The 3-mile (4.8 km) segment opened on March 10, 1984 and is a restored segment at the upper end of the historic Colorado Central main line up Clear Creek Canyon west of Golden. It climbs approximately 640 feet (195 m) between the 2 towns. The longer main line up the canyon was constructed in the wake of the Colorado Gold Rush and was used extensively during the silver boom of the 1880s to haul silver ore from the mines at Silver Plume. The Loop portion of the line was the crowning segment of the line at the top of the gorge and features a 95-foot (29 m) high trestle. The entire line, including the Loop, was dismantled in 1939, but interest in restoration of the Loop segment as a tourist attraction in the 1970s led to the construction of a new high bridge and the refurbishment of the segment, which reopened in 1984.

The train ride includes an optional walking tour of the Lebanon Silver Mine, located at the halfway point on the railroad. Visitors walk 500 feet (152 m) into a mine tunnel bored in the 1870s while guides point out the rich veins of silver and relate the history of the mine.

Passengers board the train at depots located in Silver Plume and Georgetown.  Visit www.georgetownlooprr.com for more information.

For a costly project like reroofing your home, the pressure to choose the right roofing contractor can be intense. Everyone has heard stories of fly-by-night companies who disappear once they’ve received their first payment, or, even worse, who disappear leaving your home covered by only a tarp! In order to avoid disreputable roofers, here are the three main things to consider.

• Location: Using a local roofer with a list of happy, local clients is a good sign that the roofing company is legitimate. BBB in Denver can also verify the roofing company is locally registered.
• Reputability: Highly trained roofing contractors who work with quality materials will be happy to share references. Look for both references from within the last 30 days and the past 3 years.
• Warranty: Every Denver roofing company should be able to offer a guarantee on their product. This is typically offered by the manufacturer. Not all roofing companies warranty their own labor. Excel Roofing does.

Click for more information on how to choose a Denver roofing company.

Radiation therapy, also referred to as radiotherapy, is a non-invasive procedure that uses radiation to kill brain, lung, spine, prostate, liver, pancreas and kidney cancer cells. Five-year survival rates for early stage primary lung cancer patients undergoing this type of treatment have been reported in the range of 10-30%, which is lower than the survival rates of patients treated with surgery.

Conventional radiation therapy, called external beam radiation therapy, typically involves delivery of wide beams of radiation that encompass both the tumor and a significant amount of surrounding healthy tissue. These wide beams of radiation are necessary because tumors move as patients breathe. During this treatment, the radiation dose is limited to decrease the toxicity to the patient that can result from injuring healthy lung tissue. Therefore, conventional external beam radiation therapy is usually delivered in small doses of 30 to 40 sessions over four to six weeks. Rates of toxicity range widely in published studies, with short-term severe toxicity ranging from 10-30% and long-term severe toxicity (radiation pneumonitis) reported as 18%; attempts to increase the dose of radiation being delivered using conventional radiation therapy methods have resulted in even greater toxicity.

Because tumors with the chest can move large amounts as the patient breathes, it is necessary to irradiate with wide fields that include a large amount of normal surrounding tissue during this treatment. However, several techniques – such as respiratory gating, breath holding and the use of frames – have been developed to better compensate for this tumor motion and allow for smaller radiation fields to be used.

Visit www.denverck.com to learn more.

Diamond Color also has it grading schedule and you should be familiar with it when you are shopping for her diamond engagement ring.  GIA has reestablished a new diamond color grading scale from the one that had been used for years.  There had been much confusion in the Diamond Color Scale because or the many variations and how gemologists were interpreting the various Diamond Color Scales.  The new GIA Scale starts from the letter ‘D’ and goes all the way to ‘Z’. A  Diamond Color D is considered to be colorless while a diamond Color Z will be yellowish brown.  The further along in the alphabet in the diamond color chart the more color it will have and thus less expensive.

You can Sonny’s Rocks for guidelines on the value of various grades of diamonds including diamond color cut clarity and carat.

• Diamond Color D, E, F : are colorless and are of highest value

• Diamond Color G, H, I, J :  are near colorless. The near colorlessness of G, H, and diamond color I are  not noticeable to the untrained eye

• Diamond Color K, L, M :  are considered faint yellow. at this grade you can start to notice the coloring when compared side by side with a colorless or near colorless diamond.

• N, O, P, Q, R: are referred to as very light yellow. I would like to remind you that light getting through the walls of the diamond is critical to the beauty factor. Therefore I would not recommend going beyond this diamond color.  If you need to go into or past this diamond color grade for budget reasons make sure you choose a setting that allows for a lot of light to pass through it (i.e. Solitaire setting) or look into buying her favorite gemstone.

Visit www.sonnysrocks.com to learn more about Denver engagement rings.

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