The Colorado Mountain Companion

John M. Fayhee

Description

A treasure trove of useful (and just plain fun) information about Colorado’s mountain country. A handy-dandy, comprehensive, wide-ranging reference guide to settling (good-naturedly) any arguments about Colorado’s high country. We’re not just talking about population figures, elevation stats, or lists of Fourteeners and rivers, although these are included. You will learn far more including mountain lexicons (so that you’ll know what a gutter bunny, potato chip, and prune really mean), Colorado as a movie set, Colorado songs, skiing, fishing, avalanches, geology, historic districts, hiking and biking, snakes, Superfund sites, strange festivals, weather miserability index and much more.
“Forever and ever, you could eyeball a Colorado automobile license plate and discern from whence that vehicle hailed. From 1959 to 1982, the Colorado Department of Revenue, which includes the Division of Motor Vehicles (which, in turn, supervises all matters related to license plates), issued what were known as the “2/4 plates.” These plates basically started with two county-specific letters, followed by a series of numbers that could be anywhere from one digit to four. There was some crossover in the latter years of the 2/4-plate program when plate numbering started running out. However, for the most part, that overlap was found in the more populated counties of the Front Range. In the early 1980s, the Department of Corrections, which oversees the actual manufacture of license plates in Colorado (yes, the prisoners-making-license-plates stereotype is accurate), came to the conclusion that, because of increases in the state’s population and the resultant increased number of registered vehicles, it would have to scrap the 2/4 system, a decision that caused a surprising amount of ire, especially in the more chauvinistic rural counties in Colorado. The change resulted in a non-county-specific system with license plates generally containing three letters, followed by three numbers. The new system sometimes seems like it is county specific. County clerks, who issue license plates on the local level, may order, say, 500 plates at a time. These plates will likely appear in sequence (e.g., WRF-000, WRF-001, etc.). But a county on the complete other side of the state might get the next 500 in the WRF sequence. The Division of Motor Vehicles did resurrect county-specific plates from 1989 to 1992, when it offered its “denim plates.” These plates were blue and actually had the name of the county in which the vehicle was registered written on the bottom. The plates proved far less popular than the green-on-white or white-on-green mountain background plates, and so the denim-plate program was scrapped. The state does allow for 2/4 plates issued before July 1, 2003, to remain legal. Thus, it is still possible to see license plates in the Colorado high country that read: ZB-14 or ZA-2. Whenever you see someone whose ride sports such plates, best not to get into an argument with that person about who has lived in the county the longest.” From page 51-52, The Colorado Mountain Companion
Introduction—1, The “Icebox of the Nation” Designation Not So Simple—7, Why Are Gunnison and Alamosa So Cold?—13, Windchill and the Weather Miserability Index—13, How Are Sunny Days Measured? —17, Non-Possessive Place Names—18, A Sense of Scale—19, Just Exactly How Big Is Colorado? —20, Colorado Mountain Lexicon—24, How Colorado’s Mountain Towns Got Their Names—32, Highest Towns a Matter of Perspective—42, Establishing Colorado’s Lowest Point—47, States Whose Highest Points Are Lower Than Colorado’s Lowest Point—47, How Does Colorado Compare? —49, Mountain License Plates—51, Mountain Area Codes—53, Avalanches in Colorado—56, Impotenece Drugs Reach New Peaks—60, Colorado Lakes and Reservoirs—61, Lakes and Ice—66, Safe Ice Thickness and Cold-Water Hypothermia—67, Lightning: The Fearsome Flash from Above—70, Monsoon Season—73, Cloud Seeding—75, Just How Much Water Is That?—80, Global Relations—83, “America the Beautiful”: Colorado’s Most Famous Musical Summit—84, Bates Not the Only Famous Person to Summit Pikes Peak—87, Rocky Mountain High—88, “Where the Columbines Grow”—The State Song That No One Knows—90, Colorado Songs—91, Colorado as a Movie Set—97, The Great Demonymic Debate: Coloradans or Coloradoans?—105, Colorado Olympic Athletes—109, Colorado: King of the Ski Industry—123, Colorado’s Early Ski History: Highlights—126, Mountainspeak: Skiing Lexicon—137, The Naming of Colorado’s Ski Runs—145, Colorado’s “Lost” Ski Areas—148, The Colorado Ski Safety Act—153, Words for Snow—Eskimo and Colorado—155, “Texas” Ski Areas—159, Mountainspeak: Cross-Country Skiing Lexicon—160, Mountainspeak: Snowboarding Lexicon—163, Most Common Mountain Recreational Injuries—165, High Country Emergency Room Admission Statistics—166, Colorado Mountain Pathogens—167, Native Americans in Colorado—169, Colorado Geology: The Laramide Orogeny—175, Colorado Geology: The Rio Grande Rift Valley—176, Colorado Geology: The Aspen Anomaly—178, Colorado Geology: Colorado’s Highest-Ever Mountains—179, The Naming of Geographic Features—180, Gorges Versus Canyons—186, The Fourteeners—189, Colorado Fourteener Records—192, Peak Prominence and Isolation—195, The Most Dangerous Fourteeners—198, Mountainspeak: Climbing Lexicon—203, The 3,000-Foot “Rule”—207, Colorado’s Steepest Points—209, The Peaks of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” Speech—210, Headwaters Hill and Colorado’s Closed Basins—211, The Naming of Challenger Point—214, Some Noteworthy Colorado Uphills—216, Colorado’s Long Hiking Trails and the National Scenic Trails—216, Mountainspeak: Hiking and Backpacking Lexicon—219, Mountainspeak: Mountain Biking Lexicon—227, Public and/or Protected Land in Colorado—228, Colorado’s Wilderness—230, Colorado: Birthplace of Major Rivers—238, Mountainspeak: Fishing Lexicon—242, Colorado’s Endangered Rivers—244, Wild and Scenic Rivers—247, Colorado’s Highest Roads—252, Mountainspeak: Road Biking Lexicon—253, Colorado Wildfires—257, Other Large Wildfires in Western North America—261, All Firewood Is Not Created Equal—263, Endangered and Threatened Species in the Colorado Mountains—265, Colorado Mountain Birds—273, Fatal Bear and Mountain Lion Attacks in Colorado—277, High Country Snakes—278, The Colorado State Flower: What Exactly Is It?—280, The Colorado State Quarter—281, Superfund Sites—284, Strange Colorado Festivals—290, Aspen: The Brand-Name King—301, Smoking Bans: It All Started in Colorado’s Mountain Country—302, Colorado’s Mountain Historic Districts—303, Legalized Gambling in Colorado—310, Mountain Counties Most Often Vote Blue—312, Changing Your Name—318, Home Away from Home (Extradition)—322, Listing Colorado—325, Index—331, About the Author—341

Sujets

• Mountains
• HISTORY
• Kilotón
• Óxido de carbono (II)
• Travel
• Winter sport
• History of the Americas
• NM
• United States
• West
• NV
• Mountain
• HI
• ID
• UT
• US
• MT
• CA
• CO
• Colorado

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 15 septembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780871089670
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

THE
COLORADO MOUNTAIN COMPANION
a potpourri of useful miscellany from the highest parts of the highest state
m john fayhee
THE PRUETT SERIES
2012 by M. John Fayhee
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews and articles. Address all inquiries to:
WestWinds Press
An imprint of Graphic Arts Books
P.O. Box 56118
Portland, OR 97238-6118
[phone]
www.graphicartsbooks.com
First Edition 2012
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fayhee, M. John, 1955-
Colorado mountain companion :a potpourri of useful miscellany from the highest parts of the highest state / M. John Fayhee. - 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-87108-960-1
ISBN-10: 0-87108-960-2
1. Mountains-Colorado-Miscellanea. 2. Mountain life-Colorado-Miscellanea. 3. Outdoor life-Colorado-Miscellanea. 4. Natural history-Colorado-Miscellanea. 5. Colorado-History, Local-Miscellanea. 6. Colorado-Social life and customs-Miscellanea. 7. Colorado-Environmental conditions-Miscellanea. I. Title.
F782.A16F39 2012
978.8-dc23
2012001616
Cover image by Larry Hubbell
Book design by Kay Turnbaugh
This book is dedicated to Frank C. Smith, Jr., a gentleman, a scholar, and one of the few people I have ever met who loves old maps as much as I do .
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
The Icebox of the Nation Designation Not So Simple
Why Are Gunnison and Alamosa So Cold?
Windchill and the Weather Miserability Index
How Are Sunny Days Measured?
Non-Possessive Place Names
A Sense of Scale
Just Exactly How Big Is Colorado?
Colorado Mountain Lexicon
How Colorado s Mountain Towns Got Their Names
Highest Towns a Matter of Perspective
Establishing Colorado s Lowest Point
States Whose Highest Points Are Lower Than Colorado s Lowest Point
How Does Colorado Compare?
Mountain License Plates
Mountain Area Codes
Avalanches in Colorado
Impotence Drugs Reach New Peaks
Colorado Lakes and Reservoirs
Lakes and Ice
Safe Ice Thickness and Cold-Water Hypothermia
Lightning: The Fearsome Flash from Above
Monsoon Season
Cloud Seeding
Just How Much Water Is That?
Global Relations
America the Beautiful : Colorado s Most Famous Musical Summit
Bates Not the Only Famous Person to Summit Pikes Peak
Rocky Mountain High
Where the Columbines Grow -The State Song That No One Knows
Colorado Songs
Colorado As a Movie Set
The Great Demonymic Debate: Coloradans or Coloradoans?
Colorado Olympic Athletes
Colorado: King of the Ski Industry
Colorado s Early Ski History: Highlights
Mountainspeak: Skiing Lexicon
The Naming of Colorado s Ski Runs
Colorado s Lost Ski Areas
The Colorado Ski Safety Act
Words for Snow-Eskimo and Colorado
Texas Ski Areas
Mountainspeak: Cross-Country Skiing Lexicon
Mountainspeak: Snowboarding Lexicon
Most Common Mountain Recreational Injuries
High Country Emergency Room Admission Statistics
Colorado Mountain Pathogens
Native Americans in Colorado
Colorado Geology: The Laramide Orogeny
Colorado Geology: The Rio Grande Rift Valley
Colorado Geology: The Aspen Anomaly
Colorado Geology: Colorado s Highest-Ever Mountains
The Naming of Geographic Features
Gorges Versus Canyons
The Fourteeners
Colorado Fourteener Records
Peak Prominence and Isolation
The Most Dangerous Fourteeners
Mountainspeak: Climbing Lexicon
The 3,000-Foot Rule
Colorado s Steepest Points
The Peaks of Martin Luther King s I Have a Dream Speech
Headwaters Hill and Colorado s Closed Basins
The Naming of Challenger Point
Some Noteworthy Colorado Uphills
Colorado s Long Hiking Trails and the National Scenic Trails
Mountainspeak: Hiking and Backpacking Lexicon
Mountainspeak: Mountain Biking Lexicon
Public and/or Protected Land in Colorado
Colorado s Wilderness
Colorado: Birthplace of Major Rivers
Mountainspeak: Fishing Lexicon
Colorado s Endangered Rivers
Wild and Scenic Rivers
Colorado s Highest Roads
Mountainspeak: Road Biking Lexicon
Colorado Wildfires
Other Large Wildfires in Western North America
All Firewood Is Not Created Equal
Endangered and Threatened Species in the Colorado Mountains
Colorado Mountain Birds
Fatal Bear and Mountain Lion Attacks in Colorado
High Country Snakes
The Colorado State Flower: What Exactly Is It?
The Colorado State Quarter
Superfund Sites
Strange Colorado Festivals
Aspen: The Brand-Name King
Smoking Bans: It All Started in Colorado s Mountain Country
Colorado s Mountain Historic Districts
Legalized Gambling in Colorado
Mountain Counties Most Often Vote Blue
Changing Your Name
Home Away from Home (Extradition)
Listing Colorado
Index
About the Author
INTRODUCTION

I know for a fact . . .
The seeds of this book first germinated in a watering hole several hundred miles from the Colorado mountains, in, of all places, arid Bisbee, Arizona. I must have looked like the tourist I assuredly was, and a gent a couple of barstools down asked me, by way of a mannerly conversational icebreaker, where I was from. After I told him, he said he was born in Leadville, although he left many decades before when he was still a youngster. That got the basic-social-interaction ball rolling, and somewhere along the line, with the brewskis flowing as fast as the stories, this gent stated for the benefit of his proximate Colorado-ignorant amigos that Leadville was the highest-elevationed municipality in the country. I know I ought to have left well enough alone, but, since tongue biting is, to say the least, not my usual barroom modus operandi, I felt compelled to interject a fact into what up until that point had been a perfectly pleasant period of innocuous, fairly fact-free, recreational yarn spinning.
Ummm, actually, says I, sans sense, Leadville is the third -highest incorporated municipality in the country. Alma is the highest, and Montezuma is second highest. 1
I had not only rained on this man s storytelling parade, I had done so on his home turf, in his regular bar, in front of his drinking buddies-a social faux pas on so many levels that it now mortifies me to recollect the scene.
I know for a fact that Leadville s the highest, the man snorted, crossing his arms in front of his chest, attempting to regain his footing. Neither Alma nor Montezuma are incorporated.
Ummm, actually . . .
Instantly, our amicable chitchat disintegrated into the kind of disjointed petty one-upmanship that defines so much suds-enhanced discourse.
My retrospective mortification aside, as I was driving out of Bisbee the next morning, I started thinking about the many, many similar conversations I have either observed or been directly involved in over the years. Like the time at the Gold Pan, when fisticuffs nearly erupted between a couple of locals who knew for a fact that Arapahoe Basin is the oldest of Colorado s currently open ski areas. 2
And the time I got into it with a Denver Post reporter in the Moose Jaw about Colorado s highest road. He knew for a fact that Trail Ridge Road, which traverses Rocky Mountain National Park, was the most-altitudinous stretch of blacktop in the country. I had to run out to my truck to fetch my Rand McNally before he believed me that the state s highest road goes near-bouts to the summit of 14,264-foot Mount Evans. 3
And the t te- -t te in the Lariat in Grand Lake about Colorado s coldest town, an issue, I stressed to several local boys who (1) looked inclined to stomp me on the spot and (2) knew for a fact that Fraser was the icebox of the nation, that could not be accurately settled because there is no universally accepted method for determining a given municipality s frigidity factor. 4
Then, also, at various times: The highest vertical gain in the Colorado 5 , the deepest abyss 6 , the largest natural lake 7 , the state s rank when it comes to avalanches 8 and lightning fatalities 9 , the first chairlift 10 , etc. etc., and on and on.
Although it ended up being far more than the sum of its conceptual parts, the original idea for this book was merely to compile a mountain of material specifically with the intention of having a handy-dandy, Colorado-high-country-based reference guide for settling such generally good-natured and, when you get right down to it, not-exactly-earth-shatteringly important, barroom arguments. I envisioned a copy in every altitudinous imbibery from Alamosa to Steamboat Springs, from Evergreen to Silverton. I thought as I was heading north out of Bisbee that long-ago day that such a notion could actually serve as a means by which John-Wayne-movie-esque bar brawls could be averted. Like: OK, before we start duking it out over whether or not the summer rains in Colorado actually constitute a denotative monsoonal weather pattern, let s consult The Book. 11
Man, you re a genius, Fayhee! I thought, as I pointed my truck back toward the high country. When I got home, Grim Reality began to sink in, as it always does when I experience a (usually short-lived) flash of brilliance. This, I soon realized, would require one serious amount of research, a word that has long caused near-terminal hear