I've lived in Colorado for 46 years

[Cassidy]

8. I get a catch in my throat whenever I go into the Rockies for the past decade.

I grew up on the eastern Colorado plains and have lived much of my adult life on the Front Range.

I remember when all the conifers were green, not the present high fraction of heinous, ugly, beetle-killed red. I remember when the cabins were hidden in the forest, instead of having the trees cleared to minimize fire spread.

I try to focus on the beauty, but it has changed so much in my lifetime. It will never be the same and this is what we have done.