Tourist First: Colorado: Live at Red Rocks

Friday, August 23, 2024

Colorado: Live at Red Rocks

Sandstone formations, colored by oxidized
minerals, give Rod Rocks its name,

An August 2024 weekend stopover in Denver gave Jane and me a chance for a quick visit to Red Rocks to see the celebrated amphitheater and a bit of the 740-acre park that surrounds it. Our nephew, who lives in Denver, drove us to the park, which is about 30 minutes out of town though it is owned by the city of Denver, and accompanied us on the popular Trading Post Trail, a 1.4-mile loop wending around rock formations. It's rated moderate, but on a 90-degree-plus sunny day, it wasn't moderate enough. At a road crossing and with probably less than a quarter-mile to go, we found a shady spot to wait while our nephew sprinted ahead and came back with his car for us.

The amphitheater, which has hosted performances since the early 1900s, took its present form during the Great Depression with help from the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration. It has since seen performances by the Beatles (1964), the Grateful Dead (at least 20 times), Jimi Hendrix (1968) and many others. It's where the concert film "U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky" was filmed in 1983. In 2021, Red Rocks Amphitheatre was the top-grossing and most-attended venue of any size anywhere in the world, according to Billboard Magazine.

Here are a few snapshots:

The Red Rocks Amphitheatre has seen musical performances of all types for more than 80 years.

Performances were held here for several decades before
the seating area and stage were completed in 1941.

Formations such as this seem to change shapes as you view them from different angles.

Stairs make some of the steeper sections
of the Trading Post Trail a bit easier.

There's not a lot of shade on the Trading Post Trail.

A hiker takes a break.

The elevation change on the Trading Post Trail is more than 300
feet, but it seemed to me that the trail went up and down
that much more than once.

Our nephew knew a good spot for a selfie.

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Argentine Patagonia

They are called what they look like: Mexican hats. They occur naturally in the highlands above the town of El Calafate. The water in the distance is glacier-fed Lago Argentino. An hour's drive east of El Calafate, near the headwaters of the lake, visitors can hike on the Perito Moreno glacier and take a boat ride among icebergs that have fallen off the several glaciers in the Parque Nacional des Glaciares. El Calafate is basically a summer (Nov. to Feb.) tourist town, and there are a number of hotels at all price points. We stayed at Esplendor El Calafate, a very stylish hotel with a full restaurant and bar. The South American picker-upper drink mate is available at breakfast. The hotel is an uphill walk from the commercial area, but that's not much of a drawback. Click on the photo to visit the Esplendor online.

Dominica

Probably the greenest island in the Caribbean, in terms of color and ecological awareness, is Dominica, just north of Martinique. It was named by Columbus, who sailed past it on a Sunday. The island nation is one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, but it is rich in friendly people and natural attractions, including a boiling lake, hot and cold waterfalls, a parrot jungle and hill after hill of dense green jungle. There is also a cable-car ride through the jungle canopy (http://www.natureisland.com/AerialTram.html). I wrote about Dominica years ago, and much of that article is still relevant: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/26/travel/winter-in-the-sun-an-island-where-less-is-more.html?scp=2&sq= Unfortunately, one of the hotels I mentioned, Petit Coulibri, has since closed. Fortunately, there's still a wonderful eco-resort called Papillote Wilderness Retreat http://www.papillote.dm/), four acres of lush gardens, hot-spring-heated soaking pools and modest cottage rooms.

Palm Springs

Palm Springs, Calif., is a great destination for nature lovers -- Mount San Jacinto State Park is a wonderful gondola ride (shown above -- click on it to visit its website) away, and Joshua Tree National Park is a short drive away. It's also a great destination for naturists; there are several major clothing optional resorts in the area -- and for fans of Mid-Century Modern architecture. For a dose of mid-century style, stay at the Orbit In (http://www.orbitin.com/), which does ask that you keep your clothes on.

Pompeii

If you're driving from Naples to the Amalfi Coast, and it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't want to visit the Amalfi Coast, you should plan to spend a night in the modern city of Pompei, adjacent to the ancient city of Pompeii. Above are the murals depicting an unknown ritual in what's called the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii. If you can, devote most of a full day to exploring the site. Afterward, you'll want a good hotel. Click on the image for info about Hotel Amleto, a small and friendly hotel in the heart of the new town and an easy walk from the ruins.

St. Vincent

This is one of the "rooms" at Petit Byahaut, an isolated (access by boat only) eco-resort on St. Vincent, the largest island in the country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Bequia, mentioned above in this column, is one of the Grenadines. The photo above is of the living deck and doesn't show a relatively enclosed area that had a real bed. Did you notice I said "had"? That's because the place has closed. To read about the property in its heyday, click on the image for a New York Times article I wrote. The article has a link to a slide show with more images of the resort.