We made an encore return to Denver, primarily to visit Child Units 2A and 2B; always a great time.  We explained to them long ago they can run but they can’t hide.  Our time included laughing, eating, golf, Monopoly Deal, and just a whole lot of fun.  The weather was primo, other than one day of rain and cool temps, and we corrected that with a trip to the movies.

We camped at our go-to campground, Cherry Creek State Park, which is an awesome campground located proximate to Denver in Aurora.  In fact, we biked directly from our campsite into downtown Denver along the Cherry Creek Trail.  The Cherry Creek Trail always has interesting and pretty scenery, and on our 33-mile ride we were only on the road (on a sidewalk) for about 200 yards – the rest was all paved trail.

First up – First Friday Art Walks, which is a unique Denver experience on Santa Fe, repeated on the first Friday each month throughout the year.  There are hundreds of artists who display their work up and down Santa Fe and it is awesome.  We just coincidentally happened to be here for this event, and our kids live just a few blocks off Santa Fe so a very short walk away.  For the August event, Santa Fe is shut down to allow people to walk the street without vehicle traffic.  There are multiple places for food and beverage, as well as all kinds of art and clothing.

Another signature Denver area event is Cider Days, an event held in Lakewood, just a wee bit to the west and south of Denver proper.  The event, which includes displays, food, history, tractor pulls, and more is a celebration of Lakewood’s agricultural history and is a huge event that draws thousands of visitors.

We cannot perform our activities without sustenance, and we experienced some culinary events.  We shared cooking events, both at our trailer and at the kid’s house, which were fun and delicious, but I will note three particular additional culinary events not at home.

First, we scored barbeque at Post Oak Barbeque on Tennyson.  Now we have been to some superb BBQ joints in our travels, but this place may be the overall best.  EVERYTHING was superb, from the beef ribs, pork belly, pork ribs, brisket, pulled pork, turkey – you know, meat.  Also, their Bacon Mac & Cheese and their baked beans were to die for.

We also visited Potager on N. Ogden, a farm-to-table restaurant that was simply superb.  Don’t ask, but we ended up making BFF’s with our next-door table.  What happens at Potager stays at Potager.

Lastly, we dined at Casa Bonita, a Lakewood destination restaurant now owned by the creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker.  Due to the season (Halloween), it is temporarily nicknamed Casa BOOnita.  Always an allure for celebrities, we observed a couple of hip-hop recording artists, NileZ and Blondce.  By the way, she is HOT!

Casa Bonita was originated by Bill Waugh in Oklahoma City back in 1968 and expanded to Denver in 1974.  If Disneyworld and Meow Wolf had a baby, this would be it.  Theme-park in nature, the restaurant has a waterfall and divers diving into a pool below, as well as an insane vibe throughout.  The restaurant closed during Covid, and with a $40 million influx of capitol from Matt and Trey, it reopened in 2023.  So good.  And you had to know this place had our name all over it.

Onwards.  Until next time!