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.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado / North America
National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, Leadville, Colorado
Leadville is the highest altitude town to be occupied year round in the United States, situated at 3094 m (10,592 ft) above sea level. The area was a booming silver mining town in the late 19th century and while the mining era is all but over, relics of it are still plentiful around Leadville.
The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum (NMHFM) offers an interesting look at the geology and mining of the region, and its Hall of Fame portion recognizes the men and women who were important mining pioneers. A relatively new institution, the nonprofit NMHFM was founded in 1977 and the building it occupies renovated in 1987. Initially it was to be on the grounds of the Colorado …
.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado / Food / North America
Vail Farmer’s Market
During the summer months there’s a nice Farmers’ Market in Vail every Sunday. It’s situated on the north side of Gore Creek, on Meadow Drive, in close proximity to the town’s large parking structure. It compliments the nearby Minturn Market which is held on Saturday and many of the vendors from that smaller but more compact Minturn Market also show up at Vail.
The Vail market is, at least to my impression, significantly larger than the Minturn Market, although not its not as compact and fun to navigate. It features seasonal produce which mostly is grown in eastern and western Colorado. Not too much food is grown at the high elevation of Vail which …
Tagged farmer's market, food, Market, Vail
“Pic of the Week”, June 24, 2016: Moose at Piney Lake, Colorado
I love summer days in the Rocky Mountains! Having finished a rewarding six mile hike at beautiful Piney Lake, situated in the Gore Range of Colorado, we were resting by the lake’s shore and enjoying the scenery before returning to our timeshare unit in Vail. Suddenly and surprisingly quietly, two large moose walked by us on their way to the lake. They wadded into the clear water and started munching on water-plants growing close to shore. They were not disturbed by our presence and were close enough that I was able to take some nice photos.
Moose are huge, the largest of all the deer species. Males carry massive antlers which can have a span of up to 6 feet (1.8 meters). …
Jun 23, 2016
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“Pic of the Week”, January 15, 2016: Aspens
Those of us who live near the Rocky Mountains are very familiar with quaking aspens, a species of tree I’ve grown increasingly fond of over the years. These trees have characteristic white bark and green leaves in the summer (that shimmer in the wind, hence “quaking”). The leaves turn a beautiful golden-yellow color in the fall.
Aspen trees are striking when you come across a stand of them, especially in an evergreen forest. Their white bark makes them seem like guardians or sentinels. But one of the aspens’ more interesting features is their “eyes”. Of course the trees aren’t actually watching you, but if you look at the main trunk of a larger aspen you’re likely to see dark markings against …
.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado / North America
The John Denver Sanctuary, Aspen, Colorado
Many of you remember folksy singer, Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr, better known by his stage name, John Denver. John was a talented and very successful singer, songwriter and actor who made his home in Aspen, Colorado. John loved the town of Aspen, the state of Colorado and its Rocky Mountains, and fought to conserve them.
Mr. Denver was know for his “clean” presentation and enthusiasm for his music — and life in general. You’d recognize many of the songs he wrote and we’ll see the lyrics for his biggest hits shortly. The Colorado state legislature adopted his song, “Rocky Mountain High” as one of its state songs in 2007. John was an avid pilot who died tragically in the crash of a …
Tagged Aspen, John Denver, music, Park, songs
“Pic of the Week”, October 16, 2015: Fall Colors, Colorado Rockies
Fall is my favorite season, largely because of the beautiful transition of colors in the vegetation. Whether it’s grasses, small bushes or large trees like these aspen, the forests are even more beautiful as the seasons change from summer to winter.
These photos were taken not far from Vail. The colors here, while vivid, aren’t as diverse as those in the forests of the eastern USA or eastern Canada, consisting mostly of shades of yellow. But they’re beautiful none-the-less. And they’re set in the majesty of one of the world’s greatest mountain ranges!
Oct 15, 2015
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.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado / North America
Signs of Aspen
The small town of Aspen is a beautiful if somewhat unusual place to visit. The gorgeous mountain setting is something you’d never tire of, but the town is quirky. It’s a blend of hippy, cowboy, the frontier, and recently a lot of Hollywood (I don’t believe I’ve ever driven by an airport with more private jets parked in it than Aspen airport). Aspen’s transformed itself from being a rather simple mountain town to an upscale trendy resort.
The town is well know for it’s great winter skiing and in the summer has become a popular family vacation destination. It’s got excellent restaurants, all types of shops, and lots of outdoor activities. For me it’s a fun day-trip destination.
Since I’ve started collecting …
Tagged Aspen, mountains, Rocky Mountains, Signs
“Pic of the Week”, September 11, 2015: Dinner at the Boulder Farmers’ Market
My son is a doctoral student in physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, so I’ve had the opportunity to visit this small college city several times recently. Last year we attended the lively Boulder Farmers’ Market on Saturday, which you can read about at this link. This year we went to the Wednesday evening market specifically for dinner.
We’d heard rave reviews about the tamales at the market so that’s what everyone had, and they did not disappoint, especially smothered in a tasty chile (mild or hot) sauce. Like hundreds of others at the market, we took our dinner into the nearby park and sat on a bench munching on our tamales and drinking fresh squeezed lemonade. It was …
Sep 11, 2015
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