Blizzard!

Tuesday it was 63 degrees in Denver, and people were out and about, strolling through Washington Park and all around town, enjoying the great weather.  Yesterday, it was a blizzard outside, with winds often at hurricane strength.  Since I am now retired, I decided to stay in all day, and watch the scene unfold from my living room window.  I especially took note of a couple in the photograph on the left - no doubt University of Denver students - who left my building, went across the street, and disappeared into the storm.  A little while later, they returned, each holding a coffee cup.  And yes - they went to get coffee at Starbucks during a major blizzard.  The mind boggles.

Amazingly enough, there was only about 5 inches or so of snow here in Denver, although if you have winds of 35 to 50 miles an hour blowing it around, it makes it look much more impressive. Of course, I live in the heart of the city, and the snow totals are much higher in other parts of the metro area.  I am just glad I don't have to drive across the plains to Fort Collins, where it would have been white out conditions most of the day.  And if you wanted to head east to Kansas or Nebraska, or south to Colorado Springs, you were out of luck, since those roads were closed all day, and still are today.  Of course, why would you want to do that?  In any case, I took the photograph on the right of the corner of University and Buchtel Boulevard Avenues, and keep in mind that this shows the part of the city with the BEST conditions.

If you had to go outside, the only way to go was public transportation.  My condo is located just two blocks from the light rail station, which takes you to downtown Denver in a mere 20 minutes or so.  And if I wanted to head down University Boulevard to Colfax, where the Tattered Cover Bookstore, my old employer is located, the bus stop is right in front of my building.  And in the photograph on the left is that very bus, which thankfully I did not have to take.  I was very surprised that all the school districts and government offices announced they would be closed the day before the storm.  The last time that happened, it turned out there was no storm at all, and people went biking, hiking, or to the mall - a free day to have fun.  This time, of course, the weather people got it right.  This was the first blizzard we have had in several years, and to tell the truth, was a lot of fun to watch.  Which is always true if you don't have to go outside.