In and Around Golden

We spent a week at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden, Colorado with our WIN friends.  We came into town from the south and most of the group came from the north so we were happy to spend some time with them in passing.

And what is Golden known for?  Why, beer made from Rocky Mountain spring water.

We toured the brewery using high-tech hand-held audio receivers.  There were lots of shiny copper vats.

And Diana found a chilly seat in the cold room.

At the end of the tour, they offered generous samples.  Since I am not a fan of beer, I asked what they had that didn't taste like beer.  When I did that at the Budweiser brewery in Jacksonville, they offered me Mike's Hard Lemonade.  That was pretty good.  At Coors, they had soft drinks, but suggested that I try Blue Moon because it's a sweeter beer.  Well, it was okay, but still beer.

Leaving town, I noticed this interesting landmark which Ron says used to be on the Coors label.  That was way before my time, of course.

We also had a tour of Red Rocks Amphitheatre, quite an impressive place.  With almost 10,000 seats, it is the setting for numerous concerts and is popular with performers because of the fine acoustics.

I snapped this out the window on the way into Red Rocks Park.

The amphitheathre was built by the CCC in the late 1930s with sweat and grit.

It's really a beautiful setting in among the red rocks.

And we took a day trip to Boulder to tour the Celestial Seasonings tea factory and learned lots of interesting tea facts (none of which I remember.)  They had a cool collection of teapots in the lobby where you could sample many of their blends.

Here are Diana and Phil modeling the attractive hair nets required for the tour.  Phil even got to wear the coveted beard net.

Also in Golden is the Leanin' Tree greeting card company.  They have a western art collection that is out of this world and free, free, free!  It's the private collection of Edward P. Trumble, chairman and founder of Leanin' Tree and consists of over 300 original artwork and sculptures.  You're not allowed to take pictures inside, but there is also a sculpture garden.

Ron finally bagged the prize elk he's always wanted.

While I found a nice spot to rest.

What is that I feel breathing down my neck?