Confluence park

Denver and in fact most of Colorado, is great for people who love the outdoors. Especially now that global warming is being manifested there!

 I couldn't believe the day would come when I would be driving around in Denver with the car window down in January!!!!

Our trusty car covered in stickers,😁

The Colorado state government is also committed to facilitating their outdoor lovers and one nice park developed with this in mind is Confluence Park.

This was once a rundown area with numerous abandoned warehouses which had become a favorite haunt for hobos and homeless people.

The bicycle display area in the store

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Inside a once abandoned warehouse which is now a coop for sports equipment .

One former warehouse building is today a huge coop, where both new and used outdoor gear is sold. 

It's located in downtown Denver where the  South Platte River and Cherry Creek converge.

Section of downtown Denver in the background.

 

A tower next door to the park

The entire renovated area has been a well-used recreation park for families, sightseeing, sun worshippers cyclists, etc since 1975,  when it was converted by the city.

However rumor has it that to prepare it for redevelopment, the homeless and people of unsound mind who previously hung out there, were scared into moving through physical violence and murder. 

Social media activist practicing their craft?

Lovely sculpture at entrance. 

Lookout mountain, Colorado

 As snow on the plains this Christmas and New Year has been scarce to say the least, we took a run to Lookout Mountain, about an hour from Denver, to get a view of some of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains in Colorado and hike the trail.

This is a prominent foothill west of the city of Golden.  It's an official state Park right beside the museum  of the poplar folk hero Buffalo Bill Cody and loved by cyclists and hikers.

Although I don't take chances with Colorado weather and wore my thickest coat for surety, I certainly never needed it as we were able to actually drive around with windows down and even had to quickly  peel off some layers, once we started hiking.

Section of city of Golden below

Picnic area

Herd of  elk feed on the hillside 

The area is a haven for cyclists

Buffalo Bill Museum 

Well maintained hiking trails

Snow capped mountain in the distance 

Taking a rest?

The area is replete with cyclists. 

As a cyclist myself what stood out were the signs declaring that one full lane of the two-laned roads were reserved for cyclists!!

What a lovely right to have as a rider.

I had to abandon this thick coat as soon as we started walking.

Climate change seems to have affected Colorado more than anywhere else I have been in the last few years.

Getting lost

 It's becoming very easy to get lost in Jamaica these days, because of the rapid development taking place everywhere.

So I guess on my annual visits I just have to get accustomed to it.🥴. 

Last year we got lost trying to find the roast yam and saltfish vendors at Melrose Hill. For they had been moved from their regular place in Williamsfield to the new highway bypassing Mandeville. And because as per usual,  no information signs had been posted anywhere about how to get to their new location, we just decided to forget the yam treat and head home to the north coast. That's when we almost ended up in the bowels Clarendon for again, there were no directional signs anywhere about how or where to connect with the Edward Seaga highway 😡.

Getting lost this year had nothing to do with signs however, but rather because of the rapid development taking place everywhere along the Northcoast highway, from Montego Bay to Ocho Rios.

This is making many areas unrecognizable! 

I had visited my friend's home in St. Anns Bay many times, but could we find the entrance today! This had been easy to find as one simply drove down a lonely, unpaved road to the beach.

But it's not lonely or unpaved anymore, for a massive housing development of some 1000 units on 100 hundred acres of land is now taking place right where the entrance had been, and more, there is now a massive private security gate.

After driving around in circles for a while, in frustration, called our friend Chris who had to drive to where we were and lead us to the new paradise. 

But it was worth the frustration as once we got there, we had a wonderful afternoon hanging out with old friends.

L-r back: David, Grace, Bernie, Joan, Chris

 Front: Shirley, Denise.

Most of us had been members of the once vibrant Fun and Thrills Adventure Club which saw us regularly hiking and riding around the island and normally ending up by a nice river where we would swim and eat delicious meals cooked right there on the river bank.

Those were the good old days.

 Today, it was really great hanging out with the old crew once we found our way.

Great memories.

Hmm. Wonder where we will get lost next year?  For with the rapid development taking place everywhere, it's bound to happen.

(NB. Some pics taken by Denise and David.)