In the summer of 2013 I started as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.  This page lists all of the posts that don’t belong in their own separate page and that show the beginning of my adventure in Colorado.

The First Weekend in Colorado

On my first weekend in Colorado, Heather joined me to see some of the state.  She had never been to Colorado before and wanted to come visit before she moved here with me permanently.

• Clear Creek Canyon Overlook – Looking down from above on the town of Golden where I now work.
• William F. Cody’s Grave and the View from the Buffalo Bill Museum Overlook – A well-known American folk hero and a great view.
• Red Rocks Amphitheater – The famous Red Rocks and all of the people working out took our breath away.
• I-70 Road Cut – We found an interesting bit of geology where I-70 goes through the final low ridge separating the mountains from Denver.
• VW Bus Sighting in Boulder – We spotted two immaculately restored and rare VW buses driving through downtown Boulder.
• El Dorado Canyon State Park with Heather and Jen – We wandered into an amazing canyon full of beautiful rock and water just outside Boulder.
• The Flatirons from Chautauqua Park – The famous mountains that give Boulder its breathtaking backdrop.
• Morrison for Breakfast – Heather and I found a nice place for breakfast near Red Rocks.
• Welcome to Golden! – My new academic home base is located in Golden.  It is a place where the west still lives… at least on the main street through downtown.

 The First Week at Mines

• M-Climb: Orediggers March Out of Campus Toward the “M” and Their Destiny – The incoming class of 2017 headed up the mountain to place their rocks on the big M that overlooks Golden.
• My First Monday at Mines – I settle into campus and my new office.

Adventures in September

• Scrambling Along Climbers Trails in El Dorado Canyon with Eileen – We went out to do some hiking in El Dorado Canyon and ended up scrambling up the mountainside like a couple of mountain goats.
• Riding the Pacific Coast to Colorado – I strapped on my motorcycle and pointed my bike east for nearly 1400 miles of riding.

October Outings

• The Great American Beer Festival (and some trains) – I went with another professor to the Great American Beer Festival and saw some neat trains along the way.
• My First Snow in Golden – We received two inches of snow in the early morning.  It made campus gorgeous.
• First Mountain Drive with the New-to-Me 2004 Subaru Forester XT 5MT – I bought a car and went driving in the mountains.  It turns out there is a lot of snow up in the mountains already.
• Morning Dusting of Snow – We got a morning dusting of snow making the mountains very pretty.
• Driving Along Peak to Peak Highway – I went for a drive along the highway that runs to the east of the continental divide.
• 3D Printing Blaster the Burro – Some graduate students decided to scan in and print a statue on campus in 3D.
• More 3D Printing at the Colorado School of Mines – We are printing many more things at the Colorado School of Mines today.

November Happenings

Our First Foray into the Colorado High Country

• Heading Up Golden Gate Canyon – We took off from work on a Friday afternoon and headed up Golden Gate Canyon toward the Peak to Peak Highway.
• Driving Along the Peak to Peak Highway Toward Rollinsville – We followed the highway toward Rollinsville where we turned off and headed up Tolland Road toward Rollins Pass.
• Tolland Road Toward Rollins Pass and the Moffat Tunnel – The old road toward the continental divide was a wonderful adventure in the evening.
• On the Road to Georgetown – A gorgeous view of the continental divide from I-70.
• Georgetown for Brunch – We stopped off just to the east of the continental divide for some brunch.
• Loveland Pass – We went up and over Loveland Pass on old US Highway 6.
• Onward to Breckenridge – Driving between the mountains, we threaded our way through the rocky giants toward Breckenridge.
• Colorado and Southern Engine 9 and the Rotary Snowplow – Old railroad engines and plows on display in Breckenridge.
• Boreas Pass in the Snow – My new-to-me Subaru Forester almost made it to the top of the pass before getting stuck in the snow.
• Breckenridge Stroll – We stopped for a snack and a stroll around Breckenridge.
• Back to Denver Via the Eisenhower–Johnson Memorial Tunnel – We headed back toward Denver along I-70 and passed through the Eisenhower–Johnson Memorial Tunnel.
• Echo Lake Before Sunset – We drove up the flank of Mount Evans to visit Echo Lake.
• Juniper Pass at Sunset – A gorgeous view of Mount Evans and east toward Denver.
• Elk Near Elk Meadow Park – Coming down the road into Evergreen we spied a whole herd of elk.

Late November Activities

• Orediggers vs Metro State Women’s Soccer – The Orediggers might have lost but it was a great game!
• Early Morning Snow at Glade Park – I stopped by my Aunt’s house and got treated to some early morning snow.

A December to Remember

• First Snow of December – The first real snow storm of the season hit Golden and made for an interesting walk to work.
• Bright Blue Skies and Snow at the Colorado School of Mines – Clear skies make for gorgeous photos here at Mines.
• Christmas Lights, the Big M, and the Moon in Golden – Beautiful downtown Golden lit up for the holidays.
• Frozen Clear Creek and the Chilly Waters Underneath – Clear Creek iced over and froze during the recent cold weather.
• Progress on Research Hardware – My undergraduate research assistants have been hard at work building a hardware test platform for me.
• Olde Golden Christmas Parade – The cute little mid-day Christmas parade in downtown Golden is a fun event.
• Coors Brewing Tour – Matt and I went for a tour of the Coors factory in Golden.
• New Furniture in my Office – I finally have some good furniture in my office to make the space feel more comfortable.

Go West, Young Man

• Berthoud Pass in the Snow – On my way west back to Oregon for the holidays, I took US 40.  The first pass was well over 11,000 feet tall and covered in snow.
• Frozen Wolford Mountain Reservoir – Any icy lake under a blanket of snow in the middle of nowhere.
• Rabbit Ears Pass – The last pass on US 40 before Steamboat Springs.
• The “I Do” Fire – An old Colorado wildfire site now memorialized with a BLM sign in the middle of nowhere.
• Starvation Reservoir – The reservoir was completely covered in ice.  I wouldn’t want to be starving here.
• Driving Toward Park City – I drove through the starts of a blizzard on I-80 heading west toward Park City.
• Snow Storm in Pendleton – I woke up to a full-blown snow storm in Pendleton.  It made driving on the freeway exciting.
• Horsetail Falls – One of the majestic waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge.
• Lower Oneonta Falls – Most likely this is Lower Oneonta Falls but it might be another falls.
• Multnomah Falls – The most famous waterfall in the Gorge.  It is a fascinating, beautiful waterfall in any weather.
• Wahkeena Falls – Just to the west of Multnomah Falls, another beautiful waterfall presents itself.