Kristal Kraft ~Denver Real Estate~303-589-2022

Denver, Colorado

The view of city lights from City Park in Denver is nothing less than spectacular. One needs to stand on the 14th tee to grab this shot. I don't suggest you do it during the daytime, otherwise you will risk getting beaned by a golf ball. The mountains weren't so visible tonight but the city lights against the deep blue sky are worthy don't you think?

Kristal Kraft, ABR, CIPS, CRS Licensed real estate broker selling Colorado Since 1984 The Berkshire Group Realtors, Inc. 3801 E. Florida Ave, Suite 502, Denver, Colorado U.S.A. 80210 800-319-7738 toll free | 303-589-2022 direct | 303-953-5362 fax E-mail: Kristal Kraft, Realtor

Carrying a camera around comes in handy. Today when I was out showing homes on Happy Canyon Road in Castle Rock, I had to pull over and take this photo.

Forty-five miles off in the distance we could see smoke coming out of Pikes Peak. Worse for the terrain was the red hot lava that was flowing down the mountain side.

I think with all the snow we've had this year Pikes Peak just got pissed. She figured the best way to melt the snow was to blow.

Stand back folks. You really don't want to mess with Mother Nature!

© April 1, 2007 Kristal Kraft, Realtor :)

As a dream destination for many, Colorado offers beautiful scenery with majestic Rocky Mountains and their ever-changing classical beauty. People who opt to move to Colorado find spare time is filled with a variety of destinations, day trips to the close-by attractions that dot the state.

Living in Colorado comes with a guarantee, your friends and relatives will come to visit. Most likely they will come on a regular basis, you will find it necessary to know all the attractions so you can properly entertain them during their vacation. With a little planning and some luck on your part, you may be able to go with them. Why not; it's another Colorado amenity.

Here's a sample week of activities for you to ponder:

Day 1: Optimize your Colorado trip with a drive to Colorado Springs to visit the spectacular Garden of the Gods. This huge city park is a Registered National Natural Landmark. Free and open to the public daily this one of a kind park has towering red rock formations, Balanced Rock and many hiking trails, both paved and not. Doing some research, you may be able to schedule your trip with time to take one of the walking tours of the park. If not, do still go. The park is wondrous enough, it isn't even necessary to get out of the car, unless you truly want to.

After the tour, head toward Old Colorado City or Manitou Springs for a bite to eat. My personal favorite is La Baguette (sorry no website, they are too busy baking awesome bread!) where ordering French Onion soup is not mandatory, but strongly advised. The fresh bread and pastry baked there is available to go, so be sure to get some. You earned it, climbing all over those rocks in the Garden of the Gods!

Day 2: Kids can be daredevils, but then so can some parents. Age is of no importance if you are feeling like trying something new. Go to the Indoor Skydivingplace in Lone Tree in the Entertainment district. Located just of Yosemite between Lincoln and County Line, you can't miss it. Just look for the building with the extra tall round stack. Yes, that's where you can experience flying, or is it blowing in the wind? How ever you look at it, as a participant or a fan, you will have a few laughs and perhaps experience what all the raving is about. My niece and nephew had a great time, in fact it was one of their top 3 favorite things to do on their Colorado trip. But unlike the saying goes, "these Trix aren't just for kids." The big kids do it too!

Day 3: Snowriding. What's a trip to Colorado without riding the snow ? Colorado has countless ski resorts from small family resorts to International destinations. The one you choose is up to you. Time constrains considered you can easily do a day trip to the mountains and be back home to cook dinner that night. Or you can plan an overnight and catch two or more days in the mountains. Beginner bunny, shredder or pro there is a hill for everyone, the options are endless.

Day 4: Denver Zoo. After back to back activities, give the muscles a break and visit the Zoo. Denver Zoo is an amazing place, concerned with conservation and it shows. Denver Zoo is constantly upgrading the facility to give the best care for it's guests. Polar bears, lions, tigers and monkeys are bound to entertain you. Kid friendly, of course Denver Zoo offers wagon rentals so not having a carriage is not a problem, just rent one.

Day 4, Part 2: IMAX and Museum of Nature and Science is conveniently located next to Denver Zoo. For one entrance fee your group can see both the Museum and take in a movie at the IMAX. The exhibits and shows change frequently, so don't worry too much about having to sit through a rerun.

Day 5: Snowmobiling. Being at the base of the Rockies, it's easy to rent a snowmobile and go motoring off into the wilderness. The snowmobile Capitol of Colorado is Grand Lake. Here and along the way you will find many opportunities to enjoy this sport. Grand Lake is located right next to Rocky Mountain National Park. In the winter snowmobiles are allowed to use the trails in the park. A four hours round trip will get you above the timberline. If you dare go here, be prepared to awe!

Day 6: Denver is home to FIVE professional sport teams. If there is a fan in your group, scoring with them will be easy. Just take them to one of the tours of these facilities;

• Bronco Stadium- Invesco Field at Mile High
• Colorado Rockies - Coors Field
• Nuggets (basketball) Avalanche (hockey) at the Pepsi Center
• Dick's Sporting Goods Park - Opening in April, this park will be the largest soccer complex in the world. Tours have not been set yet, but stay tuned to the website.

Day 7: Glenwood Springs Hot Springs- People pass this place for years on their way to Steamboat or Aspen. When I ask them if they ever stopping, few know what I am talking about. Colorado has many natural hot springs, Glenwood has the Granddaddy of them all. Two pools combined lengths are 505 feet! The main pool is cooled to about 90 degrees. The therapy pool is only cooled to 104 degrees. After a day of riding the snow, nothing feels better than a dip in the pools.

I could write a book about things to do in Colorado. The best thing of all, everything I've mentioned here can be a day trip or less from your Denver Base Camp.

If company is coming or you just need a change of scenery, you've got it made if you live in Colorado!

Native or Transplant?

<About the Photos: Picture #1 Do you see the Kissing Camels? Picture #2 the other kk, my niece Kayla flying in a wind tunnel. Picture #3 the chair lift at Loveland only 45 minutes from my front door. Picture #4 thankfully the machine was stopped, otherwise it would have been my final photo! :)>

Yesterday while the majority of the sane folks waited inside their warm homes, reading books, watching TV and cleaning an occasional closet, others not nearly so sane ventured out in search of adventure. Snow does something to the brains of snow riders. They have a strong need, a craving to ride the snow, no matter how far they must travel, they go off in search of the perfect ride.

One such person is my daughter, Vali Wimberly. Yesterday Vali and a few of her friends found adventure atop the roof of the Colorado History Museum. They were photographed by CNN, The Rocky Mountain News and each other. Luckily the police had their radar guns put away thanks to the blizzard!

I wonder if the architect of the Colorado History Museum has this sort of event in mind when he designed this building? Talk about "Multi Use!"

<Yes Guys the Daughter is single...I dare you to catch her if you can!>

Yesterday I had a song running through my head, it went like this, "The Sun Will Come out Tomorrow..."

Well the sun actually came out yesterday. It was a beautiful sight as the skies cleared up we could see the mountains once again. From our bedroom window we had a clear view of Long's Peak, about 100 miles away. The sky was blue and the snow covered mountains looked wonderful.

We couldn't go anywhere until late this morning. Hubby had the driveway (or at least 1/2 of it) cleared. The plow finally showed up to do the "one pass thru" at about 10:30. All the neighbors came out to watch the event. Of course I was there with my camera...now I'm SNOWPLOW Paparazzi!

Today's HERO are the snowplow drivers of the world. It got me to thinking what a cool job it must be. We all await and when they show up we cheer. They can see immediate results of their work. There must be a lot of gratification for these guys. Thank you Snowplow drivers! You Rock!

Denver International Airport Opened at 12:30

Our oldest son is a consultant who travels. He's been stuck in Tulsa, OK for the past few days. Typically very creative he was trying to find a way home. He was almost ready to fly to Salt Lake and drive home to Denver from the west, when United Airlines sent and empty plane to Tulsa.

This got us to talking about the magnitude of getting the Air Traffic back to normal all over the country. Since nothing has moved in or out of Denver for over 2 days, this ripple effect is being felt all over the country. Many travelers are still stranded at the airport. Compounding the problem is the fact this is the busiest time of year for air travel.

Mike told us the Security Line was snaking around the terminal for miles. It was hard to know where to get in line, its a mass of humanity. The news is reporting a TWO HOUR wait just to get through security. Looking at the news clip, I would guess that timing is optimistic. They are also telling folks if they don't have a "confirmed flight ticket" not to show up.

At the present time there are only 2 runways open. The efforts to get them all cleaned off, and safe to use are constant. Watching the efforts from the air one can see a resemblance to a choreographed dance. 16 huge snowplows line up in a "V" formation, like Canadian Geese. The work the runways, inch by inch. This much snow is a lot to move. Its heavy and then there's the problem of where to put it all!

The Malls opened today

If you can find a place to park amid the snow mountains, consider yourself lucky. The stores are more than anxious to welcome consumers. They have been forced to closed over the two busiest shopping days of the year.

The Big Meltdown

Traveling on the Interstate was not a problem from the snow, but the water and the heavy traffic. Everyone is out, desparate to get back on track for the holidays. The snow was melting, but there's no place for all the water to go!

The Weatherman says we're getting a little more snow, starting tonight. Guess I won't put my snowshoes away, just yet!

P.S. If any Active Rainers have loved ones stuck at DIA that would like to get out of there...please let me know. I have a guest room they might enjoy...I'll even go pick them up. Just call.

Part of my job as a relocation specialist to the Denver Metro area is to dispel myths. The biggest myth I deal with is the one that Denver is "hip-deep" in snow all winter long. Out-of-staters are generally very skeptical of my words when I tell them Denver enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine a year. Why that's more than San Diego and Honolulu areas, that are known for the outstanding weather.

My clients either believe me or not. Once they take the plunge and move here, they are convinced. I love the telephone calls I get from these skeptics telling me how I was SO RIGHT and thanking me for Colorado's wonderful weather. (Like I have anything to do with it!)

The Sun is NOT Shining Today...

Then of course there are days like today. The snow has arrived, it's coming up from the Gulf, that means it's wet and heavy. Whenever we get hit with a gulf storm, we know it!

The storm hit this morning, today at noon there was a foot of snow on the ground in my neighborhood. The snow keeps on falling, predictions are 24 inches by tomorrow! Oh my!

Weather like this is the exception to the norm...honest! Most folks around here find it is a wonderful time to stay home, grab a book and relax. Nesting at home is something we don't do enough anymore. Enjoy!

For those of you in the bright, warm sunny climates, it's your time to Gloat! I know many of you left the four seasons to enjoy one long season of perfection. Awesome weather all the time has its attraction, but doesn't it get boring?

I love my four seasons, I love the color of fall, the crisp cold air of winter, even the occasional blizzard or two. Spring brings on a rebirth of life and we start all over again. Life without the seasons would be confusing and dull.

Of course that's my story, yours may differ! So gloat on...I'm at home today with no place to go. I'm stranded! Yippee!

Excuse me, gotta go the cookies are ready. ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Updated Weather Report

It's 6:00 P.M and the snow is still blowing strong. The Governor has declared a state of emergency for Colorado. He has activated the National Guard who are patrolling the Interstate helping those that are stranded. DIA and all roads all the way to the Colorado Boarders are closed.

Some poor folks at DIA boarded a plane thinking they were leaving town this morning. Instead they had the pleasure of sitting on the tarmac for 8 HOURS!

I am so sad for the people who are stranded. I wish I could reach out an help them...somehow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Night Report

They say "timing is everything."

The fate of holiday travelers today will agree with that. Some made it out of the state, but 3000 others are stuck at DIA until who knows. The news reports many travelers at the airport right now will not get to their destination until Sunday. Ouch!

The Boulder Turnpike is bumper to bumper. Several motorists have reported leaving Boulder at 1:00 this afternoon, 7 hours later they are still on the Turnpike. 7 hours to go 20 miles? (I can be patient, but what about my bladder?)

Heros of the night...

The guys who work the snowplows deserve medals. They are currently working 12 hours shifts. Private contractors are out plowing the roads alongside the paid guys from city and state. They have been at it all day. With the strong wind it's hard to see evidence of their work, but they keep at it, all day and all night. Three cheers for them!

Governor Bill has called out the National Guard. These guys also deserve a lot of credit. Currently they drive around in their Hummers, pulling people from immobilized cars and taking them to safety. They are also working the edge of the city, turning back people who are trying to go home to the plains. It would seem most folks would "get it by now" and go find a warm place to hang out. But so many guys who work in the city have livestock at home...wonder why they didn't go home sooner.

The Roads Are Closed...

In every direction with the exception of the Metro Denver area the interstates and state roads are closed. Turn around go back. If you get stuck don't leave your car. Visibility is ZERO. Keep your tailpipe clear. Drink water and stay put.

The Stores are Closed

It's 5 days until Christmas and the Malls are closed. In fact they closed at 3 p.m. Flat Irons Mall near Boulder is being used as a Shelter. So are multiple hotels along the highway. IN fact the Marriot here in Lone Tree is welcoming travelers to stay in the lobby. There are no rooms, but anyone can pull up the floor on the lobby and make themselves at home.

When will the snow stop

Of course nobody knows for sure, but the storm has moved the wind is coming from the NE. The weather guys say the snow will start to let up by late morning. Supposedly the good folks in Kansas will be having a White Christmas just like us!

I forgot to mention, Sunday the sun will come out. The temperature will be in the 40's ... The Big Meltdown will begin.

Good People

During time like these when everywher you look, it's so nice to see neighbors helping neighbors. We won't wait for the snowplow to visit our street. As soon as the snow stops we will be out there, shoveling our drives. When we finish shoveling ours, we'll go on to the next one and the next one, until they are all done. We will get to meet neighbors we only see once or twice a year. Greeting each other and lending a helping hand is great therapy for cabin fever and the human spirit.

The blizzard may deliver cold white snow, but it warms our hearts.

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