Rocky Mountain High! (25,26-Mar-2010)

I arrived in Colorado amid a forecast of dangerously snowy conditions on I-70 into Denver. They received almost 10 inches in some places, but luckily the sun came out just as I was crossing the Kansas/Colorado border and the temperature rose clearing the roadways. The plow trucks were out in full-force too.

Colorado is very much like Kansas until you reach Denver. There is no sign of mountains and the great plains continue to roll on:



My hotel stay was in Boulder and a very short ride to downtown:







Downtown is very beautiful, safe, and upscale. Since Boulder is a university town, there are a lot of young people which gives the town an energetic, hip vibe. It was a ton of fun and the views of the mountains were breathtaking.

I decided to take a ride to Golden, CO as I have heard it's a beautiful town as well with a more "western" feel. My drive took me deeper into the mountains:



The roads in the mountains were filled with tunnels:



And the views continued to be an inspiration:





Unfortunately, I got lost on my way to Golden. I think I was too distracted with the views and taking photos, because when the road turned to dirt, something just didn't seem right:



I tried asking the locals for directions, but they weren't very helpful or responsive:





Fortunately, I stopped at a gas station and a helpful guy there pointed me in the right direction and I finally found historic downtown Golden:



You are just surrounded by natural beauty here:



And of course, Golden is the headquarters of Coors Brewing Company:



I continued to walk around downtown and explore this interesting town and accidentally came across The American Mountaineering Center. I've never heard of this place before, but they are also the headquarters of Colorado's Outward Bound program:





The museum inside was really cool and had information about rock climbing all around the world:





I love rock climbing, unfortunately I've only done it a couple of times in my life (and all but one of those times were in rock gyms which can be expensive!) From what I learned at this museum, Colorado offers some of the most diverse climbing conditions in the world. Modern climbing is beginning to shift its focus from height to unique challenges such as free climbing (climbing with minimal safety gear to only be used to catch you if you fall!) Luckily, the ropes used today are made with nylon and are able to "give" a bit if you fall; hemp rope was the old standard and it wasn't very strong. I read that while steel cables are extremely strong, they are not used for climbing as they do not give at all and if you fall, the cable will snap your spine! Yikes!

Colorado is certainly the place to be for climbing with 54 mountains in the state over 14,000 feet high! (the Fourteeners)

With a long day of exploring behind me, last night I went to check out Downtown Denver. I also saw Alice in Wonderland in the Regal downtown. It was pretty good and sooo Tim Burton:







Needless to say, I was very tired last night! Fortunately, I got a very good night's sleep last night and was ready for the drive south to Colorado Springs today:



Garden of the Gods came highly recommended so I made a trip:



This place is a geological park that was promised by its founder to be free to the public forever:





It was very cold and the snow began to fall as I walked some of paths in the park but I was too enthralled to notice or care. The rock formations were incredible and of several varieties/colors:





This one is called Balanced Rock and has a great view from its base:





After a short visit to Garden of the Gods, it was time to continue south to Santa Fe. There were even more snow-capped mountains to see:



And the sky began to clear:



There is so much to see and do in Colorado! My only regret is not having enough time to experience it all. I was lucky that my visit occurred between two big snowstorms and that driving through the mountains was safe. I definitely want to come back in the summertime to take full advantage of the outdoor activities and the less-fickle weather; I had a hot-air balloon ride scheduled that had to be canceled due to the windy conditions.

Even with my short taste of this amazing state, I now understand its appeal. The natural beauty and endless recreation are simply too good to pass up.

I guess he'd rather be in Colorado,
He'd rather play his banjo in the morning when the moon is scarcely gone...
In the dawn the subways comin', in the dawn I hear him hummin'
Some old song he wrote of love in Boulder Canyon...
~ J. Denver

I have a feeling I'm not in Kansas anymore... (23,24-Mar-2010)

Woah, kindof a late entry here; these past few days have been a whirlwind of new places and new experiences!

After departing St. Louis, I eventually reached Kansas City, MO:



Now, this has always confused me, but there is a Kansas City, MO and a Kansas City, KS and they're both situated at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers. Kansas City, MO is the larger of the two and is the one pictured above. Unfortunately I missed out on some highly recommended Kansas City barbecue, but hopefully one day I'll get to try it.

After passing by Kansas City, I made my way into Kansas:



Passing through Kansas was hillier than I expected at first, but as I got further into the state, the terrain began to flatten out:



I was able to see some of the old technology seemingly still in use:



And the newer technology. In fact, there was a huge field of these giant wind turbines. I've heard you can hear them turn as they cut through the wind but the weather was so windy/rainy that I couldn't hear anything else. Still very cool to see:



The rolling fields of Kansas had a certain charm and beauty to them which I felt even on this rainy day. I hadn't planned to do much else besides take in the natural beauty of this state when I accidentally came upon this:



I saw signs for it as I was heading west on I-70. I figured, why not check it out? It really was well-worth the side-trip, everything was put together so well and they had all these little exhibits of all different versions of the Wizard of Oz from all around the world:











They had the 1939 movie playing continuously in a special room and I learned quite a bit about the movie that I never knew. Apparently, Judy Garland wanted to adopt Terry (the dog who played Toto) from the studio as she had become attached to him, but her request was denied as Toto went on to star in other movies.

After a brief stop in Oz, I continued my journey westward. I needed to stop for gas and I happened upon this memorial right next to the gas station:



I've looked this up online and I can only surmise that this is an unofficial memorial commemorating those fallen in this battle of WWII (it was the only battle in WWII where the American casualties exceeded Japanese). I believe this one was to honor local soldiers from the area. In any case, I'm glad I had the chance to see it. It reminded me of the freedom I have to just get up and move, unhindered across this great country. It is a freedom that I take for granted far too often but deeply appreciate.

This ends this chapter of my voyage. I am currently in Colorado and will update you all on my adventures here from today and tomorrow, tomorrow evening.

Thanks for reading!

-Dan

Way out west... (22-Mar-2010)

This day was spent in St. Louis at the Gateway Arch Riverfront/Jefferson National Expansion Memorial! This monument was erected to honor Lewis and Clark and the westward expansion of the United States. At 630 feet tall, it is the tallest monument in the world and is situated right in front of their old courthouse on the Mississippi River.









I actually didn't know you could go inside the Gateway Arch until a few years ago. I'm so glad I finally had my chance to do so! You take a really tiny tram car to the top that only fits 5 people and 8 of these trams go up at a time. Here is a photo of the observation deck all the way at the top:



And of course, the fantastic view from the top. I really lucked out with sunny weather that day as you can clearly see the impressive shadow the Arch casts:



Just seeing the Arch in-person was so surreal. I remember seeing pictures of it in my first grade social studies book and I always told myself that I would see it one day. However, my experience on the Riverfront became so much more that day. I had no idea the who, how, and why about this structure until actually visiting.

I was able to view a documentary about the building of the Arch and all the planning, reinforced concrete and 900 tons of steel involved. The stainless steel actually came from Pennsylvania and triangular pieces were assembled and then extensively secured upon one another and welded together. I was able to take a photo example of a welding seam:



For you math geeks out there, the Arch is actually one giant hyperbolic cosine function:

y = A(cosh(Cx/L)-1)

and it is a bit of an optical illusion with the width of its base equaling its height (it appears taller than it is wide).

There is a whole museum underneath called the "Museum of Westward Expansion" featuring artifacts from the Lewis and Clark Expedition and photographs and and quotes inspired by the idea of Westward Expansion and American curiosity and wonder...



Here is a map featuring the Lewis and Clark Trail which began here in St. Louis, Missouri:



After touring the Arch and museum, I walked around the whole park area and down the steps to see the Mississippi River:



I also had the chance to walk down to an older part of town where some of the restaurants are...



And I sampled some of the famous rectangular pizza! It was delicious and for you Rachael Ray fans, there was a note on the menu which mentioned that this pizza was featured on her show:



Today was really special for me. Getting the chance to see and feel a part of something I've always been curious about really touched my spirit. While I wouldn't dream of comparing my current experience with Lewis and Clark's, I did feel connected to them in my own journey westward that day.