The Traveling Widower

Tag: photography

  • A Visit to Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience!

    Fossilized skull of a Tyrannosaurus rex showcasing large teeth and intricate bone structure.

    July 28th, 2026

    What? Van Gogh painted T-Rex skulls? Really?

    Just kidding. Read on.

    The Van Gogh exhibit has been traveling around the country for years, and I have always wanted to see it. I had an appointment back at Fallraven in the late morning, with their tailor to adjust a pair of pants, and the place hosting the exhibit was relatively close by. I checked for tickets, and it seemed wide open, so after I was done with the tailor, I cruised on over planning to just buy a ticket when I got there. There were some people standing by the entrance when I got there, staring at their phones. As I approached the doors, one person said the doors were locked. Hmmm. They already had tickets, and were looking a bit unhappy. I knocked on doors a few times, but no answer. Someone checked on the website again, and discovered that the exhibit was closed today – no shows at all. That was not indicated earlier in the day. Bummer. I’m glad I did not purchase a ticket in advance.

    I have learned the past three years to just go with the flow instead of getting ticked off. No harm done, so I just looked for something else to do. I have not been to the Denver Museum of Science and Nature in about, oh, forty or so years, and I recalled they had a great dinosaur exhibit. And there was a more than slight probability that the museum has improved since then.

    I do not recall what parking was like in the 1980’s, but it certainly needs to be improved now. Along with signage. I wound up on a narrow road going past the museum, and dead-ending in a very small parking lot in City Park. But, it was empty, parking was free, and it did not seem too far from the museum. Too bad I left my hiking poles back at the hotel – it was a bit of adventure finding the entrance. I had to cross a large grassy meadow to reach what was a blank wall of the building. No entrance. 

    A peaceful park scene featuring a paved path winding through lush green grass and trees, with a cloudy sky in the background.
    Grassy meadow
    A paved walkway leading towards a modern building with a textured facade, surrounded by greenery and sparse trees.
    No entrance here

    I asked a very bored looking grandfather keeping an eye on his grandkids where the entrance was. He just said – you’ve got a ways to go, and pointed at the path. Great. I kept on walking and wound up eventually in what I thought was the front of the building, with the big, grand staircase. Nope. Not the entrance. 

    Stairway leading up to the entrance of Sturm Family Plaza, featuring modern handrails and a glass barrier.
    Looks like the entrance….not.

    There was a construction entrance on the left hand side of the stairs – a kind worker said I needed to walk to the North side of the building. $#!#$!!!

    But, I found a real entrance on the other side of the stairs. I was thinking that I might have to call Uber to get back to the car later on.

    Upon entering, and paying my senior entrance fee (one of the few good things about being old), I discovered that a lot has changed – there was a huge, modern addition added on to the original building. And they now charge extra for most of the more interesting exhibits. But there was still a lot to see, so I stumped off, doing my best to avoid being crushed by the mobs of school children, being herded around by anxious teachers and parents. 

    One of the museum volunteers recommended I start on the third floor, and hit the ‘Changing Landscape’ exhibit..which was free. Did I look like a cheap old person? Must be. But the exhibit was marvelous, focusing on climate change impact on four famous locations – Easter Island, Mesa Verde, the Pyramids/Sphinx and Venice. Each had sort of a 3D, immersive display – not quite like the volcano experience at the Perlon museum in Reykjavik, but still pretty cool. Here’s a few snapshots and videos.

    A row of ancient stone statues, known as Moai, standing on a stone platform against a clear blue sky, with an expansive landscape of grass and rocks in the background.
    A virtual reality environment showcasing a panoramic view of the pyramids and the Sphinx in a desert landscape, with informative text displayed on the walls.
    A panoramic view of the pyramids at Giza, displaying the Great Pyramid and its surroundings on a large digital screen.
    A digital projection of the Pyramids of Giza against a clear blue sky, showcasing the ancient structures in a desert landscape.
    A projection of ancient ruins at Mesa Verde, highlighting the effects of drought-fueled fires on the landscape, with bilingual captions in English and Spanish.

    Most of the other exhibits were standard natural museum fare – lots of dead, stuffed animals. The gem/rock exhibit was closed, but they did have a Prehistoric Journey exhibit open – dinosaurs! It was very well done, taking you through the history of life from the beginning, through the evolution of mammals through the Cenozoic Period (last 61 million years…post dinosaurs). And they had some interesting assembled skeletons. Very nice. 

    Two large dinosaur skeletons displayed in a museum, featuring a T-rex in the background and a spinosaurid in the foreground.
    Two dinosaur skeletons displayed on a rocky surface, showcasing the spiny back of one and the rounded body of the other.
    Aerial view of various animal skeletons displayed in a museum, including large and small fossils, with informative signage in the foreground.
    Fossilized skull of a dinosaur displayed in a museum setting, showcasing detailed bone structure and mounted on a black stand.
    Fossilized remains of a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex, displayed in a museum setting with a label indicating 'Teen Rex' from North Dakota.

    I had enough by then, I did not want to push my luck any further dodging mobs of children, so I exited the museum, and started the long trek back to the car. A very large thunderhead was passing over, which made me more than a little nervous walking across the large, open meadow….there were flashes of lightning overhead. But, I made it back to the car without getting burned to a cinder by a bolt of lighting. 

    All told, including my morning treadmill exercise, I walked about 5 miles today. I had been hoping to do one or two hikes this week. This counts as the first. And I still have a couple of days left if I really want to see that Van Gogh thing. 

    Peace

  • The Colorado Quandary

    Scenic mountain landscape with hikers on a rocky trail, surrounded by lush greenery and snow-capped peaks under a blue sky with clouds.
    AI generated

    July 26th, 2026

    This blog has been multi-purpose for me. I get to share photos and write strange stories about my travels and musings on topics like photography, solo travel, the great outdoors, and whatever else crosses my mind when I’m sitting in front of my iMac or iPad. One other broad topic which I touch on once in a while, is my life as a widower – my world was turned upside down, and maybe inside out as well, when my wife passed a few years ago, so it’s hard to avoid it entirely since it’s the reason I’m doing this blog and all the travel. Well, this is one of those posts – I’m in Colorado, staying in a great hotel, with lots of time to think about my past in this wonderful place, and what I want to do going forward with my life. And of course, I wrote a post after spending a very nice day shopping for hiking gear, and then meeting with some close friends for an outing and dinner at one of my favorite restaurants (hint: gnomes).

    Colorado will always be home to me – I always wanted to live here after geology field camp in my junior year of undergraduate school, and then spending 2 months in North Park my first year of graduate school. When Jan received a job offer to move to Denver in the 1980, I was in heaven. Even as Denver and Colorado grew and became somewhat “Californicated”, I still felt blessed to be living there. Each time we moved elsewhere, we always wound up moving back. I recall when things fell apart for my job in Richmond Virginia and I wanted to move elsewhere for better jobs, Jan and I were in a REI in Atlanta, which had the walls decorated with photos of all the fourteen thousand foot peaks in Colorado. I may have started crying. Jan just shrugged, gave me a hug, and said “Let’s go home”. Which we did. I remember jumping for joy in front of the “Welcome To Colorado” sign when we cross the border from Nebraska. I never wanted to leave again. But of course, we did.

    The last two times we moved back from California did not work out well for Jan. The first time, when I was still working for Google, Jan was unable to find a job so when I switched groups at Google, and was told to move back to California, she was thrilled beyond belief. I was not too thrilled but was really looking forward to be back at the Google mother ship.

    The last time was when we moved during Covid – even Jan admitted that was a mistake to leave California. She panicked. But once we got to Colorado,  she hated where we built our house, and was so unhappy with the weather and tennis, that she gave me that ultimatum – “I’m going back to California – you can go with if you want”. She had a lot to drink that night. Well, I agreed since I kind of missed the access to the ocean, and I had the heart condition thing.

    Now I’m on my own since Jan’s death, and I’m considering whether I should move somewhere else. I’d like to get into a single story house now that I’ve developed a degenerative condition in my legs, and that means I’ve got to move somewhere else. The million dollar question is “where?”

    I could just buy a different house in Gold River – simple life, HOA takes care of the front yard, but I’m turning into a hermit there when I’m in between trips. I’m not good at making new relationships, so I spend most of my time alone. I could just stay in my current abode, but there’s that second story issue, and the house is a Jan Museum. Too many memories, including her passing in my favorite room. Every piece of furniture brings back memories, and i spend little time if any, in the room we used the most, to sit and chat with a glass of wine or two. The traveling part of the Traveling Widower is easy and fun, the widower part really sucks. 

    I could move back to the South Bay Area – I can afford it, and would enjoy the easy access to the coast, but I really do not have any close friends there anymore. I rarely if ever hear from anyone we knew. I’d have the same isolation issue that I have here, having to join photo clubs, church groups – anything to get me out of the house. 

    So what’s left – Palm Desert? Way too hot in the summer. A nice place to have a second home. LA – I have a couple of cousins there, but it’s just too huge and crowded. Other states and cities – same problem about building a social network, but from scratch.

    And then there is Colorado. That’s my quandary (not the 14’teener picture in the header, Mt. Quandry, which I’ve hiked a few times). I still love the state, have some of my closest friends here who I’m visiting with on this trip, medical care is great, a major airport for all the strange places I go to (direct flight to Winnipeg!) great restaurants, museums, culture and of course, all the mountains. I probably will never hike the 14’teeners, but maybe that motorized exoskeleton device will help – it could happen.

    So what are the downsides of moving back? Aside from the winters (climate change seems to be helping there), it is also the memories of my life with Jan. We spent the better part of our lives here, and we’ve traveled together through most of the state. Every time I drive from the airport to whatever place I’m staying at, I get flooded by memories – places we used to dine at, all the stores we visited every time we built or remodeled a home, the hotels and resorts we stayed at across the state. Wonderful times, but sad memories. 

    So what is the solution? Beats the heck out of me. My 2+ years of life as a widower has really changed my perspective on life, that being how unpredictable things can be. Once you hit your mid-70’s, you really do have to think about those “what ifs”. I’ve been considering moving into a condo, rather than a stand-alone home in my next move – I love having a yard, but how much longer will I be able to do all the work involved in maintaining the landscaping and outside of the house. It’s a lot of work. And maybe I need to consider what Jan used to call a wrinkle ranch – one of those communities where you can easily transition from active adult to assisted living. Just too many things to consider, and quite frankly, I’m overwhelmed with all the life changes I have had to make in the last three years.

    Perhaps I should just take it slow for now – continue to do research on potential landing zones, and see how things go with my current situation. I’ve been tossing around the idea of buying a second property somewhere – maybe I do that in Colorado somewhere, or rent a property for a few months to see how I like it. Too many choices. 

    I like the take it slow option – I’ll just keep on traveling for now. But maybe start poking around at condos in the Denver area – I drove through downtown yesterday, and I could see myself in one of those high-rises with a view. A potted plant or two on the balcony, enough wall space for my expanding photo gallery…life is good.

    As for that hint about gnomes, I had a great first day on this trip. My shopping goal is to find the ultimate pair of hiking pants – I’ve got a half-dozen pairs at home, but I want something that sheds water, and is more rugged for some of the more adventurous hikes I’ve been taking in colder climates. Yesterday, I visited the Arc’tyrex store in the RiNo district of Denver. It was like a Lewis Black moment, where he jokes about going to a Starbucks, walks out and sees another Starbucks across the street. In this case, Patagonia had a flagship store right across the street. A little slice of heaven. Afterwards, I met a group of friends to watch their son at a swim meet, and then went to dinner at….the Grateful Gnome. I posted about my first visit. This time it was just as good, and just as peculiar. I’d probably weigh 300 pounds if I lived close by. I asked the owner if they sold their own “Grateful Gnome” garden gnome, to add to my collection. Nope. So I bought a t-shirt instead. I may need to join Gnomes Anonymous some day.

    An elderly man in a gray shirt and beige shorts stands next to a large garden gnome statue with a green outfit, holding a shovel, and a small frog at its feet. The gnome has a red hat and a white beard, and a blue bird is perched on its arm.
    A yellow traffic sign that reads 'Gnome Crossing' with silhouettes of two gnomes on it, mounted on a rustic wooden background.

    Funny thing – as we were leaving the restaurant, I looked at the old art-deco movie theater across the street. There were two small relief sculpture embedded in the wall. I kind of thought they looked like gnomes. Take a look for yourself. Gnomes! They are everywhere!

    Front view of a building with peeling blue paint, featuring decorative reliefs on either side of the upper windows. The structure includes signs for 'Berkeley Bodega' and 'Box Office & Snacks.'

    Peace