Delegates attending the conference will have the opportunity to join your colleagues for a tour of some of the more famous Rocky Mountain "Front Range" destinations. The conference delegates who desire to participate in the conference group tour should check the appropriate box on the registration form at the time of registration. The conference group tour participants will assemble for the tour at 11:00AM on Wednesday, 28 June 2017. We will travel by bus to the following destinations:
Lunch in Golden
Because of a late rescheduling of a concert event at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, we have changed our plans for lunch to a picnic in the city of Golden. Note that this move will not change our schedule for the Group Tour. A map of downtown Golden is available for download. Download...
Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre
Part of Denver's Theatres and Arenas Division, Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a naturally formed, world-famous outdoor venue just fifteen miles west of Denver. Red Rocks is recognized for its star-studded concert roster, natural acoustics and ambience, as well as its awe-inspiring hiking trails. The Visitor Center features interactive educational displays, a short film on its geologic and musical history, a Performer's Hall of Fame. While at Red Rocks, box lunches will be provided to all of the participating delegates and there will be a special opportunity for the delegates to contribute to the history of Red Rocks. http://redrocksonline.com/
The Buffalo Bill Overlook, Grave Site, and Museum
The Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, operated by the City and County of Denver, exists to preserve the memory of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody. The Museum Observation Deck offers unparalleled views of the Rocky Mountain Front Range and the City of Golden, which is the home of the Colorado School of Mines. During our visit to the overlook, we will have the opportunity to learn more about the history of Golden from a local historian Barb Warden. http://www.buffalobill.org/.
There will be opportunities to visit the gravesite and gift shop, and for those who wish to learn more about cowboys or Native Americans there will be a chance to visit the Buffalo Bill Museum. Because of the limited capacity of the museum, both the A and B tour groups have each been allocated only 40 tickets for the Buffalo Bill's Museum.
After Red Rocks Park, at 1:30PM the excursion group will be split into two groups, A and B. Group A will go to Dinosaur Ridge for 90 minutes before going to Buffalo Bill's Museum and Golden Overlook for 45-minute tour, before returning to the hotel at about 5:15PM; a 50 member subset of group A who have registered, will tour the CSM hydrate lab from 5:30 to 6:30 before returning to the conference hotel.
After Red Rocks Park, at 1:30PM, Group B will first tour Buffalo Bill's Museum and Golden Overlook for 45 minutes, before going to Dinosaur Ridge for a 90-minute tour. The Group B tour group will return to the hotel by about 5:30PM.
Dinosaur Ridge
We will also have the opportunity to take a guided tour of Dinosaur Ridge and experience the world of the dinosaurs that roamed the Denver area more than 80 million years ago. The Dinosaur Ridge Trail and Museum, built by the City of Denver and maintained by the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge, is located a short distance from Red Rocks Park. At Dinosaur Ridge we will walk along the rock outcrop where hundreds of dinosaur tracks are exposed along the surface of the rocks, we will visit several dinosaur bones quarries, and other interesting geologic features. http://www.dinoridge.org/
Colorado School of Mines Center for Hydrate Research (optional tour)
Delegates will have the opportunity to tour the laboratory facilities of the Center for Hydrate Research, a world leading research center dealing with hydrates that consists of about 20 students and faculty members at the Colorado School of Mines. The Center for Hydrate Research tour will be limited to 50 conference delegates, who will need to register for this tour in advance at the conference registration desk. Information about the CSM hydrate center may be found at http://hydrates.mines.edu/CHR/Home.html
More information about Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Dinosaur Ridge, and the nearby town of Morrison, Colorado is available for download as a PDF document (1.8 MB). Download...
Everyone on the excursion should be returned to the Conference Hotel about 5:30pm, except those who tour the CSM hydrate lab, who will be returned the Conference Hotel about 7:30pm.
Dress: The tour will be very casual. However, because the highest elevation is 7,300 feet above sea level, please bring a sweater or light jacket, in case of chilly weather.
