Denver, CO
As wildfires sweep through the Front Range, residents ponder whether to stay or go
As wildfires burned thousands of acres across the Front Range on Wednesday, some residents heeded early morning calls to leave while others opted to stay put on land that already required extra self-sufficiency.
At the Dakota Ridge High School, the evacuation site for the Quarry fire burning near Deer Creek Canyon in Jefferson County, John Banks coughed in the parking lot as smoke from the fire threatening his neighborhood hung heavily in the air.
Banks and his wife, Diane, fled the fire early Wednesday after a 1:30 a.m. phone call ordered them to evacuate.
The couple slept in their car overnight with their rescue cat, Mea, and the few items they scooped from their home after the evacuation call: medications, some clothes, John’s oxygen tanks and cancer medications, and Mea’s food and litter.
They left everything else behind in the home where they’ve lived for 34 years.
“These are just things,” said Banks, 78.
He paused, emotion creeping into his voice.
“If you lose things, you still have your friends, your family.”
The couple found a hotel to stay in for the next night and planned to spend Wednesday going to pre-scheduled doctor appointments.
“Life throws spitballs at you,” John Banks said. “But you keep going.”
When the couple arrived at the evacuation center at Dakota Ridge High School at 3 a.m. Wednesday, they were one of the first people to arrive.
By 9 a.m., dozens of cars were parked at the school — some of the nearly 600 households ordered to evacuate from the Quarry fire. A few evacuees took time to walk their dogs. In the next lot over, a Denver Fire Department crew suited up to respond to the fire.
Elden Coombs, 85, sat with his neighbors in the parking lot waiting for news. He moved to the Homewood Park neighborhood in 1969 and has lived through two other fires, a blizzard and two floods.
He left his home after getting the evacuation call at about 2 a.m. He grabbed some clothes, important documents and his medicine and fled.
“I haven’t been to bed,” he said. “I just hope they get the fire under control.”
At the frontlines of the Stone Canyon fire north of Lyons, Boulder County sheriff’s Sgt. Cody Sears patrolled the still-unburned areas where flames were flaring and spreading.
“So far, so good. We’ll see what the winds do,” Sears said as he rolled out around 11 a.m. Wednesday
He went first to an area where flames had taken a run to the northeast, threatening evacuated houses a couple of miles north of Lyons, then headed to terrain straddling Boulder and Larimer counties, a few miles south of the Alexander Mountain Fire — where residents apparently had elected to stay, hunkering down on their land.
Through smoke on Dakota Ridge Road, Sears spotted two horses: one brown, one white. He radioed county animal control crews, alerting them to a possible rescue. He was uneasy. “This fire is still really active,” he said.
But he and fellow officers, reaching homes there, found residents well in control.
At a front door in the area, Carmen Roberts, 50, came to the door and told him she and her family had stayed through the night. They had water tanks, heavy equipment, and were ready to evacuate with their horses if the flames came too close, she said.
“We’ve have been here over 30 years. We’ve been through these things several times,” Roberts said. “We have everything packed, out by the door. We are going to go if we need to.”
They’d slept a bit through the night. “When it happens over and over and over, the stress is less,” she said.
Yet fire perils seem to be increasing along Colorado’s Front Range, Roberts acknowledged. The problem is more and more people moving in, she said. “Fire is worse now because it affects more people. It is threatening more homes because there are more homes around.”
Near the top of Stone Canyon, business owner Matthew Lee, too, had spent the night on his property — 80 acres where he’d grazed cattle this spring before moving them away about three weeks ago, leaving the grass short enough to ease his worries.
The fire was burning within a quarter mile of his metal-roofed house.
He’d parked down the hill and, leaning on the back of his truck, looked upward. On Tuesday night, power went out at 10:30 p.m. and his cellphone went dead, said Lee, 55.
Early Wednesday, he told Sears, flames crested over the ridge. Slurry bombers dropped red fire retardant on that terrain as he watched.
He had declined to evacuate — like other self-reliant residents in the foothills north of Lyons. He lauded Colorado’s approach of aggressive fire suppression, dousing flames before fires can run their natural course.
“The most I have seen,” he said. “Yesterday, it was an air show. That’s good.”
Originally Published:
Denver, CO
Broncos lose “tremendous teammate” Quinn Bailey to fractured right ankle in first major injury blow of training camp
The Broncos sustained their first major injury loss of training camp Wednesday when offensive lineman Quinn Bailey fractured his right ankle during a 9-on-7 drill.
Head coach Sean Payton confirmed the fracture, though it was clear immediately that Bailey had sustained a major injury. Players reacted by looking away after the pile cleared and training staff immediately put an air cast over his lower right leg, moved Bailey onto a cart and took him to a waiting ambulance.
“(The fracture) was definitely apparent,” Payton said. “I’m not sure of the timeline relative to surgery, but that’s always tough to see and to be a part of when you’re at practice. It’s one of the sometimes bitter realities of our game. He was having a real good camp.”
Indeed, Bailey had cemented himself a place on the 53-man roster, Payton said. The fifth-year lineman played in all 17 games last year, mostly on special teams and as the offense’s jumbo tight end.
“He’s a tremendous teammate,” Payton said. “A guy that all he does is work his tail off. The progress he made a year ago and all of a sudden, we were just discussing the roster the other day and he was easily for us lineman six. Someone who was going to be involved in the gameplan, jumbo (tight end).”
Instead, Bailey faces an extended absence.
Practice stopped for about five minutes after the injury. The offensive line, in particular, gathered up together for several minutes.
“He’ll have the support of everyone here,” Payton said.
Added tight end Greg Dulcich, “It’s devastating and you can only pray for him. The kind of guy he is, he’s going to attack the rehab and make sure he’s doing everything.”
Jones not worried about contract: D.J. Jones is among a handful of Broncos players entering a contract year this fall.
The 29-year-old interior defensive lineman is entering the eighth year of his NFL career and his third season with the Broncos. It’s the final year of a $30 million deal he signed with Denver in 2022. He can make up to $10 million in base salary ($9.49 million) and roster bonuses ($510,000), but none of the money is guaranteed at this juncture.
“I’m in Year 8, man, I’m just playing football at this point,” Jones said Wednesday. “I want to dominate every day and get better every day. I’m not even thinking about that. I’ve done that before and it’s backfired on me. So I learned my lesson. I won’t be thinking about contracts.”
Preseason work for starters: Payton confirmed Wednesday that starters will once again play in preseason games this year for Denver.
That’s the way he operated last year and he said he thinks it’s an important part of preparing for the 17-game regular season.
“We’re going to play our starters in the preseason,” he said. “I think it’s important to build callous. I think it’s important. Obviously, you weigh the reps. So Week 1 it’ll be a certain amount of snaps. Week 2 the same and then we’ll see where we’re at Week 3.”
Denver’s first preseason game is Aug. 11 at Indianapolis and then the team hosts Green Bay (Aug. 18) and Arizona (Aug. 25).
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Rise and shine, Denver dwellers! Colorado’s colorful canvas awaits you, painting the skies with a palette of pink, purple, and orange hues as the sun gracefully rises and bids adieu at dusk. Picture this: perched high up in the mountains, witnessing nature’s daily masterpiece unfold before your very eyes. It’s not just about the colorsit’s about the experience.
Whether you’re an early bird chasing the dawn’s first light or a night owl captivated by the twilight’s glow, Colorado offers a front-row seat to Mother Nature’s grand performance. The mountains serve as the perfect stage for this celestial show, where every sunrise and sunset is a unique and awe-inspiring spectacle.
Join us as we uncover the best spots to catch these breathtaking moments. Stay tuned for an exclusive guide to experiencing the magic of Colorado’s sunrise and sunset views like never before. Get ready to elevate your appreciation for nature’s beauty and the vibrant lifestyle scene that Denver has to offer. Let’s chase the sun together!
Lookout Mountain
Drive the 4.6-mile Lariat Trail up Lookout Mountain in Golden for a perfect view of Denver as it wakes up. Just below the burial spot and museum for Buffalo Bill is a pullout where you can take in the lights of the city and the rising sun.
Directions
Sloan’s Lake
In 1861 Farmer Sloan dug a well that grew into a gushing spring and then a lake. Today it is the largest lake in the Denver Metro area. Grab a chair or blanket and head to the lake’s shoreline to see the sun’s a.m. show. Pro tip: it’s also a great place for a sunset — as seen in the above photo.
Direction
The Flatirons
Off Baseline Road in Boulder take the Chautauqua Trailhead to either the 2.1-mile Flatiron Loop Trail or the 3.4-mile Royal Arch Trail. Start early enough to watch the sunrise at your destination.
Directions
Horsetooth Rock
Horsetooth Mountain is the tallest peak in Horsetooth Mountain Open Space Park. Sitting on top of the mountain is the Horsetooth Rock outcropping — a prime location to sit and watch the sun come up over the horizon. Take along breakfast to revive yourself after the 5-mile hike.
Directions
Red Rocks
Every Coloradan has seen Red Rocks in all its evening glory. But with Yoga on the Rocks and other early morning activities at the amphitheater, there are plenty of chances to catch the morning glory of the sun on the rocks.
Directions
Jefferson Park
Don’t let the address distract you. The Ramada Inn at Speer and I-25 has one of the best views of Denver. Not only that but it just happens to face east. You won’t find a better view of the sun coming up behind the city than at this crossroads.
Directions
Sunset
Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods may be a hotspot tourist attraction but the sun’s evening rays make dealing with crowds worth while. The reds and oranges of the fading light reflect the tones of the rocks to make them glow even brighter.
Directions
Devil’s Head Fire Lookout
If you haven’t done the Devil’s Tower hike now is the time. The 2.7-mile hike follows a river and allows dogs. Once at the tower climb the 143 steps to the top of the lookout. From there enjoy an uninterrupted 360-degree view of your surroundings and the sunset.
Directions
Kenosha Pass
The Kenosha Pass trail is a total of 8 miles round trip but you only have to hike up about 3 miles for a great view of the surrounding mountains. Grab a seat to watch the sun’s p.m. path as it fades into the horizon.
Directions
Coors Field
It’s always fun to watch the Rockies play — win or lose. With the booze and food options at the Rooftop watching the sun meltdown doesn’t get much better or relaxed than this. Get tickets for an evening game and cheer on the home team. Go here to see one incredible example of a killer Rockies sunset.
Directions
North Table Mountain
There are options at North Table Mountain with trails from 1.5 miles to an 8.3-mile loop. Whichever trail you choose you will get some great views. Get to the trailhead just before sunset so the bright colors can accompany your hike.
Directions
City Park
Make a day of it at City Park — designed in 1882 as part of the “City Beautiful” campaign. The park is home to the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science plus a lake and recreation areas. End the full day with a perfect view of the sunset.
Directions
Daniel’s Park
The sun sets here on one of the best backdrops in Colorado. Daniel’s Park offers some of the most impressive views of the Front Range — from here you can see Mt. Evans, Pikes Peak and Longs Peak. Enjoy a short hike beforehand or drive Daniel’s Park Road and use any pull off to catch the evening glow.
Directions
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