Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic EvolutionSM
Colorado
And no place else!
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NEWS FLASH: In July '06 Colorado "lawmakers" finally passed a statewide no smoking ban for all businesses. Of course it took 'em another year-and-a-half to apply it to our corrupt casino industry, thanks to conservative foot-dragging. Nevertheless, better late than never - you can now enjoye clean air (unless you're in one of our big cities..)! Anyway, welcome to the state I've called home since '72 - Colorado and no place else! |
"THE MOUNTAINS BY AND LARGE"
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"Colorado's mountains are the ganglionic center of the inland Rockies. Three-fourths of the nation's land above 10,000 feet lies within the state, whose average altitude is about 6800 feet. Generally speaking, it is mountainous everywhere west of a longitude line through Denver, with the ranges of greatest importance forming a thick, irregular L, reversed so that the horizontal fan runs west instead of east from the foot of the vertical. Big mesas, some as high as 10,000 feet, take up much of the space within the L. The summit altitudes of the mountains tend to a remarkable sameness: 54 of them have tops between 14,000 feet and the 14,431 foot altitude of Mount Elbert, and there are five times this number in the 13,000 foot class."
- Robert M. Ormes, editor, Guide to the Colorado Mountains |
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Well, speaking for myself, I'm in Colorado because I love it here! I've lived in Colorado most of my life - my parents brought me here, in 1972, when I was a teenager. I love Colorado but am saddened by what it's becoming. The Colorado of my youth was wide open, clean, affordable and filled with possibility. Nowadays, Colorado has become an expensive, crowded, theocratic plutocracy (thanks to "Big Jim" Dobson, Ted Haggart, and a host of other big-moneyed religious crooks...). For many years our state government was dominated by ultra-conservative ideologues who didn't care about our environment, Democracy or the basic quality of life for most of our citizenry. (see * A glimmer of hope! below...). But, although the pendulum swings some of the damage can't be undone. Nevertheless, Colorado is still a great place and I'm glad to be here! |
I've been very lucky in that I've been able to see and experience nearly every square inch (or at least every one of our 64 counties!) for both business and pleasure. When I was a teenager I drove a delivery truck for Wells Music Company and brought televisions, stereos, organs (and even an occasional piano!) to all kinds of far-flung places throughout the state - most usually when a rancher was having a good year and could afford some in-hone entertainment. Later in life, for brief periods of time, I did things like construction work in Frisco and cabin construction in Granby. Even later I conduct a number Human Relations investigations in towns like Alamosa, Aspen, Glenwood, Pagosa and Colorado Springs. And, of course, I know Boulder inside-out after having worked and conducted radio programs there for over a decade by the time of this writing in '04.As far as politics go, besides just being a longtime resident, and curmudgeon, what qualifies me to be critical of Colorado's direction? For one thing, I've voted in every single election, including the "special" ones (like the Public Service Company franchise, etc.), even when I was stationed in other states while serving our country. For another thing, I've served in our neighborhood caucus and have been elected to the Republican Party's state and county assemblies. Also, I've served as an election judge and was a member of the city's election commission. Finally, I've volunteered for countless community projects, environmental efforts and other nonprofit endeavors.
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These experiences don't make me better than anyone else. However, what they do illustrate is my life-long love and concern for the state I call home. My home, Colorado, is simply becoming a playground for the rich and easy pickings for any corporation willing to wine and dine the economic elite who hold state office. We can do much better. By reducing the influence of big money, we can, indeed, bring Democracy back to Colorado for the benefit of the greatest number of our people. It can be done, it really can! |
| * A glimmer of hope! In the November 2004 elections things took a small turn for the better here in Colorado. Although my state gave its electoral votes to George Bush, we told beer mogul Peter Coors his services weren't needed as one of Colorado's Senators. Then, even better, we voted to expand light rail throughout the Denver Metro area in addition to passing Amendment 37 requiring Colorado's seven energy companies to obtain a portion of their power through renewable sources. And, finally, Democrats gained control of our state house and senate, after nearly four decades of being the minority... |
 This bumper sticker pretty much summed up Colorado's government during the reign of governor Bill Owens (1999 - 2007). The sticker was created by John W. Lacher (you can click on it for a larger view) and illustrates where Owens' and the Republicans' loyalties were. Owens, Colorado's 40th Governor, was a native of Texas who didn't even move to Colorado until his late 30s in 1977 - hence, he never had a feel for what our state was about or what was important to us. Owens spent most of his professional (and political) life representing big business and other money interests. Also interesting was the great lengths the press went to in hiding Owens' infidelity to his wife Frances - not that I'd normally care except previous governors, and other public officials, were hounded unmercifully for the slightest dalliance yet Owens went through his two terms virtually unscathed...
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(Click on this map for a view of all 64 counties) |
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Colorado's Geography:
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Colorado is made up of mountains, plateaus, canyons and plains. The western half of our state is mountainous with many valleys, canyons and high plateaus. The Continental Divide cuts through west central Colorado from north to south dividing the mountains into western and eastern slopes. Water on western slope flows toward the Pacific while water east of the divde flows to the Guld of Mexico towards the Atlantic Ocean. Eastern Colorado is mostly flat, with high plains, prairie androlling hills connecting to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
Colorado Around the World!
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Seems like wherever I travel there's a hint of Colorado in the air! Here are pix of a Colorado Coffee Shop we found in Japan and a Colorado clothing store in Darwin, Australia: |
 Japan |
 Darwin, Australia |
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Here I am at the Colorado portion of the states' WWII monument in Washington, DC |
Miscellaneous Colorado:
 Photo by Jeanette Kehoe |
On January 11, 2006 I (and hundreds of other commuters) was detoured east of Rocky Flats to avoid a sizeable blaze alongside Highway 93. A few days later I learned that Jeanette Kehoe had actually been at the fire and took this fantastic photograph! Contacting Jeanette by email I learned this about the Plainview fire; "The fire started off Plainview road (hence the name) near 72 and Hwy 93 at about 6:45 pm on Jan 10th. It started out at about 10 acres. High winds fanned the fire around midnight causing the fire to consume about 2700 acres by 4am. It was contained during the day on the 11th. My photo was taken at about 2am at the height of the fire as we were retreating from a not so safe area. An uninhabited cabin and a pump house were lost in the fire but no houses." [A few days later the public learned that the Plainview fire had been started by teenagers - ed.] |
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Here's a postcard I bought in 1976 - it's a picture of Idaho Springs, Colorado in 1926. At the time I thought it was a pretty "ancient" photograph until I, myself, turned 50 and decided to scan it for this web page in 2006!! |
 Mt. Morrison summit, Colorado |
I, and dozens of other metro area mountaineers, frequently hike Mt. Morrison adjacent to Red Rocks park as part of a training regimen. During the summer of 2005 I snapped this shot of the abandonded communications hut on the summit. Much to my delight, a year later, my son and I hiked to the top only to find they had finally removed the hut, the surrounding chain link fence, and all of antennas and associated hardware! Back to nature - FANTASTIC! |
 Two Elk Lodge - Vail, Colorado |
Much of Colorado's mountains and open space have been spoiled by mining, ski resorts, and other commercial development and construction run amok. Arsonists, in 1998, stepped beyond the lawful battle to protect these areas by burning Vail's Two Elk lodge. $12 Million Dollars in damages were the result - luckily nobody was hurt. I think this particular photo was taken by Vail's fire department. The lodge sits at around 11,200 feet and was later rebuilt (So I've heard, since I don't have enough money to spend time in Vail anyway...). |
Mesa Verde
Original Colorado!
 Cliff dwelling |
 Inside a Kiva |
 Kiva with ladder |
 Surface dwelling |
 Me (YES, this was a legal walk-through!!) |
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Click Here for a video of a Mesa Verde surface dwelling... |
1/4th Colorado:
(Four Corners, USA)
 Randy Wendell - 1992 |
 Tribal welcome - 2006 |
 Bobby Bloom - 2006 |
 Me - 2006 |
Four Corners is where Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona all butt against each other
at N 36° 59.936' W 109° 02.714' (according to my not so accurate GPS...).
1/3rd Colorado:
(Colorado, Oklahoma, and New Mexico)
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While on business in Norman, Oklahoma (May, 2006) I took a very long drive out to the state's panhandle to climb Black Mesa (Oklahoma's highest point at 4,973 feet). Being a bit homesick I decided to cross the state line into Baca County, Colorado to take a quick look around. While exploring the area I learned about "Three Corners," that junction where Colorado, Oklahoma and New Mexico all come together. As you can see, it's a pretty wide-open section of country frequented by a lot of cows! Nevertheless, it was well worth the 7 to 9 hour drive from the Oklahoma City area to see it... |
Early Concerns About Denver Sprawl:
 Click on this clipping for a closer look... |
I've always been concerned about the environment, biodiversity, and quality-of-life issues. In my late 20s, during the 1980s, I started the environmental organization Wilderness Defense! and kicked it off with a "huge" public relations campaign of letter writing, talk shows, and speeches (at schools, clubs and similar gatherings). This particular letter was an early attempt at gaining public awareness about population and sprawl issues in the Denver Metro area. Titled, "It's already too late for the Metro area," I jumped into a long laundry list of reasons why population growth and sprawl where ruining our lives along Colorado's "Front Range." Of course the Post's editors cut a large portion of my writing out in addition to injecting some typos (typographical errors) that I hadn't already created myself. So, I telephoned them, the next day, demanding that they publish my entire letter sans typos and editing. I remember them laughing in the phone and saying they don't even give that kind of consideration to their biggest advertisers! Ahhhh youth, it never hurts to try! |
Colorado Sunshine
Average statewide daily peak sun-hours: 5.8
(compared to 4.3 for Oregon and 6.2 for New Mexico...)
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"Colorado is a gold mine of solar energy, boasting more than 300 days of blue sky per year. And the Rocky Mountain state is taping its resources. In addition to legislation that authorizes counties and municipalities to offer rebates, loans, and property and sales tax exemptions for PV systems, the state has adopted aggressive policies that encourage the development of solar technologies and PV manufacturing plants. Colorado is home to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, as well as one of the largest solar power plants in the United States - an 8.22 MW plant made possible by a power purchase agreement between SunEdison and Xcel Energy."
by Kelly Davidson Home Power Magazine, April & May 2008, p. 85 |
Things named after Colorado!
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Although it works pretty good, for navigation and waypoints, the best part of this Garmin is its name! |
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