Aspen Viewing: Your Complete Fall Foliage Guide

 

Fall is here and if you want to see the best autumn foliage, you need to act fast!

“The month of September is the ideal time to witness this gilded spectacle, but you have to time it right — the color is fleeting, lasting only about a week in most places. Unfortunately, it's difficult to predict when exactly the leaves will turn in any given location. The best strategy: select your travel dates in advance, but not your destination. Then go wherever the color is. Here are a few road-tripping routes, sorted by region, that have become fall-color pilgrimages for aspen lovers:

SOUTHWEST

• Dallas Divide and Lizard Head Pass: Begin your journey in the town of Ridgway, located south ofMontrose. Head west on Colorado 62 over Dallas Divide. Lining the route are unimpeded views of the grand Sneffels Range, an apron of aspens at its feet. At Placerville, head southeast toward Telluride on Colorado 145. All the way to Lizard Head Pass you’ll drive through dense groves of the white-barked beauties, with frequent panoramas of Wilson Peak.
• Kebler Pass: Head west out of Crested Butteover this improved dirt road (County Road 12) and you’ll be inundated with autumn glory. The ruddy colors of the Ruby Range make for a radiant contrast with the golden aspens below. At Colorado 133, you can head north toward McClure Pass for more, or return via the way you came for a repeat performance.
• Other favorite routes:
  • US 160 between Pagosa Springs and Cortez.
  • Colorado 135 between Crested Butte and Gunnison.
  • US 50 west from Gunnison to Colorado 149 south to Lake City and Slumgullion Pass.
  • Colorado 550 from Ridgway south through Ouray and Silverton to Durango.

NORTHWEST

• Maroon Bells: Quite possibly the most photographed mountains in North America, the Maroon Bells are situated southwest of the aptly named town of Aspen. These peaks are an ideal spot to capture the glory of fall color on film, so be sure to bring your camera. On weekends in September, access to the Bells is limited to shuttle buses that leave Aspen on a regular basis. But if you reserve a campsite along Maroon Creek Road, you can drive your vehicle all the way to the scenic Maroon Lake, where the golden trees frame a reflection of the purple-and-white-striped peaks.
• Grand Junction to Grand Mesa: This route boasts spectacular stands of aspen along with other varieties of turning trees. From Grand Junction, head east on I-70 through Palisade and along the Colorado River, where riverside cottonwoods slowly phase into yellow-leafed splendor. At Colorado 65, head east and then south through more canyon country and up to the top of Grand Mesa, where glowing aspens stretch for as far as the eye can see. Stop at Island Lake to fish for trout or continue over the mesa to Cedaredge.
• Other favorite routes:
  • Colorado 125 over Willow Creek Pass between Granby and Walden.
  • US 40 south from Steamboat Springs to Colorado 131 to Yampa. From Yampa, take County Road 7 southwest to Stillwater Reservoir.
  • Flat Tops Trail Scenic and Historic Byway (Meeker to Yampa via County Road 17 and Forest Road 16 over Ripple Creek Pass ).

SOUTH CENTRAL

• Cottonwood Pass: As you head down Cottonwood Pass Road west of Buena Vista, you’ll feel humbled in the presence of such natural beauty. Rising on all sides are the massive Collegiate Peaks, namely two behemoth 14,000-foot peaks, Mount Princeton and Mount Yale. As you pass beneath the two giants, you’ll enter one of Colorado's most aspen-laden valleys. And you'll see firsthand the fickleness of fall color — one slope all gold, another patch still a shade of summer green. What cues the aspens to turn is a complex mixture of climatic conditions, with colder, shadier slopes turning first, followed by the sunnier patches a few days later. In some cases, an early frost will transform all the aspens at once — it is all up to Mother Nature.
• Colorado 17 from Antonito to the New Mexico border: One of Colorado’s most scenic areas happens to be one of the state’s best-kept secrets for aspen viewing. As you head up the serene Conejos River Valley, stands of piñon give way to the white trunks of aspen. Some of the oldest and tallest aspens in the state can be seen, photographed and enjoyed near La Manga Pass. For an even more unique experience, ride the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad for views not seen on any highway.
• Other favorite routes:
  • Gold Camp Road from Colorado Springs to Victor, and then Colorado 67 through Cripple Creeknorth to Divide.
  • US 285 from Conifer to Fairplay over Kenosha Pass.
  • Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway (US 24 from Minturn through Leadville to Twin Lakesvia Colorado 82, and back to Colorado 91 over Fremont Pass to Copper Mountain).

FRONT RANGE

• The Peak-to-Peak Scenic and Historic Byway: From Black Hawk to Estes Park, this serpentine highway meanders through valleys and skims the top of ridges, taking the most scenic route at every turn. Take Colorado 119 from Black Hawk north to Nederland then follow Colorado 72 to Raymond. From here, proceed on Colorado 7 past the 14,255-foot Longs Peak to Estes Park. Quaking aspens pop up in surprising places along the entire route.
• Guanella Pass Scenic and Historic Byway: Take this rambling route south out of the historic town ofGeorgetown and you’ll not only find pockets of blazing aspen but high-altitude nirvana atop the 11,699-foot Guanella Pass. Note: the aspens are more prevalent on the southern side of the pass. Once you reach the town of Grant, you turn right on US 285 and take the highway for 15 minutes to the top of Kenosha Pass, where the aspen thrive on the rim of the gentle slopes that encircle South Park.
• Other favorite routes:
  • Colorado 14 through Poudre Canyon west of Fort Collins to the top of Cameron Pass.
  • Fall River Road from I-70 (Exit 238) to St. Mary’s Glacier.
  • Boulder County Road 130 from Nederland to the Fourth of July Trailhead (dirt road).

SOUTHEAST

• Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway: Head west out of Pueblo on Colorado 96 to begin this aspen-laden journey. The route climbs into the Wet Mountains and descends into the Wet Mountain Valley, passing aspens blazing in autumnal color along the way. Return the way you came until you reach McKenzie Junction. From here, head south on Colorado 165 to see two other Colorado fall favorites, cottonwood and scrub oak, as they turn brilliant colors beneath rugged rock formations.
• Highway of Legends Scenic and Historic Byway: This route wraps around two of Colorado's burliest mountains, West and East Spanish Peak. Along the way, the highway passes beneath ancient volcanic walls that rise over tracts of pine, scrub oak and aspen. Nearly the entire route from La Veta to Trinidad on Colorado 12 begs to be photographed.”

Read more at http://www.colorado.com/Articles.aspx?aid=42023

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Quick Tips for Keeping Kid’s Rooms Organized and Looking Good

Feel like you can never get your children’s rooms REALLY organized? You’re not alone.

“If you have more than one child sharing a bedroom — or are just plain short on space (and who isn’t these days?) — here are a few easy, fast and inexpensive tips to keep little clutterbugs organized.

Make Easy, Low-Cost Storage with Versatile Plastic Crates

Plastic storage crates offer durable, versatile and easy-access storage options with a low price tag. Use crates to organize existing shelves, extend dresser-top display space upward, or expand under-bed or closet storage space. You can even stack 9-12 together as a “wall unit” — just snap the crates together or secure with plastic zip-ties, then attach the unit to the wall with a furniture strap to help prevent tipping. Since they’re washable, plastic crates are an especially practical choice for storing craft supplies for a budding artist. You’ll find functional, fun plastic storage crates at any discount store or home store.

Wicker and Plastic Baskets are Functional and Decorative, Too.

Colorful baskets make wonderful storage containers for children, and these days you can find very durable, wicker-like baskets that are actually made of easy-care plastic. Use large baskets on the bedroom floor to hold favorite books and magazines — look for large hamper styles with lids, or mid-size stacking sets for this purpose. Smaller baskets may be placed on bedside tables, dressers or countertops to house hair clips, jewelry/accessories and lightweight collectibles. Shop for basket bargains at unexpected places such as yard sales, flea markets, import stores, discount stores and gift stores, then customize with a few coats of spray paint. Once you master this easy craft project, you may discover that you are having such fun that you must paint a couple of baskets for the living room or your own bedroom.

Style tip! Try working with two colors, one sprayed over the other, then lightly sand through the top coat in spots to achieve a slightly distressed cottage basket look. Seal with a coat of clear in matte or gloss.”

More project ideas and tips available at http://kidsmartliving.info/2011/01/quick-tips-for-keeping-kids-rooms-organized-and-looking-good/
Image from http://realmomsguide.sheknows.com/2011/08/25/messy-rooms/

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Volunteers pitch in to pick up trash, paint out graffiti

 

Englewood is lucky to have residents who pitch in to make the community a better place to live.

“Instead of going to play golf or doing yard work, about a dozen volunteers spent part of Sept. 10 helping make Englewood look better by picking up trash and painting over graffiti.

The graffiti paint-out program, organized by Tony Arnoldy, Englewood Police community affairs specialist, is held once a month in the warn-weather months. The Sept. 10 effort was strengthened by about half dozen volunteers from the Living Branch Fellowship Church.

Because of the number of volunteers, Arnoldy took about half the group to locate and paint over graffiti in the alley between Broadway and Lincoln Street.

The group with Arnoldy included Maria Talamantes and her two daughters, 11-year-old Cloe and 9-year-old Lily, who were joining the paint out for the first time.

“I saw the request for volunteers in the paper and decided it would be a good way to help our community,” Maria said. “I brought my daughters with me today because I think it is important to teach them about volunteering. I showed the girls graffiti in our city, we talked about it and they said they wanted to come with me.”

Lily said she was happy to come because she liked to paint. Her sister Cloe said she thought volunteering for the paint out was important.

“Graffiti doesn’t look good and it isn’t good for our city,” she said. “I think it is good that we can paint over it so our city looks better.”

Steve Fletcher said the group from Living Branch Fellowship Church was part of a group called Communities helping their Community.

“There is a larger group working today in Denver but we wanted to stay in Englewood to help our community,” Fletcher said. “I think it is a way for us to let the community know our church cares about Englewood and wants to help make it a better place for all who live here.”

The group walked the bike path, picking up trash and painting over graffiti along the banks of Big Dry Creek from the just west of Broadway to near Englewood High School,.

Miranda Fletcher, Stephen’s 15-year-old daughter, was one of the painters.

“I like to help my community,” she said as she prepared to paint out graffiti in one of the bike path tunnels. “I wish people wouldn’t litter or paint graffiti but, since they do, maybe we can clean up some of that so we have a nicer-looking city.”

Arnoldy said the addition of the Living Branch Fellowship volunteers is a plus for the program.

“This month we had six but last month, the Living Branch Fellowship volunteers were among about 125 people joining. They joined us last month as part of a project involving a volunteers from number of churches in the metro area. The volunteers were part of a community service program called Rock the Rockies that was held in conjunction with the Graham Crusade,” she said. “That group did an amazing job. They not only helped us paint out a lot of graffiti, they had teams helping residents who needed the assistance to cut down weeds and mow their lawns. It was a great program.”

She said she knows there are residents who need help with yard work and she is thinking about trying to organize a yard-work project as part of next year’s graffiti paint-out program.”

Read more: http://www.ourcoloradonews.com/englewood/news/volunteers-pitch-in-to-pick-up-trash-paint-out-graffiti/article_8479e6e7-8035-5f92-86ba-be4570425703.html

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NASA's Destination Station Comes to Wings Over the Rockies!

 

Beginning on September 16th, NASA is bringing the International Space Station to Denver!

NASA will unveil its newest exhibit, "Destination: Station," at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum. The exhibit run for six weeks until Oct. 28 and will feature a multimedia exhibit that tells the story of the space station. Visitors will learn about the day-to-day activities of astronauts as well as the research conducted in the orbiting National Laboratory. 

The Wings Museum will also host an International Space Station Science and Research Expo on September 23rd from 1-5 p.m.  This event will feature NASA speakers such as astronaut Mike Good, International Space Station Program Scientist Julie Robinson, and National Lab Education Program Lead Regina Blue.  So head out to the stars close to home!

To learn more, check out http://www.wingsmuseum.org/

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What Is Labor Day?

 

Labor Day is this Monday, September 5th.  But do you know why we celebrate it?  Check out this historical tidbit:

Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Founder of Labor Day

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The First Labor Day

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Check out the full story here.

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