Page 15 - Sentinel April 2017

PPMD Continued from page 14 ally extends west and then north to a junction with the Conti-
nental Divide at McNamee Peak.
ter-Please Phone or Text Craig Van Doorn at 918-697-9751.
• May 20: Annual Perry Park “Junk Dump” (More in the May For much of its length, it travels very roughly along the north-
Sentinel) ern border of El Paso County. Thus, it forms a natural separator
between the Denver and Colorado Springs metropolitan areas.
All of these events and more will be announced on the PPMD The elevation along the divide varies between about 6,000 and
website at PerryPark.org (and remember to register your email 7,887 feet (1,829 and 2,404 m), with the high point being Bald
so that you receive information announcements). As always, Mountain in southern Douglas County. This peak can be seen
feel free to reach out with questions, concerns, ideas and sug- from I-25 just northeast of Monument Hill.
gestions to INFO@PerryPark.org.
This uplifted area causes a slight increase in precipitation from
2017 brings great changes and opportunities to Perry Park, and the rest of eastern Colorado, resulting in the presence of the
the PPMD looks forward to doing our part to make this truly the Black Forest, a peninsula of trees surrounded by dryer grass-
best community to live in! land plains. The Palmer Divide is also implicated in enhanced
landspout and tornado activity to the east of Denver in the Den-
ver convergence vorticity zone (DCVZ).
WHAT’S WHAT IN THE LARKPUR AREA
Or how to talk like a native... This terrain feature is the cause of several small scale (mi-
croscale or mesoscale) weather patterns and it can make a
There are a lot of people who’ve recently moved to this area— great difference in the weather between Denver and Colorado
many from other states. Things “old timers” take for granted Springs. Although the elevation technically qualifies it for the
are puzzles to them. Recently, on the Larkspur Facebook page, foothills category, it does not parallel a mountain chain as foot-
there was some confusion about the old brick kiln built in the hills generally do; instead, the Palmer Divide is perpendicular
1870s on the Perry Ranch. to the main chain of moun-
No, it is not a kiva. tains. Due to the orientation
of the Palmer Divide with
John Cochran admitted to respect to the eastern plains,
being a little confused about the weather can be similar to
the term “Palmer Divide” that of the foothills during ac-
so he looked it up and sent tive weather with enhanced
this article on to me. How precipitation, especially dur-
about some of the rest of ing snowstorms. Cities and
you? Questions you want towns near the Palmer Divide
answered? References that include Parker, Castle Rock,
go over your head? Send Franktown, Elizabeth, Kiowa,
them along and we’ll get the Elbert, Sedalia, Larkspur,
answer. Or look them up and Palmer Lake, Monument,
then send us the answers! If and northern communities
you have wondered, you are of Colorado Springs, such as
not alone. Others will thank Gleneagle, Black Forest, and
you for raising the question! Briargate.
Sentineleditor10@msn.
com [Basic answer: it’s that big
~KDale ridge between Denver and the Springs. We’re sitting high on
the north slope. Consider: 7350’ on Monument Hill versus the
WHAT IS THE PALMER DIVIDE? 5280’ or so in downtown Denver and the 6000’ or so in down-
From Wikopedia town Colorado Springs. That’s quite a ridge! ~KD]

Named after Colorado Springs founder William Jackson Palm-
er, the Palmer Divide is a caprock escarpment style ridge in
central Colorado that separates the Arkansas River basin from
the Missouri River basin, via the Platte River. It extends from
the Front Range of the Rockies in central Colorado eastward
approximately 80 miles toward the town of Limon. The west-
ern end of the Palmer Divide is popularly considered to be at
Palmer Lake, located south of Denver and north of Colorado
Springs. However, the divide between the two river basins actu-
Perry Park Sentinel April 2017 - Page 15