The October Mutt Of The Month

I took the photograph on the left of the October Mutt of the Month at, appropriately enough, the Denver Oktoberfest a few weeks ago. In fact, there were a lot of dogs at that event, feeding on Das Turkey Legs that their owners could not finish after just a bite or two, and slurping bowls of German beer to wash them down. This golden lab, however, seemed happy just to hang out with its owner and enjoy the atmosphere, which featured lots of people dressed in lederhosen and dirndl dresses carrying around huge steins of extremely expensive beer. I can't say for sure, but it looks to me like that dog is laughing at them. Bad dog!

Breckenridge In The Fall

After taking photographs of the aspens up on Boreas Pass Road this past Monday, I headed back down to Breckenridge to walk around a bit. Breckenridge is my favorite Colorado mountain town, filled with Victorian era houses and commercial buildings now occupied by shops, bars, and restaurants, many with outdoor patios. Perfect for a fall afternoon. Breckenridge was founded in 1859 during the Colorado Gold Rush, and after the gold petered out, it had another boom when silver was discovered in 1879. But the opening of the Breckenridge Ski Resort in 1961 put the town on the map, and these days Breckenridge is a popular destination for visitors both winter and summer.

As can be seen in the photograph on the right, the fall colors are on full display in Breckenridge, brightening up Ruby Jane, a fashion accessories store. The building they are located in is also known as the H.H. Vogan House, built in 1898. Herb Vogan was a prospector, and lived there with his family, but would head to sunny Arizona to do prospecting in the winter and return in the spring, once the weather improved. I bet that really endeared him to his wife and kids, enduring those harsh winters on their own. Just sayin'.

The house now housing Olive Fusion in the photograph on the left is also known as the Albia Hoopes House and was built in 1880. Hoopes was a hardrock miner, who in 1883 became owner of the Laurium Mine, which became a major producer in the area. In 1948 it was purchased by "Madam" May Nicholson as a retirement home, where she lived until she passed away in 1971, and the place eventually became Olive Fusion, which sells olive oils, spices, teas, as well as may other products I would never purchase in a million years. But I do like the house. Perhaps they could start brewing beer and add an outdoor patio. Now THAT would get my attention.

Boreas Pass Is At Peak Colors

I drove up to Boreas Pass Road from Denver this past Monday afternoon to check out the Aspens, and the colors were spectacular. I always like to drive that particular gravel road in the fall, not only because of its many Aspens, but also because there are plenty of places to pull over, get out of your car, and take photographs. And on weekdays, there may be other cars up there, but not too many, and everyone politely pulls over to let the oncoming vehicles pass, if necessary. Boreas Pass started out as a railroad pass between Denver and Leadville during the Colorado Gold Rush. It is now open to cars, bikes, and hikers spring, summer, and fall, and to cross-country skiers during the winter.

Boreas Pass Road starts just south of Breckenridge, Colorado. For the first few miles, it is a paved two-lane highway lined with homes, small subdivisions, and resorts. Eventually the pavement ends, there is a parking lot for hikers and cross-country skiers, and then it heads up to the top of the pass as a gravel road, with views of the Blue River Valley below, as seen in the photograph on the right. You can also see the ski runs at the Breckenridge Ski Resort on the other side of the valley. Years ago, my then wife Lisa and I would drive up there and do some cross-country skiing in the winter. As I recall, it was not a very steep grade for the first few miles, and by the time you got to the steeper part of the road, you were ready to turn around anyway.

The best part of driving Boreas Pass Road in the fall or doing some cross-country skiing in the winter is that you can turn around and quickly head back to Breckenridge, walk the quaint 19th Century business district. and have a beer at any number of outdoor patios. And these days, Breckenridge is pretty lively any time of year. The only problem is that driving up to the mountains from Denver on the weekend takes forever, especially on Friday afternoons. People blame this on the huge increase in Denver's population in recent years, but I distinctly remember it was just this bad years ago, too. Lisa and I used to spend a three-day weekend every October at a large condo complex called Wildernest in nearby Silverthorne. We would drive up Friday afternoon, and it would take forever to get there. We would stay through Sunday night and drive back to our jobs Monday morning, avoiding the drive home Sunday afternoon, which is bad now and was also bad back then, too. But still worth it to see those fall colors, I might add.

Visiting The National Wildlife Refuge With Darrel, Kim, and Joel

I met Darrel, my friend and former DU Bookstore colleague, along with his daughter Kim and grandson Joel, at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge to take some photographs of Joel, who will soon be graduating from high school. I have visited this refuge before, but never gotten out of the car to walk around its trails and scenic areas, and was quite impressed with the area, which consists of 15,000 acres located 10 miles northeast of downtown Denver. This area was once farmland, then a war-time manufacturing site (chemical weapons, no less), and finally a wildlife refuge. At one time, it was proposed that Denver's Stapleton Airport be expanded onto the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, but as I have said before, Denver City Fathers decided to build an entirely new airport near the Kansas border, instead, and so the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge was then established there in 1994, home to bison, deer, raptors, coyotes, and prairie dogs, among other wildlife. My favorite wildlife story at the Arsenal is Darrel telling me how he once had to sit in his car and wait while an entire buffalo herd crossed the road. How fun is that, unless you have an important appointment to get to. The photograph above, by the way, is of Darrel and his grandson Joel standing in front of one of the refuge's many lakes. All in all, it was a very fun day. Great to get together with all of you, guys!

Wait Till Next Year Chicago Baseball Fans!

The regular baseball season ended this past Sunday, and neither Chicago team is in the playoffs. In fact, my South Side heroes, the Chicago White Sox, finished the season 41-121, the worst single season record in Major League Baseball history, losing one more game than the infamous 1962 New York Mets. As for their North Side rivals, the Chicago Cubs, they finished 2nd in the National League Central Division with an 83-79 win-loss record. But in baseball, that is 4 games over mediocre. The Cubs did have a chance at a wild card spot, but faded during the final weeks of the season, and Cubs fans have been whining about that ever since. But as far as I am concerned, no matter the win-loss record, the season is over, both teams are done for the year, and next spring each team starts fresh. I know that Chicago baseball fans have heard "wait until next year" for most of their lives, but it is true. In fact, I watched the final White Sox game of the year against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, and both Steve Stone (on the left in the photo) and John Schriffen seem very optimistic about next season.

The White Sox won 5 of their final 6 games, and they beat the Tigers 9-5 on Sunday. The Sox started the year losing 3 of their top offensive players to injuries, and were playing catch-up most of the season, but never quit, never gave up, despite their record. The team brought in a great many rookies, some bad, some so-so, and some who looked pretty damn good, and so there is definitely hope for this coming season on the South Side. Plus, Steve Stone has just signed a long-term extension of his contract, and he and John Schriffen will be back next year, which is a great thing. They make watching a White Sox game fun, no matter the score. As for the Cubs, who knows what they will do? But I always like to quote the late great Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko when it comes to that North Side team: "You win some, you lose some, but with the Cubs, you mostly lose some." Cheer up, Chicago baseball fans - spring training begins in only 4 1/2 months.