Golden, Colorado

     The drive from Estes Park to Golden followed another narrow canyon, but this time we were going down, down, down about 2400 feet.  As we approached Boulder, Colorado, we saw many cyclists on the road.  So many that we thought there was a race, but then noticed that they were biking in both directions and on the cross roads as well. The area has bike routes marked on most major roads.  It appears to be a town with a very active population.  There were many beautiful homes perched high on the surrounding hills as well as pretty gardens and parks.  Beautiful in the summertime.  Not so sure about driving those steep driveways when there is ice and snow.
    Our new campground - Dakota Ridge - is very high end with lots of green grass, cement parking pads, and lots of trees.  It is really well kept which is a nice change after the weeds and dirt roads of the last campground.  We are at the edge of town, away from most street noise, with a great view of the foothills.  A walkway at the back of the campground leads to the top of a rocky mound where you can look out over Denver.  It has been quite hot but today it is rainy and much cooler.  The downside is that it's hard to take pictures of the view.
   We settled in and then drove to Lookout Mountain where Buffalo Bill Cody is buried.  Although he is well known for the town in Wyoming that is named for him, he wanted to be buried outside Denver.  He was a man who love publicity so perhaps he felt that he would get more notice if he were buried on this high point.
   The Buffalo Bill Museum is a fun place to visit.  There are many items from the Wild West Show including some film of the actual show and recordings of Buffalo Bill's voice.  It was a fun thing to do on a rainy day.  The view from Lookout Mountain was pretty foggy, but the drive around the area took us past lots of huge new homes.
    As we drove back we saw high fences along the freeway with crosswalks and underpasses for wild life.  This allows the elk, deer, fox etc. to safely move across the freeway from one area to another.  Nice for the wildlife, but also for drivers.  I would hate to hit an elk - those guys are BIG!