After a loooong drive through the monotonous landscape of Kansas, which my youngest son likened to running on a treadmill, we finally reached the gorgeousness of Colorado.

Per usual, we’ve had a very loose agenda. A few non-negotiables are on the itinerary, but we mostly just go with the flow. As a family with two males, one non-negotiable was a visit to a few Denver professional sporting venues. We got to see the home of the Nuggets and the home of the Broncos. Honestly, though it wouldn’t have been my first choice if traveling solo, this was pretty darn impressive.

Next stop was a little town called Morrison. We spent a long time wandering the path along the river and marveling at the rock formations.

Loved the prayer flags blowing in the breeze. And really loved listening to the water causing a fuss.

Then we headed to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, the main point and purpose of our trip.

We celebrated my youngest’s 20th birthday with a super fun and sold out concert. A perfect way to close the chapter on his teenage years.

The formations were spectacular.

And so was the concert (American Authors, the Script, and One Republic). Click on the panoramic photo to greater detail.

An interesting thing happened at the concert. I wasn’t allowed to take my good camera into the venue. But then my phone battery died, so I didn’t have access to my phone’s camera either. Tanner’s response? “I guess you’ll just have to enjoy the experience.”

His words hung in my mind for a long time. Without access to my phone, I had a lot more time to look around at our fellow concert-goers. The vast majority had a smartphone planted firmly in their hands, taking selfies, checking in on Facebook or tweeting. Suddenly, I was very sad. I promised myself during that concert that I would only pick up my phone for really big things. More enjoying, less recording.

But of course, we’re in Colorado. And there are things like this that pop up out of nowhere on the horizon.

 And this.

And here we have Rocky Mountain National Park.

We’re still getting over the number of elk mulling around. They’re everywhere.

Another panoramic photo — a skill that I cannot seem to perfect. But I’m still trying. Click for a larger view. This is Bear Lake.

My handsome birthday boy.

As we headed back to Estes Park, we encountered quite a traffic jam.

As if I wasn’t enough in love with this place, a rain shower left this behind for us.

Last panoramic photo for today. This is the view from our cabin. We had several visitors this evening.

 May I please just stay here?