What began 25 years ago on Santa Fe Drive as a small fundraiser for a Denver nonprofit organization has grown into one of the nation's largest Cinco de Mayo festivals, now spanning two full days and overflowing Civic Center park.
Often overshadowed by the opportunity to drink margaritas and Tecate, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday commemorating Mexican heritage and their struggle for independence. Specifically, it marks the anniversary of a victory over a French army in 1862.
Also on tap, along with a children’s carnival, jammin’ Chihuahua races, storytelling, three stages with live music spanning all genres, costumed Aztec and Folklorico dancers, mariachi, and arts and crafts booths, are a slew of food vendors — hundreds of them — hustling everything from barbecue to burritos, pizza to tacos, roasted corn to fajitas.
While Garry and I favoured the dancing, food and drinks it was no surprise that our children loved the arts and craft area along with the rides. It is lots of fun living in the heart of such a lively city - a quick five minute drive away from Gaylord street. We really had a lovely Sunday afternoon!
This is Freds first Saturday night in Denver, and what a better way to celebrate than a small party with our neighbours and friends. A great night was had by all - please don't go home Fred!!!!!
We are very lucky people. Our lovely neighbours across the road organised to mind Yas and Max for the night - this will be our second child free night in roughly seven years. Whoo hooo!!!!
We went out to dinner with two friends, Ange and Dan who were also celebrating their wedding anniversary. Our destination was the very famous Buckhorn Exchange - Denver's oldest restaurant, this world famous steakhouse first opened its doors in 1893.
Colorado's most historic eating and drinking emporium is now in its second century of operation. This amazing place contains a rich mixture of history and lore. The Buckhorn Exchange, which has liquor license Number One in the State of Colorado, was founded on November 17, 1893 by Henry H. "Shorty Scout" Zietz, easily recognized as one of the most colorful figures of the Old West.
In 1938, Chief Red Cloud, a nephew of Sitting Bull, along with a band of Sioux and Blackfoot Indians, visited Shorty at the Buckhorn. The braves set up their tepees in the parking lot and, in a solemn ceremony that evening, presented Shorty with Sitting Bull’s Colt .45 revolver plus a sword that had been taken from General George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.
It was during the years that Henry rode with Buffalo Bill that the great Indian leader, Chief Sitting Bull, dubbed him "Shorty Scout" due to his diminutive stature.
This photograph of Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill is one of the many interesting images that adorn the walls of this great restaurant.
We began our meal with a plate of the infamous Rocky Mountain Oysters, (otherwise known as Bull's Testicles) and the Ostrich special while we looked at the extensive menu.
The brown Zebra pictured above is rumored to be one of only four in existence.
The walls of the Buckhorn detail its illustrious history. Its walls hold a rare
575-piece collection of taxidermy, including deer and moose, giant buffalo,
mountain goat and big horn sheep; dozens of indigenous fowl; even a two-headed
calf and a legendary jackalope.
Even Sitting Bull's prized Eagle is hanging from the ceiling.
The Buckhorn Exchange brims with historic artifacts, legends and notable
moments. Five Presidents - Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight
Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan - dined at the Buckhorn. Hundreds of
Hollywood legends, too, have savored our fare, including Bob Hope, Jimmy Cagney,
Charleton Heston, astronauts Scott Carpenter and Jack Swigert, Princess Anne, Roy Rogers and Will Rogers. The list is virtually endless.
I must admit that I did find it a little unnerving to eat my meal with the very large cougar pictures above, looking as though he was going to pounce on me at any moment. We really enjoyed the food, and a special mention to Jason Brown - I had a really nice glass of red in your honour as we were thinking of you and how you would truly love this place!
The food was really wonderful, as was the company. I can't remember having such a great time at any other restaurant - look out Nic, Mum, Kay and Graham you will all be expected to sample the cuisine at this great place when you arrive.
Last night Garry and I went out - yes, this was the second Friday night in a row! Thank you Susan for minding the kids. This week we were off to experience my first NBA basketball experience with fabulous seats, centre court, in row eleven to watch the Denver Nuggets try to win and climb back into the series. The Nuggets already lost the first two games to the infamous LA Lakers.
I was looking forward to watching the very famous Coby Bryant, and was hoping he would have a bad night. He looked amazing during warm up, and kept dropping in way too many three pointers for my liking. It was super cool to be so close to such an awesome athlete.
The game was a sell out, and at first I was overwhelmed with the amount of people entering the stadium - it felt more like a rock concert than a game. The crowd was great and desperate for a win on home soil. The Lakers scored the first points - but that was the only time they hit the lead all game. Our Nuggets star, Ty Lawson scored 25 points and the Nuggets raced to an early 24-point lead on their way to a 99-84 victory.
I loved every part of the game, all the hype, entertainment between quarters, while Garry admired the cheer girls. The mascot was especially good fun, and a surprisingly good dancer when he wasn't running around like a manic or crowd surfing.
It was a great feeling to watch the Nuggets win on home soil. For highlights of the game, and to hear the noise of the crowd, check out the you tube video link on the right.
Yesterday, we set off early for a Sunday adventure with our trusty tour guide - Aunty Susan. Our first stop was at the famous Coney Island Hot Dog. This giant hot dog first came to life on Colfax in Denver in 1966.
In 1970, under new ownership, the stand was moved to the Rocky Mountain town of Aspen Park. Initially called Coney Island Dairy Land, it later dropped the last part of the name. Despite initial opposition, when it was put up for sale in 1999, a local campaign began to designate it a landmark and save it from destruction. The present owner purchased it for about $150,000 and added a state-of-the-art water purification system, a new secondary kitchen area and a complete restoration of the interior kitchen.
The popularity of the stand was such that its last day open in Aspen Park, "the waiting line extended literally for miles". On March 18, 2006, to make way for a bank, the stand was moved again, 17 miles to its present location in Bailey. The building has been called "the best example of roadside architecture in the state".
After a traditional American feast we continued on our journey. We drove into the infamous town of South Park and stopped for Gas. Sinclair the dinosaur is always a hit with the kids.
The scenery was wonderful as we approached the hot springs in Princeton.
The hot springs consisted of two swimming pools, one very hot and one medium temperature. These pools were heated naturally by the springs. We started our visit with a swim in both pools. We then ventured down to the river, which consisted of both hot and cold areas. The hottest, were burning and too hot to place your feet in.
As you can see from the photos we all had a great time. The trick was to find a spot that wasn't too hot or too cold. When Yas and Max had enough of the water they happily played on the rocks.
We then continued our adventure and stopped to visit two very good friends of Susan - Rod and Anita. These lucky people live in a magical house which overlooks the continental divide. The following image was taken from their front balcony. I would love to wake up to this each morning! We are looking forward to visiting them in the winter.
Rod and Anita were very kind, and we all loved their house. When we first went inside Max asked, "how many nights are we staying here for - a week Mum?" Max loved looking at the antelope horns, various animal skulls and the many wild west items on display in their home.
I really enjoyed their backyard - in particular the gate with the painted sign - Where the Wild Things Are! In the past Susan and Anita have been on many a hike and have discovered old Indian arrowheads.
However, the highlight of the day for Yasemin was the horses! We didn't see much of Yas during our visit as she preferred animal company, no surprises their. Not only were their three beautiful horses, but also two very large and friendly dogs.
We said goodbye, vowing to return and headed for home. It was a long drive and we didn't roll into Gaylord street until well after 8.30pm on Sunday night. We were all exhausted after a great day - thanks Garry for doing all the driving and also thanks to Susan for showing us more of beautiful Colorado. We especially loved getting away from the freeways, driving through the real countryside.
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