The Red Rocks

Just about 10 miles from Denver Colorado is this huge natural formation of rocks that has been converted to an Amphitheater.

As we approached the location, I was taken in by the huge stone structure jutting out into the sky.

I noticed that the rock formation in the surrounding area had a peculiar colour and finish.

Tribute should be paid to John Walker who had a vision of artists performing on a stage with perfect acoustic surroundings. He even produced a few concerts on a temporary platform. ( this was way back in 1900)

Later in 1941 this was converted to a full fledged amphitheater with a seating capacity of 9450.

An old picture of how it looked from way up above:

I noticed that the seats were quite wide. I suppose this gives the audience enough space to stand up and dance when the mood demands.

During the day time there are many health enthusiasts who use this place for workouts. You require real good stamina to run up those stands.

 There is a display of the pictures of all the groups who performed at this theater.  

Sonny and Cher, Pat Boone, Beatles, The Carpenters, Rolling Stones, John Denver, U2, Jimi Hendrix . . . . . .  the list is endless.

The Amphitheater was used for filming the start and finish of The Amazing Race.

Almost every big name has done their promotional video shooting at this amphitheater.

A tribute in the form of a statue to all the workers who actually carried out the work of converting the place to a theater.

After visiting the place we had lunch at Willy's Buffalo, which is at the foothills of the Red Rock.

What I liked about Willy's is the patio outside where you could sit and relax after placing the order.

Their favourite (chicken wings) could be ordered in Medium, Hot, Xtra Hot  and Xtra Xtra hot. We ordered in all the varieties and when they were served, the sight itself was appetizing. 

One bite and everyone was scrambling for more. Even though the skin was crisp, it was real meaty and juicy inside, and the taste was divine.  (the Xtra Xtra Hot was not all that spicy as we expected it to be) 

No wonder it has a four star rating on Yelp.

On that appetizing note I sign off, till we reach our next stop. 

Chuck Morris and his caricatures

Casa Bonita is a Mexican Restaurant in Denver, Colorado. Our hosts had already told us that the food over there was not all that great, but the ambience was something worth experiencing.

I am sure that all the guests to this place had themselves clicked in front of the fountain which was just at the entrance.

The place is colourfully decorated and the seating arrangements are at different levels.

Entertainment, especially for the kids was the order of the day (or rather night) with some one or the other jumping into this pool of water.

There was a small booth in which you could get yourself clicked with the full regalia for a small fee.

I found this girl making funny faces every time the cameraman said “ready”

There were musicians serenading and going around every table keeping the mood buoyant.  

But the best that I liked was the caricatures done by Mr Chuck Morris.

He talked to his customers and made them feel at ease while he sketched them. Transforming from a simple pencil sketch to an almost live colourful portrait is an art that he has mastered. You can see the transformation in the three minute video.

I noticed that whenever he drew, his left hand always went under the board. Could be a habit from the time he started sketching. His rates too were reasonable.

I had half a mind to get myself drawn but when the restaurant closed for the day, I found that Chuck still had customers waiting in line. So I had to forgo my aspiration of “looking funny”

Maybe next time Chuck J

Hoover Dam

A ride in and around the Hoover Dam gives an in depth knowledge of how the dam was built. One cannot comprehend the engineering marvel.

 After listening to the complete history of how the Dam was built, what amazed me was the 50 feet diameter diversion tunnels that were built on either side to divert the Colorado river from the construction site. 

Building of the dam itself was epic.

How much of concrete has gone into the making of the dam can be gauged by this picture below.

The three pictures below show the size of a nut and bolt that was used in the construction.

From the table below it looked like the shovel operators were the highest paid.

The above picture shows the back of the dam. The gust of wind is very powerful at this point. My cap was blown away while taking this picture.

At its base (where the maximum water pressure is 45000 pounds per square foot) are these generators that could produce 3 million horsepower and provide electricity for three states.

A dash of green in the desert.

A statue depicting a worker in action. A total of 112 deaths were associated with the construction of the dam.

Some more statues indoors showing people at work.

I liked Hansen’s sculpture of the two winged figures flanking a flagpole.

You can drive your vehicle over the dam which can be seen in the video below.

The view of the dam from the air is clicked by Snakefisch in 2005 and reproduced in Wikipedia. The bypass bridge came later in 2010 in the wake of the terrorist threat and even today enclosed box trucks are not allowed on the dam.

The real wonder of this Dam was that it was completed 2 years before the scheduled time !!

This catapult (sling) caught my attention at the souvenir store. Reminded me of my childhood where we always had a “catty” tucked in our back pocket. We used to make it from the yoke cut out from a tree and the rubber from discarded tubes. The material for the sling came from the leftover leather thrown away by the cobbler. Total cost ? Absolutely nothing. Now the same are sold in fancy stores for $ 14.      

While driving away from the dam (to the Grand Canyon) we could gauge the temperature in the Arizona desert as can be seen from the picture above.

The video is below: