Got into Denver late Wednesday night. Flew Southwest out of Albany. I don't know how many here have flown out of Albany during an evening, but we made it from car to gate in like 10 minutes. Had a relatively quick, on time connection at Midway. Got out of Denver International pretty quickly and shuttled over to our Hyatt Place on 61st and Pena.
Next morning, took the commuter rail into Downtown. The RTD (Regional Transportation District) was free all week, which was nice from the standpoint of not having to figure out fares. Walked all over Downtown Denver after leaving our bags at the Hyatt Centric we stayed at (would recommend). The Mall (16th Street) was tore up, but we went to the big REI and Aquarium, which was neat because it featured a lot of freshwater species (and they had tigers for some reason). Ended up taking the light rail all the way out to the University of Denver, which we were impressed with. Had a couple ok meals.
Day 2 in Denver we Uber'd to the Zoo (larger than I anticipated) and then ate a late lunch at Three Margaritas, which was good. Went to the Rockies game that night. Coors Field was a great place to see a game. They love them some Charlie Blackmon.
Day 3 we rented a car (Chevy Traverse) and drove up to the Black Hills. We went up through Wyoming and stayed in Custer. The ride was fine. A little redundant. Custer was a good choice for a base of operation. We visited the Crazy Horse monument and watched a Native American dance demonstration (hoops).
Day 4 we did the Wildlife Loop in Custer, which we really enjoyed. Among other things, got right in the middle of one of the Bison herds (didn't touch their scrotes), and hiked part of the prairie trail, where we saw lots of prairie dogs. Prairie Dogs were noisy mofos that kinda look like a cross between a squirrel and a ground hog. Finished the loop after seeing the wild donkeys. Then took the Iron Highway up to Mount Rushmore, which was fine (I need to watch North by Northwest again). Then took the Needles Highway back to Custer (sketchy).
Day 5 we headed out of the Black Hills, through Rapid City, to Wall. Loved the 80 mph speed limit. Loved how campy Wall Drug was. Spent the late afternoon and evening in The Badlands, which was as astounding as advertised. Saw the Milky Way. It was about 100 degrees that day so we did almost all of our exploring by car.
Day 6 we headed back to Denver, through Nebraska this time. When you see "National Grassland," just think, utter waste of space. With the exception of Scottsbluff, saw more cattle than people until we got to the Denver suburbs. Don't remember much about what we did when we got back to Denver, but we stayed at the Grand Hyatt that evening. We did spend about $60 on ice cream at the Yard Milkshake Bar where an employee with a stoner-vibe chatted up the little Shrmdougluvrs about lacrosse.
Day 7 we walked over to and explored the State Capitol, then Uber'd to the Botanic Gardens. Enjoyed both. Took the train back to the airport and while busy, progressed steadily to our gate, where we had a direct flight back to Albany. Home by 11:30.
Overall, we all enjoyed the trip. Mrs. Shrmdougluvr really liked Denver. The vibe was active and polite. School bus stop like (you know, friendly because you have kids and the school in common, and you're only together for like 10 minutes, but you never really get more than superficially friendly). Everyone's dressed like their about to go on a hike or a jog. Lots and lots of homeless. The few locals we spoke with seemed to lament it. Although we saw some drug related behavior, they were not aggressive and I never felt unsafe. Denver was the only place I've ever been where the populace really uses those Lime Scooters. I assume that's because it's so flat its easy to get around. The pace of life seemed middling.
Didn't do anything with the Rockies and couldn't even really see them all that much. It was very hazy because it was mid to high 90s every day, and the air quality wasn't great.
Binged Deadwood before we left. Every time we went somewhere half nice in Custer, I'd think about Swearengen putting out canned peaches.
Custer State Park was very nice, and the wildlife loop was probably my favorite thing. Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore were both worth the stop. Totally dug Wall Drug. Badlands was otherworldly and definitely worth the long ride out.
We'll probably go back some day, but it would be easier if we had a reason (like a Syracuse game).
