Our second day in Colorado started with our moving to the super-trendy Origin Red Rocks Hotel, in preparation for the Midland Concert that evening. As I wrote in my previous blog post about our first day in Colorado, this trip was made possible by my winning Southwest Airline’s “Breathtaking Beats” Sweepstakes, which included round-trip flights for two people to Denver from a Southwest hub, two tickets to a live concert at the world-famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and one night at the uber-hip Origin Red Rocks Hotel! The Origin is a boutique Wyndham hotel that “blends rock and roll energy with mountain town vibes”, and is the official hotel for the world-famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre- and when I saw their nightly rate for the evening of our concert I literally gasped! Thank you, Southwest Airlines! Our guest room was lovely, with a view of the mountains… & I’ve gotta say that the little freebie bags of Jolly Rancher candies- a Golden original since 1949- at the desk were a big hit with Dan, a die-hard Jolly Rancher fan! I will also say that I am a die-hard fan of windows that actually open, and bathtubs, as there is nothing as relaxing, for me, as having a deep, hot, tub-soak at the end of a day, along with fresh air… especially in the mountains, which is kinda the point of being there in the first place… (Our historic inn in West Virginia, the Elkhorn Inn & Theatre, has 6, antique, claw-foot tubs, and 1922 windows that actually open, and together they give us, and our guests, a lovely, leisurely, “old world” experience…) And so it never fails to surprise me that even high-end hotel rooms now often provide only a shower, and are hermetically sealed, so you can’t even open the windows and enjoy that crisp, mountain air first-hand…
Hard-core “railfans” that we are, Dan & I spent the morning at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, which is an excellent, interactive museum that not only has lots of great trains to look at and explore, a roundhouse, and a turntable you can actually turn, but also a simulator where you can learn to operate a steam train (or enough about it to be dangerous, at any rate, LOL), AND a fun train ride, as well! And we did it all! HIGHLY recommended if you- or your kids- love trains!
We had lunch at a very special restaurant in Golden, the truly unique Sherpa House Restaurant and Cultural Center. Sampling a delicious variety of eastern Tibetan dishes that have an Indian/Asian flair, as well as Nepalese beers, we enjoyed dining on their outdoor patio under colorful Tibetan banners by a fountain. The restaurant is very apparently a family affair, which we liked; we saw several generations at work serving guests, and it gave the restaurant a great ambiance. Dan and I shared an appetizer platter that included samosas, pakoras, nan, and Tibetan Momo Dumplings, and a Nepalese beer flight of 4 beers. I had Yak Saag with Spinach, and Dan had Yak Chili with a Lentil Sauce, both served with brown rice, and I asked for, and got, a small dish of their hot sauce, because I’m a crazy #chilehead! 🙂 We hunt, and have eaten a Lot of different meats & game over the years, but I think this is the first time either of us had yak- and it was delish! The waiter told us their yummy Yak is regionally sourced, and comes from a farm in Montana, which we thought was very cool! (After we got home I went looking for yak meat online, and found several ranches that sell it, including Wahatoya Yak in Colorado: https://wahatoyayak.com/ – and yes, yak filet mignon is now on my foodie shopping list!) We ordered a great deal of very tasty food, and we took take-out containers back to our hotel; when we came back from the concert that night, that spicy Yak Saag and Chili made for a perfect, warming, late-night snack! 🙂
We had a drink at the Origin’s bar before the concert, and the bartender actually got pleasant after I asked for local Colorado spirits! 🙂 The hotel does have an attractive bar, and a pleasant outdoor patio area with fire pit tables.
The highlight of the day, of course, was the Midland Concert at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and it really was a lot of fun! We had great seats- Row 14, right in the center- and the crowd was upbeat and fun: thousands of die-hard Midland fans, all of whom were in a great mood, nice, and having a wonderful time! This was a Very special concert for Midland, which they made clear, and the band and their opening acts did everything in their power to put on a great show- and succeeded! This was the first time Dan and I had been to a “big time” outdoor concert together, and we finally felt like we’d joined “the cool kids”! 🙂
The weather was great, and in addition to snacks being available at the Red Rocks snack bar, we had canned cocktails brought right to our seats by strolling beverage vendors, which made the evening even more fun! I (stupidly) left my cowboy hat in our truck back in NC, and I was kicking myself throughout the concert, as cowboy hats are de rigueur for a Midland concert! Due to Dan’s damaged back he can’t walk a lot without suffering a great deal of pain, and we have a disability hang-tag for our vehicle, but the Accessible seats were sold out by the time we were booked for the concert. We brought our disability vehicle tag with us for our rental vehicle, and I am Very glad we did, as the distance from the regular parking lot at Red Rocks to the concert turned out to be tremendous, and it would have been totally impossible for us if we hadn’t been able to park our vehicle in a disabled parking space and take their free Accessibility Shuttle. I had looked up all the information on that process on the Red Rocks website prior to arriving, but it was still confusing, especially at night in the dark, with several mandatory detours, and I had to jump out of our vehicle and repeatedly ask for directions and get guidance. Everyone was nice, and extremely helpful, but we were both Very glad we’d arrived early!
After the concert we had a serious case of the munchies, and, as I mentioned above, when we got back to our hotel room, we requested and got a microwave, and enjoyed our Tibetan take-out as a “midnight snack”! And so to bed, as Pepys would say!
Next: Colorado Day 3!
