Me and Colorado:
Me on 14,014 ft North Maroon PeakExcept for my military service and some vacation travel I've spent the vast majority of my life in Colorado. And, that hasn't just been in the "Metro" area and other big cities, either - in addition to having climbed all 58 of our state's "14ers" (and a few hundred other peaks and Highpoints), I've lived and worked (for weeks, months, and years at a time) in places like Alamosa, Colorado Springs, Durango, Frisco, Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, and Marble. As a young delivery driver for Wells Music, in the early 70s, I made frequent trips to every corner of the state when ranchers were having a good enough year to purchase a new stereo system or piano - places like Craig, Sterling, La Junta and other rural communities were frequent stops that I got to know pretty well. Anyway, Colorado is the 8th largest state so it would be difficult to know it in its entirety but, nevertheless, I'm sure I've lived and experienced it more than most. With the exception of the aforementioned political dyslexia I love it here and have always worked hard to stop places like Boulder and Denver from ruining it. But a person can only do so much - we need to set aside half of our time to enjoy this gift otherwise we'll burn out too quickly trying to protect it... - Roger J. Wendell
Colorado and its incompetent, dishonest public officials:
Coloradans: Weak and Full of Fear
On April 17, 2019, an 18 year old woman from Florida had our entire Front Range community quaking in fear. Apparently she threatened some kind of "Columbine" like school attack so most districts closed their classrooms on the 16th and 17th - sending 500,000 students home from over a thousand schools with even some businesses closing! It was reported that the young woman had purchased a shotgun after arriving in Denver earlier in the week. An 18 year old woman with a shotgun was all it took to shut down most of our educational system? There weren't armed security, teachers with conceal carry, or just concerned citizens willing to protect our children in these schools? Well, the system was able to breathe a sigh of relief after the young woman's body was found near Mount Evans (years later renamed, "Mount Blue Sky") - she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound the same day authorities were trying to track her down...
Colorada's Intolerance:
This sticker was peeled off/stolen from a car parked at a local grocery store here in Colorado. The theft and vandalism of such things illustrates how little tolerance there is for differing ideas and opinions in the state...
Colorado's Govenor:
Colorado Corruption:
Jared Polis and his domestic partner Marlon ReisIn January, 2019, Democrat Jared Polis (formerly Jared Polis Schutz) replaced Democrat Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper who had been term-limited. Hickenlooper allowed mass murderer Nathan Dunlap to live - even though Dunlap had previously been sentenced to death under a different administration. Dunlap was to be executed for the mass-killing of a number of people at a children's pizza restaurant near Cherry Creek Reservoir. But, not to worry - in 2018 Hickenlooper was "sheep-dipped" in Turin (by the the Bilderbergers), assuring that he'd be running for president in 2020 [he was quickly knocked out of the primaries for being an imbecile]. And, of course, Polis couldn't wait to remind everyone that he, too, is against the death penalty for mass murderers. Interesting to note that immediately after the election the media announced that Jared Polis was the first openly homosexual* governor to be elected in our nation's history - yet they never mentioned it, once, during the election itself...
* As of 2018, when Polis was elected, the term "homosexual" remained in the vernacular. This was especially demonstrated the month after his election when the radio series, This American Life's "81 Words," broadcast went out across National Public Radio and other outlets. "81 Words" was a piece by Alix Spiegel about the American Psychiatric Association's history of classifications for homosexuality. The words "homo," "homos," "homosexual, "homosexuals," and "homosexuality" were used nearly 80 times throughout the 54 minute broadcast...
How special, Polis' "boy toy" (healthy and in his 30s) was allowed to skip ahead of the COVID vaccination line in early February, 2021. It was later
confirmed that Marlon was the only spouse or "family of elected officials" to receive the vaccine in this manner. Polis is corrupt and dishonest.
Dope:
"THE MOUNTAINS BY AND LARGE"
Some personal politics and history:
Well, speaking for myself, I'm in Colorado because I love it here! I've lived in Colorado most of my life - my parents brought me here, in 1972, when I was a teenager. I love Colorado but am saddened by what it's becoming. The Colorado of my youth was wide open, clean, affordable and filled with possibility. Nowadays, Colorado has become an expensive, crowded, theocratic plutocracy (thanks to "Big Jim" Dobson, Ted Haggart, and a host of other big-moneyed religious crooks...). For many years our state government was dominated by ultra-conservative ideologues who didn't care about our environment, Democracy or the basic quality of life for most of our citizenry. (see * A glimmer of hope! below...). But, although the pendulum swings some of the damage can't be undone. Nevertheless, Colorado is still a great place and I'm glad to be here!
I've been very lucky in that I've been able to see and experience nearly every square inch (or at least every one of our 64 counties!) for both business and pleasure. When I was a teenager I drove a delivery truck for Wells Music Company and brought televisions, stereos, organs (and even an occasional piano!) to all kinds of far-flung places throughout the state - most usually when a rancher was having a good year and could afford some in-hone entertainment. Later in life, for brief periods of time, I did things like construction work in Frisco and cabin construction in Granby. Even later I conduct a number Human Relations investigations in towns like Alamosa, Aspen, Glenwood, Pagosa and Colorado Springs. And, of course, I know Boulder inside-out after having worked and conducted radio programs there for over a decade by the time of this writing in '04.As far as politics go, besides just being a longtime resident, and curmudgeon, what qualifies me to be critical of Colorado's direction? For one thing, I've voted in every single election, including the "special" ones (like the Public Service Company franchise, etc.), even when I was stationed in other states while serving our country. For another thing, I've served in our neighborhood caucus and have been elected to the Republican Party's state and county assemblies. Also, I've served as an election judge and was a member of the city's election commission. Additionally, I was elected to the board of directors for Green Mountain Water. Finally, I've volunteered for countless community projects, environmental efforts and other nonprofit endeavors.
November 27, 2013 (Wednesday):
September 10, 2013 (Wednesday):
May 22, 2013 (Wednesday):
November 2012, A Turn for the Worse...
The 2012 elections ensured that our state's Democratic governor had a democratically controlled House and Senate. Drunk with power, the governor and the children elected to both houses did a lot of damage to Colorado the following year (2013). Big unions (especially teachers), illegal immigrants, higher taxes, and big government were all winners in 2013. But, as you'll see below, Coloradoans began to wake up and push back! By the end of 2013 Politico reported that voters disapproved of the job Hickenlooper was doing 48 percent to 45 percent - a considerable drop from the previous year. In other 2013 news, it was clear Colorado voters were tired of the high taxes and the loss of freedom being forced upon them by Boulder and Denver: 6 of 11 counties pushing for succession actually passed the measure along with a huge state-wide tax increase for teachers' unions being beat down by a wide margin in that off-year election.
Also by year's end, in 2013, three state senators left office as a result of recall elections - clearly the electorate had had its fill. However, the problem with Colorado voters is that their desires seem to swing from one extreme to another - sometimes they allow ultra conservatives unchecked control while at others it's liberal extremists and high school students running everything. Either extreme is always a loss for our state but there was some hope by the end of 2013 that things might get better...
Sadly, as mentioned on this page's masthead, leftists gained control of Colorado's statehouse and government in 2018. After the 2020 election Marxists and leftists were in complete control of Colorado with their one party rule guaranteed for years to come.
Some more Colorado political history...
* A glimmer of hope! In the November 2004 elections things took a small turn for the better here in Colorado. Although my state gave its electoral votes to George Bush, we told beer mogul Peter Coors his services weren't needed as one of Colorado's Senators. Then, even better, we voted to expand light rail throughout the Denver Metro area in addition to passing Amendment 37 requiring Colorado's seven energy companies to obtain a portion of their power through renewable sources. And, finally, Democrats gained control of our state house and senate, after nearly four decades of being the minority... This bumper sticker pretty much summed up Colorado's government during the reign of governor Bill Owens (1999 - 2007). The sticker was created by John W. Lacher (you can click on it for a larger view) and illustrates where Owens' and the Republicans' loyalties were. Owens, Colorado's 40th Governor, was a native of Texas who didn't even move to Colorado until his late 30s in 1977 - hence, he never had a feel for what our state was about or what was important to us. Owens spent most of his professional (and political) life representing big business and other money interests. Also interesting was the great lengths the press went to in hiding Owens' infidelity to his wife Frances - not that I'd normally care except previous governors, and other public officials, were hounded unmercifully for the slightest dalliance yet Owens went through his two terms virtually unscathed...
Colorado is made up of mountains, plateaus, canyons and plains. The western half of our state is mountainous with many valleys, canyons and high plateaus. The Continental Divide cuts through west central Colorado from north to south dividing the mountains into western and eastern slopes. Water on western slope flows toward the Pacific while water east of the divde flows to the Guld of Mexico towards the Atlantic Ocean. Eastern Colorado is mostly flat, with high plains, prairie androlling hills connecting to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
State Capitol - Denver, Colorado
Colorado Around the World!
Seems like wherever I travel there's a hint of Colorado
in the air! Here are pix of a Colorado Coffee Shop we found
in Japan and a Colorado clothing store in Darwin, Australia:
Japan |
Darwin, Australia |
Here I am at the Colorado portion of the states' WWII monument in Washington, DC |
Miscellaneous Colorado:
Mt. Morrison summit, Colorado |
I, and dozens of other metro area mountaineers, frequently hike Mt. Morrison adjacent to Red Rocks park as part of a training regimen. During the summer of 2005 I snapped this shot of the abandonded communications hut on the summit. Much to my delight, a year later, my son and I hiked to the top only to find they had finally removed the hut, the surrounding chain link fence, and all of antennas and associated hardware! Back to nature - FANTASTIC! |
Two Elk Lodge - Vail, Colorado |
Much of Colorado's mountains and open space have been spoiled by mining, ski resorts, and other commercial development and construction run amok. Arsonists, in 1998, stepped beyond the lawful battle to protect these areas by burning Vail's Two Elk lodge. $12 Million Dollars in damages were the result - luckily nobody was hurt. I think this particular photo was taken by Vail's fire department. The lodge sits at around 11,200 feet and was later rebuilt (So I've heard, since I don't have enough money to spend time in Vail anyway...). |
Colorado's first peoples:
Okay, I'm not an archeologist so I'll have to rely on what I've learned from a couple of National Park Service brochures when it comes to information about the first people living in Colorado. From their "Exploring Hovenweep" flyer (GPO:2009-349-224/80293) they had this to say about Hovenweep and the original people of the Four Corners region:"Archeological studies across the Four Corners region have produced intriguing information about past cultures inhabiting this part of the Southwest. Over 13,000 years ago nomadic Paleo-Indian hunters roamed the plateaus and canons hunting wild animals. Drier climate conditions displaced these people - as larger animals moved elsewhere - and ushered in Archaic hunter-gatherers from the west about 11,000 years ago."
"These people - eventually to be known as the ancestral Pueblo people - were initially mobile, taking temporary shelter beneath canyon overhangs and in shallow alcoves as they traveled in search of food. As they began to cultivate corn, life became more structured, and beginning around the year 200, they build pithouses closer to their crops in valleys and on mesa tops."
"Climate changes sometimes dictated that the people relocate to higher or lower elevations to ensure optimal growing conditions."
"Despite marginal growing conditions, ancestral Pueblo people raised corn, beans, squash, and other crops in small fields and terraces, often using check dams for irrigation. They used solar calendars and astronomy to calculate growing seasons. They developed many other natural resources to improve their lives. Examples of well-made pottery, jewelry, and clothing clearly suggest that these villages were part of a well-developed society. Non-native materials like macaw feathers point to active trading with cultures to the south in Mexico."
"By the late 1200s, prolonged drought, overuse of natural resources, and, possibly internal strife led to the eventual abandonment of the region. The people settled in what are now the pueblos of the Rio Grande valley in New Mexico and the Hopi mesas of Arizona."
Mesa Verde
Cliff dwelling |
Inside a Kiva |
Kiva with ladder |
Surface dwelling |
Me (YES, this was a legal walk-through!!) |
Click Here for a video of a Mesa Verde surface dwelling... |
Hovenweep
Main entrance |
Stay on the trail! |
Cryptogamic soils! |
Main path |
Little Ruin Canyon |
Twin Towers |
Twin Towers |
Unit type house on canyon rim |
Cliff dwelling |
Rim Rock House & eroded Boulder House |
Click Here for my YouTube video of a hike near the Hovenweep ruins! |
1/4th Colorado:
(Four Corners, USA)
Randy Wendell - 1992 |
Tribal welcome - 2006 |
Bobby Bloom - 2006 |
Me - 2006 |
Four Corners is where Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona all butt against each other
at N 36° 59.936' W 109° 02.714' (according to my not so accurate GPS...).
[Note: I believe it was sometime around 2008 or 2009 when there was some discussion that this monument may be a few metres off center - according to the most recent scientific surveying methods...]
1/3rd Colorado:
(Colorado, Oklahoma, and New Mexico)
Early Concerns About Denver Sprawl:
Click on this clipping for a closer look...I've always been concerned about the environment, biodiversity, and quality-of-life issues. In my late 20s, during the 1980s, I started the environmental organization Wilderness Defense! and kicked it off with a "huge" public relations campaign of letter writing, talk shows, and speeches (at schools, clubs and similar gatherings). This particular letter was an early attempt at gaining public awareness about population and sprawl issues in the Denver Metro area. Titled, "It's already too late for the Metro area," I jumped into a long laundry list of reasons why population growth and sprawl where ruining our lives along Colorado's "Front Range." Of course the Post's editors cut a large portion of my writing out in addition to injecting some typos (typographical errors) that I hadn't already created myself. So, I telephoned them, the next day, demanding that they publish my entire letter sans typos and editing. I remember them laughing in the phone and saying they don't even give that kind of consideration to their biggest advertisers! Ahhhh youth, it never hurts to try!
Colorado Sunshine
Average statewide daily peak sun-hours: 5.8
(compared to 4.3 for Oregon and 6.2 for New Mexico...)
"Colorado is a gold mine of solar energy, boasting more than 300 days of blue sky per year. And the Rocky Mountain state is taping its resources. In addition to legislation that authorizes counties and municipalities to offer rebates, loans, and property and sales tax exemptions for PV systems, the state has adopted aggressive policies that encourage the development of solar technologies and PV manufacturing plants. Colorado is home to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, as well as one of the largest solar power plants in the United States - an 8.22 MW plant made possible by a power purchase agreement between SunEdison and Xcel Energy."
The Best States for Solar
by Kelly Davidson
Home Power Magazine, April & May 2008, p. 85
Things named after Colorado!
Colorado 400tAlthough it works pretty good, for navigation and waypoints, the best part of this Garmin is its name!
Colorado T1000 Backup DriveBack in the "old" days I used one of these!
Chevy Colorado - 2010 modelI don't like the idea of ORV's (Off Road Vehicles) but have a deep appreciation for working trucks used to make a living!
People who love Colorado! |
I just read your blog about Colorado, and it's amazing. Around this time of the year, I get quite homesick for Colorado. I grew up, and am now 50, in a town on the western slope called Olathe. I've become accustomed to Texas though since I've been here now since 1979. The two states I most admire in the this great United States, is Colorado, of course, and Montana, and, of course, I'd have to include Texas in those also, but to have lived in a state with such majestic mountains and canyons, it's quite difficult to compare Colorado to Texas, as there are NO mountains where I'm at. I live in West, Texas. That's not the western side of Texas, but a town with a population of about 5,000 in Central Texas. I do miss the summers in Ouray at that hot springs swimming pool, and the hiking which I thoroughly hated, and I told my father that while hiking up many a mountains, but there's no comparison for a childhood like that. I grew up loving the town of Aspen, but the last time I was there, I was disgusted and never went back. All the condos and those idiots from Hollywood have destroyed it. I do believe that the government officials in Colorado should have said early on, very early on, that no one will ever be able to build in certain areas of your beautiful state, but that didn't happen, and every time I get to come to Colorado, that rings true. Keep up with your good work on your blogging. I really enjoyed reading it. I found it when I was trying to find all the tunnels in Colorado, and got sidetracked somehow.Bonnie Lynn GreenThanks for listening.
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