Some of my photos have a story. It could be about a hike I did, a place I visited, or something someone pointed out. The Image of the Week is free to download and use as you wish. Just remember me if it makes you famous.
One of my favorite short hiking trails in Gilpin County is a nondescript one that begins two miles south of Rollinsville, off of Hwy 119. The only marker for the trailhead is a sign warning to be safe with campfires (though on occasion, the sign goes missing, leaving the sign holder empty). The trails are sometimes hard to discern, but one of them leads to an overlook above South Boulder Creek, looking back on Rollinsville, 500 feet below.
This overlook also affords a panoramic view of the Continental Divide, extending from James Peak to the south, past Long’s Peak, 50 miles in the distance (seen here). This is only a snapshot of the fantastic view of the Divide in early spring.
While walking up the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver a few weeks ago, I caught this out of the corner of my eye as I passed an alley. Not screaming for attention, it was just waiting impishly to see if anyone would notice. These two kids were probably trying to figure out if it was a giant Lego head or a balloon.
Water Installation by Angelo di Benedetto, Gilpin County Arts Assn.
Note: Last week’s featured image was posted on Thursday. Starting this week, I will try to post this every Saturday
I don’t do Black Friday. Fighting crowds for stuff I don’t need is not the epilogue I could use for a week of house cleaning, food shopping & preparations and feasting. Most years, it ends on a high note and dashing it in a mad rush I may not come out of alive seems rather perverse to me.
So this year, we took my wife Laura’s uncle, who came in from out of town, to Central City, just a bit down Highway 119 from our house. Being a fellow history buff, he wanted to see what Central City had to offer for museums and historic sites. One place we visited was the Gilpin County Historical Museum, a few hundred feet east of the old county courthouse. Upstairs from the tiny museum was the much larger gallery of the Gilpin County Arts Association. The space is a combination of the former residence of legendary Sheriff William Z Cozens, the original Gilpin County Courthouse at Washington Hall, and the first jail. The GCAA has operated an art gallery at this location continuously since 1947. You can find out more at the Gilpin County Arts Association.
The image of the week is a permanent water sculpture created by the late local artist Angelo di Benedetto. It utilizes the shape of the mountainside the building is adapted to for its form. If you’re ever in Central City between the hours of 10am-6pm most days, drop in at Washington Hall at 117 Eureka St. Even if the artwork is not your thing, the preserved early settlement architecture is itself worth a visit.
Fall starts early in Gilpin County, CO. While trees are still mostly green down in Denver and Boulder, the mountainsides turn from soft gold to fiery red. This photo was taken in late September, 2018. The leaves are gone now, and now snowcaps are present on the higher peaks with light cover on the ground.
