Meyer Ranch Park

It's the time of year when the leaves start to change. In Colorado, that means that people flock to the mountains to see the aspen trees, with their leaves that change to a bright gold color. It's quite different than the fall colors I grew up with in the midwest.

There are many places you can go to see the aspen. This weekend, my family and I took a short drive to the small mountain community of Aspen Park in Jefferson County. There you will find Meyer Ranch Park, which offers some nice trails that give a great view of the aspens at this time of year.

The land was once the homestead of the Duncan McIntyre family in the mid-1800's.  In 1883 the land was purchased by Louis Ramboz who built a house that still stands today known as Midway House. It served as a stagecoach stop between Denver and Fairplay. There are reports that in the late 1880's the ranch served as the winter home for PT Barnum's circus animals. In the early 20th century the property became a working ranch and included a ski area known as Mount Lugo.

Today the property is a part of Jefferson County Open Space and is open to the public to enjoy. The trails are great for those who want something mountainy, but not too strenuous. The park is located at 10490 S Turkey Creek Rd, just off highway 285 near Aspen Park.

Denver Chalk Art Festival 2021

There was a lot going on in Denver this Labor Day weekend. This year, we saw the return of several events that didn't happen last year, because...you know. One such event was the Denver Chalk Art Festival. Usually, the festival takes place downtown at historic Larimer Square. It's a great environment, but truth be told, it does get to be pretty tight quarters. Folks are usually shoulder to shoulder as everyone jockeys for position to get the best views of the art. Needless to say, that's not really what the organizers are going for as we try to ease back into large group events. So, this year the festival was scaled back and was incorporated into the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, which also took a much different form this year. Though having the chalk art masterpieces in a mall parking lot, as opposed to along one of Denver's oldest streets, does not really have the same vibe, it was still good to see this event return. Check out a few examples of great works on display.

Western Welcome Week Parade 2021

I love parades! The Chicago suburb where I grew up always had a huge 4th of July Parade. In fact, every town in our area had their own big 4th of July parade. When I moved to Colorado, though, I was surprised that most towns didn't have such a celebration. I later found that was because they would have other summer parades instead. One of the biggest parades in the Denver area takes place each August in Littleton at the end of Western Welcome Week. 

The event dates back to 1929 and originally was intended to mark the 100th birthday of Littleton's founder, Richard Little. Over the years, the event has become an annual week-long celebration of the community and its western history.

The parade goes right down Main Street, through downtown Littleton, and always features a wide range of representatives from the Littleton community. You'll see police and fire departments, cub scouts, karate schools, theater groups, churches, and many more community organizations represented. There are also always plenty of equestrian entries in the parade; very appropriate considering our region's western heritage. Then there are the marching bands! All of the Littleton high schools bring out their bands and are joined by bands from neighboring communities like Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Aurora and Elizabeth. This year the long-distance travel award went to a band that came all the way from Pueblo.

Of course, last year the Western Welcome Week Parade didn't happen. I admit to having had a bit of an emotional swell as I watched this year. Seeing everybody back smiling and clapping and cheering was kind of magical. I took a ton of pictures, but I'm just going to share a handful here. It was an awesome celebration and it felt so good to be back!

Tubing on Clear Creek

When you visit a beach community, it is not uncommon to see folks walking through the streets in their swimsuits, carrying inflatable floating devices. That's not a common sight in Colorado, however. That is, unless you happen to be heading through Golden on a hot summer day. That's when the folks come out in droves to do some tubing down Clear Creek.

Clear Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River that runs down from the mountains through various mountain communities, including Georgetown and Idaho Springs, before going through Clear Creek Canyon and reaching Golden. From there the creek continues on to Denver. Basically, the water that flows down the creek was once upon a time the mountain snow from the previous winter. Therefore, the creek is usually quite cool and refreshing.

Tubers often start in the vicinity of 6th Avenue and travel down the creek through downtown Golden. There are various places to pull over, so to speak, and then walk back up the Clear Creek Trail and go again. The creek flows into the property of Coors, so you have to stop before you get to the brewery.

Even if you decide to just kick off your shoes and dip your feet in the water, this section of Clear Creek is pleasant place to spend part of a warm day.

Evergreen Lake Trail

It's a beautiful holiday weekend in Colorado! Yesterday, we took the opportunity to head up to the mountain town of Evergreen to take our dog for a stroll around the Evergreen Lake Trail. The lake is located in Dedisse Park which is just west of downtown Evergreen.

The lake can be a busy place, with paddle boating in the warmer months and ice skating in the colder months. Parking places were a bit hard to come by yesterday. The short walk around the lake was a lot of fun, though. We even got a small rain shower to help cool things off a bit.

The east side of the lake is marked by Evergreen Dam. Built between 1925 and 26, the dam sees a constant flow of water cascading over it and continuing down Bear Creek as it twists its way through the front range toward Morrison.

There are a number of pieces of art which can be found near Evergreen Dam, and several more which can be found on the other side of the lake, near the Lake House. One of the pieces depicts Olympic figure skater Peggy Fleming, who trained, as many Olympians do, in Colorado Springs, and who remains a resident of Colorado. The sculpture was just dedicated in 2020.

Whether you're into nature or art, the Evergreen Lake Trail is a wonderful spot to spend some time away from the city.  It is located just off of Bear Creek Rd. on the west side of Evergreen.

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Kelle III by Tom Ware

Ann Louise by David Wright

Mountain Man by Frederic Remington

Bear Chair by Julie Jones Denkers

Peggy Fleming Tribute by Harold Linke

The three wood carvings above can all be found near the dam.

This small memorial is also found near the dam. 

Highlands Ranch Classic Car Show 2021

 

Life is beginning to return to normal! Not "New Normal," NORMAL. Everything was shut down last year, but now some of the events we missed out on are coming back. I happen to enjoy car shows. I'm not a gearhead by any stretch of the imagination. To me, as long as the car has four wheels and a seat and gets me where I need to go, I'm cool. However, car shows have become one of my favorite photography subjects. So, while out doing some errands yesterday, I swung by the Highlands Ranch Classic Car Show.

This was the 21st year for this event, conducted by the Highlands Ranch Cultural Affairs Association. It is held in the parking lot of Cherry Hills Community Church, which is one of the largest churches in the Highlands Ranch area.

Now, don't ask me to give you details on any of these cars. I don't know anything about them, I just like taking pictures of them. So, enjoy a bit of a photo dump. It's so great to see these events returning!