mountain pine mingling with the electric hum of thousands of anticipating fans. And there you are, standing inside a towering cathedral of raw crimson stone. Massive sandstone monoliths – Ship Rock and Creation Rock – rise like ancient giants on either side, the rusty faces glowing fiery orange in the Colorado twilight. We had general admission tickets, so seating wasn’t allocated and we wound our way down toward the stage looking for space on the open-air stone steps that served as benches.

 

We had no trouble finding two spots next to the sound desk, which Chris reckons that is always the best sound in the house. Because of the steep incline of the amphitheater seating, we had a perfect view of the stage below, nestled in the cradle of the mountain. We couldn’t have been more than 15 or so rows from the front so it felt like an intimate experience although the venue seats more than 9500 people.

 

Shortly, the warm-up band took to the stage. An incredible garage-punk duo we hadn’t heard of, called Teen Mortgage. Later research revealed them to be Washington-based and acknowledged their reputation for hard-hitting performances, which married with what we experienced. A very relaxed drummer and an emotive guitarist-and-vocalist belting out message-driven fast-paced punk songs. Most excellent.

 

Excitement welled as Alkaline Trio took to the stage; my personal favourite of the line-up. It was fantastic to sing along to our favourite songs. The set-up, although technically seated, provided a wooden bench on the edge but the step was wide enough to allow around a metre in front of you. So, with everyone standing, you had that metre to dance around and the steps were deep enough that even with the bobbing and air-punching and general merriment, you still had a completely unobstructed view of the performers on the stage. Absolutely epic! 

 

Rise Against provided a more veteran polish to their set, with the front man engaging more with the audience and doing a lot of big-upping Colorado, which pleased the audience no end. The drummer was a native Coloradan and the band had recently produced a new album in Fort Collins, which added some sincerity to their generous compliments. The band delivered an unbelievable set, with a highlight being when the front man and guitarist came to a small platform in the middle of the audience – 2 or 3 rows from us! – to perform their acoustic Hero Of War song. I was absolutely star-struck to be so up close to these super-famous rockstars! 

 

What an unforgettable night. It would have been worth coming all this way just for the concert. How lucky that we still had a week of adventure ahead of us!