AHH the West! Leaving Denver -->

 Before heading west out of Denver, we stopped at Red Rocks Park.  It was early morning and workers were starting to clean up the amphitheater's parking lots.  We never could actually see the amphitheater buried somewhere in these massive towering rocks, behind locked gates.

   Above:  find a 2-story rock wall - lower right - behind which we found a gift and information shop.

 Driving the scenic Hiway #285 west we could see the Rocky Mts in the distance.

Then heading west on Hiway #82 we climbed up and up into the mountains --

 -- 12,000 ft and we were at the Continental Divide!   Someone had painted a faux topographic map on the bathroom door.

   There was a beautiful lake nearby . . .

  
  But best were the vistas from 12,000 ft of the roads we drove and the ones yet to drive.