Reports on Denver Veterans, The ACTS Resource Center, & the upcoming GopherCon 2014

As a Veteran, I have been tasked with providing Tech and website support, Media, Promotional Art, Photography and Videography for the A.C.T.S. Resource Center and Veteran's Reintegration Program.   I am looking forward to contributing to the center and using my skills and experience to ensure a quality, modern and straight to the point online presence.  I’ll also be doing my next report on the Center.  There is a lot that is benefiting the community being done there.

As a result though, I have had little time to research and or create any reports or content for this blog.  I will have three interesting hard stories in the next month. 

I have been tasked to cover the GopherCon 2014 event.  The event is a conference of sort for and by coders that use the go programming language (www.golang.org).  One can go to http://blog.golang.org/4years.  The page will show a bit of it’s history, some of the places using it, and it’s growth.  Look for more soon.

Riding the D Line & Globeville Landing Park

As I begin to settle in and get adjusted to my new surroundings, I have been trying to capture at least some of it as I experience it.  Incorporating the limited documenting  of my experience of being new to Denver and Colorado alike, is a continuous judgment call.  There have been a few items of limited significance though. 

 

The D Line

One of my first long range excursions, although by greater Denver scale, rather short actually, was to get to Littleton, CO., sort of a suburb of greater Denver.  Without driving, it was a simple ride on the D Line to Littleton (about 50 min) the a bus ride to destination (about 20 minutes).  Littleton, my destination, is a rather clean upscale middleclass community, with an interesting Historic District that I didn’t get a chance yet to experience, but hope to in the near future.   The D Line is among many of a light rail line the is run by the RTD.  The lines are expanding and offer a great alternative to driving.  It was $8.00 round trip, a little pricey by any standard.  But the Light Rail does ride much better than a standard city bus, and the seating and view is somewhat better as well.  Most of the countryside is rail line and standard train yard stuff, but some of it, including going through central downtown Denver is interesting.  Especially at night or at the end of the day.  There are a few special sights and locations, but that will be another story.  Overall, the trip was trouble free and lent to getting a few shots, even if from a moving train.  It can be a bit tricky sometimes to capture the moment with the base of the camera is moving.  Remember , click on any photo in this story, and it will open in a new tab or window full size. 

I will have more on some of the more extensive lines with interesting destinations offered by the RTD in the future as I begin to explore more outside of Denver.  Accordingly, the video below focus’s on the park.

Globeville Landing Park

In by quest to find suitable photo sights, and places of interest that also have a closeness with Nature, my location scout to me to the closest park I could find to my current location. The Globeville Landing Park is located on the South Platte River Greenway.  As a leading contributor to the Greenway,  The Greenway Foundation is a big reason for this exists for bikers, hikers and urban nature lovers can enjoy a bit of time away from the hustle of

the city for a short time, within a short distance.  I embedded a short video from The Greenway Foundation about the Greenway at the left. 
I did like the way the walkways were well maintained, and really liked the paved steps to the waters edge. 

One thing that did concern m was the condition of the water coming out of the main that was feeding into the River.  As I mention in the video, it didn’t look very clean, and didn’t smell very good either.  I am tempted to take a sample and have it tested, just to see what is in this water, and who is polluting it mostly.  Other than that, the overall experience visiting the park was a interesting and enjoyable. 

As I mention in the video below, the park is on an extensive trail system.  Along the trail are access points to the river like this one.  To the extent of the construction and how much this trail is built up, I have yet to see.  The cement steps and paved bike trail lead me to think much of it is quite built up.  Some of the buildings and picnic and seating areas had quite rotten wood,  and needs some work.  The primary infrastructure of the park is quite sturdy, and one with the skills could make quick work of fixing the cement framed picnic tables and seats.  Other than some of the framing and roofing on the building looking like it could use some paint, the park seemed pretty well maintained.  I haven’t been here long enough to research the budget’s and  or any constraints of the Denver Parks and Recreation Dept.   I was impressed with being able to find a place to connect to nature within a 20 minute walk.  If you like what you see here,  please contribute to Colorado Confidential by making a donation. please, Donate here.   I am really looking forward to getting on a bike, and exploring the entire trail.  Hopefully before I re-locate to a location closer to my work.  Wish me luck.

I hope you enjoy the video.