This morning Eric and I could not get out of bed. I don’t know why we were so tired, but perhaps it was because we had such a stressful night getting to the campground and got to bed late. Anyway, we finally got up after 10:00am and left DAKOTA RIDGE RV RESORT at 11:30am. We went right across the street to a real biker bar called SUSIE’S BAR AND GRILL. I thought of all the Susies I know (sister-in-law, cousins, and friends), and knew they’d appreciate these pictures!
When we walked in (Eric in his bicycling t-shirt, jeans and sneakers, and me in my denim Capri pants and baby-doll top) we definitely attracted looks. We were definitely not the typical visitor to Susie’s! There was a young couple in complete biker gear having a beer. We started talking to them and they were so nice we ended up taking a picture of them.
We told them of our travels and they told us that they traveled the country in an RV for a year, with their bike on a trailer behind. That would be a fabulous way to travel – the convenience of having the RV, plus the convenience of the bike whenever you want to go sightseeing! We also got to meet Ginger, the owner (there is no longer a Susie!).
I had a grilled cheese with fries and Eric had their breakfast burrito. Both were really delicious. Their iced tea was the best I’ve had in a while (really dark and not watery). We were so happy that we found Susie’s, because we like to make every meal an adventure, and this certainly was!
After we ate, we started down West Colfax, which is a main street in Golden that goes all the way to Denver (about 10 miles). Eric wanted to replace the speakers in the front of the RV, because one was blown and it just didn’t sound that great (especially to him). We saw a car stereo place and we stopped by. They said they could do it in ½ hour (which was amazing), so Eric took me to a nearby nail salon and I got a manicure/pedicure while he got the new speakers installed.
I had not had a manicure/pedicure since Chicago, which was a month ago, so I was in desperate need. Although they did a good job, I have to say, again – it was no SUNSHINE NAILS! Cindy and the girls at SUNSHINE NAILS in New Hyde Park (2217 Hillside Avenue) do such a fantastic job. They are so sweet, friendly, and hard-working. Cindy has just moved into the space I used to occupy with PEPPY’S DREAM, and my friend, Julie, sent me some pictures, which follow. As you can see, she put down a new floor and did a lot of renovating. The place looks fantastic! I wish I could be there to congratulate Cindy in person! She provides all nail services, as well as massage, waxing, and also sells furniture and accessories like pocketbooks and jewelry. You must go see it, so you can see all she has done!
After Eric picked me up, we decided to drive the 10 miles down West Colfax to Denver. We had no plans, but just wanted to see the city. Downtown Denver is beautiful. We saw a lot of great buildings, including the Denver Mint! We drove up and down the streets and then drove a little further out of town to the residential areas, which had lots of really old, beautiful homes. Some were Victorian, with lots of gingerbread; some were brick bungalow-style homes, with just as much character.
We found a “trendy” part of town, with lots of great little coffee houses, bars and restaurants. Then, we saw a park and decided to drive around and see what it was like. Next thing you know, we see a big sign for the DENVER ZOO and decided we should go. I thought we wouldn’t do much walking today, because Eric hurt his big toe yesterday while mountain biking, but he said it was much better and did hurt, but not too much to walk. So, we went to the zoo!
It was really fantastic. We have been to three aquariums since we left New York, but hadn’t made it to a zoo yet, so this was a real treat. I don’t know when we last visited a zoo, but I can tell you, it’s been a while!
We saw lots of great animals and enjoyed every minute, but I would definitely say the highlights for me were the baby giraffe (with his mother and father), the elephants (I don’t know why, but I just love elephants!), the felines (the leopard was my favorite, of course!), and Bird World. I just love birds and there were so many beauties! Eric's favorites were the Malayan Tapir and the Andean Condor (which has a 10-foot wing span).
Here's the Malayan Tapir, which was very hard to photograph, since he kept diving under the water. He has very interesting coloring, because he is part black and part gray.
Here are two more pictures of the Malayan Tapir, which I found on the internet, so you can see what he looks like!
Here's the Andean Condor that Eric liked so much. He's in the vulture family!
Speaking of manicures, this guy could certainly use one:
Check out this shot I got of a bat in flight. I'm quite the photographer, eh? Actually, it was just luck, but I told Eric, "I meant to do that!" See the other bats hanging from the ceiling?
We stayed until the zoo closed and then went back to the “trendy” stretch of restaurants and went to PARALLEL SEVENTEEN, which served contemporary Vietnamese cuisine. We had a lovely meal. We shared two appetizers: Fresh vegetarian summer rolls with peanut sauce and pommes frites (purple, Yukon gold and sweet potato fries with creamy nuoc cham). I had the Sizzling Saigon Crepe, stuffed with sprouts, mushrooms, onions and shrimp, while Eric had the Jasmine tea smoked duck confit with mango chutney, lychee compote and orange mint slaw.
For dessert, we shared a Wanton Wonton (fried cinnamon wontons layered with French vanilla bean ice cream and roasted pears, topped with star anise honey.
Then, we headed back down West Colfax to the GOLDEN TERRACE SOUTH RV RESORT. Tomorrow, we will leave Colorado (which we have really enjoyed) and drive to Moab (and Arches National Park) in Utah. Eric is very excited about riding Slickrock in Moab, which is a mountain biking Mecca. This should be a REAL adventure!