What is happening in Denver this first weekend of February?

• The inaugural Evergreen Winter Festival is today at Evergreen Lake. Feature snow sculptures, ice skating, a rail jam competition throughout the day.  It is free to attend during the day and there is an entry fee for the evening events.
• You may have missed the polar plunge this morning in Colorado Springs, however there are still two opportunities to take the plunge in the metro area.  This event benefits the Special Olympics of Colorado.
• Today is a free day at the Denver Art Museum while Sunday and Monday it is free to get to the Denver Zoo.
• Two events today at the Pepsi Center.  The Colorado Avalanche take on Vancouver this afternoon at 1:00 P.M., while the Colorado Mammoth take on Edmonton this evening at 7:00 P.M.
• The Oriental Theater in the Berkeley District will have the Super Bowl on their big screen for free this Sunday.

Anything else you plan on doing this weekend, or will you just get out of the house and enjoy the fresh blanket of snow in the Denver metro area?

From the Archives

With the significant snow which is forecasted for Denver this evening and into Friday, I figured what would be better than an image from a past snowstorm for from the archives Thursday.  In January 2009 a few inches of snow moved into the Denver metro area which was somewhat unexpected in terms of the amount we received.  I headed out with my camera and walked around the city.  While crossing Speer Blvd. I captured this image of the traffic on the snow packed roads.  No worries the cars were not going more than 10 MPH due to the conditions.

The first part of last week I headed up to Dinosaur Ridge to scout and take some images of a scene I first noticed a few years ago.  The clouds were starting to move in so I wasn’t sure if the weather would cooperate however you never know unless you are there.  Once I found the location again I searched nearby for better areas and set-up my tripod be aware of small cactus in the area as well.  As the sun set over the mountains I worked on some long exposures including the one in this post, leaving me better prepared as I head back to the area this spring.

The Getaway Monday for today is just a quick flight across the Rocky Mountains to Salt Lake City.  I visited SLC in October of 2009 at the end of a road trip with a friend.  We had started in Sacramento and made out way to SLC where he was working at the time.  After arriving the first snow fall of the season occurred and as I went out to photograph by the time I made it to the University of Utah campus the snow had stopped after a quick dusting of a couple of inches in some areas around town.  As crossing the George S. Eccles 2002 Legacy Bridge I enjoyed the lines of this bridge and took a few photographs.  The next day I hopped on Amtrak and made my way back to Denver to find 12 inches of snow upon arrival home.

• The Mile High Snowfest continues this weekend with some various events around town as well art art exhibits.  This is being run along side of the SIA Convention at the Colorado Convention Center.
• The X Games are in Aspen this weekend.  While it is a little bit of a drive from Denver, it is one of the premier venues for extreme sports.
• In Breckenridge the annual International Snow Sculpture Championships takes shape with judging today and the ability to view the creations through next week… of course depending on mother nature.
• The newest photography show opens at the Denver Art Museum on Sunday January 29th. Women Are Beautiful will be on display through July 8th and comprises of fifty images by Garry Winogrand.
• Sporting event wise the Colorado Mammoth are at home against the Rochester Knighthawks at the Pepsi Center, while at the National Western Complex a different type of horse power moves in with arenacross.
• Monday January 30th is a free day at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

What are you doing this weekend in the Denver area?

From the Archives

Just before the Memorial Weekend holiday in 2009, I headed to Rocky Mountain National Park.  It takes a while to plow Trail Ridge Road and open it once again for the season as it tops out over 12,000 feet, however usually by Memorial Day Weekend it is open again connecting Estes Park with Grand Lake.  While they are working on clearing the road you can park and walk up the road, on this evening I did just that and after walking a few miles still didn’t come across the plows just the work they left behind.  A clean road and tall banks of snow.

Just before Christmas a sizable snow storm moved through the front range of Colorado.  As the snow started to fall I decided to head out and photograph in an area I had not been during a storm which was downtown Littleton Colorado.  The above image was taken as I arrived in the area, and after spending a little more than an hour in the snow I left with a few inches more of snow on the ground as it picked up intensity during the time I was there.  This made for an interesting drive home, but it was all worth it being out in the conditions taking pictures.

While the San Francisco 49ers may not have won the NFC Championship game yesterday, the winning city for the getaway Monday is indeed San Francisco.  The image of the cable car was taken during a visit a few years ago.  Walking around the city on a blue sky day, I followed the cable car tracks up and down some hills as I capture this image at the end of the line along Taylor Street.

Coming off a three day weekend, a little bit of a quiet weekend around town but all of the fresh snow in the mountains will attract people west.

• The Stock Show finishes it’s 106th run on Sunday at the National Western Complex. This will also mark the end of the holiday lights on the City and County Building as well
• The University of Arizona visits the University of Colorado for a men’s basketball game this afternoon at 4:00 P.M., I have heard this game is sold out however.
• The Colorado Indian Market takes place through Sunday at the Merchandise Mart.
• On Friday the 27th, Winter on the Rocks will take place which is the first-ever winter concert at the world famous Red Rocks Amphitheater.
• Through February 14th, the ice skating rink at Skyline Park will be open.

Do you know of any fun events for this week?

From the Archives

Sometimes your plans just don’t happen as you hope they would. This was the case this evening when I hiked up Green Mountain in Lakewood to get a shot of Denver and the rising full moon in November 2009. I was in the place I wanted to be, however the clouds to the east prevented the moonrise from being visible at my location. I arrived to the location ahead of time in order to look at the options for the shot I was planning on that evening. In addition to scouting the area, I also had the chance to photograph and as the sun was setting over the Rocky Mountains a trail runner and his dogs came down the path.