Colorado Adventure Ideas--Summer 2016

I thought I would share some of the items remaining on my Colorado bucket list. Perhaps others might also be interested in some of these adventures.

(Click on the highlighted portions for links)

Ride the Rails
Several Railroad lines offer tours or rides. Here are four options in or near Denver:

Georgetown Loop Railroad

Leadville Colorado and Southern Railroad

Amtrak train from Denver to Glenwood Springs (Roundtrip)

Cog Railroad


Gold Mine Tours

Everett and Lebanon Mines- The Georgetown Loop Railroad can drop you off.

Molly Kathleen Mine- Located in Cripple Creek, Colorado. $20/adult. $12/kids.

Argo Gold Mine--Located in Idaho Springs, Colorado. $16/adult and $8/kids.



Hike a 14er

For beginners:

Mt. Sherman-This is the one I hope to summit sometime soon. Two reasons: 1) There is an old mine at the base 2) One of the "easier" ones to start with.

Mt. Bierstadt- Located in a popular area and also noted as a good "starter" climb.


Hike Parts of the Colorado Trail

There are 28 segments that make up the Colorado Trail. If you can't hike the whole thing...maybe try section by section. I've only casually hiked along 3 sections. Hoping to add more as time goes by.

Explore More Colorado History

Daniel-Fisher Tower Tour-At one point this clock tower was the tallest building west of the Mississippi. Tours offered on Saturdays. Cool historical/architectural tour.
Holzwarth historic site located on the Grand Lake side of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Bent's Old Fort- Travel back in time to the mid-1800s during the fur trade along the Sante Fe Trail.
Sand Creek Massacre Site-(Located near Bent's Old Fort site) Remember and honor a tragic event in American history...site where a group of Cheyenne and Arapahoe Amerindians were killed.
Dinosaur National Monument- One of Colorado's National Park Monument sites. Come and see dinosaur fossils and bone quarries.

Go Off-Roading!
A sample of jeep outfitters:

Colorado Jeep Tours

Backbone Adventures

Mountain High Rentals


Rent a Pontoon Boat for an afternoon

I've been wanting to do this for a long time. Maybe this summer it will happen!
Boat rentals for Lake Dillon: see Lake Dillon Boathouse


Get out and explore, y'all!! Happy summering!!

Humboldt Burger VS Meadowlark Burger

I have been waiting to partake of the Meadowlark Burger so that I could compare it with my top pick, the Humboldt Burger.

 

The results are in:

#1 in Taste Satisfaction: The Humboldt Burger

 

#1 in Visual Appeal and Creativity: The Meadowlark Burger

 

 

 

Meadowlark Burger, visually stunning

The Humboldt Burger, tastes absolutely amazing!

Meadowlark Kitchen

 

A friend and I accidentally found ourselves in Hipsterville, also known as the Rino district of Denver. Due to Sunday afternoon baseball game traffic we were delightfully rerouted to the Meadowlark Kitchen. 

 

This place has been on my list of places to check out, especially to try the Meadowlark burger. And I will say it did not disappoint. For visual appeal I'd say it wins top place among Denver burger joints. Towering high with features such as poached egg, bacon, jalapeno sauce, and yummy cheese this burger tasted pretty darn great.

 In all honesty, it was the first time I have tried a burger with poached egg even though I've seen several places around town adding this feature. It was quite messy and eventually I ended up eating it with a fork.

 

The menu was small yet varied. My friend had the catfish (featured below).

 

 

The venue is fairly small in the front but has a large patio in the back.

It was pretty hoppin' when we were there.

If you find yourself in the Rino district, check out this cute artsy restaurant.