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9/15-About 10 AM
About a three-mile bike ride from campus, the route to Ruby Hill Park is busy, and packed with cars and bustling people, all in a rush for some reason I cannot comprehend. On this first ride I managed to look past the borderline chaos that I was riding by, instead focusing on what one would not usually notice. I passed Platt Park first, a small grass rectangle with a playground in the back corner. While not the most exciting of parks, I watched as mothers helped their children down the slides, hoisted them up to the monkey bars, or simply just watched as their child enjoyed this public commodity. Platt Park seemed to be doing exactly what it was supposed to be doing; it fit. After crossing 85, I rode alongside the Overland Golf Course, one I have been wanting to play. A fence separated the well-kept fairways from the sidewalk I was riding on, that was alright though, I could still see all I wanted. Rounding the final corner that would set me on a straight shot for the bike park, I crossed a bridge, with a beautifully flowing river under it. It was unexpected, the rare beauty snuck into this neighborhood. Arriving at Ruby Hill I realized that there was much more to the park than I had come for. I was drawn to Ruby Hill because of its public bike park, featuring everything from beginner pump tracks to pro slopestyle lines that I could only gaze at. The mounds of dirt I had come to ride caught my eye at first, but not long after I stopped my bike, and looked all around me. I noticed the playground on top of a long, beautiful grass field, a grass field which had a pair of gorgeous Pinyon Pines in the middle. The leaves rustled in the wind, branches from each tree reaching out to one another, as if a warm embrace between two great friends. I noticed the softball fields are below the hill, I imagine it's a hot spot for young recreational league games all the way up to 65+ leagues, playing the same role nonetheless. During my time at Ruby Hill I watched, I listened, I explored, and I did my best to disconnect from whatever was going on outside of the perimeter of this park. I listened to the birds chirping, whizzing from tree to tree, seemingly never satisfied with what they found. I heard the wind blowing down the hill, towards the river, leaving each blade of grass with a little more bend than it previously had. Loudest of all, I heard the community garden. I saw the fenced in area as I was making my way out of the park, thinking I had observed everything I was ready to be on my way. Missing the garden would have been a huge misstep though, I could hear the community, through the endless buzzing sound, and the bugs I saw whip from plant to plant, it is no doubt the most alive part of the park. Seeing the garden left me with mixed emotions, all of the life was amazing to observe, and it gave me great joy to see such a diverse ecosystem in a public park. In the back of my mind though, I imagined what the garden may look like come my final visit to Ruby Hill, bleak, dead, no more flourishing colors, or buzzing insects with the intent to survive. I will have to wait and see.
9/21-4 AM
Although my site is Ruby Hill Park, I wanted to take this entry to reflect on another place I explored in nature. On Sunday, we departed at 4 AM with Mount Elbert in sight, all of our first 14ers, and the tallest one at that. Despite having to roll out of bed before the sun came up, it was still an incomparable feeling. Knowing that we were going to do something we had never done before, Elbert was also by far the longest hike any of us had gone on. On our way there, the sun slowly but surely came up, unveiling the mountain landscape as the morning progressed.
As we entered Leadville, the valley opened up, and across the way we could see Elbert, the sun barely touching the peak of the mountain, almost as if to highlight the goal for the day. From there, it continued to improve. As we gained elevation, things continued to get more beautiful; everywhere you looked, there was something notable. The Aspen trees are a mix of fiery orange and yellows this time of year, appearing on fire during their transformation.
Quite early on in the hike, I was greeted with the view in the middle picture—a double rainbow, one that I almost missed. My friends had already walked past the gap in the trees, not thinking to glance left. I did, and promptly started yelling at my friends so that they didn't miss out. It was a classic reminder, something that I needed in that moment to refuel my observant mind. A reminder to pay attention, to interact with the world around you, to see the sights, and to climb the mountains. We had a friendly interaction with the Clark's Nutcracker on the right. The little bird was right next to the trail when we walked by, and didn't seem to be phased by human presence. Funny enough, this little guy was actually so comfortable that he swooped in and ate the trail mix that we placed on top of our hats. It was a great experience and is yet again another reminder that we aren't the only beings on this planet.
As we broke the tree line and continued up, it became clearer with every step that we had decided to hike a really, really big mountain. Reaching the summit was a feeling incomparable to anything else, though, although probably sitting at around 30-35 degrees with the wind chill, it was unreal seeing an endless stretch of mountains over the backside of the mountain. Realizing that we were the highest people in Colorado at that moment made the 30K steps worth it. With 11.5 miles under our belt by the time we returned to the car, it was no doubt a successful day, and absolutely was time to rush back home to campus and lie in our beds.
10/13
Today I went to Ruby Hill park on one of the more dreary days I have experienced in my time spent in Denver so far. It was gloomy, with a temperature of about 52 degrees. I noticed early on that the dirt jumps were almost dustier and more ridden since I had last visited. The middle of each takeoff was practically a white line, guiding the riders on the right track as they continued to use the public park at their own will. Over the jumps, there was a tree that reminded me of our time spent on Mount Elbert a couple of weeks ago, though not as fiery as the Aspens had been up at altitude, this tree had the same orange glow that gave the reminder of the months to come.
The softball field still seemed well-kept, and the hill after the playground was plenty green. What seemed different to me was the community garden. As I had expected, the life flourishing inside the fenced-in space seemed dimmer, with far less glow than in September. After standing there for a while, I realized why it felt so different; there was no incessant buzzing of the insects flying about the garden. They had retreated, maybe because of the colder weather, or the stronger winds, but with them left a feeling of life that could be easily recognized with our senses.
After I visited the park, I began looking into the history of Ruby Hill Park as a public space for the Denver community. A key attraction for the Ruby Hill neighborhood and surrounding communities, the park was named after gems that were found in the South Platte River by miners in the late 1800s. The park was developed over the years with additions like the playground, garden, softball field, and dirt jumps. A huge attraction to Ruby Hill Park, the additions of the dirt jumps in 2018 allowed for the greater communities to have even more free public access to a sport like mountain biking. The park itself spans 80 acres and is surrounded by a walking trail, which is popular for both bikers and walkers. The top of the hill offers a great view of the dirt jumps and the entirety of the park.
10/20
Today I went to the bike park on a different bike. Mine was vandalized during the incident a couple of weeks ago, so I had to borrow my buddy's Santa Cruz as a mode of transportation. Today, I noticed that many of the trees that give the park its character were losing leaves, with some completely barren.
Along with some of the trees, much of the foliage and flowers in the community garden are beginning to lose color. As the weather gets colder, the plants have begun to show fewer signs of life, leaving the garden far less vibrant than it was in late summer. The insects are also no longer audible when you approach the garden like earlier in October, as they have moved on to different sources of nutrients with the change in seasons.
Other than the trees that had lost many leaves, some trees were still flourishing with color. Still displaying the seasonal change that happens during these months. The park was not crowded today, it never is, but I still had a thought as I was riding around that tied back in to stuff we talk about in class. The bike park is a great representation of equality in larger metro communities. While not many people may ride the park or have access to a bike to do so, it is still there, put in place for all to enjoy, regardless of class or social status. I like to see these things implemented in larger cities where there is a much larger demographic to cater to, it enables some who may not have been previously exposed to things like jumping on a bike to have a place to step out of their comfort zone and try something that they might not have been able to otherwise. As I rode around, I silently hoped that all people on the planet might have access to things like Ruby Hill Park, and that we all might have the opportunity to experience new things.
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