We visited this overcrowded swimming hole that had steps built in the rock, a swing on both the top and bottom, a dozen restaurants, and hundreds of souvenir shops. Apparently there was once a famous waterfall here, but we couldn’t find it.

I’m so glad that Casa Bonita is back open in Denver. So much to love about this place–fake palm trees, theme-park cabanas, an old west mine, Black Bart’s cave. The lava-rock waterfall is a masterpiece, with its diving ledges, balcony seating, underwater lighting, and secret viewing locations. Fake nature done right.

It was over 100 degrees at the Tuscon Zoo, and many of the animals, including the brown bear, anteater, sloth, jaguar, and lots of others, were hiding “inside” where they had air conditioning.

I didn’t mind though. The enclosures, although empty, had fantastic fake rocks!

box canyon in ouray, colorado is an exquisite canyon filled with a jumbled mess of old mining equipment, pipes to hot springs, and metal walkways… of course they’ve turned it into a tourist attraction

the best thing about climbing into the canyon is the noise… the falls, which are hidden behind a rock wall, are so loud that you can’t have a conversation with somebody right next to you