"...it's got mountains, it's got rivers, it's got sights to give you shivers..." -Anna Kendrick, "Cups"

Last night we stayed in the town of Black Hawk, Colorado. Kevin visited the town on a previous road trip with our friend, Brad, so he knew the area. We had a fun night checking out the casinos and eating a good meal at the Lady Luck Casino even if we weren't so lucky at the Video Poker machines. We stayed at a hotel/casino called The Lodge for the night.

One of my favorite casinos was the Sasquatch Casino. I made a new friend there. 

Kevin thought the Sasquatch looked like he was in a wrestling stance so he challenged him to a match, but Bigfoot wasn't interested. 

We went to bed not sure of our plan for the next day, but when I woke up this morning Kevin had a plan mapped out for us. 

We decided to leave Black Hawk and head for the Rocky Mountain National park. The park's road snakes for 60 miles up and down the Rocky Mountains. Once again I was happy that Kevin was driving since most of the road had no guardrails and at one point we were over 12000 feet above sea level. I took a gazillion pictures, but here are a few of my favorites: 

Kevin says that he thinks it would be worse to be in the passenger seat on that road, and I might agree. My hand was gripping the door handle for most of the two hour scenic drive. Thankfully Kevin is a great driver, but I was worried about the other drivers!! During our drive to the peak the temperature dropped more than ten degrees. I can't believe how many people were biking up the side of the mountain! Crazy! It was very nerve wracking, but I'm glad we decided to take the drive! Such breathtaking views! 

From the Rocky Mountain National Park we headed into Boulder City for lunch. We stopped at a restaurant called the Hungry Toad. We had a delicious lunch, and when the waitress found out that we were on a road trip from Ohio she brought out a side dish that the waitstaff at the  restaurant loves for me to try. Fried jalapeños. Delicious! 

During lunch we decided that we wanted to camp in the Pike National Forest, so we headed to get a few groceries before hitting the road again. 

Before we headed for the park we decided to make a stop in the town of Golden, Colorado. It is the home of the Coors Brewing Plant. Kevin toured it during his previous road trip, but when we arrived there the line was soooo long that we just decided to head for the forest. 

We drove around the forest for awhile looking for the perfect spot. It was my turn to drive, and it seems like every time I am in the driver's seat it decides to rain, so of course the skies opened up and it poured. We napped in the truck for a little while waiting for the rain to let up with no success. Ultimately we decided to head for Denver for the night. A warm night in a comfy bed beats a night in a wet tent...although we would have loved to spend the night in the fresh air of the forest. 

There are signs everywhere indicating the current fire ban. It rained most of the day today, but the area has been in a drought for so long that the forest is a huge tinderbox! We saw evidence of the dangers when we drove through a section of the forest that was claimed by a fire. It was eerie to see the dead trees standing as far as the eye could see! 

I was able to book a room in a really nice hotel with a view of the Rockies for cheap because we booked so late! As I update this blog we are waiting for a pizza and salad to be delivered to our room from a local pizzeria. 

We will be starting the journey back home in a day or two. For now, we are living it up! I am in love with Colorado! The mountains. The rivers. The breathtaking views. I know we will be back!!!