Good News in the Offing for the Boulder Turnpike

US Highway 36 or the Boulder Turnpike in Adams, Jefferson, and Boulder County is a highway in desparate need of improvements and upgrades. From I-25 to Federal Blvd the highway is in decent condition although the merge from northbound I-25 is poor and inadequate and the I-25 southbound merge is unbelievably bad. From Federal on to the west to where the highway terminates in Boulder is grossly terrible and inadequate.

For the most part, all citizens, commuters, travelers, and transportation experts would like to see the following added to the highway: additional lanes ( as many as four in both directions); exit to exit merge and accelerate lanes like the ones installed on I-25 between Dry Creek Road and University Blvd in the Central and South Denver area; dedicated HOV/bus lanes for busy commute times (5:30am to 9:30am and 3pm to 7:30pm weekdays and special times on weekends in coordination with special events like CU football, Broncos & Rockies games, etc.); installation of dense high quality lighting the entire length of highway for purposes of improved safety, better visability (particularly in inclement weather), and convenience; better signage for exits, traffic hazards ahead, and mileage marker information; possible installation of a high-speed express train from Boulder with stops at McCasland, Wadsworth/287, Sheridan/92nd, Federal, Pecos, Washington/70th, 58th and terminating at downtown Union Station; increased cameras and video surveillance to increase safety and reduce dangerous driving and road rage particularly by youthful and young adult drivers living near the highway and using the highway on a regular basis; photo radar to help keep speeding under control; and widespread implementation of cost effective landscaping and roadside art (the T-rex project down I-25 was a miserable failure in terms of landscaping) including hedges and flowering shrubs in the medians.

It would be nice and fantastic to see this vision realized by 2012 for this entire length of US 36 from I-25 to Boulder. Maybe the Feds will put their money where their mouth is and where the need is.

One day I will post about the Denver metro area's other inadequate and needy freeways: I-270 from York to I-70; I-76 from its onset near Wadsworth to north of Brighton; I-225 in Aurora from north of Colfax to I-25 in the DTC; Sixth Avenue Freeway from east of I-25 to Golden;
C-470 from I-25 to Golden; I-70 from the mouth of the Rockies west of Golden to east of E-470; Hampden/285 from I-25 west to C-470; and I-25 from Wellington (north of Fort Collins through metro Denver and south into Douglas County to the El Paso County Line. The information that would be discussed there would be quite lengthy. And there is the other ideas and visions I have about many other surface transportation arterials throughout the Front Range region...


http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5573239,00.html

Anaheim Ducks Take the 2007 Stanley Cup

The 2006-2007 NHL Season concluded this evening as the Anaheim Ducks won their first Stanley Cup in their fourteenth season of existence in five games over the Ottawa Senators.
Anaheim was one of the best clubs throughout the regular season, finishing a close second in the overall Western Conference standings behind Detroit. In the playoffs, the Ducks ousted Minnesota, Vancouver, and Detroit before claiming the Cup over the feisty and hard-working Eastern Conference Champion Senators. Anaheim is first club in the Pacific Time Zone to claim the Cup, ahead of the rival Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, and Vancouver Canucks, as well as the defunct California Golden Seals who were based in the Bay Area in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

I truly enjoy watching the postgame award of the Stanley Cup trophy following the always classy traditional exchange of handshakes between all members of both teams following the conclusion of each and every playoff series. The exuberation and pure thrill seen in each player's eyes and body language in accomplishing this achievement of a championship is a stirring time and makes my eyes well up with happiness. To see the joy in these players who have worked since they were young children to make this happen is incredible. The ordeal of winning a Stanley Cup starts each season in September right after Labor Day when training camps open and through a long over six and a half month season covering 8 preseason and 82 regular season games continuing through a grueling ordeal of nearly two months to win the sixteen postseason games necessary to capture the Stanley Cup is professional sports' most difficult and arduous challenge.

Congratulations to the Ducks -- they are indeed (still)"Mighty" this year ! And the 07-08 season looms in less than 100 days --- GO AVALANCHE !!! Bring the Cup back to the Mountain Time Zone !!


http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2007/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=2895970


http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2007/columns/story?columnist=frei_terry&id=2897840

Put on the Shelf by Left Knee Injury

I clumsily fell down some stairs and seriously whacked my left knee, leaving it swollen above the patella and me in severe pain. Walking was able to be done barely and climbing stairs was an adventure. Putting extra stress on my right hip to do more was not all that good either, as the dull chronic pain that is usually always there was more noticeable as well. Driving was a pain as engaging the clutch in my truck to shift gears was difficult with the loss of strength. There is a temporary loss of range of motion. Hopefully by Saturday or Sunday, the knee will be feeling at or near 100 % again so the other pains can retake the rightful places in the everyday hierarchy.

Names Surface to Fill Thomas Senate Seat

I already have mentioned four names under consideration to fill the US Senate seat left empty by the sudden death Monday, 4 June, of Craig Thomas: US Representative Barbara Cubin, retired US Senator Alan Simpson, former Governor Jim Gehringer, and Vice-President Richard Cheney. Today several other names were brought up additionally as possible replacements:

Lynne Cheney: Wife of the Vice-President; education activist; author.

John Barrasso: Casper physician, state legislator, local television news health commentator.

Colin Simpson: State legislator; son of Alan Simpson; grandson of the late Governor Milward Simpson.

John Mead: US Attorney for Wyoming; was recently in the news for being under consideration for being fired by the Bush Administration and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for not following administration policy closely enough.

Susan Thomas: the wife of the late Senator, long time special needs public educator.

The Wyoming State Republican Party Committee has until 19 June to provide Governor David Freudenthal with three names for him to consider in filling the seat. Susan Thomas would be a superb choice and lets hope the state GOP honors Thomas' legacy and accomplishments by including his wife among the recommendations for filling the seat.