Colorado Review

Denver loves its beer. To wit:

- The first permanent structure in Denver, built during town’s wild frontier days, was a saloon.
- More than 15 brewpubs and microbreweries make their home in downtown Denver today.
- The Mile-High City’s current mayor John Hickenlooper founded and still owns the Wynkoop Brewing Company in Lower Downtown.
- The city hosts the annual Great American Beer Festival, the “Super Bowl” of beer, October 11-13, 2007 in the Colorado Convention Center. More than 30,000 beer lovers are expected to attend.

I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t know exactly what a microbrew was when I moved to Colorado in the mid-1990s. (Hey, the trend was just on the rise nationwide then.)

Let’s just say I quickly became quite familiar with small-scale brewers throughout the state. And when I lived in Denver as a single gal, I got to know the Wynkoop and the Rock Bottom Brewery well.

Years later, my husband and I still seek out these Denver brewpubs, now with kids in tow. Brewpub food is generally child friendly (burgers and fries, natch) and the restaurants’ casual, upbeat (read: sometimes noisy) atmosphere lends itself to accommodating children, too.

I usually like to try what new seasonal beer the brewery has on tap. I’m also a fan of wheats. My husband digs the porters. The beauty of microbreweries, is that there are so many options, from light to dark. Or order a “sample flight” of 2-oz. pours and try them all!

My recommendations for Denver microbreweries: (more…)

Coloradoans are the thinnest folks in the country, according to the annual report from CalorieLab., Inc.

Research shows that 17.6 percent of Colorado residents are obese, compared to 30.6 percent of people who live in Mississippi, the fattest state.

This report isn’t so surprising to me. When I moved to Aspen from New York City 13 years ago, I marveled at the fitness levels among locals. In NYC, you’d ask someone, “What do you do?” meaning, “What do you do for work?” Whereas at a bar in Colorado, to strike up a conversation you might ask, “What did you do?” meaning, “Did you hike, bike, kayak, ski, golf, run or play tennis today?”

It’s no wonder Coloradoans are so fit. The mountains are our outdoor playground.

For the full report and breakdown of the other U.S. States, click here.

Colorado, fitness

The four-day passes are sold out, but daily tickets are still on sale (starting at $40 plus fees) for the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival, Friday, August 31 to Monday, September 1.

Here’s the line-up of bands/singers scheduled to perform under the huge white tents in Snowmass Town Park:

Friday
6 p.m.: Nickel Creek
8 p.m.: Ben Harper & the Innocents

Saturday
2:30 p.m.: Galactic
5 p.m.: Joss Stone
7 p.m.: John Legend

Sunday
3 p.m.: Leftover Salmon
5 p.m.: Michael Franti & Spearhead
7 p.m.: The Allman Brothers Band

Monday
1 p.m.: Jackie Greene
2:30 p.m.: Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, Soul Stew Revival
4:30 p.m. Gov’t Mule

Plus, there are bands scheduled to play at smaller venues throughout Snowmass.

As always, the outdoor event promises loads of good music and good times. More info, click here.

Aspen, Colorado

It’s not even officially autumn here in the Rockies, but I’m thinking ahead to those first flakes of snow. The mornings are certainly crisper, the resorts have unveiled their lift-ticket pricing ($87 for a daily ticket in Aspen; buy multi-day passes for the best deal), and I’ve got my kids trying on their snow jackets and pants to see if they still fit from last year.

If you’re thinking about taking your family to Vail’s slopes this season, check out this amazing deal from Destination Resorts Vail: Four people for four nights in a two-bedroom condo anytime between December 1 and April 8 for only $600 (plus taxes and fees). Depending on availability, you may stay in one of the following properties: The Landmark, Westwind, Vantage Point (pictured at left), Vail 21 or Village Inn Plaza.

Plus, with this family package you get some nice perks: a complimentary recyclable disposable camera for fun family photos, free grocery delivery service and/or groceries stocked in advance of arrival, and a souvenir snowman-making kit.

Check out the specific amenities of each condo complex online and use the code FUN to book this four-night package. Or call 866.831.3222.

Vail, Colorado

Yesterday my family and I were invited to our friends’ new home on the main drag in Redstone, south of Carbondale, along Highway 133. It had been a while since I’d spent some time in this tiny town along the Crystal River, and it was a treat to walk along the .75-mile-long Redstone Boulevard in the early evening. Here, tourists browse in the antique shops, families buy ice cream at the General Store, and kids frolic on the play structure in Redstone Park.

Weekends in the summertime bring community events at the park. The Summer Concert Series fuses “music, art and nature.” My seven-year-old daughter and her same-aged friend were delighted to see a “real Indian” sharing her tribe’s sign language and storytelling with the audience gathered on the grassy lawn next to the river. Artisans showed and sold their wood carvings and jewelry. The final community event held at the park this summer is a concert this Sunday, September 2, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with country and bluegrass music. Daily throughout Labor Day Weekend also find the annual art show at the Redstone Inn.

When the aspens start turning colors (soon in the high country!) a particularly pretty drive is south of Redstone up to McClure Pass. We drove this route in the third week of September last year, just as the autumn foliage peaked. Gorgeous golden orange hues!

(Thanks to Steve at ColoradoGuy.com for the images of Redstone above: the historic town’s welcome sign and the red cliffs above the boulevard.)

Redstone, Colorado

I fell in love with the little town of Ridgway (population 800) on a family trip to the southwest Colorado town last September. We traveled right at the peak of the gorgeous fall colors (third week of the month). The San Juan mountain range was covered in fiery hues of gold and orange.

My family of four stayed in one of the two-bedroom condominiums at Chipeta Sun Lodge & Spa, so we had plenty of room to spread out and make ourselves at home. We enjoyed the complimentary lemonade, iced tea and cookies in the lodge’s great room each afternoon. The on-site eatery, Ashe Restaurante, was just being built; we look forward to returning sometime soon to sample the “healthy, Southwestern fare.”

We did dine at the Ridgway’s downtown Adobe Inn, where the Mexican-inspired menu is all natural. My favorites were the Enchiladas Suiza and the Chimichangas, as well as the tasty and light, homemade salad dressing on the mixed greens and the hearty corn casserole.

Other highlights of our Ridgway trip:

- Browsing the antique shops on and just off Main Street (which is charmingly unpaved).

- Playing in Town Park with its playground for kids (and where there’s in-town access to the miles of paved bike trail leading to Ridgway State Park).

- Soaking at the nearby Orvis Hot Springs (where clothing is optional and visitors take advantage of that option! We spent most of our time in the indoor clothing-required soaking area).

- Eating hearty food at the True Grit Cafe, where some scenes of John Wayne’s movie, True Grit was filmed.

The town honors John Wayne’s 100th birthday this fall with True Grit Days, September 8 and 9. What better time to walk the dusty roads just like John Wayne did in his famous Western decades ago.

John Wayne, Ridgway, Colorado, Family Travel

We recently discovered the Junior Ranger programs at Colorado’s National Parks and National Monuments. (Don’t ask me to explain the difference between the two; something to do with Congress or the President nominating a park for the distinction.)

These programs are really cool for preschool- and school-age kids; they help engage children who otherwise might not be interested in yet another rock formation or archaeological site. Typically you pay 50 cents or $1 for a pencil and a booklet, which has questions the children have to answer. The number and difficulty of the questions and activities depend on the child’s age.

At Capitol Reef National Park, my children had the choice of three activities to complete, such as Park Bingo, where they marked off five things they viewed in the park; Orchard Walk, where they unscrambled fruit-tree names and checked it off if they saw one; and Rock Art, where they drew their own ancient petroglyph). The kids also had to clean up litter and interview a friendly forest ranger.

After kids complete the activities, they hand their booklets in to the Forest Ranger on duty, who reviews their work and proclaims them Junior Rangers (they actually announce it to the crowd nearby and bystanders break out in applause).

For their efforts, children usually receive a nifty iron-on or pin-on badge. At Capitol Reef, the ranger handed over the pin-ons, which my five-year-old son loved. We splurged $4 for an iron-on patch at the gift shop for my daughter, who added it to her collection of patches she received at Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico and the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in southern Colorado. I figured, helping to support a national treasure like Capitol Reef is well worth it.

National Parks, Colorado

If you’re in Aspen this weekend, check out the “Television’s Impact on American Life” panel discussion (fee $10) at the Aspen Institute, Saturday, August 25 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Valerie Harper of “Mary Tyler Moore” and “Rhoda;” Phylicia Rashad who played the lawyer, mother, and wife on “The Cosby Show;” Jay Sandrich, director of both shows; Betsy Beers, executive producer of “Grey’s Anatomy,” and that show’s music supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas; and Jon Cassar, director of “24″ will speak.

There is also a two-day seminar from 8:30 to 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday for $425 (if it hasn’t already filled). The above participants promise to “delve into the huge impact television makes on our lives, values, culture, and politics.”

This weekend program is the fourth in the Aspen Institute’s new Arts & Ideas series, which considers art as a pathway to broaden and deepen our understanding of contemporary issues. This approach reflects Aspen Institute founder Walter Paepcke’s vision of “the Aspen Idea [as] the cross-fertilization of minds.”

Visit the Aspen Institute’s website for more info.

Aspen, Aspen Institute

Here’s another web resource for helping you plan travel in the Centennial State. GoColorado is a sister site of GoWorldTravel. The site is updated usually weekly with a couple of fresh articles about statewide attractions, hotels and restaurants. Humorous essays and profiles are posted here, too.

These are a few of the pieces I’ve contributed to the site:

Beyond the Slopes: Taking a Break in Aspen/Snowmass

Snow Much Fun: Snow Mountain Ranch Packed with Adventure

Girls’ Getaway: Take to the Nordic Trails

Treasure Hunt: Antiquing in Montrose

Colorado

Over at BellaOnline, I cover worldwide honeymoon destinations, including romantic spots in Colorado.

Check out these articles if you’re planning a honeymoon or a just getaway for the two of you:

Chipeta Sun Lodge & Spa, Ridgway

Lodge & Spa at Cordillera, Edwards

Park Hyatt Beaver Creek

Winter in Aspen

Colorado, honeymoon