We naturally gravitated to Famous Dave's stage where country music was all the vogue. The first group were big on the Eagle's tunes, so Toots and I got right into it. The second group, shown here, was really good for a band of this type (not famous); they were very loud but they played well together and kept everyone enthused. The stage was quite dark so the picture isn’t quite what I would have liked.
After a few hours at the festival we journeyed out to Ethel's niece Janet's home in Arvada. We had a real good visit with Janet, Mike, and their four kids. A real fun day.
On Sunday, we checked out of our hotel, crossed through Denver, with a destination of driving to the top of Mt. Evans, 14,240 feet in altitude and the highest paved road in America
At the base of the mountain and the start of the Mt. Evans Byway lies Echo Lake, at an elevation of 10,635 feet. There is a large visitor center and restaurant at this location. From here the Byway climbs, twists, provides numerous hairpin turns, and finally ends at the top, fourteen miles later.
This is a view of the buildings located quite close to the top of the mountain. There is an observatory, a large shelter to protect yourself from the strong winds, and lots of very cold (39 degrees) viewpoints.
I mentioned “quite close”. You can walk a short distance and climb this pile of rocks to get to the real top of the mountain, and many folks do just this. At 14K plus feet and little oxygen, yours truly elected to pass on this opportunity.
Part way down the hill we came to Mirror Lake, which is the centerpiece of a large park and trail area. There is a trail to the right of this lake that leads to vantage spots over a couple more lakes. Trust me on this.
A little further down the road the good folks in Colorado widened the road a couple of feet to allow a quick stop and a snap of Lincoln Lake, down in a valley. This one was really pretty.
Further down the road we came to what is known in Yellowstone as a “buffalo jam”; cars stopping along the roadway to take pictures. Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so we stopped as well. Good move! There were a number of mountain goats/bighorn sheep (don’t ask me. I have no idea which is which). The one guy made my day by standing there and looking out.
As we continued our downward journey we found a spot to get a rather good picture of Echo Lake, this time from quite high. Another nice piece of water.
Prior to the finish of the road there is another comfort station area, built around an area that had scores of old, withered trees. One of the stumps has been left at the station and becomes a prop for pictures, so Mrs. C was dutifully talked into posing with said trunk. She is on the left.
We finished the day by having dinner at Tommy Knockers Restaurant in Idaho Springs. The most eventful part of this evening was my dinner order, pulled Buffalo meat, smoked for 24 hours, and placed on a bun. It really was quite good and my first taste of buffalo.
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