The Doors: Best-Ever Songs

By Dom Nozzi

The songs found on this list are the best-ever songs performed by the Doors.

According to Wikipedia, the band took its name from the title of Aldous Huxley’s book The Doors of Perception, which itself was a reference to a William Blake quotation: “If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.” They were among the most controversial rock acts of the 1960s, due mostly to Morrison’s wild, poetic lyrics and charismatic but unpredictable stage persona.

The 1967 release of The Doors was the first in a series of top ten albums in the US, followed by Strange Days (1967), Waiting for the Sun (1968), The Soft Parade (1969), Morrison Hotel (1970), Absolutely Live (1970) and L.A. Woman (1971), with 19 Gold, 14 Platinum and 5 Multi-Platinum album awards in the United States alone. They have sold 32.5 million certified units in the US. The band has sold over 100 million albums worldwide. The Doors were the first American band to accumulate eight consecutive gold LPs. In 1993, The Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Criteria for this ranking

• Groundbreaking
• Sing-able melody
• Memorable and catchy
• Superb singing, lyrics, guitar work

Best Songs

• The End
• People Are Strange
• Touch Me
• Light My Fire
• Break on Through (To the Other Side)
• Love Me Two Times
• Twentieth Century Fox
• Love Her Madly
• Riders on the Storm
• Roadhouse Blues
• Stoned Immaculate
• Hello, I Love You
• When the Music’s Over
• The Soft Parade
• Soul Kitchen
• The Crystal Ship
• Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)

_______________________________________________

 I urge you to email me (dom@walkablestreets.com) or leave a comment if you have a suggested addition or subtraction from this list. Or if you have any other thoughts about this list.

About

Each list in this blog contains my own personal opinions based on my personal experiences. I acknowledge that there may be a need to add or subtract from these lists (or to create a new subject list), and I welcome such suggestions. The lists are not ordered from higher to lower quality. Each list is a work in progress.

Visit my other sites

A lifetime of Adventures… http://domnozziadventures.wordpress.com/

Run for Your Life! Dom’s Dangerous Opinions… http://domdangerous.wordpress.com/

Urban Design… http://walkablestreets.wordpress.com/

Plan B… http://domz60.wordpress.com/

My FB profile… http://www.facebook.com/dom.nozzi

Best Ski Glades in Colorado

By Dom Nozzi

According to Wikipedia, ski “glades” (also known as tree skiing) is downhill skiing through trees off-trail or on a defined woods trail. I enjoy glades for their solitude, beauty, relatively high skill level required, and the ungroomed powder they often provide. Wooded areas also tend to hold better snow longer thanks to the shade and shelter trees provide.

Ski resorts may have defined glade trails, ungroomed glade areas, or boundary-to-boundary policies. Glade skiing is inherently more dangerous than skiing on trails and usually reserved for experts, though moderate glade terrain exists. Hazards such as cliffs or streams may or may not be blocked off by ski patrol. Other dangers include tree wells, logs, stumps, and the trees themselves.

As of the 2012-2013 season, I have made the decision that glade skiing is about the only form of skiing I enjoy anymore, although I’ll occasionally ski moguls or other challenging black diamond downhill runs. Indeed, on the rare occasions that I ski an open, marked blue- and black diamond run, I often ski along the edge of the run to look for glade skiing opportunities in the flanking wooded areas of the run.

The following are the best glades I have found so far in my (relatively limited) time as a glade skier in Colorado.

• Wolverine (Keystone)
• The Grizz (Keystone)
• Badger (Keystone)
• Bushwhacker (Keystone)
• Timberwolf (Keystone)
• The Burn (Breckenridge)
• Ore Bucket (Breckenridge)
• Jolly Jug (Eldora)
• Placer (Eldora)
• West Ridge (Eldora)
• Brian’s (Eldora)
• Moose (Eldora)

_______________________________________________

I urge you to email me (dom@walkablestreets.com) or leave a comment if you have a suggested addition or subtraction from this list. Or if you have any other thoughts about this list.

About

Each list in this blog contains my own personal opinions based on my personal experiences. I acknowledge that there may be a need to add or subtract from these lists (or to create a new subject list), and I welcome such suggestions. The lists are not ordered from higher to lower quality. Each list is a work in progress.

Visit my other sites:

A lifetime of Adventures… http://domnozziadventures.wordpress.com/

Run for Your Life! Dom’s Dangerous Opinions… http://domdangerous.wordpress.com/

Urban Design… http://walkablestreets.wordpress.com/

Plan B… http://domz60.wordpress.com/

My FB profile… http://www.facebook.com/dom.nozzi

Best-Ever Hiking Trails in Colorado

By Dom Nozzi

The hiking trails found on this list are the best trails I’ve ever hiked in Colorado. The excel in providing long-distance panoramic views, provide physical challenges to the hiker, are relatively pristine and free of human development or defilement, offer scenic diversity, and are sufficiently challenging and remote enough to not be overly crowded with other hikers. They are trails that compel the hiker to shoot lots of photos due to the frequency of “WOW” views.

Mount Audubon trail

King Lake trail (from the Hessie trailhead)(my favorite hike in the Indian Peaks Wilderness)

West Maroon Pass trail (out of Crested Butte)

Mount Ida trail (from the Milner Pass trailhead)(my favorite hike in Rocky Mountain National Park)

Pawnee Pass (from the Long Lake trailhead)

Arapahoe Glacier/ Glacier Rim (from the Rainbow Lakes trailhead)

Mitchell Lake & Blue Lake (from the Mitchell Creek trailhead)

Arapahoe Pass to Lake Dorothy (from the Fourth of July trailhead)

Diamond Lake trail (from the Fourth of July trailhead)

Forest Lakes trail (Heart Lake/Moffat Tunnel/E Portal trailhead)

Crater Lakes trail (Heart Lake/Moffat Tunnel/E Portal trailhead)

Heart Lake trail (Heart Lake/Moffat Tunnel/E Portal trailhead)

Iceberg Lake trail (Heart Lake/Moffat Tunnel/E Portal trailhead)

Ouzel Falls & Calypso Cascades (Wild Basin trailhead, RMNP)

Meadow Mountain-Ute Trail loop (Upper Beaver Meadows, RMNP)

Bluebird Lake, Ouzel Lake, Chickadee Lake (Wild Basin trailhead, RMNP)

Pear Lake, Finch Lake, Lower/ Middle/ Upper Hutcheson Lakes, Cony Lake (Wild Basin trailhead, RMNP)

Chasm Lake (Long’s Peak trailhead, RMNP)

Sky Pond (Bear Lake trailhead, RMNP)

Glacier Gorge, Mills Lake, The Loch, Black Lake, Timberline Falls, Sky Pond (Glacier Gorge Junction trailhead, RMNP)

Alberta Falls (Glacier Gorge trailhead, RMNP)

Frozen Lake (Glacier Gorge trailhead, RMNP)

Green Lake (Glacier Gorge trailhead, RMNP)

Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake, Hiawaha Lake (Bear Lake trailhead, RMNP)

Flattop Mountain trail (Bear Lake trailhead, RMNP)

Notchtop & Knobtop from Tonahutu Trail (Bear Lake trailhead, RMNP)

Fern Lake, The Pool, Fern Falls (Fern Lake trailhead, RMNP)

Twin Sisters (Twin Sisters trailhead, RMNP)

Coulson Gulch trail (Lyons. Roosevelt National Forest)

Spruce Creek to Mohawk Lake trail

Shelf Lake (Gunella Pass)(Spectacular trail)

______________________________________________

 I urge you to email me (dom@walkablestreets.com) or leave a comment if you have a suggested addition or subtraction from this list. Or if you have any other thoughts about this list.

About

Each list in this blog contains my own personal opinions based on my personal experiences. I acknowledge that there may be a need to add or subtract from these lists (or to create a new subject list), and I welcome such suggestions. The lists are not ordered from higher to lower quality. Each list is a work in progress.

Visit my other sites:

A lifetime of Adventures… http://domnozziadventures.wordpress.com/

Run for Your Life! Dom’s Dangerous Opinions… http://domdangerous.wordpress.com/

Urban Design… http://walkablestreets.wordpress.com/

Plan B… http://domz60.wordpress.com/

My FB profile… http://www.facebook.com/dom.nozzi

2012 in review for this Best-Ever blog site

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 19,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 4 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

Beer and Wine Categories & Vintages: Best-Ever

By Dom Nozzi

The following list represents the best types of beer and wine that I’ve tasted. As you will see, I prefer big, bold tastes. Despite the conventional wisdom, beer and wine — when consumed in moderation — is very good for one’s health. Another little-known fact is that decades ago, America had a very rich, impressive tradition of brewing delicious craft beers. Prohibition in the 1930s tragically killed off that tradition, leaving only very bland corporate beers in America. Happily, the tradition of quality craft micro beers is rapidly returning in the United States.

Best Categories of Beer and Wine

Stout – particularly oatmeal stout

Porter – particularly java or smoked porter

Scottish Ale

Belgian Abbey

Strong Ale

Cabernet Sauvignon

Zinfandel – particularly old-vine zin

Chianti

Sauvignon Blanc

Chardonnay

Viognier

Best Vintages of Beer and Wine

Kocim Porter (Polish)

Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout

Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale

Sam Smith’s Imperial Stout

Nitro Old School Irish Stout

Drop Kick Stout

Cutthroat Porter, O’Dell Brewing Co. Ft Collins

Left hand Porter

Alaskan Smoked Porter

Andrea Oberto 2007 Barbera d’ Alba

Odoardi 2004 Savuto Rosso (Calabrian)

Garofoli 2006 Rosso Piceno “Ambro”

Les Grimaudes 2005 Costieres de Nimes “Vallee du Rhone”

Jean-Francois Merieau 2007 Touraine Gamay “les bois jacou”

Savignola Paolina 2006 Chianti Classico

Domaine Phillippe Tessier 2007 Cheverny Blanc

Pierre Gauthier 2007 Bourgueli “Solf du Jour”

Pampano 2008 Rueda

Bouland 2007 Morgon Vielles Vignes

Buccia Nera 2008 Tuscano Bianco IGT “Donna Patrizia”

Domaine de Couron 2008 Cotes du Rhone Voignier

Theirry Puzelat 2007 “Le Teiquel”

La Sauvageonne 2007 Coteaux du Languedoc “Les Ruffes”

Crivelli 2007 Barbera d’Asti “Collina La Mora”

Mas del Perie 2006 Cahors

Chateau Massiac 2007 Minervois

Finca Antigua 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon La Mancha

Blackstone Zinfandel California 2005

Rivetto Langhe Nebbiolo 2009

Woodbridge Select Vineyards Series, Fish Net Creek

McManis Cabernet Sauvignon (California)

Bogle Old Vine Zin 2006

Pepperwood Grove Old Vine Zin 2006

Four Vine Zin

Leon de castris reserva negroamaro

Klinker Brick Zin

Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin

Shannon Ridge Zin

Zinsational Old Vine Zin

Barbari Nebbiolo Tre Donne

2010 Apothic Red Blend

______________________________________________

I urge you to email me (dom@walkablestreets.com) or leave a comment if you have a suggested addition or subtraction from this list. Or if you have any other thoughts about this list.

About

Each list in this blog contains my own personal opinions based on my personal experiences. I acknowledge that there may be a need to add or subtract from these lists (or to create a new subject list), and I welcome such suggestions. The lists are not ordered from higher to lower quality. Each list is a work in progress.

Visit my other sites:

A lifetime of Adventures… http://domnozziadventures.wordpress.com/

Run for Your Life! Dom’s Dangerous Opinions… http://domdangerous.wordpress.com/

Urban Design… http://walkablestreets.wordpress.com/

Plan B… http://domz60.wordpress.com/

My FB profile… http://www.facebook.com/dom.nozzi

Best-Ever Scuba Dives I’ve Done

By Dom Nozzi

Over the years, I have logged over 165 scuba dives in various parts of the world. The following is a list of the best scuba dives I’ve ever done in my life.

Manta Ray Night Dive, Kona Coast, Hawaii (one of the best of the best dives)

Sheraton Caverns, Kauai, Hawaii

Molokini Crater (outside), Maui, Hawaii

Pine Trees Moray Eel Nite Dive, Big Island, Hawaii (one of the best of the best dives)

Pine Trees (suck ‘em up, aquarium), Big Island, Hawaii

Golden Arches, Big Island, Hawaii

Town Pier Night Dive, Bonaire

1,000 Steps, Bonaire

Palancar Gardens, Cozumel (one of the best of the best dives)

Paso del Cedral Reef, Cozumel

Colombia Reef, Cozumel (one of the best of the best dives)

Santa Rosa Reef, Cozumel (one of the best of the best dives)

C-53 Felipe Xicotenatl Wreck, Cozumel

Carval Rock, US Virgin Islands

RMS Rhone at bow end, British Virgin Islands

El Aguila Wreck, Roatan, Honduras

Ted’s Point, Utila Honduras

Half Moon Bay, Roatan Honduras

Taviona’s Wall, Roatan Honduras

Coco Seamount/Cayos Cohinos Honduras

Spiegel Grove Wreck, Key Largo, Florida

Snapper Reef, Key Largo, Florida

Joe’s Tugboat, Key West, Florida

Paradise Springs, Florida

Jupiter Wreck Trail, Florida

The Tunnels, Jupiter, Florida

The Bluffs, Jupiter, Florida

Great Wall West, Little Cayman (one of the best of the best dives)

Mixing Bowl Reef, Little Cayman (one of the best of the best dives)

Fisheye Funtasea, Little Cayman (one of the best of the best dives)

Blacktip Blvd, Little Cayman (one of the best of the best dives)

Lea Lea’s Lookout, Little Cayman (one of the best of the best dives)

Soto Trader, Little Cayman (one of the best of the best dives)

McCoy’s Reef, Little Cayman (one of the best of the best dives)

Sarah’s Set, Little Cayman (one of the best of the best dives)

Paul’s Anchors, Little Cayman (one of the best of the best dives)

Laughing Bird Caye, Belize (one of the best of the best dives)

White Hole at Silk Caye, Belize (one of the best of the best dives)

North Wall at Silk Caye, Belize (one of the best of the best dives)

South Laughing Bird Caye, Belize (one of the best of the best dives)

The Aquarium, Belize

Half Moon Caye Wall, Belize (one of the best of the best dives)

The Great Blue Hole, Belize (one of the best of the best dives)

The Wreck, Belize (one of the best of the best dives)

Esmelda Reef, Belize (one of the best of the best dives)

________________________________________________

I urge you to email me (dom@walkablestreets.com) or leave a comment if you have a suggested addition or subtraction from this list. Or if you have any other thoughts about this list.

About

Each list in this blog contains my own personal opinions based on my personal experiences. I acknowledge that there may be a need to add or subtract from these lists (or to create a new subject list), and I welcome such suggestions. The lists are not ordered from higher to lower quality. Each list is a work in progress.

Visit my other sites:

A lifetime of Adventures… http://domnozziadventures.wordpress.com/

Run for Your Life! Dom’s Dangerous Opinions… http://domdangerous.wordpress.com/

Urban Design… http://walkablestreets.wordpress.com/

Plan B… http://domz60.wordpress.com/

My FB profile… http://www.facebook.com/dom.nozzi

Best Trails in Boulder, Colorado

By Dom Nozzi

The city of Boulder, Colorado has a large number of high-quality, scenic trails throughout its urban area. The following trails are the best trails I have hiked or biked in Boulder.

Sanitas Trail/Dakota Ridge Trail

Royal Arch Trail

Mallory Cave Trail

1st & 2nd Flatirons Trail

Red Rocks Trail

Boulder Creek Path

Betasso Loop Trail

Walker Ranch Trail

Saddle Rock, EM Greenman, Ranger Trails

Mesa Trail

Green Mountain West Ridge to Green Mountain Summit

Bear Canyon, Bear Peak West Ridge

Woods Quarry Trail

Doudy Draw/Community Ditch Trail

Marshall Mesa Trail

Eagle Trail/Sage Trail

Foothills/Hogback Ridge Trail

________________________________________________

I urge you to email me (dom@walkablestreets.com) or leave a comment if you have a suggested addition or subtraction from this list. Or if you have any other thoughts about this list.

About

Each list in this blog contains my own personal opinions based on my personal experiences. I acknowledge that there may be a need to add or subtract from these lists (or to create a new subject list), and I welcome such suggestions. The lists are not ordered from higher to lower quality. Each list is a work in progress.

Visit my other sites:

A lifetime of Adventures… http://domnozziadventures.wordpress.com/

Run for Your Life! Dom’s Dangerous Opinions… http://domdangerous.wordpress.com/

Urban Design… http://walkablestreets.wordpress.com/

Plan B… http://domz60.wordpress.com/

My FB profile… http://www.facebook.com/dom.nozzi