Today Is The First Day Of Fall

Today is the first day of fall, the Autumnal Equinox, which begins at 6:04 P.M. here in Denver. It has been unseasonably hot here until just recently, and so as you can see from the photograph on the left that I recently took at Washington Park, as of yet there are no signs of fall around Denver. However, all the local weather forecasters are saying that in the mountains, the leaves will be changing much earlier than usual this year due to the severe drought conditions we have been experiencing. And so, to check this out, yesterday afternoon I drove from Denver up to relatively nearby Echo Lake on Mount Blue Sky to see if this was true.

At lower elevations, the leaves were just starting to turn, but when I passed Echo Lake, which sits at an altitude of 10,600 feet (the road to the summit, at an altitude of 14,271 feet, is closed between Labor Day and Memorial Day) the aspens seemed to be close to peak colors, as seen in the photograph on the right. The most popular spot to see the fall colors around here is Guanella Pass, located above Georgetown, Colorado, which rises to an altitude of 11,669 feet. It is so popular that on weekends it is often bumper-to-bumper traffic the entire way, and people who park on the side of the road to take photographs or walk among the aspens are ticketed or towed, which is why I have never taken that drive during "leaf peeping" season.

My favorite spot to view the aspens in the fall is Boreas Pass, located above Breckenridge, Colorado, one of my favorite mountain towns. It is a former wagon road which was later converted to the site of a railroad connecting the towns of Como and Breckenridge. It is now an unpaved road for cars that reaches an altitude of 11,481 feet. The thing I like about this pass is that there are plenty of places to pull to the side of the road and walk around taking photographs, and although there are a fair number of cars on this road, it is not overwhelming. The aspens there are spectacular, with views across the valley to the tall peaks beyond. The photograph on the left, which I also took on Mount Blue Sky yesterday afternoon, reminds me of those views. This year I will not be able to head to Boreas Pass until early next week. Hopefully there will still be leaves on the trees when I get there. And if not, on the bright side, you can always head back to Breckenridge, walk around town, and then have a pint in one of the local bars. A win-win situation.

The 2026 Colorado English Motoring Conclave

My friend Mark is a member of the Rocky Mountain Jaguar Club. And no, he does not own a Jaguar. He just likes the cars, and his favorite event is the annual Colorado English Motoring Conclave, which takes place each year at Oak Park in Arvada, Colorado, just to the northwest of Denver and where enthusiasts display over 500 British cars and motorcycles. My sister Susan and I decided to join Mark at this year's event, which seemed to take many hours to get to, due to Interstate 70, the main route to the park, being closed for repairs. We had to take a roundabout way to get there, but get there we did, and I was very impressed with the festival. Mark introduced us to his fellow Jaguar Club members, some of whom can be seen in the photograph on the left. They were all very friendly, and interesting to talk with, and after a lunch under their tent we walked around looking at the cars.

We started with the Jaguars, two of which can be seen in the photograph on the right. Models ranged from the 1920s through the present. Mark has always wanted to own a Jaguar but has actually been warned off buying one by some of the club members themselves, citing mechanical issues, the difficulty with obtaining parts, and high insurance rates. And, of course, Jaguars in good condition are very expensive. The alternative is buying a car in poor condition and restoring it, which would take a lot of time and experience in restoring old cars. I myself am not much of a car person. I mainly just want a vehicle that can reliably take me from point A to Point B. I do remember once going to the Chicago Automobile Show years ago with my parents and admiring an XKE Jaguar. The sticker on the window said the suggested retail price was $6,000, and we all wondered who could possibly afford to pay that much for a car. Of course, that was MANY years ago.

After the Jaguars, we looked at all the other British cars, including MGs, Austin-Healeys, Triumphs, Bentleys, Aston Martins, Morrises, Rolls Royces, you name it. In my opinion, the best were the older models, such as the one in the photograph on the left. I was amazed at how perfect most of these older models looked. It must take a lot of work to get them into that condition. And a garage to make sure they stay that way. All in all, it was a very enjoyable afternoon, and the weather was perfect for the event - sunny with temperatures in the 70s. And I actually made it back home in less than 3 hours. What could be better than that?

Denver Oktoberfest Is Here!

Yesterday afternoon my sister Susan and I visited Denver Oktoberfest, which takes place on Upper Larimer Street in the Ballpark neighborhood, just a few blocks from Coors Field. This neighborhood is hipster central, and so there is always a huge turnout of 20-somethings for this event, most of them carrying huge steins of beer with them. This festival features stein hoisting, keg bowling, music, and, of course, lots of food and drink. There were two stages, one at the festival's entrance on 20th Street, where a stein hosting contest was going on, and the other at the upper end of the festival at 22nd Street, which was featuring music. Rap music, to be precise. One would expect traditional German music at Oktoberfest, but then again, considering the younger crowd in attendance, I suppose festival organizers felt rap music would be better suited to hipsters than accordion music.

While we were there, a stein hoisting contest was taking place with a group that were all wearing Lederhosen and those funky looking German hats, as seen in the photograph on the right. The MC kept telling everyone that if you dropped your steins, you would have to clean up the mess yourself. I had to wonder if there might have been some ugly stein hoisting incident the previous evening or something. There were a surprising number of people walking around together wearing Lederhosen and Dirndls, and I saw one group dressed like the ones in the photograph trying to get into Scruffy Murphy's Irish Pub with full steins of beer. The bouncer told them the steins had to be empty to enter the bar, and so one of them suggested having a chugging contest at the entrance so they could get in. We didn't wait around to see who the winner was.

And yes, there was indeed a stand selling that hallmark of traditional German cuisine, Das Turkey Legs. I like to joke that all the unsold turkey legs from the previous year are defrosted in the spring and then refroze and defrosted throughout the summer for each festival, ending the cycle during the various Oktoberfests, with the remainder refrozen until next year. Of course, I know they really wouldn't do that, right? Right? In any case, it was fun to walk around, do some peoplewatching, and take in the festival. And for all of you Oktoberfest fans out there, the Denver Oktoberfest continues today through 6:00 P.M. and next Friday through Sunday, too. Be there or be square, as we hipsters say.

Friday Afternoon At Chautauqua

I spent some time up in Boulder yesterday afternoon and made a stop at Chatauqua Park, one of my favorite places in Colorado. It was threatening rain, but that did not seem to stop the intrepid locals from heading up the trail into the Flatirons, as seen in the photograph on the left. I myself would have chosen a sunnier day, but Boulder is known for its hearty outdoor types, who would no doubt shrug off a few raindrops. I hiked those trails many years ago and really enjoyed it. You wind around the back of the sheer face and when you get to the top have a spectacular view of Boulder. Definitely worth the effort.

I passed by the Chautauqua Dining Hall and noticed a fair number of people still having lunch on the outdoor patio, as seen in the photograph on the right. Boulder's Chautauqua was constructed in 1898 with the assistance of Boulder City leaders, the Gulf and Southern Railway, and Texas Regents to create a teacher's school along with a Chautauqua. It consists of a dining hall, an auditorium, and cottages and lodges for students and short-term visitors. All of the original structures are still in use today. I fondly remember having Sunday brunch at the Dining Hall a number of times with my brother-in-law George, sister Susan, and our mother Mary. Having breakfast on that patio with that wonderful view is a great experience.

The General Store in the photograph on the left is a relatively new addition. As for the auditorium, it still hosts many concerts and events. I remember attending a Peter Kater concert there one night with Susan and my mother. The acoustics are truly wonderful. I think my mother used a transit chair to get around at the time, and they put us in the front row, which made for a really wonderful experience. The cottages were originally just for summer residents, but over the years they have been winterized for year-round use and can still be rented by the public. Plus, if you do stay there, it is only a 15-minute walk to Boulder's Pearl Street Mall, filled with restaurants, bars, shops, and performances by various buskers and musicians. I would especially recommend a Friday or Saturday afternoon hiking the Flatirons, and a visit to a very lively Pearl Street Mall in the evening. Tell them I sent you.

The September Mutts Of The Month

I took the photograph above of the September Mutts of the Month at Oktoberfest on South Pearl Street here in Denver this past weekend. I saw them walking up and down the street with their owner several times but was only able to get a shot of both of them as I was leaving the festival. One of them is a service dog. At least it was wearing a service dog vest. I know some people try to sneak their pets into grocery stores or onto airplanes with fake vests, such as the person who tried to take their service kangaroo onto a plane (which sadly didn't work). I think that happened in Australia, where I imagine kangaroo pets are not unusual, but I don't intend to fly 17 hours to Sydney just to find out. In any case, I have no reason to suspect that that particular dog was not a service dog, and both seemed well-trained and friendly. And not a kangaroo in sight.

Big News! In-N-Out Burger Is Coming To South Denver!

I read in the Denver Post several weeks ago that In-N-Out Burger is planning to put 2 new locations in Denver - one near Denver International Airport, located not too far from the Kansas State Line, and the other at 1470 South Colorado Boulevard, just a mile or so away from my condo across the street from the University of Denver. That is big news. I have tried In-N-Out Burger only once, when I spent a long weekend in San Francisco right before the DU Bookstore, where I worked as Finance Manager, was outsourced to Follett Higher Education Group (and don't get me started on this). In any case, I was walking around Fisherman's Wharf, about to walk to the Golden Gate Bridge, and noticed an In-N-Out Burger. I had heard about them mainly through Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch novels. Sometimes, when on stakeout, Connelly's fictional LA police detective would stop first at an In-N-Out Burger to fortify him for the long night ahead. And so, I stopped there for lunch, and the burger was great. In-N-Out expanded to Colorado in 2020, and now has 15 locations in the state, although none anywhere near South Denver. The hamburgers might be great, but I have never wanted to make a long drive just to eat at a fast-food restaurant. But now they are coming to the neighborhood! They are only at the permitting stage right now, but plan to put their new Colorado Boulevard In-N-Out Burger on the site of a former Arby's and Black-Eyed Pea, seen in the photograph above. And I can't wait to try their "double double." Which will probably be in 2028 or so, but what the hell. I've waited this long, after all.

Talking Baseball With Stuart At The Old Chicago In Lakewood...

I got together for lunch yesterday afternoon with my friend Stuart, seen in the photograph above, at the Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom in Lakewood, Colorado, a rather ugly suburb just to the west of Denver. And after discussing a number of topics, the conversation turned to baseball. My South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, have not been having a good September, and are 3 and 7 over their last 10 games. They have been in first place in the American League Central Division all year, but as of today are only 1/2 game in front of the Cleveland Guardians. With a mere 12 days left in the season, Stuart and I agreed that they have to turn things around quickly or their playoffs dreams will go up in smoke. But I did have to mention that no matter what happens, the White Sox have had a great year with many promising rookies on the roster, and their future looks bright. As for their North Side rivals, the Chicago Cubs, which is Stuart's team, they still have a good chance of making the playoffs, although how far they go in the post-season is a big question mark. I know Stuart isn't putting down any big bets on them winning it all. Over the past 9 seasons, the Cubs have made the playoffs 4 times, winning a total of 2 series. As for our adopted hometown team, the Colorado Rockies, they have gone 2 and 8 over their past 10 games, and their single goal this season was not to lose 100 games for the 4th time in a row. They currently have a record of 56 and 95, with 11 more games to play. So much for that goal. And as for my South Side heroes, the White Sox, miracles do happen, right? Perhaps someone should e-mail Pope Leo to ask for a little help.