After a string of frigid cold days, switched Tuesday hike day to Wednesday on the premise of warmer temps. Rolled the dice/took a chance. Happy to report 9NEWS’ Amelia Earhart landed this one!
Early to rise, easy highway drive, sunny skies south to Colorado Springs. By the time I hit Castle Rock (30 minutes south of Denver), day temps soared over 20, most snow gone/completely disappeared. Appears the Springs must have missed our Christmas Eve wallop. Trailhead parked before 9am. Backpack-ready, rockin’ winter layers – destination: Manitou Incline. Next mile straight UP – 2,000ft elevation gain over a single mile. You want to kick off a Resolution, this is the place to go 🙂
UP UP UP. Last trekked the Incline in December 2014. That day caught the sunrise with a group of local runners. Enough impression to make this year’s post-Christmas checklist.
Beautiful sunshiny day. Went thru 2 bottles of water before reaching the Incline’s Christmas tree summit. From there it’s an easy 3 mile trek down Barr Trail. LOVE LOVE this country ❤
Home before 2 or….grab lunch inside a 1953 Boeing KC-97 tanker. No brainer, right?
Built in 1953, this magnificent airplane refueled aircraft throughout the world. Forty-two passengers can actually eat in the plane of the 275-seat restaurant. …displaying 100’s of pictures, memorabilia and rare artifacts, Solo’s offers a flight through aviation history.
Burgers/fries – menu nothing special – but the experience itself, well worth the visit.
Day half over. Evening plans? Heck yeah. Forest mushroom soup is back at Cracovia (our area’s Polish restaurant). Not sure where they pick local mushrooms in December, but luckily Ash’s Tom caught the social media alert. Restaurant still dressed in holiday spirit, enjoyed Cracovia’s last 2 bowls of mushroom soup. FAAANNNNTASTIC!
Entrée choice? Go with the bratwurst. Personally don’t eat pork but envied Tom’s brat sizzling tableside.
Nite ended with dessert – all good diets wait ‘til after the holidays, right? 🙂
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- warm weather Wednesday
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- post-Christmas EXTREME
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- rockin’ winter layers
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- UP UP UP
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- Christmas tree summit
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- 2,000ft elevation gain
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- 1953 Boeing KC-97 tanker
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- Forest Mushroom Soup is back!
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- sizzlin’ bratwurst
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- all good diets wait ‘til after the holidays, right? 🙂
Manitou Incline ’17
For those dreaming of a White Christmas, Mother Nature did not disappoint this year.
Trudged thru drifts in frigid Christmas Eve temps & attended my first candlelight service in 3 years. Never been to Mile Hi Church on Colorado Christian University campus.
GREAT program, GREAT music, inclusive congregation. Reason for the season ✝
During this holiday, reach out & reconnect with family. It’s not always easy.
I sincerely believe we are part of a bigger plan. Focus on this day, tomorrow, the day following tomorrow — leave yesterday in the past. Don’t just give, for-give.
Merry Christmas & God Bless.
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- GREAT program, GREAT music, inclusive congregation
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- candlelight service
O Holy Night (audio only)
Nope, I didn’t win the lottery. Luckily, this year’s Broncos are just that bad. Opportunity 🙂
Day after marathoning in the Arizona desert, woke to Colorado sunshine. Picked up Ro [from kennel jail], shared a lazy 2-mile stroll ‘round Waneka. 2 miles: long enough to work out the kinks, but day-after-marathoning…long enough.
Local Broncos game at 2pm in Denver. Just last year upper-deck/nose-bleed seats retailed for $475. 12 games into a losing 3-9 season, today (vs the lowly Jets) $100 buys you Section 129. FAAAANNNTASTIC!
NEVER been to a NFL game. Tickets to Coors Field every summer since 2012 (Rockies baseball). FREE tickets during my NYC past – hockey, basketball, baseball (Rangers, Knicks, Yankees & Mets) but NEVER EVER football.
‘Mile High’ Stadium – Land of Elway, Manning, Von Miller. Sea of ORANGE. In Colorado, EVERYONE’s a Broncos fan.
Constant buzz inside the stadium. Every defensive hold, FANS stomp in anticipation – literally, the entire stadium shakes. And when the HOME TEAM SCORES, FLAMES shoot high above the scoreboard. Enough heat to feel it in your seat. Whatta experience, WOW!
When I DO win the lottery, season tickets every year.
The Denver Broncos snapped their eight-game losing streak by defeating the New York Jets 23-0.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
It’s been a nightmare season for the Denver Broncos, but after two straight months of embarrassing losses, they finally showed up in grand fashion and put an end to their eight-game losing streak. The boys in orange and blue finally got back in the win column after defeating the New York Jets at home by a score of 23-0. Today’s performance left many wondering, “Where the Hell has this type of Broncos football been the past eight weeks?”
One of the biggest reasons the Broncos were able to secure a victory on the gridiron was the top-flight play of their defense. It has been a season of ups-and-downs for the unit, who at times have looked like a shell of their former Super Bowl clinching selves, but they were outstanding this afternoon. Their efforts limited the Jets to only 98 total yards of offense, zero points and their dominance helped force two turnovers. Keep in mind that this is the same Jets team that nearly put up 500 yards of total offense against the Kansas City Chiefs last week.
In the words of John Fox, “Not too shabby.”
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- Sports Authority Field
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- tailgating & Broncos fans
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- ‘Mile High’ Stadium
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- FOOD, heck yeah!
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- FLAMES ‘bove the scoreboard & Broncos mascot ‘Thunder’
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- 3rd QTR touchdown drive
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- Sea of ORANGE
Broncos 23, Jets 0
