MyCOLORADOLife.net
Hadn’t previously made it to Denver Botanical Gardens – been on my to-do list – but certainly didn’t think my first trip would be in December. Not too many outdoor plants survive a Colorado winter. Evergreens, conifers – what else could there be?
This annual holiday lights extravaganza features some new elements, and includes the grand illuminated O’Fallon Perennial Walk and the Romantic Gardens.
Don’t miss:
Interacting with a large field of sound-reactive, animated LED lights
Warm drinks and tasty treats
Arrived just after 730pm, work day delay. Bundled, layered. Clear night, temps in the 20’s.
Spectacular gardens of light under a night sky crescent moon. Purples, blues, orange, whites. Chinese lanterns, light sabers & a large glass-blown Chihuly too. Warmed by the park’s Christmas spirit, quickly forgot ’bout any outside evening chill.
Highly recommended. On my calendar for next year – FAAAANNNTASTIC!
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- Chihuly’s “Colorado” glass sculpture is now on view permanently
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- Bronco PRIDE – Blue & Orange
Denver Botanical Gardens 2016
2016 holiday design
‘Tis the season with a reason.
Took a weekend off from marathoning/hiking/life adventuring – to send out my annual Christmas cards (& some fancy chocolates too). Whatta a crazy FULL year! Hard to pick just 3 photos to capture 2016; settled on: my 50 State marathon finish, Russia’s Red Square & Ro’s late-season 14er hike up Grays Peak. One time a year it’s still a-ok to ‘go postal’ & USPS greetings to friends & family.
(visiting family so…) Missed PS Audio’s annual Christmas activity (last year gingerbread houses, this year decorated live trees) – thankfully, Ash shared pics from the office’s BEST EVER Christmas prank. Proud dad moment 🙂
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- Ash’s fur family, Marty & JoJo
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- Belgian — YUM!
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- waiting for Santa 🙂
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- office Christmas prank
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- proud dad moment
All I Want for Christmas Is You
Sand dunes, salt flats, mountain hike & my 77th marathon finish. Last desert day…all good things come to an end. Drove back by way of Dante’s View — one last hike in the Park, one last overlook of Death Valley. WOW, just WOW.
More than an afternoon in Vegas [’til my return flight]. Casino walk, afternoon show? Naw…been there, done there.
Hoover Dam.
Did a fly-over 2 years ago during my Grand Canyon Heli Tour, but never down, down, down to the Dam’s base nor studied its history.
At the time of its creation, Hoover Dam was the largest of its kind. Harnessing the power & volume of the mighty Colorado River, water is distributed amongst the West thru a system of pipes and irrigation canals. Hoover Dam’s reservoir, Lake Mead, is America’s largest man-made reservoir.
Dam construction created thousands of jobs during the country’s Great Depression & completed 2 years ahead of time. The Dam’s spillways were last tested in the 1980’s; since then water levels have diminished significantly, triggering renegotiation of the Colorado River Compact within the next 2 years. While Colorado snowpack has provided steady & consistent volume, population explosion in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix & Tucson have eroded Lake Mead’s levels.
Living in Colorado, many of us grow frustrated and anger at California’s seemingly wasteful use of water resources: creation of lush manicured lawns & agricultural water waste. Arid landscaping — popular in Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada & Arizona — has not been widely adopted in America’s most populous state.
…but I digress. Breathe in, count to 10, exhale 🙂
$20 was the ticket price for the tour. Historical film, followed by a series of elevator rides to the Dam’s bypass pipes & massive hydropower generators. The science as to how this all works — super interesting!
Elevator UP. Walked the Dam perimeter, snapped sunset shots, self-toured its Monument. Thank goodness for standby — ’cause this flyer missed his departure home. Many thanks Southwest Airlines. Life lesson learned.
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- infamous California chain — check, done
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- greatest dam of its day
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- [Colorado] river was diverted through four 50-foot-diameter tunnels, two drilled through the canyon walls on each side of the river
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- 4 billion kilowatt-hours a year — enough to serve 1.3 million people
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- 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete
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- tonite’s WOW shot!
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- Lake Mead (Nevada left, Arizona right)
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- Hoover Dam Monument
Hoover Dam (in 47 seconds)
