Jim Colyer
I flew to Denver, August 10, 2013, with Southwest Airlines. I checked into the Ramada on E. Colfax and hung out on the 16th Street Pedestrian Mall. There are shops and restaurants. I bought a T-shirt at the Hard Rock Cafe and told the girl about my song, "Save The Planet."
17th Street is the "Wall Street of the West." It is Denver's financial district. The Wells Fargo Center is the "Cash Register Building," and I walked around it. I wanted to tour the Denver Mint but had to settle for seeing it out of the corner of my eye as I was leaving town. This is where they make coins.
Denver was founded in 1858. It is called the Mile High City because it is 5,280 feet above sea level. Interstate-25 runs north and south. Interstate-70 runs east and west. Denver is in the Mountain Time Zone, 1200 miles from Nashville. Population is over 600,000.
There is a government presence. There are companies related to energy and the space program. The Rocky Mountains are rich in minerals, and mining is important to Denver's economy.
I drove north to the town of Estes Park, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. The Perseid meteor shower was clouded out. Such things are unpredictable. No one controls nature. I found the Estes Park Observatory and listened to a talk about planets with the Estes Park Astronomical Society. I slept in McDonald's parking lot.
I toured Rocky Mountain National Park with the Rocky Mountain Transit Management. It cost $32. We drove Trail Ridge Road to the Continental Divide, that point from which water flows west into the Pacific Ocean and east into the Atlantic Ocean. I stood at the sign marking the Divide at Milner Pass.
Continental Divide http://www.google.com/search?q=continental+divide+sign&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.50768961,d.aWc,pv.xjs.s.en_US.E_1kRF_UP4s.O&biw=1024&bih=599&wrapid=tlif137676371024310&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=TL8PUqYWhO7bBefZgegG#facrc=_&imgdii=_& amp;imgrc=MuDYrqVcsnD8YM%3A%3BHFMikWMeVSIJ_M%3Bhtt
p%253A%252F%252Fupload.wikimedia. org%252Fwikipedia%252Fcommons%252F3%252F3c%252FCon
tinental_Divide_sign%252C_RMNP%252C_CO_IMG_5297.JPG%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fcommons.wikimedia. org%252Fwiki%252FFile%253AContinental_Divide_sign%
252C_RMNP%252C_CO_IMG_5297.JPG%3B4000%3B3000
We stopped at the Alpine Visitors Center about 12,000 feet above sea level. The view was inspirational. There was light rain and thunder and lightning in the distance. It was windy and chilly.
Trail Ridge Road is 48 miles long. It is US 34 and the highest paved road in the country. Our guide talked geology: snow patches, ice fields, glaciers and moraines. Moraines are debris left by glaciers. He spoke of tree lines and tundra. A tundra is a treeless area.
I stayed at the Discovery Lodge in Estes Park the night of August 12. It is on Big Thompson Avenue near the Visitor Center. I saw Little Big Town host the CMA Music Fest. While eating at KFC, I thought of Karen Fairchild.
I drove past the Stanley Hotel, built by F.O. Stanley of Stanley Steamer fame.
From Estes Park, it is an hour and 20 minutes back to Denver. I again drove through the town of Lyons. I dropped the car off at E-Z, checked in at Southwest, found my gate and flew to Nashville. I took a taxi to Vanderbilt.
It occurred to me to make a list of the National Parks I have seen. I have been to 14 of the 59.
..1 Rocky Mountain
..2 Yellowstone
..3 Yosemite
..4 Death Valley
..5 Kings Canyon
..6 Sequoia
..7 Grand Canyon
..8 Saguaro
..9 Petrified Forest
10 Zion
11 Mesa Verde
12 Denali
13 Mammoth Cave
14 Great Smoky Mountains
The National Parks have resort towns at their entrances. Estes Park is the gateway to RMNP. There are 401 National Park Service sites.
17th Street is the "Wall Street of the West." It is Denver's financial district. The Wells Fargo Center is the "Cash Register Building," and I walked around it. I wanted to tour the Denver Mint but had to settle for seeing it out of the corner of my eye as I was leaving town. This is where they make coins.
Denver was founded in 1858. It is called the Mile High City because it is 5,280 feet above sea level. Interstate-25 runs north and south. Interstate-70 runs east and west. Denver is in the Mountain Time Zone, 1200 miles from Nashville. Population is over 600,000.
There is a government presence. There are companies related to energy and the space program. The Rocky Mountains are rich in minerals, and mining is important to Denver's economy.
I drove north to the town of Estes Park, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. The Perseid meteor shower was clouded out. Such things are unpredictable. No one controls nature. I found the Estes Park Observatory and listened to a talk about planets with the Estes Park Astronomical Society. I slept in McDonald's parking lot.
I toured Rocky Mountain National Park with the Rocky Mountain Transit Management. It cost $32. We drove Trail Ridge Road to the Continental Divide, that point from which water flows west into the Pacific Ocean and east into the Atlantic Ocean. I stood at the sign marking the Divide at Milner Pass.
Continental Divide http://www.google.com/search?q=continental+divide+sign&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.50768961,d.aWc,pv.xjs.s.en_US.E_1kRF_UP4s.O&biw=1024&bih=599&wrapid=tlif137676371024310&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=TL8PUqYWhO7bBefZgegG#facrc=_&imgdii=_& amp;imgrc=MuDYrqVcsnD8YM%3A%3BHFMikWMeVSIJ_M%3Bhtt
p%253A%252F%252Fupload.wikimedia. org%252Fwikipedia%252Fcommons%252F3%252F3c%252FCon
tinental_Divide_sign%252C_RMNP%252C_CO_IMG_5297.JPG%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fcommons.wikimedia. org%252Fwiki%252FFile%253AContinental_Divide_sign%
252C_RMNP%252C_CO_IMG_5297.JPG%3B4000%3B3000
We stopped at the Alpine Visitors Center about 12,000 feet above sea level. The view was inspirational. There was light rain and thunder and lightning in the distance. It was windy and chilly.
Trail Ridge Road is 48 miles long. It is US 34 and the highest paved road in the country. Our guide talked geology: snow patches, ice fields, glaciers and moraines. Moraines are debris left by glaciers. He spoke of tree lines and tundra. A tundra is a treeless area.
I stayed at the Discovery Lodge in Estes Park the night of August 12. It is on Big Thompson Avenue near the Visitor Center. I saw Little Big Town host the CMA Music Fest. While eating at KFC, I thought of Karen Fairchild.
I drove past the Stanley Hotel, built by F.O. Stanley of Stanley Steamer fame.
From Estes Park, it is an hour and 20 minutes back to Denver. I again drove through the town of Lyons. I dropped the car off at E-Z, checked in at Southwest, found my gate and flew to Nashville. I took a taxi to Vanderbilt.
It occurred to me to make a list of the National Parks I have seen. I have been to 14 of the 59.
..1 Rocky Mountain
..2 Yellowstone
..3 Yosemite
..4 Death Valley
..5 Kings Canyon
..6 Sequoia
..7 Grand Canyon
..8 Saguaro
..9 Petrified Forest
10 Zion
11 Mesa Verde
12 Denali
13 Mammoth Cave
14 Great Smoky Mountains
The National Parks have resort towns at their entrances. Estes Park is the gateway to RMNP. There are 401 National Park Service sites.