Over 100 animals and creatures reside in the Swetsville Zoo, none of them with beating hearts. Lucky the sea serpent, Omelet the busted marshmallow, and Elly the elephant bird are all creations of Bill Swets.

Searching for a unique way to spend my Monday, I came across Swetsville Zoo on the Fort Collins visitor page listed under, you guessed it, “zoos.” Expecting a normal, living-animal zoo, I was captivated by the creativity of Swetsville and just had to visit!

The zoo’s inhabitants range from eight-inch robotic sculptures to 12-foot dinosaurs. Each welded together out of scrap metal and recycled pieces. Hot and Cold faucet handles for eyes, a parking meter for a head, springs for arms, a retro TV set as a body – No creature is built the same.

The provided, self-guided tour allows each visitor’s imagination to grow. They can follow along and learn the names and stories of the many humorously creative creatures. Like, ‘Harry the Hitchhiker – Sub-human – Always looking for a handout.’

An article in the Swetsville Gazette framed on the outside building of the zoo, written by Steve Thomas, calls it, “Land of the Eccentrics.” And it could not be more accurately named!

Thomas writes that Swets was a farmer for most of his life and a volunteer firefighter for 22 years. He began welding recycled car parts, farm machinery and scrap metal in 1985, and averaged 15 – 20 sculptures each winter through 1995.

Reviews online read that the zoo used to have a train visitors could ride around the once-larger and more populated property to view the sculptures. Swetsville may be past its’ prime, but it is still well-worth the visit! It’s a perfect road-side attraction or destination trip for any age.

The zoo is open every day from sunrise to sunset. There is no admission; yet, donations keep the place open, so be sure to have a few bucks handy.

Swetsville Zoo is located in Fort Collins, just east of Interstate 25, on East Harmony Road. It is across from a Walmart shopping center (which takes away a bit of its mystique at first glance).  Once on the zoo’s property, however, your imagination is free to run wild, surrounding yourself by the prehistoric, futuristic and imaginary kind.

Less than an hour’s drive from Denver, you could be walking among the Great Cats of the world any day of the week. The Wild Animal Sanctuary near Keenesburg is home to over 290 rescued animals including tigers, lions, black bears, grizzly bears, leopards, wolves and camel.

The Wild Animal Sanctuary (TWAS) is the largest refuge in the country, covering 720 acres of land. It is a state and federally-licensed zoological facility and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Each rescued animal has a name and a story, like Diesel and Kamal. These two tigers were confiscated as cubs by the Baton Rouge Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). They were living inside of crates in a man’s car who charged money for photos with the tigers.

Either Diesel or Kamal enjoying the hot summer day in the pool.

Many of the rescue stories are heartbreaking. Some animals came from zoos or preserves around the country that had run out of money, while others had been kept as pets or by animal hoarders, mistreated as circus exhibits, used by taxidermists, breeders and photographers.

According to The Wild Animal Sanctuary’s website:

“Illicit exotic animal trade is the third largest source of illegal profits in the world today, just after illegal drugs and weapons! In the U.S. alone, there are an estimated 30,000 captive large carnivores living outside the zoo system. There are 4,000 tigers living as “pets” in private homes in just the state of Texas – more tigers than exist in the wild throughout the world.”

Executive Director Pat Craig established the center in 1980, originally based on his family farm outside of Boulder. When the land was not enough, the sanctuary moved to Lyons for eight years, followed by its current location near Keenesburg.

The sanctuary prohibits stopping along the road to take photos, so this is my drive and snap photo effort.

Aside from several miles down a dirt road to the refuge, the drive from Denver is painless and relatively short. The last quarter mile to the sanctuary entrance passes right by one of the bear enclosures.

Separated only by a fence, about 20 bears roam freely in the area with the ability to come about 10 feet from the passing cars.

The larger sectioned areas of the refuge are for those animals of the same species who have adapted to their living quarters and their new families. They share a much more natural habitat, and are able to roam further away from the visitor’s center.

Several of the sanctuary's tigers interacting with each other in the smaller enclosures.

Until the animals are ready for this freedom, they are split up individually or in pairs in smaller enclosures next to one another. They are close enough to interact and get to know each other, while carefully monitored by TWAS staff.

The visitor’s center entrance/exit is through the gift shop. Once out of the shop, there is a long overlook bridge for viewers to walk across and observe the animals below. At the end is a larger viewing area with a snack bar. The education center is about halfway down the bridge where visitors can watch videos about the sanctuary and the Captive Wildlife Crisis. Additionally, there is a viewing area above the gift shop looking out towards the bear, tiger and lion sections further away.

For those who love tigers (this girl), the experience is incredible. There were 12 to 15 tigers split up in smaller quarters right below the first half of the bridge. The other animals were further away, less visible and less noticeably active while I was there.

It was interesting to see the tigers interact with each other through the fences. If their interactions become more friendly, they will eventually be joined together and then released into a larger and more comfortable enclosure. Since they are not able to be put back into the wild, this is their permanent home, and TWAS staff strive to make it as natural as possible.

The three objectives to the mission at TWAS are:

1. To rescue abused, abandoned, illegally kept or exploited, large carnivores

2. To create a wonderful life for them

3. To educate visitors about the Captive Wildlife Crisis and what can be done to help

TWAS is a great place to visit for all ages, and can be a photographer’s heaven. My one disappointment was the length of the walkway bridge. I had been expecting to be able to go out further over the habitats. However, TWAS is expanding the “Mile Into The Wild” walkway, given donations continue to come in. The mile-long walkway is expected to be completed at the end of 2011. You can bet I will be returning!

Summer hours for the sanctuary are 9 a.m. to sunset, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the winter months. Entrance is $10 per person and most areas are wheelchair accessible.

For more information, visit The Wild Animal Sanctuary website. Or better yet, take a trip there yourself!

John Adams performed John Denver favorites Wednesday night (June 15) at the Limbach Park in Monument. Approximately 1,000 people attended and some even sang along!

Adams, a native of Utrecht Netherlands, began playing the guitar as a child. Adams became a fan of John Denver in 1972 and has been playing his songs ever since. He performed classics such as: Take me home, Country Road, Sunshine on my Shoulders, and Rocky Mountain High.

By Kimberly Gunning

If I told you the nation’s largest, hand-made candy company is right in our backyard of Denver, would you call me crazy?

Hammond’s Candies has been around since 1920. Their lollipops, Mitchell Sweets, art candy and candy canes can be found around the country, inside Macy’s, Whole Foods, Bed Bath & Beyond, Costco and even the Disney Store.

A wide variety of all-natural candies are offered, and edible packing peanuts are used for shipments. Now how’s that for a Colorado-friendly candy factory?

Hammond’s Candies main ingredients, sugar and corn syrup, weigh in at an incredible 30,000 pounds each, per month. These ingredients helped to produce 90,000 pounds of candy in November alone.

During the busier months of October through December, Hammond’s Candies ships out over 300 wholesale and retail orders each day. For those in the Denver area, it’s worth a trip out to the factory to purchase your sweets and witness the candy making in action during their complimentary factory tour.

The tour begins with a short video about Hammond’s Candies’ history. Founded by Carl T Hammond Sr., the shop was a one-man-show in the 20s. Hammond himself would make, package and sell each candy.

The original Hammond’s Candies factory was on 29^th Avenue and Speer. Due to expansion, it moved to Colorado Boulevard, and finally landed at the 58^th Avenue and Washington Street location seven years ago.

Today, ten cooks work in the kitchen, each cooking 5-6 batches a day. One batch of candy can weigh anywhere from 50 to 77 pounds and produce 450 to 600 candy canes.

Through glass windows, each tour group can observe all that goes into making those perfectly-shaped, peppermint candy canes which may be later destined to hang on families’ Christmas trees.

Cooked in the kitchen at 310 to 330 degrees, the mix of ingredients is poured onto a table and the coloring is stirred in. Once cooled enough, the batch is spun and shaped. The rest of the process is completed in assembly-line fashion to cut and shape the candies. They are then sent on the conveyer belt through to the next room for the product control, packaging and labeling.

Best of all, the tour claims Hammond’s Candies sells their famous peppermint candy canes to the one and only, Santa Claus. For all those looking for festive plans over winter break with their children, Hammond’s Candies should be added to the list.

With over 30 different flavors and dozens of candy shapes and colors, kids might not be the only ones leaving with a sugar high!

Be sure to check out the “Oops” room for heavily-discounted candies. These may have not passed the high-quality standards in the packaging room, but they taste just as sweet!

Two months before we relocated to Palmer Lake, my husband and I went to the 2nd annual Palmer Lake Arts and Food Festival. A community set back from the interstate and the rush of big city life, Palmer Lake’s festival matched the city’s laid back appeal that enticed us to move here in the first place.

Charm spreads through every corner of this town.  Artists displayed original pieces, which were not typical “art show” style. Pottery, paintings, collages, jewelry, and photography booths lined  the road next to the lake.  Across the highway, restaurants showcased their tasty goods. The Italian restaurants by far out did the local steak joint O’Malleys which unfortunately for this reviewer only offered one chicken wing and a dot of hot sauce. La Zingara and Bella Panini were both outstanding choosing to serve samples the size of appetizers.  La Zingara gave out a small bowl of noodles in a white sauce and a large meatball. While Bella Panini served  a dish with what appeared and tasted like grits, ham, and a cheese sauce. Sounds weird, but tasted wonderful.

The Inn and Palmer Divide gave out dinner toast with a drizzle of vinegar and roasted veggies on top. Yum! and B&E Filling station served samples of shrimp in an onion and vinegar sauce. Delicious! Rock House Ice Cream impressed once again with a small bowl of ice cream. I got two bowls since Chris didn’t want his.

In the pavilion next to the lake there was a Battle of the Bands. And like a very bad travel writer (I promise next time I will be better) I only listened to one band. They were very talented, singing original music and covering a few songs. The sounded like the Wailing Jennys, they even covered one of the Wailing Jennys songs, but once again I am a very bad travel writer and I don’t remember their name. I think it was something like Half-Day, Two Hours Late, or Two Hour Delay. I’m pretty sure it was the last one. Anyway, they got their name because they are all teachers at the Blind and Deaf school and so when school is delayed they are happy, I think…

As we were leaving we walked by the Tri-Lakes Art Center where kids were encouraged to paint the wall facing the Highway. We put Leila’s footprints on the side, and they are still there!

Anyway, next time I will take much better notes and I will post sooner. This festival is two months late because we’ve been on vacation, moved, and I covered more hours at work while they looked for my replacement.

Till’ Next Time…

Adriana

Every now and then, I need to take a risk in life. Not a dangerously stupid risk, just one to remind me how absolutely beautiful and amazing life is. To step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself, so that I don’t feel like I am drowning in life’s routine. This time around, I decided I needed to let go for a few minutes (literally) and just freefall.

I went skydiving.

As a first-time skydiver, San Diego, Calif., sounded like the perfect place. A friend of mine who has jumped three times before this one found a great company called Pacific Coast Skydiving less than a mile from the Mexican boarder and only a few from the coast line. It took all of three weeks to decide I wanted to go, book the trip and make the JUMP.

According to the instructors, most people don’t remember much at all about their first jump and sometimes have their eyes closed for the entirety of the 30-second freefall. I remember every bit of that; it is the pre take-off that is a little blurry.

I was prepared to get to the location and have a good hour or so of lessons and waiting around. Instead, we arrived, signed papers, paid, put the jumpsuit on and headed out to the runway in what seemed like minutes! Next thing I knew, we were in the tiniest plane five people could fit in and taking off with the side door left wide open. After being taken by surprise, the jump was nothing.

I could explain it all in words, but who would want to read it when there’s video? Enjoy:

Pacific Coast Skydiving exceeded my expectations. The instructors are highly professional and friendly and make the experience as comfortable and memorable as possible. Most impressive was the video quality, all recorded by my instructor.

I would recommend Pacific Coast Skydiving to anyone — even my mother. No, there is no on-land lesson beforehand, but everything one would need to know is explained on the plane before the jump and in the air just before the landing. The hard parts are up to them.

Jump altitude: 13,000 feet

Freefall time: 30 seconds

Skydiving cost: $204

Video cost: $59 (student), $100 (regular)

Tip: Recommended (as in, TIP)

Location: 6810 Curran Street, San Diego, CA  92154

Phone Number: 619-661-0194

Website: http://www.pcskydiving.com/

Twenty-one and older beer drinkers in the Phoenix valley have probably already heard of Four Peaks Brewery, if not eaten there. For those traveling through, it is definitely a stop worth making when in the mood for a crafted beer. It’s the perfect way to cool down in the desert heat.

Arizona is no where near a top microbrew-producing state. In fact, the top five states with the most breweries per capita in the country are Vermont, Montana, Oregon, Maine and Colorado, according to brewersassociation.org. Choices of microbrews in Arizona may be limited, but Four Peaks Brewery knows its’ beer and that’s a good thing for all of the beer-connoisseur, desert dwellers.

The brewpub is named after Four Peaks Mountain, a faceted Arizona landmark located east of the valley. It’s the mountain pictured on the state’s license plate as well as the brewpub’s logo.

The original Four Peaks Brewery is on 8^th Street in Tempe, less than half a mile east of the Arizona State University campus. Sounds like a prime location, yet it is not a place one would stumble upon if driving around looking for a restaurant. It’s on a side-street surrounded by apartment and condo complexes and looks similar to an old-western tavern from the outside.

In North Scottsdale, Four Peaks Grill and Tap offers the same beer and food menu as the original location but shortens the commute for those driving from the eastern and northern-valley areas. Another not-so-easy-to-see establishment, it is in a plaza on the Southeast Corner of Frank Lloyd Wright & Hayden. The Grill and Tap doesn’t brew the beer on location, but I’ll go out on a limb and say that the 20-minute commute shouldn’t alter its’ goodness.

What The Grill and Tap is missing is the atmosphere the Four Peaks Brewery has. Having lived in Arizona for 13 years, the inside of this brewpub doesn’t feel a bit like Arizona.

According to the website (fourpeak.com), the building was built in 1892 and was used as a creamery/ice house by the companies Pacific Creamery and Bordens Creamery. The red-brick building, with 35-foot wooden and glass roofing, has not been updated since 1927.

The high-top table seating rooms are a little awkward, yet well done since they are worked around the brewery’s fermentation equipment. The bar extends across the entire main room, starring their line of drafts – more than almost any other local bar Arizona has to offer and far from what most Colorado bars boast.

The flat screen televisions and sport memorabilia give both locations a sports bar feeling. They host large crowds especially during football season and the owners seem to favor the Vikings judging by decor.

Most importantly, the beer and food. Here’s what we ordered and what we thought…

Beer #1 – 8^th Street Pale Ale, $4 :  8^th Street Pale Ale is a lighter beer, both in color and taste at 4.7 percent alcohol content. Not as bitter as others I have tasted but it does have a bite, most of all in its citrus aftertaste. It’s a ‘one glass’ type of beer for me.

Food dish #1 – Grilled Chicken Beer Bread, $9 :  Grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, green peppers, onion and mushrooms wrapped in beer bread. It doesn’t look or taste nearly as healthy as it sounds and the bottom of the wrap becomes a bit soggy from the cucumber sauce. It’s pretty tasty, but I would have chosen differently if I had known how sparingly the veggies were used. Maybe a side salad instead of fries next time would suffice.

Beer #2 – Kilt Lifter Scottish-Style Ale, $4 :  A darker beer, the 6.0-percent-alcohol-content Kilt Lifter is definitely a solid choice. It is not overpowering, but has a smooth, medium-bodied feel. It leaves no after taste which is one of its best qualities in my opinion. No pucker or bitterness. We liked this choice a lot.

Food dish #2 – Pub fish and chips, $10 :  Battered in the Four Peaks Kilt Lifter brew, these fried fish strips are served with classic tarter sauce. When ordered with a side of deliciously crispy, beer-battered fries, this meal will satisfy any local’s craving for a taste of London.

The food at Four Peaks Brewery is a step up from the average sports bar menu. Some of their bolder items for a sports bar include the Thai hummus appetizer, salmon BLT and shrimp carbonara. It is nothing to write home about. Far from gourmet. But food is not their forte – beer is.

Best of all, the Four Peaks menu offers beer pairing suggestions for all items except their salads, soups and pizza. It could be just me, but I would say any beer goes with pizza. Maybe that’s an unwritten understanding.

The Oatmeal Stout is noted as the regulars’ choice and described in the menu as “chocolaty and very creamy.” It is said to pair well with menu items such as the Reuben sandwhich and the tap room tenderloin.

A large chalkboard inside the brewpub lists the microbrews served, as well as the seasonal selections, with their alcohol content percentage. The highest is their current seasonal brew, Double Knot, at 9.2 percent.

Our server Aracelli, sporting the classic Four Peaks uniform of short shorts and a black Four Peaks tank top recommends the 8^th Street Pale Ale and the cheese puffs specialty appetizer (not necessarily as a pairing).

Overall, the service at Four Peaks Brewery was good, the food is above average for a sports bar and very reasonably priced, and the inside atmosphere is industrial yet modern. The beer is a breath of fresh air in Arizona as most bars and restaurants offer the same line of commonly named drafts and bottles with minimal change.

I am not a beer connoisseur… or a food connoisseur for that matter. But I can guarantee Four Peaks Brewery will be on my list next time I am in Arizona.

For more information/hours/directions for Four Peaks Brewery and Four Peaks Grill and Tap, visit: fourpeaks.com. (Both locations offer patio (with misters) seating and a $3 pint/$11 happy hour.)

For a list of Arizona breweries, visit: http://beerme.com/region.php?61

More statistics and information about our country’s breweries can be found at: http://www.brewersassociation.org/

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Labor Day weekend heralds the longest running balloon festival in Colorado. Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings at 7:00 hundreds of balloons launch from Memorial Park in Colorado Springs. This was my virgin year, but people from all over the state have risen early in the morning for the past 34 years to witness the launch of the balloons.Click to view slideshow.

What a beautiful sight! Balloons were everywhere, floating weightlessly in the air, bobbing over the lake, and eclipsing the bright morning sun for a few mysterious seconds. If one were to watch from the opposite shore of the balloon launching this sight would be his alone. Closer to the park the crowd grows very thick, but the excitement of the crowd is worth experiencing as well as the solitary view.

Saturday and Sunday evenings at 7:30 spectators can also experience Balloon Glo at the park. That’s when the balloons return for the day. The flames from the balloon create a warm glow across the park. I didn’t go this year, but next year I definitely want to get in on the landing of the balloons as well as the launching. It looks like a great photo opportunity. If you’d like to see photos I found some good ones on flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aquiggle/815526285/in/photostream/

The Capitol Hill neighborhood is home to beautiful Victorian-style houses, independent coffee shops and cafes, the governor’s mansion, and a plethora of bike riders and runners down the tree-lined, one-way streets. It is my absolute favorite neighborhood I have yet to come across in Denver, and Cheesman Park has helped to make it that way.

Cheesman Park on 8th Avenue in Denver, Colo.

On any given day – rain, snow, sleet or sun – you can find runners conquering the weather to train. It’s no wonder Denver was ranked No. 1 for “America’s Fittest Cities” by Travel & Leisure (http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-fittest-cities/1).

When the weather is pleasant, park visitors can be found performing yoga, sitting on a bench playing guitar, throwing around a football and taking part in a volleyball game, among other activities. The Colorado AIDS Walk is held at Cheesman Park each August, and weddings and dance lessons are often held at the park’s pavilion.  (http://www.aidswalkcolorado.org/aids_walk_colorado/index.html)

Cheesman Park is known to many city dwellers as the “gay friendly” park. Located on 8^th Avenue, on Capitol Hill’s boarder, it is a highly populated area for homosexuals, but also a trendy, individualistic neighborhood for college-aged residents and young professionals. It is an area of variety and culture, and is not short of a little history as well. Click to view slideshow.

What not all park goers know when visiting Cheesman Park, or neighboring Congress Park and the Denver Botanic Garden, is that there are an estimated 5,000 other bodies there with them. According to DenverGov.org, the land was used as Denver’s first cemetery – City Cemetery – until 1892.

Based on information from LeonardLeonard.com, Colorado U.S. Senator Henry pushed congress to allow the land to be changed into a park. Friends and relatives were given 90 days to remove their loved ones from their burial ground. Many of the bodies that had not been removed by the deadline were then excavated by workers hired by the city. Even after, many were rumored to be left behind due to unmarked graves.

Websites including: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/co-cheesmanpark.html and http://www.prairieghosts.com/cheesman.html, as well as locals, tell the tales of Cheesman Park’s haunts. It is said that grave outlines can be seen throughout the park at dusk and many of the buildings along the outside of the park are haunted by spirits once (or still) buried there.

Whatever the case, Cheesman Park has history. It is a fantastic park to relax in and read a good book or to go for a run at. In the best neighborhood of Denver, Cheesman tells a story of the past, and becomes a part of visitors’ tales today.

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This past Sunday, Kim and I headed down to City Park Jazz. Several thousand people gathered around the stage to dance to, listen, and enjoy the talents of the band La Candela. The light, happy, contagious atmosphere affected us and we paid $15 to rent a peddle boat on the lake. We peddled around for an hour enjoying the sounds of the band and the enormous crowd of people.

Our view from the lake

After we came ashore I got my land legs back, and we headed to the dance floor in front of the stage. The crowd moved, shaked, shimmied, leaped, sauntered, and twirled all at the same time, a mass pulsation that Kim and I stood on the edge of.  La Candela played primarily salsa music, but I did catch wind of a merengue song I liked very much.

Ariana Gutierrez looks on as Madeleine Joyce bends and dances to the music of La Candela.

Merengue is a relatively new musical style from the Dominican Republic. Dominican musician Nico Lora created it in the 1920s and the dictator Rafael Trujillo popularized it for 30+ years. He ordered merengue songs be written in his honor, many extolling his handsome looks, intelligence and popularity with the women. I’ve seen his picture; he may be intelligent but I wouldn’t believe one word about his good looks or luck with the ladies. Trujillo was such a nut case that he ordered churches to put up signs that said, “”Dios en cielo, Trujillo en tierra.” (God in heaven, Trujillo on earth.)

The crowd at City Park certainly liked merengue too. I couldn’t help shaking my hips a bit, but I hadn’t had anything to drink and my camera weighed me down so I stood on the edge of the dance floor snapping photos.

Kim Lunacek and John Wyatt dance to the music of La Candela at City Park Sunday night.

Kim and I are returning to City Park Jazz this Sunday. Tuxedo Junction will wrap up the series with 1940s big band songs and tributes to the Andrew Sisters, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, and more. I hope there’s dancing!