The version on the IMAO podcast (#6) was cut here & there for time & quality reasons.
My unsullied and divinely inspired artistic vision lies within the extended entry…
Welcome to Fun Facts About the 50 States. I’m your host, Harvey, and – week by week – I’ll be taking you on a tour around this great nation of ours, providing you with interesting yet completely useless and probably untrue, information about each of the 50 states.
This week, grab your hiking boots because we’re headed to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, so let’s get started…
Colorado is a large state in the West-central US that has spent the last century battling Wyoming for the coveted title of “Most Rectangular State”.
Although people from Colorado have no distinctive accent, they can still be easily recognized by the fact that, when they say “Coors”, they don’t grimace.
The state of Colorado has an average elevation of 7000 feet above sea level, which, technically, makes its citizens space aliens.
The most common cause of death in Colorado is being struck by low-flying satellites.
Due to its high altitude, water in Colorado boils at a much lower temperature than at sea level, which is why joggers there frequently evaporate into clouds of steam.
Despite the impression given by a certain animated TV show, South Park, Colorado is NOT actually a real city. If you don’t believe me, you can [CENSORED] my [CENSORED] you [CENSORED].
Skiing in Aspen, Colorado is both a popular tourist attraction and an effective way to kill a Kennedy without wasting a perfectly good bullet.
Colorado hopes to use the sport of Whitewater Rafting to take out a Baldwin sometime in 2006.
The state motto of Colorado is “Wanna buy a slightly used life-jacket for cheap?”
The cheeseburger was invented in Denver in 1935, which is why Michael Moore bows down in the direction of the city five times a day.
Annoyed by the millions of misdirected Valentines that arrive at their post office every year, the citizens of Loveland, Colorado will soon be holding a referendum to change the city’s name. Options include Bitterdivorceland, PMSington, and Hillaryville.
Denver is home to the world’s largest rodeo. While it’s in progress, the city has nearly as many men dressed in leather chaps as San Francisco.
This does NOT make them gay, although they ARE flattered, and possibly a little curious.
There are over 200 parks in the city of Denver, which are filled with hiking trails, petting zoos, and angry tourists whose flights out of the city were cancelled due to sudden snowstorms.
Zebulon Pike, of Pike’s Peak fame, was never actually on top of the object which bears his name, but he DID bring it to the nation’s attention by mentioning it frequently. Not unlike John Kerry’s relationship with his wife Teresa.
Colorado is the most dangerous state through which to fly and airplane, due to the risk of being hit by cattle that accidentally fall off moutainsides while grazing.
The city of Dove Creek, Colorado is the “Pinto Bean Capital of the World”. Coincidentally, the nearby city of Cortez is the “Air Freshener Capital of the World”.
Mesa Verde, Colorado is home to an abandoned Indian city made up of buildings carved directly into the cliffs. No one knows exactly what happened to the residents, although they may have been eaten by the Donner Party.
Colorado became the 38th state on August 1st, 1876, a fact celebrated by no one at the time, since everybody was still too hung over from celebrating America’s Centennial.
Famous horror movie actor Lon Chaney was born in Colorado Springs. He moved to Hollywood in 1902 after a mob of angry villagers chased him out of the state.
Colorado’s flag consists of a field of horizontal blue and white stripes, with a red letter C in the middle. The inside of the C is colored yellow as a warning to tourists that not all snow is edible.
Colorado’s state dinosaur is the stegosaurus, which has been extinct since 1997, when the last one died from being hit by a Kennedy while skiing in Aspen.
The state insect of Colorado is the tick, which is highly prized by locals because telling a girl that you want to check her for ticks is a great excuse for getting her clothes off.
The Square Dance was named Colorado’s state dance in 1992, narrowly beating out the Macarena and the Achy-Breaky.
That wraps up the Colorado edition of Fun Facts About the 50 States. Next week we’ll be hitting the Eastern seaboard for a look at Connecticut.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go bow down towards Denver… mmmm… cheeseburgers…
[The complete e-book version of “Fun Facts About the 50 States” is now available at Amazon.com. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download free Kindle apps for your web browser, smartphone, computer, or tablet from Amazon.com]
Remember, the short version of this (as well as a vast array of even better stuff) is still available at http://www.imaopodcast.com/

Colorado is perenially jealous of Utah because we have better snow – you won’t hear them admit it, but it’s on our license plates so it must be true.
Yeah, ok…you might have better snow, but we have more antelope.
(What?) (My wife is yellin’at me…)
Sorry, I thought we were still in Chugwater, Wyoming…that’s a place famous for four alarm chili and antelope.
(WHAT?!?!?) (My wife again….she-e-it!)
Well, Eisenhower liked to do his flyfishing here…then he ate cheeseburgers.
Hit by a Kennedy š
I love it.
You forgot the most famous Colorado resident. Elvira Mistress of the Dark is from Colorado Springs.
I think I covered her by mentioning the mountains š
One of the most useful winter survival tips I learned when I first moved to Colorado was, “Don’t eat the yellow snow!” But I didn’t know that the yellow disc stood for the very type of snow we’re supposed to avoid. I always thought it represented the sun, which shines here more days of the year than in the so-called “Sunshine State” of Florida. š
Remember that Elvira Mistress of the Dark skipped town when Focus on the Family moved in. I still haven’t figured out if the town is better or worse for it yet.
Aspen is also the home of the Claudine Longet Invitational Ski Tournament, or maybe Vail is.
Maybe, just technically, South Park isn’t really a town in Colorado, but there is a little area called Southpark… Southpark.
And don’t forget , a whole town of Minature buildings, just don’t blink…
Messed up URL: http://www.tinytownrailroad.com
How would Director Roman Polanski cut it?