shellyrogersrennI’m not a conspiracy theorist. But, every once in a while. You know, some of those theories don’t seem so wacky. Had I not been watching the inflight map I would have sworn the plane had diverted. Did we go to Oklahoma? Kansas? Are we in an episode of Manifest? No. We are in Colorado, right where we should be. Colorado?! Home of the Rocky Mountains? Then where are the, uh, mountains? And, why in the world is it so flat?
We were going to be staying in Colorado just three short days and I was determined to find answers to these mysteries.
No Mountains In Sight From The Airport
Located about 25 miles north-east of downtown Denver, the Denver International Airport (DIA) has quite a few mysteries surrounding it. Shrouded by conspiracy theories, this peaked canopy topped structure is believed to have everything from Nazi runways, secret bunkers, and even ties to the Illuminati. So it would just make sense that not only were no mountains in sight, but that in every direction as far as you could see…expansive, flat, yellow plains.
Westward I can just make out the murky outline of downtown Denver. From where I stood, the sun sat high in the bright blue sky. Peculiar. Odd. So, where are the mountains?
The view from outside this enormous airport is definitely not what you’d expect. First, when I say the airport is enormous, I mean bigger than the island of Manhattan, big. Third largest airport in the world, big. Nearly 23 square miles, big. Big enough for an alien ship to land, big?! Hmmm, I can see where the conspiracy theories can come from.
And, you can’t miss the 32 foot statue of a blue horse with red glaring eyes. Officially named ‘Blue Mustang‘, locals call it ‘Blucifer‘. This nickname is due in part to the accidental death of its maker, artist Luis Alfonso Jiménez. While working on the sculpture a large piece of the 9000 pound fiberglass fell on Jiménez severing an artery in his leg and causing his death. So, yeah, ‘Blucifer’ is kinda fitting. Add the demon horse to the crazy apocalyptical murals in the east and west baggage claims and you have two key ingredients to conspiracy theory cocktail.
Expansive Plains But No Mountains In Sight
And then, yes. The vast nothingness. Mile after mile of what appears to be dried corn fields with their pallid, sun baked stalks. Thoughts of that old movie, ‘Signs‘ come to my mind. I’ll be on the lookout for crop circles. Jokes aside, there aren’t just corn fields. A lot of those bleak, lifeless plants are sunflowers. It seems that the airport leases 16,000 acres of land to farmers who grow sunflowers, corn, wheat and millet. Interesting. With their shallow roots it definitely makes the underground bunkers and tunnels theory viable. Just saying.
We were at the beginning (or the end, depending on your viewpoint) of The Great Plains. I should have paid better attention in geography class . Perhaps I wouldn’t still be stunned that I don’t see any mountains.
This is my first trip to get to know Colorado. Derek would be in a business conference during our visit so I planned on checking out the sights. Currently, my hopes of getting a Rocky Mountain High from the mile high city were sinking into the low-lands. But, I do have three days to explore and look into this whole missing mountains situation.
A Match For the Rockies
Located just 10 miles from the airport, the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center loomed large against the horizon. Spanning over 85 acres in Aurora, this majestic resort is Colorado’s largest combined resort and convention center. According to the Marriott site regarding this resort, ” there’s never been a resort to match the epic grandeur of the Rockies. Until now.” Since I still haven’t seen a single mountain in this flatland, we’ll have to go with that for now.
What I can tell you is that the resort is nice. The ski-lodge styled interior features cozy fireplaces, a cascading waterfall and large windows facing downtown Denver and the (invisible?) Rocky Mountains. There’s both indoor and outdoor pools complete with waterslides and a lazy river so you can drift away.
Drift away
Seeing A Little More In Littleton
Driving southwest of Aurora, toward Littleton, the landscape begins to change. Instead of continuous flat-lands, now there are rolling hills. We’re headed to grab a bite to eat at NoNo’s Café. During previous business trips Derek had eaten here many times. OMG! The Crawfish Monica brought me back to my days visiting New Orleans and living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Perfectly scrumptious! Derek chose the Blackened Pork Chops. Both were so dang delish!
As an added treat, the mountains were out from where-ever they had been hiding. There’d be no exploring them today…but at least they were visible! I even managed to watch as the sun melted into the mountain peaks and lit the skies up with its fiery light.
Adventure Awaits
Hopping into the SUV I’m finally off on a bit of exploring. I set my navigation for the Rocky Mountains and off I go. Denver, just ten miles continues to be a fuzzy outline , but where are the mountains?
Gradually the flat terrain turns into rolling hills. The direction I’ve taken takes me through historic Boulder. Here, in the charming historic center is the brick-paved shopping district known as Pearl Street Mall. The sun has begun to hide amongst the clouds, therefore I decide to hit the shops on the way back. Note to self: Always seize the opportunity when it presents itself. In taking a different route home, I completely miss out on this.
Traffic and roadwork have put me behind. Siri, that mischievous navigator, has changed my route multiple times and now the closest I may get to the Rocky Mountains is one of the Ranger Stations at the bottom. Lower mountains can be seen. Alas, not the majestic mountains I’ve been yearning for but mountains all the same. Here, unlike the suburban communities in Aurora, the houses are widespread. Big. Bold. Beautiful. Each with a terrific view of the natural wonders that surrounds us.
I love to drive. Driving without a clear set idea of where you will end up can be quite relaxing. True, from the start I knew where I’d like to end up…just not exactly where I would.
Finding Random At The End Of The Road
Sometimes the road you take, suddenly just ends. As was the case this day. Approximately 20 miles out from the Rangers Station Lyons there was a road sign that said, “Road Closed 1 1/2 Miles Ahead.” So close, yet so far. But sometimes when one road is closed you find something totally random that you may have miss. For me it was a pull off on the side of the road. There a small silver river slipped over smooth rock. I pulled over several times and at the third and final stop saw a stone staircase. Curious. Approaching the stairs I stepped up. It led to nowhere. Just an overlook of the river. But a wonderous overlook all the same.
Its starting to rain now, so I head back. By the time I get to Denver the water is coming down by the bucket-full. Denver will have to wait for another day, as do visiting the Rocky Mountains.
But, About Those Missing Mountains?
Looking out the big picture window at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center offers a splendid view of what should be downtown Denver and the Great Rocky Mountains. But on many days both downtown and the mountains are faded out of sight. And even on days when you can see downtown Denver, the mountains, well, the mountains are just missing.
Why is that?
Turns out there’s a scientific reason for it, Inversion.
According to KDVR.com, “Usually, temperatures decrease with altitude which is why the mountains are normally colder than Metro Denver and the eastern plains. During an inversion in Colorado, cold dense air is trapped against the foothills and mountains just west of the Front Range. This creates a shallow layer of cold air near the surface that acts as a cap trapping in pollution and making skies hazy.”
During inversion all that trapped pollution make air quality terrible. It’s so bad that it’s even got a name. The Brown Cloud. Sounds ominous. Although the presence of The Brown Cloud has been reportedly decreased over 30% since the 90s, this first time visitor is saddened.
Maybe it’s due to that old John Denver song, Rocky Mountain High, but honestly I expected better. I never imagined that just at the base of the mountains the pollution would be so thick that they completely vanish from sight.
Have you ever been to Colorado? What are your thoughts? I hope that sincere efforts are being made to reduce this tragic outcome of such a beautiful place.
