Colorado 4th of July Memories: Leadville & Red Rocks Ampitheatre
This would typically be my “Colorado Weekend Events” post but with the 4th of July holiday weekend, there are events taking place approximately every 2.3 feet across the state. So where to start? I decided to look back at my 14+ years here in Colorado and see which 4th of July Colorado memories have really … Continue reading
On This Date: June 29, 1906 Mesa Verde National Park Established
I don’t know about you but I really didn’t know what to expect the first time I visited Mesa Verde National Park. Sure, I’d seen photos, read travel reports, and studied the history but for whatever reason, my pre-visit expectations just didn’t gel. This was pretty unusual for me and for that reason, I was … Continue reading
Colorado Weekend Events: Denver Cherry Blossom Festival, Colorado Springs Olympic Day, Crested Butte Mountain Bike Week, Beaver Creek Tough Mudder
With a State this big, filled with people as active as we are, there is simply no way of doing justice to all of the Colorado events, Colorado festivals, and Colorado experiences that I would like to each week. This category of “Colorado Weekend Events” should more likely be titled, “A select few Colorado Weekend … Continue reading
On This Date: June 22, 1850. Gold Discovered in Colorado
Ok, technically in 1850 Colorado wasn’t yet a State but you get the idea. There is a nice monument in Denver’s Inspiration Point Park that commemorates the occasion and since my photo above is only readable by those with superhero vision, I’ve transcribed it for you. This Tablet is the Property of the State … Continue reading
June 21st: Celebrate the 1st Day of Summer with Free Entrance into National Parks
Pretty quick post today. I just wanted to remind everyone that June 21, is the first day of summer and the National Park Service is celebrating that fact by waiving all entrance fees to participating National Parks, Monuments, and Historical Sites. A full list of participating locations can be found here: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparksbystate.htm, and all participating Colorado sites … Continue reading
Colorado Weekend Events: Racing Outhouses in Breckenridge & Brass Beds in Central City
Only in Colorado. Seriously, where else but in our wonderfully funky State would there be not one, but two crazy races on the same weekend? Things kick off on Saturday the 18th in Central City for Lou Bunch Days, celebrating a true Colorado icon. Lou Bunch was one of the more famous madams located in … Continue reading
On This Date: June 11th, 1996: Colorado Avalanche Win the Stanley Cup
On June 11th, 1996, the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Florida Panthers to sweep the championship series 4-0. Not only was this the team’s first season in Colorado (formerly the Quebec Nordiques) it was also the first major league championship for any team in Colorado.
On This Date: June 8th, 2002, Hayman Fire
The Hayman Fire was a forest fire that started 95 miles (153 km) southwest of Denver and 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Colorado Springs on June 8, 2002, and became the largest fire in the state’s recorded history. Hundreds of forestry officials and firefighters fought the fast-moving inferno, which caused nearly $40 million in damages, burned 133 homes and forced the evacuation … Continue reading
Tornadoes & Storm Chasing
One of the innovative things that my son’s elementary school does each semester is to create clusters where groups of students will study one topic in-depth for a period of eight weeks. They meet for an hour each week and prepare interactive presentations that are showcased for parents and teachers. This spring, Cameron was very … Continue reading
Denver Chalk Art Festival, Larimer Square June 4-5
My wife and I traveled quite a bit of the world in what we term the B.C. era…before child. Some of our fondest travel memories from that time were experiences we didn’t plan. Situations we sometimes literally tripped into. While our range isn’t quite as large as it once was in the B.C. era, … Continue reading
Teva Mountain Games, Vail, June 02-05
Athletes. Art. Music. Mountains. That’s the catch phrase for the Teva Mountain Games that kick off in Vail today. Pretty much sums it up doesn’t it? To boil it down even further, I would proffer this: FUN! Billed as the largest adventure sport and mountain lifestyle festival in the country, The 10th annual Teva Mountain … Continue reading
Colorado’s Mythological Creatures
Has anyone else seen the news coming out of New York about a “River Monster” that was found washed up under the Brooklyn Bridge? Speculation ran high that it was everything from a horse skeleton to a, well you know, a genuine river monster. Turns out that it was probably nothing more than a decomposing Atlantic … Continue reading
Memorial Day Weekend: Colorado Events
Here’s just a small sample of the events in Colorado as we kick off the holiday weekend. Junior College World Series Grand Junction http://www.jucogj.org/ Paddle Fest Buena Vista http://www.ckspaddlefest.com/ Mesa Verde Country Indian Arts & Cultural Festival Cortez, Deloros, Mancos, Towaoc, Mesa Verde National Park http://www.mesaverdecountry.com/tourism/festivals/iacf/iacf.html Downtown Denver Arts Festival Denver http://www.downtowndenverartfestival.com/ Grand Olde West … Continue reading
On This Date: May 24th, 1911 Colorado National Monument Established
Happy Birthday! 100 years ago today, after a long campaign by John Otto, The Colorado National Monument was established. Located just west of Grand Junction, the Monument is comprised of over 20,000 acres of canyons, sheer cliffs, red-rock formations, and other geology typical of high mountain desert landscapes. The National Parks Service is hosting a … Continue reading
On This Date: May 17th, 1899. Nikola Tesla
On May 17, 1899, Nikola Tesla arrived in Colorado Springs to continue his experiments in electricity. In his lab located near Foote Ave. and Kiowa St, Tesla conducted research for nearly nine months before returning to New York. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla#Colorado_Springs Credited with over 700 patents worldwide, his name today is probably most well known in conjunction … Continue reading
Colorado State of Mind 