For Nick’s birthday we decided to hit up one of the most famed concert venues in North America: Red Rocks Amphitheater. Not only were we able to see Rise Against!, one of his favorite bands, but we also got to hang out with some of our good friends from college. It was a short trip, but we managed to squeeze in the concert, an incredible hike at Rocky Mountain National Park, and some exploring of Denver.
What We Did
Rocky Mountain National Park: We had heard so many great things about this park, so we wanted to get a solid hike in before heading to Red Rocks for an evening concert. We hiked Sky Pond with two of our good friends from home (they recommended the hike). The hike is about 9 mi and took us about 5 hours (semi-strenuous). We visited in September, so the weather was nearly perfect and the hills were spotted with yellows and golds of Aspen trees beginning to turn. It was a fun trail with a few exciting rock scrambles which culminated at a peaceful pond in the mountains. We loved every minute of it and highly recommend this particular hike! On the drive in we also caught a glimpse of the hotel in Estes Park that influenced Stephen King to write the Shining.
Red Rocks Amphitheater: We went to see the headliner, Rise Against (Ant- Flag and AFI opened for them). All bands were really awesome to see. Specifically, Nick enjoyed seeing Rise Against for the first time. AFI was super angsty and entertaining. And, the lead singer climbed one of the massive rocks next to the stage. It was pretty impressive. As I’m sure is always the case at Red Rocks, we dealt with some hilariously sloppy concert go-ers, but overall, the crowd was a cool mix of goth and metal.
Denver Capitol Building: We try to hit up each state’s capitol building if we happen to be in the area. It was closed when we visited, but we were at least able to take some pictures of the outside. There is a large group of people who seem to live near there in the park, but they kept to themselves while we circled the area, so don’t be alarmed. It’s a beautiful building!
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