I really like the variety of light sources in this photo! A garage in the Sunnyside neighborhood in Denver. It's on W 39th Ave, despite CO-39 actually being in northeastern Colorado. Perhaps a Coloradan knows the story behind this garage door mural?
Friday, October 31, 2014
Photo Phriday - 2014 10 31
Apologies for not posting last Friday; I've been away from my computer(s) much more than usual. I hope this one makes up for it?!
I really like the variety of light sources in this photo! A garage in the Sunnyside neighborhood in Denver. It's on W 39th Ave, despite CO-39 actually being in northeastern Colorado. Perhaps a Coloradan knows the story behind this garage door mural?
I really like the variety of light sources in this photo! A garage in the Sunnyside neighborhood in Denver. It's on W 39th Ave, despite CO-39 actually being in northeastern Colorado. Perhaps a Coloradan knows the story behind this garage door mural?
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Exploring Rural New Mexico: Raton, Capulin Volcano, Folsom, and Clayton
As some of you may know, I recently bought a new camera (comment below if you want the backstory). What better way to learn and test the new camera than a road trip? The boyfriend has recently been working on a project regarding the Santa Fe Trail, and heard about an extinct volcano in northeastern New Mexico. Let's go!
We left Denver Friday evening, stopped at our favorite Jamaican restaurant in Colorado Springs (Jamaican Flavor, go there!) for dinner, and spent the night in Trinidad, CO. Saturday morning we left Trinidad in search of breakfast in Raton, NM. It appears as though Raton has seen better days. Most restaurants and businesses along the main drag are either out of business, boarded up, or open with very limited hours. Fortunately, there is one place that is definitely open: the Oasis Restaurant. The Yelp reviews may be iffy, but I will tell you that breakfast is delicious! Homefries, egg sandwich, ham, green chile*... all good! The staff is very friendly. Next time I'm in NM I'd like to spend some time in Raton learning about its history.
*Colorado likes to pretend that it knows what's up with green chile, but the truth is that green chile is a New Mexican dish. I'm just going to throw this out there: New Mexico makes better green chile. Now you know. :)
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Full of delicious breakfast we set out towards the Capulin Volcano. A volcano in New Mexico? Yes! It is very well preserved, thanks in part to the plants that now live on the volcano and help prevent erosion. There are trails around the rim of the volcano and down into the vent (remember: extinct volcano). The rim trail provides an excellent view of other volcanoes in the area, as well as nearby towns, roads, and railroads.
If you are at all interested in geology, volcanoes, or historic land forms, check out Capulin!
Folsom, NM
After spending some time at Capulin we decided to drive through Folsom, just to see what was there. We heard it was a ghost town, but there was a lot going on! We stopped at the Folsom Museum to learn about the town's history. For a town that might fit the description "the middle of nowhere", there's actually a lot of history. There was also an arts/crafts sale going on outside of the historic Folsom Hotel, and they were preparing for a concert later in the evening. As with any town of this size (56 people!), the locals quickly noticed that we were outsiders. We talked to a few people, all of whom were very friendly and wanted to share their town's history with us. Several people asked what brought us to town, and we told them that we stopped because we heard about the old historic district and were curious. We were told that one resident volunteered to fix up (paint, rebuilt, clean, etc) the historic district. If you compare my photos to others on flickr, you can see that she has done a great job!
For comparison, here is a photo (by Flickr user CourtHouseLover) of the Folsom business district in 2009:
To read more about Folsom's history, check out this site: Folsom Museum - Folsom Area History and these Wikipedia articles about George McJunkin and Black Jack Ketchum.
Clayton, NM
Our next stop was in Clayton, which is about an hour away from Folsom. With a population of nearly 3000 people, Clayton is much larger than Folsom. We weren't planning to stop, but decided to check it out when we saw the Herzstein Museum in an old church. The museum's curator was very friendly, and told us about some of the exhibits. The museum covers Clayton's shared history with Folsom as well as some things unique to Clayton.
The Rest of the Trip
From Clayton we continued on to Amarillo. We visited Cadillac Ranch, Palo Duro Canyon, and made friends at a restaurant/wine bar called Crush.
On Sunday we headed north, stopped at the TX/OK state line, visited a grocery store in Boise City OK, and continued onward. Of course we had to stop at my favorite restaurant in Lamar (List: Things I Never Thought I'd Say): Thai Spicy Basil.
Overall, a fun weekend of exploring!
Map
Typically I'd embed a map here, but the new Google Maps won't allow me to do so without changing my map to "Public". So instead here is the not-public-but-viewable-by-anyone-with-the-link map. Sorry it isn't embedded; go complain to Google.
We left Denver Friday evening, stopped at our favorite Jamaican restaurant in Colorado Springs (Jamaican Flavor, go there!) for dinner, and spent the night in Trinidad, CO. Saturday morning we left Trinidad in search of breakfast in Raton, NM. It appears as though Raton has seen better days. Most restaurants and businesses along the main drag are either out of business, boarded up, or open with very limited hours. Fortunately, there is one place that is definitely open: the Oasis Restaurant. The Yelp reviews may be iffy, but I will tell you that breakfast is delicious! Homefries, egg sandwich, ham, green chile*... all good! The staff is very friendly. Next time I'm in NM I'd like to spend some time in Raton learning about its history.
*Colorado likes to pretend that it knows what's up with green chile, but the truth is that green chile is a New Mexican dish. I'm just going to throw this out there: New Mexico makes better green chile. Now you know. :)
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Full of delicious breakfast we set out towards the Capulin Volcano. A volcano in New Mexico? Yes! It is very well preserved, thanks in part to the plants that now live on the volcano and help prevent erosion. There are trails around the rim of the volcano and down into the vent (remember: extinct volcano). The rim trail provides an excellent view of other volcanoes in the area, as well as nearby towns, roads, and railroads.
If you are at all interested in geology, volcanoes, or historic land forms, check out Capulin!
Folsom, NM
After spending some time at Capulin we decided to drive through Folsom, just to see what was there. We heard it was a ghost town, but there was a lot going on! We stopped at the Folsom Museum to learn about the town's history. For a town that might fit the description "the middle of nowhere", there's actually a lot of history. There was also an arts/crafts sale going on outside of the historic Folsom Hotel, and they were preparing for a concert later in the evening. As with any town of this size (56 people!), the locals quickly noticed that we were outsiders. We talked to a few people, all of whom were very friendly and wanted to share their town's history with us. Several people asked what brought us to town, and we told them that we stopped because we heard about the old historic district and were curious. We were told that one resident volunteered to fix up (paint, rebuilt, clean, etc) the historic district. If you compare my photos to others on flickr, you can see that she has done a great job!
A train in Folsom | Switchboard used to warn residents of the deadly 1908 flood |
For comparison, here is a photo (by Flickr user CourtHouseLover) of the Folsom business district in 2009:
To read more about Folsom's history, check out this site: Folsom Museum - Folsom Area History and these Wikipedia articles about George McJunkin and Black Jack Ketchum.
Clayton, NM
Our next stop was in Clayton, which is about an hour away from Folsom. With a population of nearly 3000 people, Clayton is much larger than Folsom. We weren't planning to stop, but decided to check it out when we saw the Herzstein Museum in an old church. The museum's curator was very friendly, and told us about some of the exhibits. The museum covers Clayton's shared history with Folsom as well as some things unique to Clayton.
The Rest of the Trip
From Clayton we continued on to Amarillo. We visited Cadillac Ranch, Palo Duro Canyon, and made friends at a restaurant/wine bar called Crush.
On Sunday we headed north, stopped at the TX/OK state line, visited a grocery store in Boise City OK, and continued onward. Of course we had to stop at my favorite restaurant in Lamar (List: Things I Never Thought I'd Say): Thai Spicy Basil.
Overall, a fun weekend of exploring!
Map
Typically I'd embed a map here, but the new Google Maps won't allow me to do so without changing my map to "Public". So instead here is the not-public-but-viewable-by-anyone-with-the-link map. Sorry it isn't embedded; go complain to Google.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Photo Phriday - 2014 10 17
Back in 2009, the boyfriend and I drove to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. While planning the trip, he found a deal on The Cat. We left the car in Maine, took the bikes with us to Nova Scotia, spent an evening drinking local beer and eating lobster, spent a day exploring Cape Forchu by bike, visiting a wonderful museum, and doing a self-guided walking tour of Yarmouth. Then it was back to Maine.
We biked to Cape Forchu from downtown Yarmouth and had lunch (lobster roll and tea!) at the lighthouse. A great way to spend a day!
The Cat doesn't run between Bar Harbor and Yarmouth anymore, making it more difficult to get to Yarmouth. If you ever find yourself there, please visit the museum!
Friday, October 10, 2014
Photo Phriday - 2014 10 10
A bit later than usual, but here is the photo!
Taken on the 16th Street Mall in Denver. I was going to take a photo of the sidewalk under the scaffolding, but this guy and his dog ended up being a nice addition!
Taken on the 16th Street Mall in Denver. I was going to take a photo of the sidewalk under the scaffolding, but this guy and his dog ended up being a nice addition!
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Buildings That Aren't What They Seem
Brooklyn Subway Vent
Back in 2011 I read BLDGBLOG's article about a house in Brooklyn that is a disguised subway vent. It was a residential brownstone that was converted into a subway vent and emergency exit in the early 1900s.
As luck would have it, I was scheduled to be on the east coast a few months later and built a visit into my itinerary. We found the house, and it was as odd as I'd imagined. Hidden in plain view. How much of the neighborhood is really aware of what lurks behind those doors?
As I walked up to the front door a lady walking down the street said to me, "they make it look so real, don't they". She knows!
Denver Chilled Water Center
I wasn't planning to blog about the Brooklyn brownstone/vent because BLDGBLOG and others have already done so, and I have no additional information to provide. But then I read about a building in downtown Denver. Disguised as an office building, it is really a facility that serves cold water to nearby buildings.
An excerpt from District Energy - Denver’s Historic System: Still Full Steam Ahead:
In addition to the Chilled Water Center, Xcel Energy also owns/operates Denver's steam system, which is the "oldest continuously operated commercial district-heating system in the world" and has approximately 130 customers. For comparison, ConEd's steam system in New York City serves approximately 2000 customers. Denver's Chilled Water Center serves approximately 40 customers.
Unlike the brownstone/vent in Brooklyn, the Chilled Water Center was built for its current purpose. Prior to the Chilled Water Center, the Ghost Building occupied the space at 15th & Glenarm. In 1979, it was dismantled so the Chilled Water Center could be built, and re-built in 1985 at 18th & Stout.
Back in 2011 I read BLDGBLOG's article about a house in Brooklyn that is a disguised subway vent. It was a residential brownstone that was converted into a subway vent and emergency exit in the early 1900s.
As luck would have it, I was scheduled to be on the east coast a few months later and built a visit into my itinerary. We found the house, and it was as odd as I'd imagined. Hidden in plain view. How much of the neighborhood is really aware of what lurks behind those doors?
As I walked up to the front door a lady walking down the street said to me, "they make it look so real, don't they". She knows!
Denver Chilled Water Center
I wasn't planning to blog about the Brooklyn brownstone/vent because BLDGBLOG and others have already done so, and I have no additional information to provide. But then I read about a building in downtown Denver. Disguised as an office building, it is really a facility that serves cold water to nearby buildings.
An excerpt from District Energy - Denver’s Historic System: Still Full Steam Ahead:
"A dedicated Chilled Water Center was built in the heart of downtown Denver, ‘disguised’ to look like an eight-story office building. The first cooling customer was served in August 1998. The Chilled Water Center incorporates two ice tanks with storage capacity of 75,000 ton-hrs of cooling. Ice is made at night and melted during the day to provide cold-water service to the buildings, while reducing the electrical requirements on the downtown grid during the peak daytime hours."
In addition to the Chilled Water Center, Xcel Energy also owns/operates Denver's steam system, which is the "oldest continuously operated commercial district-heating system in the world" and has approximately 130 customers. For comparison, ConEd's steam system in New York City serves approximately 2000 customers. Denver's Chilled Water Center serves approximately 40 customers.
Sources
Brooklyn Brownstone Subway Vent: http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/brooklyn-vent.html
ConEd's Steam System: http://gothamist.com/2005/11/28/superhot_steam.php
ConEd's Steam System: http://gothamist.com/2005/11/28/superhot_steam.php
Xcel's Chilled Water Center in Denver:
- District Energy - Denver’s Historic System: Still Full Steam Ahead
- Xcel Energy XTRA - District Heating and Cooling
Denver's Ghost Building:
- DPL - Ghost Building
- Denver Post - Ghost Building Made Its Way To 18th Street
- Railroad Glory Days - Denver's Ghost Buildings
Friday, October 3, 2014
Photo Phriday - 2014 10 03
An old photo from 2008, but it seems to capture the mood: autumn is coming quickly!
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