Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Wednesday September 30th, and we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, and then a quick summary of other important things happening in our state. Today our focus is on The Grand Valley’s Palisade Plunge which is set to open after 10 years of planning and partnerships.

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

Today, we’re going back to September 30th, 1873 when a remarkable visitor achieved her goal of reaching the summit of Longs Peak, one of the most challenging mountains in Colorado. Isabella Bird, a globetrotting Briton, exhausted her vocabulary in lavishing praise on Estes Park and present-day Rocky Mountain National Park.

Now, today’s feature story.

The soon-to-open Palisade Plunge is the most anticipated mountain bike trail to debut in a decade in Colorado. It’s taken more than 10 years of negotiations between federal and state agencies, local communities, mountain bikers and private landowners. And the end result is a trail that will challenge even the most skilled mountain bikers as they carom down the crown jewel of the Grand Valley’s blossoming outdoor recreation economy. 

Today we have Colorado Sun reporter Jason Blevins joining us on the podcast to talk about the trail, and why it’s significant. 

Thanks for joining Jason, so what exactly is the Palisade Plunge?

Wow, so I understand why this is important for mountain bikers, but can you explain why it’s significant to the grand Valley?

Last question, so, there were a lot of groups involved, but can you talk more about how the trail has emerged as a model for collaborative community wide efforts?

Thanks again for joining us, Jason.

For those of you listening who are hoping to make a trip, planners expect to host an opening event for the first phase of the trail later this fall. When it does open, you should bring more water than you think you need. There is about 1,350-feet of climbing in the 17-mile first phase alone, which begins on Lands End Road and ends in Palisade. It’s not all downhill. 

Thanks for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:

Gov. Jared Polis said he fears some Colorado parents are trying to homeschool their kids without proper planning and curriculums.

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Amazon’s safety team knew there was a problem at its fulfillment center in Thornton. Internal reports that were sent to Amazon safety managers across the country in early 2019 repeatedly flagged the warehouse for having especially high injury rates.

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District leaders told Chalkbeat that each school has the autonomy to select its own reading curriculum, but officials don’t track what schools have chosen.

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In Colorado, where climate change is front and center, John Hickenlooper is favored to unseat Cory Gardner.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It&rsquo;s Wednesday September 30th, and we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Every day we&rsquo;re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, and then a quick summary of other important things happening in our state. Today our focus is on The Grand Valley&rsquo;s Palisade Plunge which is set to open after 10 years of planning and partnerships.
But before we begin, let&rsquo;s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Colorado Day by Day&rdquo;:
Today, we&rsquo;re going back to September 30th, 1873 when a remarkable visitor achieved her goal of reaching the summit of Longs Peak, one of the most challenging mountains in Colorado. Isabella Bird, a globetrotting Briton, exhausted her vocabulary in lavishing praise on Estes Park and present-day Rocky Mountain National Park.
Now, today&rsquo;s feature story.
The soon-to-open Palisade Plunge is the most anticipated mountain bike trail to debut in a decade in Colorado. It&rsquo;s taken more than 10 years of negotiations between federal and state agencies, local communities, mountain bikers and private landowners. And the end result is a trail that will challenge even the most skilled mountain bikers as they carom down the crown jewel of the Grand Valley&rsquo;s blossoming outdoor recreation economy.&nbsp;
Today we have Colorado Sun reporter Jason Blevins joining us on the podcast to talk about the trail, and why it&rsquo;s significant.&nbsp;
Thanks for joining Jason, so what exactly is the Palisade Plunge?
Wow, so I understand why this is important for mountain bikers, but can you explain why it&rsquo;s significant to the grand Valley?
Last question, so, there were a lot of groups involved, but can you talk more about how the trail has emerged as a model for collaborative community wide efforts?
Thanks again for joining us, Jason.
For those of you listening who are hoping to make a trip, planners expect to host an opening event for the first phase of the trail later this fall. When it does open, you should bring more water than you think you need. There is about 1,350-feet of climbing in the 17-mile first phase alone, which begins on Lands End Road and ends in Palisade. It&rsquo;s not all downhill.&nbsp;
Thanks for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:
Gov. Jared Polis said he fears some Colorado parents are trying to homeschool their kids without proper planning and curriculums.
-
Amazon&rsquo;s safety team knew there was a problem at its fulfillment center in Thornton. Internal reports that were sent to Amazon safety managers across the country in early 2019 repeatedly flagged the warehouse for having especially high injury rates.
-
District leaders told Chalkbeat that each school has the autonomy to select its own reading curriculum, but officials don&rsquo;t track what schools have chosen.
-
In Colorado, where climate change is front and center, John Hickenlooper is favored to unseat Cory Gardner.
For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/"> www.coloradosun.com</a>.&nbsp;
The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.
Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you&rsquo;ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again tomorrow.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. For more visit us at https://coloradosun.com/.

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