Expedition Health at DMNS
Posted by catchcarri in CO, Denver, Health, Museums on June 1, 2012
Take part in a research study guided by the National Institute of Health
Expedition Health at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science takes a hands on approach to explain how the human body works. The exhibit’s theme, personal to Colorado, shows how the body adapts climbing to the summit of a 14,000 foot peak. At the beginning of the exhibit, you will choose an expedition buddy who was monitored while climbing Mount Evans. Through their real life experiences you will learn about exercise physiology and heart rate.
You will also have the chance to engage in interactive activities that show how your own body reacts to physical activity and climate change. At the entrance you are given a card to track your body’s reactions during activities like peddling on a bicycle.
Another section is Biology Basecamp, where visitors put on lab coats to play the part of a scientist. After taking a cheek swab you can look at your own cells through a microscope. Visitors can also test common breakfast cereals for protein and sugar content.
You can also take part in a research study called The Genetics of Taste. The study tests if your genes play a role in your ability to taste a bitter substance called propylthiouracil.
Here are the steps to taking part in the study.
1. Fill out a quick questionnaire
2. Swap your cheek for a DNA Sample
3. Taste a thin piece of paper to see if you can taste the propylthiouracil- a bitter substance
4. Measure height and weight
5. Paint your tongue blue! By doing this the taste buds stay pink so researchers can count them after taking a picture.
Visit DMNS.org for more information and tickets
*Tickets included with general admission
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Wildest Weather in the Solar System
Posted by catchcarri in Uncategorized on June 1, 2012
Courtesy National Geographic
Take a thrilling voyage to the center of the Solar system. Wildest Weather in the Solar System is playing at the Denver Museum on Nature and Science through June 14. From your seat in the Gates Planetarium you will see some of the most dramatic, destructive and mysterious weather in the solar system.
Jump aboard “Arion,” a ship that will swiftly fly through hail storms as large as boulders, dodge the lightning bolts of Jupiter and breeze through the wild winds of Neptune. Each stop tells a story of miraculous weather. You won’t want to miss this adventurous ride.
Showtimes:
Through June 14, 2012
Mon – Thurs: 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m.
Fri – Sun: 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m.
Run Time:25 minutes
- Members: $7 for adults, $6 for juniors (ages 3-18) and seniors.
For Nonmembers: $10 for adults, $8 for juniors and seniors.
Visit DMNS.com to purchase tickets.
*Check DMNS.org for showtimes after June 14, 2012.”
Yoga Rocks the Park
This coming Sunday you can bend, stretch and contort into yoga poses in Denver’s Great Outdoors. Yoga Rocks the Park is kicking off it’s 4th season at the Sunken Gardens at 9:30 a.m. while the birds are still chirping. Yoga Rocks the Park is scheduled at various Denver parks through September 16. Each week a different musician accompanies the yoga practice as well as a new teacher.
The creator of Yoga Rocks the Park, Erik Vienneau, calls outdoor yoga a grassroots movement. When he started the program four years ago he wasn’t sure that anyone would show up. “I was amazed to see people walking towards me with yoga mats ,” says Vienneau. About thirty people showed up for the first event. Now, numbers reach into the hundreds.
“It feeds the need. It’s bigger than yoga. People are here to connect.” reveals Vienneau.
5 reasons to give outdoor yoga a go.
1. It will invigorate your practice and shake you from a routine studio.
2. Outdoor classes add a new dimension by bringing yoga back to it’s original link with nature.
3. Find inspiration in the outdoors by focusing awareness, breathing deeply and practicing stillness.
4. Learn to embrace rather than battle the elements. A little cool wind can bring stamina, the warmth of the sun may allow you to deepen poses and wavering grass could bring focus.
5. A portion of the net revenue is donated to Colorado based, non profit Yoga World Reach. The program offers yoga as an alternative therapy to people around the globe.
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Colorado’s Rugged Maniac Breaks Record
Posted by catchcarri in adventure, Adventure Races, CO, Fitness, Health on May 28, 2012
With creator of Rugged Maniac, Rob Dickens
The Rugged Maniac in Lakewood, CO reached new heights and shattered a record in the process. Temperatures fell below 50 degrees F. making this race the coldest Rugged Maniac penciled into the books. The rain fell fast and steady, matching the heart beats of thousands of racers anxiously awaiting the start. BANG! And we were off, slipping, sliding, grinding with every bit of grit and determination we could muster to attack this Rugged Maniac!
Rolling dirt hills became muddy terrain providing no traction for racers. Rain soaked ropes meant to help racers summit steep hills became so slick they were tough to grip. Splashing into pools to maneuver over lap lanes sent chills down participant’s mud covered bodies.
The Rugged Maniac is in the running for the toughest obstacle Run, With a course jam packed with obstacles racers have no time to catch their breath before it’s time to face a new fear. One of the most unique obstacles is the Normandy climb. Dive into underground tunnels with no lights or sound seeping through. After you make your way back onto ground, get ready for more.
Missed Colorado? To sign up for other nation-wide events visit Rugged Maniac.com
Tough Mudder Tests Grit & Determination
Posted by catchcarri in Adventure Races, CO, Health, Races on May 21, 2012
Rule number one of the Tough Mudder- it’s a challenge not a race. This challenge has made a bold name for itself as one of the biggest and baddest. In fact, only 80% of participants finish. The course tests teamwork, toughness, fitness, strength and mental grit. Time is not of the essence- there is not even a clock to time participants. The point is to promote teamwork and camaraderie. Finishing is a victory in it’s own right.
About the course: Distances range between 10 and 12 miles and are spiced up with challenges and obstacles. Although the exact challenges for each event are different- expect hills, mud, water, ropes, walls and a dance over fire. You will also come face to face with fears- whether it’s heights, claustrophobia or running through electrical wires. Yes, electrical wires. ZZZAAAP!
How did the Tough Mudder get so tough? The CEO of the company, Will Dean, was in Harvard Business School when he started visioning the race. A college professor snuffed his idea, telling people would shy away from participating if the race wasn’t timed. With fire still burning, he decided to keep on keeping on and put on a race in Allentown, PA in 2010. He didn’t quite meet his goal of 400 participants. Turns out, he far exceed it when over 5,000 people showed up to claim Tough Mudder status.
Since the inaugural race, the numbers of participants continues to grow so quickly it’s hard to keep up. This year, there are 35 scheduled events. With an ambitious team behind Tough Mudder, they thought why not double it? That’s right, next years slate includes 70 events including every state and several other countries.
Oldies but Goodies:
If you are 80 years or older you race for free! Tough Mudder was so inspired after an 81-year-old man rocked the course and will be back out again this year.
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Catch Carri nominated for One Lovely Blog Award
Posted by catchcarri in Uncategorized on May 19, 2012
Thanks so much to Round the Bend Blog http://kimolgren.wordpress.com/ and Love Living in Colorado http://lovelivingincolorado.wordpress.com/ for nominating CatchCarri.com the “One Lovely Blog Award!”
I am excited Catch Carri has been nominated for sharing a unique take on adventures. My focus is to inform and inspire people to engage with the world around them. Even if you are in your home state I can assure you it’s ok to be a tourist!
7 new things about myself
- I can’t do a backwards somersault but hope to accomplish this feat someday!
- Fitness is another major passion of mine. There is nothing like summiting a 14,000 peak or breaking your own personal record in a half marathon.
- When you are in college you don’t always get to be picky about jobs! One of the most eccentric jobs I have had was dressing up as a bobble head Dora the Explorer. Luckily the costume smiled for me because as kids bombarded and nearly tackled me I wasn’t!
- Yoga is the most powerful way I have found to tune the world out and come back to center.
- I added a second major in college because I wasn’t ready to graduate! I graduated with a dual degree in Technical Journalism and Speech Communications.
- I work as writer at a Denver TV Station, a travel correspondent for Trip TV and also have a freelance video production business. I have traveled as far south as Panama to make promotional web videos for my company, First-Take-Features.
- Count me out of a swanky hotel! When I am traveling I seek hostels or host family’s to connect with culture.
I am passing the nomination to 15 other blogs that I find are innovative, inspiring and entertaining.
Rules of acceptance (as mentioned by other bloggers):
*thank the person who nominated you and link back to them in your post
*share 7 things about yourself
*nominate 15 or so bloggers you admire
*contact your chosen bloggers to let them know
Yogis Stretch out in Brewery
Posted by catchcarri in Breweries, CO, Denver, Health on May 18, 2012
Yogis stretched out their mats at Wit’s End Brewery on Saturday to bliss out. Turns out, yoga followed by beer is becoming a new trend. Charles Ferentchak masterminded the idea of “Brewasana’ to promote one his favorite breweries, yoga teachers and a good cause.
Ferentchak works for Boulder based Rally Software, a company that requires employees to give back. “One percent of our time is meant to do community good,” says Ferentchak. His volunteer time has already been clocked for the year but he has the bug to keep doing more. “It’s really more empowering than tiring. We put this together less than a week before and I think we had a great turnout,” reveals Ferentchak.
Twenty people showed up with a $15 donation (benefits Same Café) ready to drink up after stretching out. Let be honest, a brewery in an industrial park isn’t the most romantic place for yoga. But with the calmness and consciousness Brittany Belisle brings to her classes you will find yourself in a yoga groove, forgetting the brewery atmosphere. Well, until it’s time to redeem a drink ticket for a microbrew.
It’s not just veteran yogi’s that are throwing out handstands and full wheels either. Belisle sees Brewasana as a wonderful way for newbie’s to hit the mat. “Yoga can be intimidating. Breweries not as intimidating.”
With the success of the event Brewery owner Scott Witsoe, Ferentchak and Belisle are thinking of making it a monthly tradition. So long as yogis come out of shavasana before beer clubs and brewery lovers file in.
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Rugged Maniac set to take Denver by Storm
Posted by catchcarri in adventure, Adventure Races, CO, Denver, Fitness on May 13, 2012
The set up for Rugged Maniac is no picnic in the park. The crew heads West a week before the race to start constructing the obstacles. “Our obstacles are some of the biggest and baddest,” says COO of Rugged Maniac, Rob Dickens. How could you argue when they are designed by Navy Seals?
Dickens says the intensity of the obstacles is similar to what you will find at Tough Mudder, with one exception. “Rugged Maniac is a distance people can handle, so it’s more accessible to people.” The course zooms by with twenty obstacles packed into a 5k course. A new obstacle this year will challenge racers by climbing ladders up and over massive stacked shipping containers. They will also encounter the Normandy Crawl, reminiscent of World War II; guiding racers to climb under wires and through mud filled tubes. Not to worry you won’t be in the crosshairs of fire, but go quick and watch your hands and feet!
Pump up the jams, because the after party has a reputation for being a rockin’ good time and if the race wasn’t enough of a gut check, the party will be! Once the kegs are tapped the beer won’t stop flowing until it’s gone, with music blasting and people cheering. Look for the mechanical bull, beer pong tables and inflatables to keep everyone in the party going strong.
To register visit: RuggedManiac.com
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Cash in for a Wealth of Knowledge at the Money Show
Posted by catchcarri in Denver, Museums, Tours on May 11, 2012
Cash some chips in tomorrow to catch the last day of the money show at the Colorado Convention Center. Some of the world’s most famous rare coins and paper money are on display for the National Money Show. It’s a big bang for your six-dollar buck! Here are the highlights.
Billion Dollar Case. You may think you are seeing double- but there really are 6 zero’s on the 5 million dollar Treasury note. Also in the display are 10,000 bills- the largest denomination of paper money produced in the United States.
Rare Coins
1913 Liberty Head Nickels
-Valued at $2.5 million
-1st coin authorized by George Washington
-Only 5 are on record
1792 Silver “Half disme”
-Valued at $220,000
-Only 1,500 produced
-Produced before the U.S. mint was in operation
1804 Dollar
-Valued at $3.5 million
-Only 6 on record
Collectors and exhibitors are ready to show you the money. Their impressive collections show off coins from around the world- some are for purchase anywhere from 1 to 1 million dollars. “I got this bug collecting coins. It’s a virus. You can suppress it but you can not cure it,” says Oded Paz the President of the Elongated Collectors.
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The National Money Show
Hall C of the Colorado Convention Center
May 12 10-4
$6 dollars
Children under 12 free
Denver Beer Company Unveils Incredible Pedal IPA
Posted by catchcarri in Breweries, CO, Denver, Fitness on May 4, 2012
Cruise your cruiser, race on your road bike or make a statement on a unicycle… you get the point- as long as you’re peddling to Denver Beer Company to swoop up the latest brew. The “Incredible Pedal IPA” is named so because a rigged up bike milled the barley used to make the beer. The creative minds at Salvegetti Bike Shop hooked a mill to a stationary bike that chomps the barley into brew ready form. Last month, people pedaled their hearts out as if they had the yellow jersey during the Tour de France to supply the power for the bike. Now the beer is on tap, but for a limited amount of time. The beer debuted after a spring ride starting at Wash Park and finishing at Denver Beer Co. Shifting gears upon arrival- give your legs a rest and enjoy a cold one because one dollar from each beer sold benefits Bike Denver. The organization encourages bicycling as part of a healthier life and environment.
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Denver Beer Company
1695 Platte Street
CatchCarri
I want to be a tourist for a living inspiring people to live
