 Have you ever wondered what Cheyenne Mountain is all about? Where did it gets its name? What’s its history? What do you know about Cheyenne Mountain? What are those towers on top? Is NORAD still in Cheyenne Mountain? Just some of the answers to the questions above: Where did Cheyenne Mountain get its name? Named for the Cheyenne people. Native Americans found that Cheyenne Mtn was a good wood source for teepee poles. It was also visited by the Arapaho people. They sought spiritual inspiration from the mountain’s waterfalls. The Mountain was also used by the Ute Tribe to safely cross from the plains and benefit from its steep slopes and hidden valleys. Its history – what do you know about Cheyenne Mountain? Cheyenne Mountain is a triple-peaked mountain. The mountain serves as host for military, communications, recreational, and residential purposes. It was designed to withstand bombing and the fallout from a nuclear attack. The underground operations center for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) was built in the 1960s during the Cold War to monitor the potential intrusion to North American airspace Soviet missile launches and military aircraft. Homesteading activity began in 1867. The mountain was the site of resorts and retreats beginning in the 1880s. Spencer Penrose, who built and widely promoted The Broadmoor in 1918, bought several properties on the mountain. Penrose built the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Cheyenne Mountain Highway, Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, a lodge on one of the mountain peaks, and a retreat at Emerald Valley. The site of the lodge recently became the wilderness Cloud Camp. Emerald Valley is now the site of The Broadmoor’s Ranch at Emerald Valley. Land on The Mountain once owned by The Broadmoor is now the site of numerous luxury homes. The two parks on and at the base of Cheyenne Mountain are Cheyenne Mountain State Park and North Cheyenne Cañon Park. What are those towers on top? You cannot miss the noticeable tower feature on the top of one of Cheyenne Mountain’s peaks. Those features are an antenna farm with transmitters for cellular phones, radio, television, and law enforcement transmitters. They are not related to the military installation in the mountain. They are obviously hidden from public view. During the 1950s, an antenna farm was built on the middle peak of the mountain when Bert Swisher deeded ten acres to Bud Edmonds and several backers and Swisher signed a non-compete agreement. Edmonds, John Browne, and Buck Ingersoll agreed to replace the trails to the area with a real road, which was opened in 1960 by the Cheyenne Propagation Company. Currently there are 700 cell phone, television, radio, and law enforcement transmitters on the antenna farm. The Cheyenne Mountain radio repeater site, 145.160, covers south central and southeast Colorado along the Interstate 25 corridor from Monument to the New Mexico border. Since 2002, it has been operated by Cheyenne Propagation Company. Is NORAD still in the Cheyenne Mountain? NORAD used to offer public tours, but due to security concerns they were suspended after 9-11. Most of the center’s operations moved to Peterson Air Force Base in 2006,. Then in April 2015, the Pentagon reported that some operations would be moving back. For more info, click here... Find out more about Cheyenne Mountain: More information on Cheyenne Mtn (Parks) – Click Here!
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Petunias are a great Colorado summer flower. They are tolerant of heat so they require less water. However, we check ours every day to see if they need a drink. Wave petunias are especially nice because they create gorgeous cascades of color in hanging baskets and decorative pots. However, it’s important that these vigorous flowers get their space. Don’t over pack them…just a few plants go a long way in a container. You want to encourage them to trail over the sides which they will do if they aren’t “fighting” for root space and nutrition.  Planting Petunias
Care of Petunias
Container Plants When planting petunias in containers, be sure not to crowd your plants. Limit yourself to three per 12-inch pot. If they start to flag or grow leggy, cut them back and fertilize them. They should branch out with vigor. Cut flowers for bouquets frequently to encourage new growth and remove dead flower heads as soon as they appear.Every few days, give them a long, slow drink. Wetting the flowers and foliage can promote disease, so water either from below or close to the surface of the soil. In order to not waterlog the roots, make sure your container has very good drainage. Petunias are heavy feeders. Apply a slow release fertilizer at the time of planting. Follow up with a liquid fertilizer every week or two throughout the season. Source… Related Post Summer Activities: Summer Camping Yes, parent's stuff can be a boomer burden! Many baby boomers and those in the over 50 group are facing the inevitable in life. They have aging parents or their parents have already passed away. Besides coping with the emotional burden, there is also the matter of the financial aspect of a death and also dealing with your parents stuff. It can certainly be overwhelming!  Top 4 suggestions for action to take now and later: 1. Start Now – If parents are alive and willing, ask if they would like help in deciding what they want done with their belongings when they die. They might also want to start giving things away to family and friends while they are still alive. 2. Savor Memories – One way to remember a loved one is to make shadow boxes containing mementos of their hobbies and activities. They take up much less room and provide pleasant memories of a loved one. They can also be made for other members of the family. They make nice mementos for grand children and nieces and nephews. 3. Don’t Wait Too Late – You will be surprised to know that your aging parent (s) would actually welcome help in culling out possessions. It is a good time for them to reflect back on their life. It is also an excellent way to find out more about their life that you maybe didn’t even know! Communicate with your parents early! 4. Dealing with Siblings – Keep in mind when working with siblings in this situation that there are differences in how things should be done. Some adult children just want to “get it done” without giving much time or thought to the process. There are also those that want to touch each item and reminisce to great lengths. Come up with a plan on how you are going to deal with your parent’s possessions that will be workable for all to handle. Professional organizer, Claudia Smith, advocates a simple rule of thumb. “We spend our first 40 years in life collecting things and the second 40 years getting rid of things.” How to Deal with Your Parents Stuff!
All images courtesy of posted website links or wikipedia.com
Travel Related Post: Colorado Museums Enjoy going back in time by visiting these Colorado ruins! Put camping in Colorado on your activity list this summer! There are thousands of campsites in Colorado ready to help visitors experience the beauty of the state’s wilderness areas. Since there are so many campsites, it’s easy to find a tranquil spot to get back to basics and enjoy the simplicity of nature. Reservations can be made up to 6 months in advance. That means it's time to reserve your spot for this summer!  Basic Info to Know About Summer Camping in Colorado: 1) Colorado State Parks administers forty-two parks throughout the state. This system alone has more than 4,000 campsites. 2) In addition, the US Forest Service manages 14 million acres of land in the state’s 11 National Forests and two National Grasslands. 3) The Bureau of Land Management oversees an additional 8.4 million acres. 4) Both the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have campsites that range from developed areas with restrooms, fire rings, water and other amenities to remote areas. They have no amenities and are reached only by horse, mountain bike or backpacking. Reservations can be made at recreation.gov. 5) There are many privately owned campsites in Colorado which have perks you may not find on public lands. These include playgrounds, hot tubs, laundry facilities and Wi-Fi. 6) One caveat for camping in Colorado is that the weather can change quickly, even in the summer months. It’s best to wear layered clothing. 7) You may be required to purchase a pass or permit depending on your location. Plan ahead by visiting the website listed below and the information posted at campground entrances.  Packing Essentials for Summer Camping in Colorado: (Courtesy of Camping in Colorado: The Basics) • Tent with a rain cover • Down sleeping bag (even in summer, it can get below freezing in Colorado’s higher altitudes) • Pillow and sleeping pad (keeps you warmer than just sleepin’ on the ground) • Camp stove and/or matches to use your campsite’s fire pit • Plenty of drinking water and food • Can opener, aluminum foil, paper plates, cups/mugs, utensils, multipurpose knife, trash bags, paper towels • Layers of clothing, including water-resistant coat, wool socks and long underwear • Flashlights/headlamps/lanterns • Sunscreen, bug spray, first-aid kit, toilet paper (Above Photo Courtesy of: Palisade Basecamp RV Resort) Camping in Colorado…A Camper’s Paradise!
There is much to do in Colorado Springs for those who are a bit older. The good news is this community has incredible resources to offer for most people. Exploring the outdoors or enjoying a fine meal is easy to do. Take a closer look at some of the Colorado Springs things to do that may appeal to you.
This is such a good depiction of the Expectations vs. Realities of Winter and what really happens in life. Don’t we all have great expectations of how things should be? And, then reality sets in but, hopefully, we can laugh and move on! Can you identify with any of these?  The Expectations vs. Realities of Winter
 Are you Ready? Santa Claus is coming to town. You can track him coming into your city! NORAD Deploys their NORAD Santa Tracker! NORAD will be tracking Santa (like they do every year) so get on board and watch when and where Santa Claus arrives in various parts of the world. Go to the NORAD Santa Tracker web page and watch Santa in real time: http://www.noradsanta.org  Background info… The NORAD Tracks Santa program began as an annual event on December 24, 1955. According to legend, a Sears department store placed an advertisement in a Colorado Springs, Colorado, newspaper which told children that they could place a call to Santa Claus. It included the number ME 2-6681. A call allegedly came through to Colorado Springs’ Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Center as one digit was misprinted. In some versions of the story, the calls were coming in to the “red telephone” hotline that connected CONAD directly to command authorities at the Strategic Air Command. Colonel Harry Shoup, who was a Crew Commander on duty, answered the first call and supposedly told his staff to give all children who called in later a “current location” for Santa Claus. NORAD Santa Tracker, it’s Fun! Merry Christmas! A Thanksgiving tradition for some families and a soon-to-be tradition for others…a Thankful Tree! After all, the meaning of Thanksgiving is to give thanks for the many blessings in our lives. This is an activity that all ages can participate in and will be a topic of conversation for your Thanksgiving gathering. We have chosen three trees that are fairly easy DIY projects. You can get started on them this week and have them ready for Thanksgiving day. Thankful Tree #1 (Pinterest)  Start with some tall branches — either gather them from outside, or purchase a bunch of craft branches. For an even more festive look, consider lighted branches. Add them to a simple glass vase. You may have some of the supplies on hand… if not, they are reasonable in cost and can be used year after year! Before guests arrive, attach ribbon to paper leaves. Using a dark colored Sharpie, write what you are thankful for on a few of the leaves and hang them on the tree. Encourage your guests to do the same as they arrive. Thankful Tree #2 (Pinterest)  You will need the following supplies for this Thankful Tree: Glass Vase, Tree Branches, Pinecones, Autumn Leaves, Ribbon, Scrapbook Paper, and Leaf Pattern This is a low-cost Tree that can be used year after year. Thankful Tree #3  This Tree is nature themed. It uses unshelled nuts in the vase with autumn leaves decoration surrounding the vase. The medallions are wooden with chalk paint so they can be used again next Thanksgiving. Be creative and use supplies that you have on hand. If you need to purchase some of them, remember that you can use this Thankful Tree year after year! |
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