Browsing Archive: August, 2009
Posted by Jason Hussong on Wednesday, August 26, 2009,
The Denver Botanic Gardens is a great place to relax away a day, either at the main location in Denver or the Chatfield location in Jefferson County. I loved both locations and found them to be the ideal spot for a picnic and a book.
I stopped at the Chatfield branch first and quickly fell in love with walking the tree-covered paths. I wandered for hou  rs through the area enjoying it more with each step. The working bee hives, the working farm and the thoughts of going through the co... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 25, 2009,
When the opportunity presented itself for a visit at the Mother Cabrini Shrine one afternoon I snagged it. I heard so much  about this place, largely from a lightning strike one year, that I was interested in stopping in to see the shrine and learn about who Mother Cabrini was. Now, after 13 years of Catholic schooling, I'm not much of a religious person. I tend to be as stubborn as they come so I guess I just don't like someone telling me what to think and how to believe; it just all bot... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Friday, August 21, 2009,
William F. Cody, more commonly known as Buffalo Bill, is best known for his exploits as a scout, a buffalo hunter and a showman of the old west. His tales are legend. And because of this, I wanted to go pay my respects at his grave. 
It's difficult for me to imagine a more picturesque place to be laid to rest than atop Lookout Mountain. Just west of Denver, the mountain offers beautiful views of the plains to the east and t  he mountains in the west. It is all quite peaceful and serene.
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Wednesday, August 19, 2009,
I've done more than my fair share of stupid things in my life. And after going up Mount Evans, one of the notable 14ers of Colorado, in only a t-shirt, you can certainly add another to that ever growing list.
When I left home in the morning for a day of nice, leisurely hikes, the thought crossed my mind that I should be wearing jeans and that I should bring a coat along as well. After all, it only makes sense when you're going over 14,000 feet in elevation. But, for a reason that escapes ...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
After doing my thing at the DNC and Presidential Experience on Friday, I had some time to kill so I decided to do something that I had been meaning to do for quite some time...I finally visited the expansion to the Denver Art Museum, the Hamilton Building.
The expansion was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. Libeskind is the same architect that  designed the Jewish Museum in Berlin, Germany and is also doing the new World Trade Center complex in New York City. The rest of hi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
Last night I went with some friends to do the First Friday Art Walk along Santa Fe Drive in Denver. Apparently the first Friday of each month this happens in different spots with different galleries  around town. This was something I had heard of before, but never really took advantage of until a friend texted me yesterday asking if I wanted to go.
I was particularly impressed with a lot of the art, especially the Kanon Collective (right), although there certainly was a fair amount of ...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
Idaho Springs is best known for such places as Tommyknocker Brewery and BeauJo's Pizza. A short drive north from town though, along I70 and Fall River Road, sits the St. Mary's Glacier; a beautiful trail and lake where time is well spent.  The trail up to the lake and glacier seems to be more suitable for an ATV due to the rocky n  ature of the path, but it is primarily, and easily, used by hikers. And it may seem difficult at first, going up at a steep grade from about 10,300 feet in elevation... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
Sometimes there are things listed on maps that sound interesting, but when you try to go there's not a single sign for it until you're already at the spot; such was the case with the Beecher Island Battlefield.  The name on the map sounded interesting enough to my friend and I, so we decided to head that way. After some good navigation on his part we arrived at the small site near the nice town of Wray, Colorado. An obelisk marks the spot where for nine days in 1868 50 U.S. Scouts held their gro... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
If boating and fishing are your types of things, then Bonny Lake State Park in eastern Colorado is a perfect place for you.  But for me, ever since a weird incident with bullheads up in Alexandria, Minnesota, I can't say that it much interests me anymore. I'll save that story though for another time. In case you were wondering, Bonny Lake is a 1,900 surface acre reservoir that sits at a paltry 3,700 feet in elevation. The lake is formed by a dam, built in 1951, along the Republican River....
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
Even if for just five minutes, isn't it great to feel like a kid again? I mean, really feel like a kid again? And what about if, in those five minutes, it  would only take a quarter? Would it be worth it to have all kinds of great childhood memories rush back on you for only two bits? It certainly was for me when I visited the Kit Carson County Carousel in Burlington, Colorado. I was never much for rollercoasters or the other wild rides at amusement parks as a child, just ask my brother if you d... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Area is a refuge in the middle of Denver that offers opportunities for hiking, wildlife viewing and catch-and-release fishing. But, only a small part of it is available for exploring at the present time; most of the site is still being restored to  how it looked before the middle of the 20th century when the Plains Indians inhabited the land or it was used for pioneer farming.
In 1942 the U.S. Army started producing mustard gas, and later ner...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
Educate. Empower. Engage.
It is an ongoing exhibit drawing attention to the destructive forces of terrorism and how it can happen to "Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere," a theme that hangs like a dark cloud throughout the visit. I didn't leave feeling empowered and knowing that there are peop...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
Most know her as "The Unsinkable"  Molly Brown from the Titanic voyage, but she actually preferred to go by Maggie or Margaret, at least according to my tour guide at the Molly Brown House in Denver. Just a few short blocks from the Colorado State Capitol, along tree lined Pennsylvania Street, sits the Brown home. Margaret and her husband, James Joseph Brown, purchased the residence shortly after they struck it rich with a silver mine investment in Leadville, Colorado.Due to some squa...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
The free guided tour of the Colorado State Capitol Building is free for a reason. Yet I, unlike many of the other people in my group, stayed on until the end. I just waited and hoped that there would be some interesting historical nugget the tour guide would throw us that I knew I  wouldn't find in the pamphlet in my pocket. Sadly no interesting piece of information was forthcoming. Nor was the tour interesting. In such places kids usually get restless and garner severe looks from adults...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
Since I moved to Colorado nine years ago, almost to the day, I've wanted to drive Trail Ridge Road, the highest continual road in the country at a maximum elevation of 12,183 feet. And finally, today, I did just that. It was a long day with a lot of driving, but the views on Trail Ridge Road and the hikes we went on in Rocky Mountain National Park made up for all of the time in the car, much of which was  raining anyway. We were sprinkled on a bit at the end of our first hike to Albert...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
With the Cherry Creek running through it, Castlewood Canyon sits just south of Franktown, Colorado, a distant suburb of Denver. And while it's possible to hike from one end of the canyon to the other, the park is split into two separte areas, east and west, with their own entrances. I found the views along the trails quite nice, especially as I decended into the canyon. The well kept paths were over large rocks many times, which I found I quite enjoyed. I loved the feeling of walking of...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
"At a distance it presents a handsome
appearance, being castle-like with towers
at its angles...the design...answering all purposes
of protection, defense, and as a residence."
~ George R. Gibson, 1846, soldier
The last stop on our southeastern Colorado daytrip was the National Historic Site of Bent's Old Fort. Sitting on the north side of the Arkansas River, it is just a short drive east from La Junta, Colorado on Hwy 194.
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
Bob Pearce, my daytrip buddy, somehow found out about this place called Junkrassic Park, which sits just a bit northeast of Bent's Old Fort on County Road JJ in Cheraw, Colorado.
It's Johnnie Allen's private residence, but it's also a place of bizarre wonder that is definitely worth seeing. It's not only entertaining and intriguing, but it's also the life and hobby of an old man who has put his farming talents towards the good use of art.
You see, one day his wife asked him t...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
"Now the Santa Fe Trail belongs to the keening wind. It belongs
to summer rains and to the fearful snows of winter. It is owned
by the prairie dog, the jackrabbit, the rattlesnake... And for a
brief interval it is mine, by adoption, since I choose to stake my
claim on a tiny fragment of its shining history."
When Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821 the  Santa Fe Trail began to boom. Used, in parts, for many years previous by...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
The Kit Carson Museum, in Kit Carson, Colorado, is one of those museums that you've blown by so many times before in the car, but always thought it'd be nice to stop just to see s  omething most people don't.
Well, on my way to the Sand Creek Massacre site yesterday, I stopped with Bob Pearce to check it out, and I'm glad we did. It was a worthwhile little stop that was quite interesting and well worth the price of admission...which was by donation only. It may initially be assumed t...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
"Treat the Earth well: it was not given to you
by your parents, it was loaned to you by your
children. We do not inherit the Earth from
our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children."
- Indian Proverb, posted at Sand Creek 
The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site is about a three hours drive southeast from Denver, near the Kansas border, in Kiowa County.
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
My only disappointment is that we only had a limited period of time to visit the dozens of interconnecting trails in the park. I really wish my friend and I had more time to see more of the park. But, in order to do that properly, I think it would've required a...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
I've lived in Colorado for nine years and just today finally went to see the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. I've been wanting to go for so long, but just never really took the time to do so until now. I picked up a friend early this morning and we made the two hour drive, which was only due to  the morning rush hour traffic, to the park, which sits just a few minutes drive south of the small town of Florissant, Colorado. Besides a handful of petrified tree stumps, there's n...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
 I've lived in the Denver metropolitan area for nine years and had not set foot in Cherry Creek State Park until today.
 The park, which is popular with water sports enthusiasts, hikers and bikers, sits right in the middle of the greater metro area, and I've drive by it tons of times, but it's always been a bit elusive for me.
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
I'm going to make it a point to get back up to Eldorado Canyon State Park this summer to do  another couple of hikes. I was there just this past week with a friend and a visiting journalist from Germany to do a hike and I really enjoyed it. But one hike in there seemed to be just the tip of the iceberg. The road in the canyon went back so far that I know there were several other trails in there to go on. And really, we never even totally finished the trail we were on to a Continental Divide over... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
 I finally went snowshoeing, something that I had been wanting to do for the last several years I've lived in Colorado. It was a difficult trek, taking us to about 10,000 feet about sea level, to Mills Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. But, once there, the view did not disappoint. Mike, our guide, was Mr. Colorado in 1977 and seemed to have not lost a step since he held his title. He was in excellent shape and trudged ahead of us, leading the way, with such enthusiasm that we were unable to ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
The other day I had a discussion with a friend about zoos when I told him that I was going to go to a free day offered by the Denver Zoo, which so happened to be today. My friend believes that zoos are inhumane and  essentially take the animal out of the animal. They become reliant on humans to feed them and lose any sort of animal instinct that they had in the wild. I, on the other hand, believe that zoos help protect animals and promote species and conservation awareness. Through zoos people m... Continue reading ...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
This past week the Rocky Mountain News ran a special section on good spots to see Colorado's golden Aspen trees by driving, hiking and biking. I was interested in getting out to see the colors already, so this was all the extra incentive I needed. I had never driven on the Peak-to-Peak Highway (Colorado Highway 119) outside of Blackhawk, but had done it from Lyons to Estes Park before. So, seeing as this was uncharted territory for me, I figured I'd take the day to drive the part I hadn't ...
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Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
This summer I've tried to make a better effort to
visit some of the local museums and sites and try to further my knowledge of Denver and Colorado. I figure I have no excuse not to with three day weekends. This past Thursday I made my second trip to the Colorado History Museum. A few years back I was playing host to a visiting journalist on a fellowship from Romania and took him the museum so he could learn a bit more about the state. After all, it's not as though most people from outside the...
Posted by Jason Hussong on Tuesday, August 18, 2009,
When I woke up Thursday morning I had an extreme itch to get out of town and see a bit of nature. I had been interested in seeing The Black Canyon of the Gunnison for a while so I decided to head southwest. The Black Canyon is about a four hour drive southwest of Denver and sits just in between the towns of Gunnison and Montrose, Colorado.
So, after a quick shower, I through some things in a bag and hit the road. And as I was driving along U.S. Highway 285 out of town, I realized that...
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