Our First Hiking Trip: Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater

A lot of fun things to talk about! Aside from the awesome and fun hiking trip we went on today, we also discovered an awesome pizza place yesterday.

Normally, I cook our lunch and dinner for the week ahead of time on the weekend so we just need to heat up our food during the week. I love this way of eating on many levels. The most important... we don't have to bang our heads to figure out what to eat for lunch and dinner everyday. And it's a great way to eat healthy. You're going to eat what you have already made, right? So you cook a healthy meal for the week and you're guaranteed to healthy for the week. It does seem kind of boring at first, but that's what the weekend is for. Sometimes the food goes into the weekend but not always and that's how we end up going out to eat at least once. I could cook extra food but you never know what will happen on the weekend and I don't feel too comfortable eating something more than a week old. I did think about cooking a whole new meal just for the weekend but that's way too much work for me.

So anyway, we had no food in the apartment and that's how we ended up going to a pizza and wine restaurant Saturday night. And even though it was chilly, it was within walking distance, so we hoofed it. It's called Pino's Neighborhood Pizzeria and Wine Bar. And all my friends would love this place. The pizza that we had was delicious! It was so delicious there was no time for a photo. Taking a photo was an afterthought. AND they had a room that you could see from the restaurant that was full of wine. I don't drink a lot of wine but we have a lot of friends who love to enjoy a glass of wine. The vibe was great and the maitre d' busted out into opera when we entered (it was a coincidence). We will definitely be taking our friends there when they come to visit.

Even before we moved here, we kept talking about hiking the mountains when we finally got to Colorado. Sure you can hike in Florida but there are no mountains in Florida. And I wouldn't dream of hiking in the summer. Way too humid and gross and buggy. I could totally see myself hiking in the summer  in Colorado though.

So we went to a place called Red Rocks Park.Not only is it a park but they have a gorgeous amphitheater where they hold concerts. It is absolutely beautiful there!

This formation is one of the first things you see when you get into the park.

Another awesome formation

We drove up to a lot next to the trading post, which is near the amphitheater, and started on a trail that began there. It was just over a mile and a half but it was pretty amazing. The trail was definitely defined and there were stairs that were put into it, but it was still a decent workout. And we were strolling more than doing a brisk walk.

The beginning of the trail

Stairs!

When we got close to the end of the trail we came across the entrance for the amphitheater so we decided to go have a look. Oh man, you either climb a ton of stairs to get to it or climb a ramp all the way up. I was out of breath by the time we got to the actual entrance to the thing. And I don't know about David, but I was expecting to catch a glimpse of the amphitheater and then just enjoy the view from up there. Not true.

The amphitheater is open to the public when there is not an even going on! There were a TON of people working out or walking around.

People milling around

Some were running up and down the rows, some were running across each row, there was even a workout class on the stage working out! I was very impressed. I know I'm not there yet (Thanks thin air). There were a lot of steps to the top and I was getting winded halfway up. I have a long way to go.

My low level athleticism aside, this weekend was a lot of fun. We found a great place to eat. And our first hiking adventure was a success. In closing, all our friends need to come and visit so we can share these awesome things!!

If you would like to see more photos from the trip here's a link to the album: Red Rocks Park