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Friends, I'm back with my wife (and a granddaughter!) from the wilds of the Front Range of Colorado! Great to get away, but also very nice to be back at home.
Actually, we had an extremely nice vacation, although the time just flew by with various family activities and such. Drove out on the last Thursday and Friday of May, and encountered some severe weather a couple of times (and my car has the hail damage to prove it, although it's not THAT noticeable). Nothing like what the folks in Oklahoma and elsewhere have endured, mind you, but if you're driving, heavy rain and wind is no fun indeed.
Speaking of wind, the wind farms that have sprung up along Interstate 70 in central Kansas and northwestern Colorado continue to be a source of fascination. I read online that the Kansas "farm" produces enough electricity to power something like 77,000 households annually. No mean feat, but since the wind apparently always blows on the Great Plains, that's a good use of a natural resource. One wonders why this hasn't been developed more thoroughly in the past.
One of the more notable activities my wife and I engaged in was to ride the light rail from the southeastern Denver suburbs, where our daughter and her family reside, into downtown Denver to explore the area and just have something a little different to do. I had only experienced true "light rail" service once before, unless you count the subway in New York, but not in the Denver area. And I was a frequent visitor to the Denver area when most of the southern spur was under construction, so believe me when I tell you that this was money and time and inconvenience well spent. If I lived in that part of Denver (and almost did, but that's another story for another time) and planned to go to see a Rockies baseball game, or a Broncos football game, or had a job in the downtown area, I'd ride that train every chance I got. Clean, fairly quiet, not very crowded during the middle of the day (which one would expect), and the total round trip price of our fares was much less than the fee to park in downtown Denver, not to mention the cost of the fuel needed to take us there. Deal!
Had a great lunch at Wynkoop Brewery, which, incidentally, was founded by John Hickenlooper, who is currently the Governor of Colorado. Good food and great beer (thanks again, Amy!) and a very comfortable atmosphere. This place sits in the shadows of Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies (ironically, they were in Cincinnati, where I frequently attend games. while we were in Colorado), so if you're heading that way, I heartily recommend it.
I also recommend Duffy's Cherry Cricket, in the Cherry Creek area. Hands down the best burger I've EVER had (that I didn't make myself, of course). Great bar, but it's pretty kid-friendly during the day, as I've seen servers dote on our grandchildren more than once.
I think I've shown you enough vacation slides....back to reality!
Actually, we had an extremely nice vacation, although the time just flew by with various family activities and such. Drove out on the last Thursday and Friday of May, and encountered some severe weather a couple of times (and my car has the hail damage to prove it, although it's not THAT noticeable). Nothing like what the folks in Oklahoma and elsewhere have endured, mind you, but if you're driving, heavy rain and wind is no fun indeed.
Speaking of wind, the wind farms that have sprung up along Interstate 70 in central Kansas and northwestern Colorado continue to be a source of fascination. I read online that the Kansas "farm" produces enough electricity to power something like 77,000 households annually. No mean feat, but since the wind apparently always blows on the Great Plains, that's a good use of a natural resource. One wonders why this hasn't been developed more thoroughly in the past.
One of the more notable activities my wife and I engaged in was to ride the light rail from the southeastern Denver suburbs, where our daughter and her family reside, into downtown Denver to explore the area and just have something a little different to do. I had only experienced true "light rail" service once before, unless you count the subway in New York, but not in the Denver area. And I was a frequent visitor to the Denver area when most of the southern spur was under construction, so believe me when I tell you that this was money and time and inconvenience well spent. If I lived in that part of Denver (and almost did, but that's another story for another time) and planned to go to see a Rockies baseball game, or a Broncos football game, or had a job in the downtown area, I'd ride that train every chance I got. Clean, fairly quiet, not very crowded during the middle of the day (which one would expect), and the total round trip price of our fares was much less than the fee to park in downtown Denver, not to mention the cost of the fuel needed to take us there. Deal!
Had a great lunch at Wynkoop Brewery, which, incidentally, was founded by John Hickenlooper, who is currently the Governor of Colorado. Good food and great beer (thanks again, Amy!) and a very comfortable atmosphere. This place sits in the shadows of Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies (ironically, they were in Cincinnati, where I frequently attend games. while we were in Colorado), so if you're heading that way, I heartily recommend it.
I also recommend Duffy's Cherry Cricket, in the Cherry Creek area. Hands down the best burger I've EVER had (that I didn't make myself, of course). Great bar, but it's pretty kid-friendly during the day, as I've seen servers dote on our grandchildren more than once.
I think I've shown you enough vacation slides....back to reality!
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