Mile High and Nine Inches Deep

Denver Mayor Federico Pena had officially declared it "Orange Monday" in honor of the Denver Broncos' team colors. With ABC Monday Night Football scheduled to show the Broncos taking on the visiting Green Bay Packers and with gorgeous Indian-summer weather prevailing throughout the Rockies, civic boosters hoped the national exposure would lure conventioneers, new business, tourists and--who knows?--maybe even a long-awaited major league baseball franchise for Colorado.

A few hours before kickoff time, however, Orange Monday had become a white nightmare as an unusually early blizzard dumped 9 in. of snow on the city. With many of the city's snowplows still in storage, roads quickly became hazardous, and Interstate 70 was the scene of a spectacular (but not fatal) 56-car accident.

The storm had its pluses. Diehard Bronco fans, decked out in orange coats and scarves, watched Denver plow to a 17-14 victory. Schoolchildren had the next day off. Even the police got a lucky break: a woman suspected of robbing two banks was nabbed when her getaway car got stuck in the snow.