Terminus: Florida Station

Florida Station is the terminus of the H light rail line that runs from downtown Denver to East Florida Avenue. I confess that I cheated and took  the R line which also stops at Florida Station. The R line passes through Arapahoe Station, which is a mile and a half from my house.

I wouldn't call Florida Station a tourist destination but it is certainly a medical destination and might be a prime birding site in the warmer parts of the year. I noted that the R and H lines also skirt Cherry Creek State Park. I'll be returning sometime.

Like all bus and train stations in the Denver area, this one has been touched by an artist. The structures are modern and the paintings are mottled transparencies on the shelters and pedestrian bridge across the highway. 

Koryn Rolstad designed both the murals, "Our Community Dance", a picture of people doing people things, and the sound in the bridge.

The bridge is a single span covered arch suspension bridge, typical for local stations.

Here's a recording from inside the bridge.

http://www.theriantimeline.com/Florida%20Noise.mp3

The noise from the highway below makes me wonder why. I guess when the traffic dies down...does that traffic ever die down?

Across the bridge is the Aurora Medical Center. It seems to be pretty highly rated with stroke and cardiac emergency centers.

A short walk west brought me to the Jewell Wetlands Park. Like many of the parks in the Denver area, this one served multiple purposes. It seems to be fairly popular with bicyclists, joggers, and groups that just want to get out. That's the people I saw there, but there are displays that are informative about the environment and a butterfly garden. It looks like the people who maintain the park (that would be the City of Aurora), intentionally create a positive environment for wildlife.

The wetlands would have been wet and more attractive,vand there would have been more wildlife if the park was not frozen over at the time. Nature has its cycles.

Here are some pictures.

The park is accessible to people who have problems getting around. The boardwalk shown above is short, but it would be a nice place to park the body and watch birds.

The rest of my day was a search for a department store my phone said was nearby - coulda fooled me, and then a trip back to my regular Walmart for monthly supplies.

Only two more terminal hikes and I'm back to the station-to-station hikes. This year I'll be taking on the RTD W line from Golden to Aurora West Station.

Don't avoid parks that are small and not-particularly-scenic. If there's one thing I've picked up in my wanderings its that every place has its points.