Snowclad Prairie, Schools and Lowry AFB

A mish-mash of themes from today's ride as the title suggests.

After re-doing the valve checks on Brigitta, my 1987 R80 Beemer, I headed out for an extended ride after a quick lunch brought home by my loving wife who'd been out with my youngest son, shilling for the Cub Scouts.

First, I wanted to see how much snow landed on the prairies to the East of Denver. I headed out on Quincy road as usual and a brisk 20 minutes or so later arrived at Tom Bay Road where the entrance to the International Operating Engineers Union Local #9 is located. I like this spot as it allows one to pose a motorcycle with the lonely looking eastbound road in the background, cutting across a vast looking prairie.

Looking East on Quincy Road

I headed West back toward the city and rode North on Tower Road heading as if going to work at the UAL Training Center. I was hoping for nice views of the front range foothills and distant mountains but the haziness of the day precluded that.

Johnson & Wales on the other hand, a private university founded in 1914 with four major campuses nationwide. I'd seen their dorm buildings surrounding their main campus as I traversed Quebec Street while going to and from the UAL Training Center. This time I went into the campus and got this shot of the main building.

Treat Hall, Johnson & Wales University

Here's one of the proud graduates of this august learning institution. I post this as an indicator of the "not necessarily bad" influence from a blog I frequent called "Twisted Roads". Normally, the fact the young lady is a graduate would not have been enough to rate inclusion in a posting, but the team she works for is the Philadelphia Eagles, and inhabitants of the same state as Mr Riepe.

Her name is Kristie
Courtesy: PhiladelphiaEagles.com

OK, back to the regularly scheduled content.

I next wandered down Quebec Street to capture a picture of what had appeared to me to be a giant ironing board. How little did I know, since its in fact "modern art" and part of the Lowry Redevelopment Complex. No, it's not a freudian reaction to the above picture, just a coincidence!

I've no idea what it really is supposed to represent, it kind of looks like an aircraft wing but...

From the above location though, I spotted a really large aircraft hangar as I exited its vicinity. I found myself at the Wings over the Rockies Aircraft Museum and the sight of the restored B-52 Strato Fortress Bomber pulled Brigitta and I over for a picture.

I wandered along the side of the enormous Hangar #2, Hangar #1 was used to house the aircraft museum in case you're curious. I saw this old remnant of when all the building around me used to be part of Lowry Air Force Base.


I continued riding along the side of this large hangar and finally posed Brigitta at its center entrance.

I continued on, wandering about the historic district of this redevelopment area belonging now to the city of Denver. I spotted the old furnace stacks of the base's old steam plant. It's been converted and refurbished into loft apartments now, but you can still see its origins.

Circa 1960's

Courtesy: steamplantlowry.com

Today, the below building is called the Grand Lowry Lofts, but it started back in 1937 as a WPA building, was used to house Army Air Corps officers during WWII and was also used later by President Eisenhower as a summer vacation retreat during his administration.

Photo courtesy along with info: LINK

Sustineo Alas (I sustain the wings).

Distinctive Insignia of U.S. Army Air Forces Technical Training Command.
Source: Joseph M. Massro, Distinctive Insignia of the U.S. Army Air Forces 1924 - 1947 (International Publishing Co., San Antonio, Tex).as, (c) 1987

The above crest adorns the walls of the Grand Lowry, I found it an interesting piece of air force heraldry.

I headed on home after some more wanderings about the Lowry complex. A nice ride, about four hours of riding and picture taking, added about 100 miles to the monthly mileage count.