Charlie6 and his lovely wife Martha had very kindly invited me to stay at their house for the night which I gladly accepted. After riding up Mt Evans earlier in the day, I was tired, but Charlie6 and I stayed up talking for far too long and I then slept like a log!
The next morning saw Charlie6 and I making plans for the day. It was Labor Day and there was a “Taste of Colorado” event happening in downtown Denver, so we discussed going to see that. I didn’t mind where we went, as long as I got a ride in the sidecar of Charlie6’s Ural outfit, Natasha!
After a little more discussion, we decided central Denver it was to be and we soon headed out. I like riding in sidecars, but you have nothing in front of you, it feels like riding a bike, but with no handlebars! I wore a helmet. I looked left and right at junctions. I felt the wind on my face, all just like riding a bike, but you just sit there, not doing much. A strange feeling!
The really good thing about being in the sidecar is you get to use both hands for your camera. I decided to take my GoPro video camera but its battery was flat, so I used my point and shoot camera to take some video. The results were not great, but I decided to have some fun with the few short clips I did take.
Here is a short video I put together from riding in Natasha.... I hope you enjoy it.... I guess Miles and Patrick will.....TURN YOUR SPEAKERS UP!....
I also took some still pictures....
This is approaching downtown Denver....
More Denver buildings.... Having spent a career constructing buildings, you would think I would have no interest in them, but I do....
We stopped behind two scooters and looking at this picture, it raised a few questions in my mind....
Why don’t scooters have license plates?
Would I ride a scooter with a broken indicator (US = turn signal)?
No matter how hot it got, would I ride in shorts?
Somebody might answer the first question for me and the answer to both the others is no.
Government buildings are sometimes bland and boring, but occasionally they are very special. Take a look at this one. It is something like the “Denver Post Office and Federal Building”. I am not sure I have remembered the name properly, but what a beautiful building!....
Charlie6 then remembered a building we should go see. It was a conference centre (US = center) and he said something about a bear....
The bear was splendid – it is standing outside the building in a position that makes it seem the bear is looking into through the glass wall of the centre. Unluckily, at the time, the bear was half in the sun and half in the shade, making a good photo difficult, so I went underneath and looked up....
Next we went to see the State Capitol building, a resplendent structure built in a very traditional style.... so I took a very traditional picture of it.....
I knew I wouldn’t like that picture, so I walked around the building, trying to find a better picture.... here are a few....
I liked the way this dog walker bent over to try to stay out of the picture....
Then there was a statue in front of the building....
I like the angles in this picture....
Another couple of views....
I found this memorial stone in the grounds of the Capitol Building. Considering this was written back in 1983, I thought they were very poignant words for the World Trade Center in New York....
Then I saw this and I thought of Bill Clinton....
I liked this mural. I think it must have been the car that attracted me....
Sometimes you see things that surprise you. I saw this logo on a police car. Charlie6 said it was probably the police motorcycle logo. I liked it....
Here is Charlie6 and the famous Natasha.... He is very good about ATGATT....
We then parked the bike and walked for a while around the “Taste of Colorado” event. It was a warm sunny day and it had bought out the crowds. It seemed though that this cannon was about to take out some of the crowd....
I hope this was a temporary tattoo....
Some of the crowd enjoying a dancing demonstration....
There were some birds of prey on display....
A strange statue nearby....
A covered walkway that reminded me of a similar structure in front of the Vatican in Rome....
My favourite picture from the event. There was a trapeze swing that kids were launching themselves from. Most simple fell onto the air mattress, but this kid gave it everything he had, twisting through the air..... Good for him!....
This guy had a quite a few tattoos. He told me he was in a band that were soon to go on stage.....
We grew weary of the crowds and soon enough, we climbed back onboard Natasha and went back to Charlie6’s house where he made noodles for a late lunch and soon I had to be on my way. Before we left though, we introduced Natasha to the Leading Ladies....
I had a great couple of days with Charlie6. Thank you to both him, Martha and their kids for being so hospitable. Now, if you ever get to London.....
Finally I must say hi to Mark and Jude and their children Dan, Tim and Nikita. Mark is my cousin and they live in New Zealand, not too far from where the recent earthquake hit. I was relieved to hear that you are all ok and not affected by what sounds like a bad one. Take care your five!
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