Millennium Bridge & city lights at sunrise

This morning, I wanted to go on a photography adventure. I am torn by the fact that I haven’t gotten up to the mountains to photograph the changing aspen leaves. Time is running out for that. I halfway planned to get up at 4 a.m. and drive up for a quick shot over an hours drive from home. But my sensible side snagged me back to reality. There is no way that I could head up there for a QUICK trip and still have the rest of the day to do the things that I must.

Instead, I headed downtown, a 15-minute drive, and walked along Speer Boulevard from Confluence Park towards Wewatta Street.

Confluence Park

This is a different world from mine yet the imposing skyscrapers, lights and bridges fascinate me. Oddly enough, it was the many loft-style condos lining the urban landscape that caught my attention. I walked along a couple old-style arched bridges and crossed the railroad corridor.

Speer Boulevard bridge

At first it was so dark that I didn’t realize I was over the railroad until the light rail sped by and then a freight train powered up with horns blasting just as I was taking a photograph of the Millennium Bridge.

Millennium Bridge viewed from where Speer Boulevard crosses over the railroad.

The wall of lofts looked dark and vacant although I am sure they were full of sleeping city dwellers. My eye was drawn to the flicker of a large flat screen TV. This one loft had lights blazing and since it faced the world in glass, I could see someone walking around with the light from the TV dominating the room.

As the day became light, I turned around and caught a view of the lavender-colored continental divide, seen as a backdrop to all of the signs of man and development. Back home, I found a map that showed I had been walking at the very location where the city of Denver was founded 148 years ago. I guess my photography adventure turned into a history lesson.