The Cherry Creek Chronicle

I didn’t expect it, but checking through the popularity logs of this site one post continually rises to the top. I had hoped it might be something about saving the planet or taking a train to the mountains… but no… it’s about the Best Cougar Bar in Denver. Unfortunately the poll tied to this post got wiped out many many months ago when the site went through a major Wordpress ugrade. One of the risks of being an early adopter I suppose.

For those who seem to find this the most curious of questions I will repost the poll. Feel free to share with me any new Cougar destinations I might have missed.

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For anyone who wants to read the original Cougar post click here.

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A little rain wasn’t going to stop these runners from taking on the Rocky Mountain Half Marathon this morning. I just wanted to show these die hard runners taking off in the rain on Little Raven Street in Riverfront Park and a few of the finishers.

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Today Oil prices jumped over $10 a barrel, although I really don’t know how big that is but according to the New York Times it is the BIGGEST JUMP EVER. Just Frakking Great.

How did I know something was up, I noticed the stock market was taking a nose dive. So now everyone’s savings, 401K, [Read more →]

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Last night I was fortunate enough to attend my first (yes, my first) concert at Red Rocks for the R.E.M. concert with Modest Mouse and The National. And yes, I cannot count on one hand how many people were shocked that it was my first concert. Don’t ask me how that happened, I guess my days in the mountains were just too booked. However I was still a slacker for putting this event off for so long. Red Rocks is an amazing place and it was an amazing show. And with the news about Obama winning the Democratic Presidential Nomination the show had a special energy for R.E.M. Michael Stipe began an earlier set announcing that Obama would be our next President and went through a number of songs [Read more →]

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Quick, what bills are these?

In 2002, the American Council of the Blind began a lawsuit against the U.S. Government claiming that our existing currency discriminates against the Blind or the visually impaired.

In 2006 the decision came in in favor of the American Council of the Blind. The Treasury Department Appealed.

This month in 2008, the Appelate ruling is in and the decision stands! The American Council of the Blind wins for now.

I applaud them, but it’s not over yet. The Treasury has 90 days to appeal or as for Supreme Court review.

Before I go into this topic let me discuss my bias and existing point of view. [Read more →]

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Don’t answer too fast… and read the links below.

It isn’t often that I get behind the wheel to drive on the roads, but every time I do I ask myself the same question…. “is it time for a new car”.

I don’t really have much in the way of driving. I cruise around Denver by foot, cruiser bike, by my ages old mountain bike, by bus, by light rail, by cab, and by scooter. I rarely drive my automobile (make that, my giant SUV). What drives me to get behind the wheel (get it) is usually a trip to the mountains which may or not have some bad snow conditions or carrying alot of stuff. [Read more →]

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Reading the New York Times this week I was not surprised to see mention of our horrible traffic issue on I-70 between here and the mountains. What amazes me is that the train solution isn’t being pushed harder. Short term fixes work, well, short term. A long term solution is needed.

That’s on my wish list anyway.

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So I finally got a chance to do the famous Winter Park Ski Train. With my ties to Vail it took me a little longer to give this a shot, but I am glad I did.

I’ll do a quick summary for those of you who are thinking about it. First of all, groups are the best. We had a group of 107 folks so we pretty much ruled a car and a half. At first I think everyone worried about seats and being right next to each other but the reality is that with train travel everyone is walking, talking, leaning, moving pretty much all the time. It’s a social scene on wheels.

The views are amazing, although again this became second place quickly to everyone being social. Yet far more scenic than a flood of taillights on I-70.

If you live downtown the Ski Train has a special appeal. We walked over the bridge in Riverfront Park right at 7:00 for our 7:15 departure. I personally set my alarm for 5:30 to take the pup for a long walk and to give me quite a bit of time cushion just in case, so it is not a good night to plan a big Friday out on the town.

Then on the train everyone greets each other, has fun, and kicks back and RELAXES all the way up. No white knuckle driving, no fighting traffic, and there is always a place to buy coffee or breakfast only a short walk away. Some slept, some read the paper, most chatted. Nice.

On the way back this gets magnified into a huge social gathering. Beverages flow throughout the car, there is laughter everywhere and no one is driving. What a great solution for downtown residents… instead of trying to balance doing apres with the drive home and fighting crowds on that sometimes painful return the ski train becomes the apres location. No risk, no worries. One person said it was just like staying in the mountains with no worries about the commute. Considering I carried my skis there and back in less than ten minutes I’d have to agree.

Some bits of advice for you…

Avoid car 2. It’s behind the engine so the front is sealed. Don’t worry, you don’t get any fumes but the lack of ventilation gets TOASTY. We had folks stripping down to the minimum so maybe chair two will be the naked car. Your choice.

There isn’t much you can do about this worry, but if you get behind a slower train your trip could take a bit longer. This happened on our way up but not on our way back. Not too bad, some folks slept longer and the train is comfy. But keep this in mind if you are making strict plans involving timing and make sure you have a puppy sitter on reserve in case your return is late.

Get your food or drink quick if you want it. They sold out of burritos pretty fast on the way up and while they had beer all the way through the trip back, the Stella was the first to go. Don’t forget they close the catering car when they think they are 30 minutes away from the station. This might be longer so if you want stock up before they close.

There is a great lounge car with scrabble and other games. Consider grabbing a spot there for awhile if you have a small group but be quick if you want a seat.

We will be doing the Ski Train again. Give it a shot for yourself. I forgot to mention that the train stopped on a cross track exactly where another train was heading at us. The folks in our car started getting a little bit nervous as it got closer.. and closer… and closer. Then we quickly moved, picture is one of others below.

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Yep, the mountains are getting the big dump we have all been waiting for.

Okay, I just skied Vail for two days and here are the runs that rock right now.

Dealers Choice
Northwoods
NorthStar
Lodgepole

And the rest of Game Creek Bowl was filling up with snow when I left. Sorry these are mostly cruisers but they are well covered and as soon as this storm is done I am sure there will be a ton more.

And after chatting with some of the locals working in the restaurants in the Village I also learned some additional scoop. First, many many tourists canceled their plans to hit Vail due to the terrible snow reports. Hotels have space and those same folks can’t react quick enough to fill up those rooms with bodies. So that means so much more room for skiing with less people.

Not bad.

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Here is a quick list of the Bowl Game match-ups that just came out. Go ahead and share this one around or print it off for your reference.

BCS BOWL GAMES

National Championship (January 7, 2008)- Ohio State Buckeyes vs. LSU Tigers, FOX 8PM EST

Orange Bowl (January 3, 2008) - Virginia Tech Hookies vs. Kansas Jayhawks, FOX 8PM EST

Fiesta Bowl (January 2, 2008) - Oklahoma Sooners vs. West Virginia Mountaineers, FOX 8PM EST

Rose Bowl (January 1, 2008) - Southern California Trojans vs. Illinois Fighting Illini, ABC 4:30PM EST

Sugar Bowl (January 1, 2008) - Georgia Bulldogs vs. Hawaii Warriors, FOX 8:30PM EST
Poinsettia Bowl (December 20, 2007) - Utah vs. Navy, ESPN 9PM EST

New Orleans Bowl (December 21, 2007) - Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis, ESPN2 8PM EST

Las Vegas Bowl (December 22, 2007) - UCLA vs. BYU, ESPN 8PM EST

New Mexico Bowl (December 22, 2007) - New Mexico vs. Nevada, ESPN 4:30PM EST

PapaJohns.com Bowl (December 22, 2007) - Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss, ESPN2 1:00PM EST

Hawaii Bowl (December 23, 2007) - Boise State vs. East Carolina, ESPN 8PM EST

Motor City Bowl (December 26, 2007) - Central Michigan vs. Purdue, ESPN 7:30PM EST

Holiday Bowl (December 27, 2007) - Arizona State vs. Texas, ESPN 8PM EST

Emerald Bowl (December 28, 2007) - Maryland vs. Oregon State, ESPN 8:30PM EST

Champs Sports Bowl (December 28, 2007) - Boston College vs. Michigan State, ESPN 5PM EST

Texas Bowl (December 28, 2007) - Texas Christian vs. Houston, NFL NET 8PM EST

Alamo Bowl (December 29, 2007) - Penn State vs. Texas A&M, ESPN 8PM EST

Liberty Bowl (December 29, 2007) - Central Florida vs. Mississippi State, ESPN 4:30PM EST

Meineke Car Bowl (December 29, 2007) - Wake Forest vs. Connecticut, ESPN 1PM EST

Independence Bowl (December 30, 2007) - Colorado vs. Alabama, ESPN 8PM EST

Insight Bowl (December 31, 2007) - Oklahoma State vs. Indiana, NFL NET 5:30PM EST

Chick-Fil-A Bowl (December 31, 2007) - Auburn vs. Clemson, ESPN 7:30PM EST

Music City Bowl (December 31, 2007) - Kentucky vs. Florida State, ESPN 4PM EST

Humanitarian Bowl (December 31, 2007) - Fresno State vs. Georgia Tech, ESPN2 2PM EST

Sun Bowl (December 31, 2007) - Oregon vs. South Florida, CBS 2PM EST

Armed Forces Bowl (December 31, 2007) - California vs. Air Force, ESPN 12:30PM EST

Capital One Bowl (January 1, 2008) - Michigan vs. Florida, ABC 1PM EST

Gator Bowl (January 1, 2008) - Virginia vs. Texas Tech, CBS 12PM EST

Cotton Bowl (January 1, 2008) - Arkansas vs. Missouri, FOX 11:30AM EST

Outback Bowl (January 1, 2008) - Wisconsin vs. Tennessee, ESPN 11AM EST

International Bowl (January 5, 2008) - Rutgers vs. Ball State, ESPN2 12:30PM EST

GMAC Bowl (January 6, 2008) - Bowling Green vs. Tulsa, ESPN 8PM EST

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