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Archive for the ‘ Curious Boulder ’ Category

 

History of Skiing in Boulder & Chautauqua Park

January 31st, 2024

When the days get cold, it’s hard not to turn your attention to the weather. And when it comes to fall and winter that means snow. Come on: more than a few of us live in Colorado for that very reason. Where there’s snow, of course, there’s skiing, snowboarding, and a host of other activities. That probably brings to mind the big Summit County resorts—your Beavercreeks and Breckenridges and Keystones. Closer to town, there’s the always scrappy Eldora; while their snow tends not to be as deep, their territory not as expansive as the mega resorts, they make up for it in coziness. And better... Read More

Tis the Seasonings

December 25th, 2023

There are a lot of stereotypes about Boulder. It’s a college town with a reputation for partying. It’s home to a Buddhist-based university, Naropa, started in part by Allen Ginsberg. Its people are some of the healthiest, in one of the healthiest states in the country. And, of course, there’s the “granola crunch” factor, encapsulating the intersection of once-dominant hippiedom and alternative eating practices. Exactly how Boulder gained that last reputation isn’t an easy question to answer. To my mind, though, one of the biggest factors comes in terms of tea. And if we’re talking... Read More

Something in the Air – Boulder’s National Center for Atmospheric Research

June 21st, 2023

Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, was often interpreted as displeasure on behalf of those same beings—a punishment for failing to observe proper rituals. It doesn’t take a history scholar to understand this impulse. Weather, now as then, is both an enemy and ally. On one hand, it provides everything from the raw material for food—sunlight driving photosynthesis, wind the primary method of plants spreading their seeds—to something... Read More

The Perennial Canyon – Eldorado Springs

June 4th, 2023

Colorado’s reputation as a confluence of health and recreation is well established. We’re known for our ski resorts, biking, and every athletic activity in-between. Anyone can challenge or simply enjoy themselves throughout the mountains, Western Slope, and Front Range. The history of this is long, to say the least. But perhaps the most important chapter, in terms of impact, came in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Tuberculosis was the leading cause of death at that time, and effective antibiotics wouldn’t come until the 1940s. Failing other options, many doctors prescribed the sun,... Read More

The Boulder Bubble and Beyond

May 1st, 2023

Boulder is a city and county of many parts. Anyone who lives or visits here can’t help noticing. Within an hour’s drive of downtown you can find everything from hamlets nestled into pine-covered foothills to municipalities threading cottonwood traces, from the pristine vistas of Rocky Mountain National Park to the anchor of the Great Plains spreading eastward. Given that variation, it’s no surprise a host of interests come into play. Businesses—from national corporations to one-off boutiques—have made their home in the region. Industries as diverse as aerospace and recreation find a... Read More

Have a Friend for Lunch… Literally – CU’s Alferd G. Packer Memorial Grill

April 25th, 2023

People eating people is messy business. No surprise there. The Walking Dead, for example, paints a serious portrait of life in a world overrun by flesh hungry citizens—from the psychology of survival, to logistics of remaining ahead of a horde. Boulder and CU-Boulder take a different approach. We’re not talking zombies, of course, but something no less unbelievable, and a lot more real. Gold and silver were kings of the Four Corners region in the late 19th century. Add homesteaders traveling westward, as well as a hearty sense of wildness, and you got the bedrock of the Wild West. Alferd Packer... Read More

Snakes and Stallions – Boulders Shelby Car Museum!

April 23rd, 2023

I’m not a gearhead. I don’t know how most systems work in my car. Checking tire pressure, and maybe replacing a fuse or headlight bulb, is about as hands-on as is possible. I know of the internal combustion engine’s work, but couldn’t tell you much about it. Growing up and beyond, cars never interested me all that much (see also: complicated board games, the heaviest/ deathiest of heavy/ death metal, and reality TV). But as with anything, whether or not I generally like it, there’s always the possibility for change. Sometimes all it takes is the right situation, or person, or example... Read More

Geniuses of the Cold

December 17th, 2022

Mid-1990s Boulder was busy with activity. Fitness was king. Local businesses were prized. Hacky Sack circles and jam band opuses were ubiquitous anywhere students congregated. Simultaneous to that, though, was something wholly different. Buried in the corridors of the JILA tower on CU’s campus, a breakthrough was purring along quietly. Professors Carl Wieman and Eric Cornell were making real what many physicists thought was only theory. In the 1920s, Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein conceived of a new form of matter, which came to be known as the Bose-Einstein Condensate. A full explanation... Read More

Measuring the Moment, One Billionth at a Time – Boulder’s NIST

July 1st, 2022

Ask someone exactly how long one second is, and you’re likely to get a smirk. If pressed, many might rely on the “one-Mississippi” trick from their hide-and-seek days. Others might claim an innate sense of it, as though they’re a minor—if punctual—X-Men style mutant. But, honestly, most would look at their smartphone. Ask the right scientist that question, though, and they’ll tell you with confidence: it’s a matter of 9,192,631,770. Boulder is home to NIST, which, among its distinctions, is the keeper of official civilian time in the United States. That moniker comes as a direct... Read More

Pleading the Fifth

June 21st, 2022

Often, the significance of an event isn’t clear until after it’s passed. Everyone can recall an example in his or her own life. Sports, of course, are no exception. And since September is in full swing, that means football, which brings to mind a particularly odd example. It’s October 6, 1990. The CU Buffs had a record of three wins, one loss, and one tie; their opponent, the University of Missouri Tigers, had a record of two wins and two losses. Nearly 47,000 fans packed Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri to watch the rivals battle it out. Both teams played hard, and Missouri lead 31-27... Read More