Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2015 i 5280 Magazine

Years ago I took a ski vacation to Utah (heresy, I know) with my wife, and I’ll never forget what I overheard an older gentleman say during lunch one sunny afternoon. “I moved here for the winter,” he said, “but I stayed for the summer.” I was reminded of this notion just last night: Gray skies, rain, and hail may have delayed the onset of summer this year, but as I write this in early June, it appears the long, warm, sunshine-filled days have finally arrived in Denver. Daylight stretches until well past 8 p.m., school has let out, and evenings on our block near Wash Park are filled with kids riding bikes and tossing baseballs and sharing stories from their day camps. It all sounds so Rockwellian—and in a…

Attention, families flocking to the southern suburbs for good schools, low crime rates, and easy access to the foothills: Highlands Ranch is officially full. Founded in 1981, the neighborhood will see construction on its final homes completed in the next five years. ¶ Fortunately, the coveted burb’s successor broke ground in June. Situated just southeast of Chatfield and Roxborough state parks, Sterling Ranch’s 12,000 homes will have sidewalk access to more than 30 miles of inneighborhood trails that connect to the parks. Homeowners will also get annual Colorado State Parks passes every year (the cost is wrapped into the neighborhood’s HOA fees). “We want to embrace the natural assets that surround the development,” says Jim Yates, president and CFO of Sterling Ranch. “Our plan just makes the park passes part…

If decisiveness isn’t your strength, you might want to avoid U.S. 36. Opened in 1951, the highway turned into a commuting nightmare as more people moved to Denver, Boulder, and everywhere in between. So in 2012, the Colorado Department of Transportation began work on a $497 million project to widen the roadway from four lanes to six. The first phase, from the Interlocken Loop to Federal Boulevard, will be done this summer, and many are calling it a national model because of the options it offers. The “express lanes” (one in each direction) are free for carpoolers, but singles can take them if they’re willing to pay the toll ($13.83 one way from Interlocken to Denver during peak travel times; $7.75 if you get an ExpressToll pass). Once phase two…

Number of campsites online guide Hipcamp tracks nationwide (as of June 11). Consider California’s Hipcamp a kind of Yelp-meets-Airbnb for tent-pitchers. When it expands to Colorado this month, the one-stop-shopping site will collate information about all of Colorado’s national and state park campgrounds—along with some private sites—allowing users to search by activities and amenities and see user reviews and photographs of each campground. You can also search by your current location. If you want a fishing campground you can get to between happy hour and sunset, for example, Hipcamp might send you to Eleven Mile State Park. The site will add more primitive, dispersed, and backcountry spots later this year. And by next year, Hipcamp hopes to offer information about vacancies too—which equals less time in front of the computer…

Denver was down with dragons way before HBO’s Game of Thrones made them cool again. Although only 15,000 people showed up to the first Colorado Dragon Boat Festival (CDBF) in 2001, attendance has exploded over the past 15 years: Some 125,000 spectators turned out last year to Sloan’s Lake to watch dozens of teams paddle it out in a floating Belmont Stakes. The races may be the main attraction, but CDBF, July 18 to 19, mixes the drama of competition with music, dance, food, and crafts representing approximately 15 Asian cultures. Here’s what you need to know about one of the summer’s most popular cultural festivals. cdbf.org…

When Colin Schroeder does the math, the sum troubles his conscience: A sales rep for a welding-supply business, he travels thousands of miles in a truck (hauling a trailer) that ekes out 13 miles a gallon. So the Wisconsin native is trying to mitigate his impact—by making furniture. Schroeder uses reclaimed wood, beetle-kill pine, and salvaged steel to create custom pieces. That may not eliminate his carbon cloud, but if he can get people to buy furniture made of recycled materials, he figures he’s doing some good. He’s dubbed his line Purpose and Pine. Since December, he’s created more than 25 unique pieces, some of which you can see at the Art on the Rockies festival in Vail (July 10 to 12) and the Firefly Handmade fair in Boulder (July…

SHOW OF HANDS 210 Clayton Street, Denver 303.399.0201 showofhandsdenver.com Show of Hands is a locally owned art and gift gallery located in Cherry Creek North with four free parking spots in front. Be original, be creative, give art! THE STEVE ADAMS GALLERY 5789 South Curtice Street, Littleton 720.609.9779 | thesteveadamsgallery.com In a historic adobe in Downtown Littleton, you will find compelling, challenging, and beautiful contemporary artworks from stars of the New York City art scene, as well the best Colorado has to offer. You will meet the gallery’s owner, New York City artist Steve Adams. The gallery is fashioned after the Lower East Side galleries and art houses which create a more intimate viewing experience between the art and the viewer. Image Above: Works by Luke Yocum (left) and Sharky…

HOW DOES 5280 PICK TOP OF THE TOWN WINNERS? Our reporters and editors choose winners for every category on the ballot (sandwich, new brewery, home furnishings, etc.) based on months of exploring. We do our research anonymously and pay for all meals and services. Our readers also select their favorites by casting votes in our online ballot; the business that receives the most votes wins. DON’T YOUR ADVERTISERS AUTOMATICALLY WIN? Nope. Top of the Town recognition is based solely on our research and your ballots; there is zero connection between advertisers and winners. The fact that some winners happen to be advertisers, or later decide to advertise in the magazine, does not influence our selections. Sure, we could make some folks happy by “selling” winners, but in the long run,…

ARTIST Editors’ Choice KRISTEN HATGI SINK Artists with range always pique our interest—and there is no better example in Denver right now than visual artist and photographer Kristen Hatgi Sink. Since graduating art school in 2008, she has shown everywhere from New York and Washington, D.C., to Japan and Canada. In the first half of this year alone, Hatgi Sink (her husband is renowned Denver photographer Mark Sink) gave us Bon Bon, a combination of video installation and stage performance, at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, and A Tented Sky, a series of photographs displayed at Denver’s Gildar Gallery. Both illustrated Hatgi Sink’s romantic yet modern aesthetic, smart use of white space, and desire to make thought-provoking art. kristenhatgi.com Readers’ Choice (TIE) QUANG HO quangho.com; and RAVI ZUPA ravizupa.com…

Patrick Scanlan squints into the September sun as he gets up from his table at the Woody Creek Tavern. The upstate New York native slips on his sunglasses and walks across the street to his white Land Rover, which is covered in red dust from the area’s sandstone cliffs and unpaved roads. Scanlan is tall and lean, and he walks with an efficient saunter. With the wave of an arm, he gestures that the doors are unlocked. I pull at the handle—and out tumbles a large, tawny-skinned potato. I bend down to pick it out of the mud, then climb into the passenger seat. _ We’ve spent the past hour discussing the nuances of potato vodka, the signature spirit of Woody Creek Distillers, which Scanlan founded in 2012 and co-owns…

COMPLETE NEWBIE You live in Colorado, yet you’ve somehow missed the exercise bandwagon—or fell off it long ago. Your daily physical activity is limited to carrying groceries, walking the dog, and lifting your pint glass. Whether you’re a college student or a graying grandparent, the common link among complete newbies is usually a serious lack of motivation. Your hashtag: #LetsGet ItStarted (at right). INTERMEDIATE Fitness is a regular part of your regime, whether it’s training for a triathlon or practicing yoga. You deftly balance your career, family, fun, and fitness. But sometimes the gym can feel a little too routine. If you’re not careful, you could get bored with your workouts, which often leads to playing hooky. Your hashtag: #MixItUp (page 114). BEGINNER You’ve dabbled in exercise on and off…

Is it true you have to eat more when you exercise regularly? Most people don’t lose weight training for a marathon— they maintain it. The body needs food for repair, maintenance, and fuel. My favorite saying on the subject is “You can’t outrun your mouth.” Exercise is great for improving your health, for increasing muscle mass and metabolism, but it’s not a weight-loss technique by itself. What’s the biggest mistake people make when it comes to eating and exercise? Most often, I find clients undernourish themselves, which equates to not performing well in the gym. They’ll come in and do a boot-camp class and feel awful because they didn’t eat anything beforehand. There’s a fine balance there, because you don’t want to overeat, but if you’re feeling lightheaded, dizzy, or…

BRAVO! VAIL MUSIC FESTIVAL JULY 1–AUGUST 6 Vail. Hailed as one of the Top 10 “Can’t Miss” Classical Musical Festivals in the U.S. by NPR, Bravo! Vail hosts the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at an outdoor amphitheater in the majestic Rocky Mountains. Information and tickets at bravovail.org. DINING AL FRESCO JULY 11, 5 P.M. Larimer Square. Join the award-winning restaurants of Larimer Square as they extend their patios into the streets for a one-of-a-kind dining experience on Denver’s most charming block. With happy hour festivities, dinner, live music, and an evening under the stars, Dining Al Fresco is one of the city’s best summer scenes. Information at larimersquare.com. ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE SOIRÉE D’ÉTÉ BENEFIT JULY 11, 7–11 P.M. Space Gallery. Be spontaneous and travel…

1 Halve 2 ripe avocados and remove the pits. Score the insides of the fruit with a blunt knife. Scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl. 2 Roughly mash the avocado with a fork. Take care not to over-mix; you want the guacamole to retain some texture. Sprinkle with a pinch of kosher or sea salt and the juice of 1 lime. 3 Gently mix in 1 small, finely chopped serrano chile and ¼ cup freshly chopped pineapple. Serve immediately. Pinche tops its beer-battered fish tacos with the guacamole, but the dip is just as good with salty tortilla chips.…

Denver is quickly asserting itself as a top coffee city. For proof, look to the cold-drink aisle of the market, where local companies are crowding out popular brands from Austin and Portland. A few worth picking up: Boxcar Coffee Roasters’ bold Bottlerocket bucks conventional cold-brew wisdom—it’s brewed hot with a minimal chill time. boxcarcoffeeroasters.com NüBrü Coffee skipped the cafe and went straight to the (plastic) bottle: “We’re all about making that crisp and refreshing cold brew a camper can throw in a backpack,” founder Nick Romcevich says. nubrucoffee.com Corvus Coffee Roasters launched its hopped brew last summer. Pop the top and taste notes of chocolate and citrus.…

Symbol Guide NEW Indicates a restaurant featured in 5280 for the first time (though not necessarily a restaurant that has just opened). 25 BEST Indicates inclusion in our annual list of Denver’s best restaurants released each October. These selections are at the discretion of 5280 editors and critics and are subject to change BEST NEW Indicates inclusion in our annual list of Denver’s best new restaurants released each March. These selections are at the discretion of 5280 editors and critics and are subject to change. THE DOLLAR SYMBOLS included in each listing indicate how much you can expect to pay for an average dinner entrée: $ Average entrée under $10. $$ Average entrée $11–$15. $$$ Average entrée $16–$25. $$$$ Average entrée $26 and higher. A 1515 RESTAURANT $$$ DOWNTOWN /…

WE ALL HAVE ROUTINES, whether it’s a morning jog followed by coffee and oatmeal or how we schedule our workday or a detailed five-step process to get ready for bed. Routines can be good—they show discipline and commitment and often help us focus on things we’ve deemed important—but they can also introduce a yawn-inducing predictability to our lives. When I was in college, I feared the impending monotony of adulthood. And so, at 20 years old, after returning from studying abroad in Perth, Australia, I made a promise to myself: I would counteract the tedium of my future desk-job life by visiting one new place every year. I didn’t put restraints on or attach caveats to this pledge; the destinations could be anywhere and didn’t necessarily have to be exotic,…

ZIP-LINE A June 2013 fire destroyed the ziplines running along the edge of the Royal Gorge, but earlier this year officials brought back an evenmore-bad-ass version: The new Zip Rider’s 2,200-foot, two-section line ($40) soars across the gorge, 1,000 feet above the frothy Arkansas River. royalgorgebridge.com WALK For 74 years, the 956-foot-high Royal Gorge Bridge ranked as the highest span in the world; that changed in 2001—and then again in 2009 when engineers constructed a bridge high above the Sidu River in China. Today the Royal must settle for simply being the highest bridge in the United States—an honor best appreciated from its halfway point where, beneath your feet, you’ll see the stunning turquoise of the Arkansas River carving through the deep granite chasm. But be forewarned: At a length…

STARRY NIGHT Peering up at a black sky ablaze with stars is among the most rudimentary yet spectacular outdoor experiences available—one that many believe may be lost to future generations because of increasing light pollution. For 15 years, the nonprofit Dark Skies of the Wet Mountain Valley (DSWMV) has been working to safeguard the expansive panorama in the neighboring southern Colorado towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff. Earlier this year, the area received the state’s first International Dark Sky Community designation, meaning the Centennial State municipalities are among fewer than 50 designees worldwide dedicated to protecting views of the heavens. “We’re maintaining the legacy of the night sky,” says DSWMV president Jim Bradburn. “Just two-and-a-half hours from Denver, you have this site where it looks like you can touch the…

ROBERT SANCHEZ Senior staff writer Robert Sanchez pulled double duty for this month’s issue, writing two stories on people who are living out their dreams. In “One Giant Leap” (page 56), Sanchez profiles a man who was paralyzed as a teenager and is now helping develop the space program that might one day send humans to Mars. Sanchez’s other piece, “Will The Real Cory Gardner Please Stand Up?” (page 118), provides insight on the new U.S. senator, who pulled off a stunning win in November. “In a roundabout way, both stories are about strivers,” Sanchez says. “They’re two people from ordinary backgrounds who have gone on to achieve remarkable things.” KASEY CORDELL Senior editor Kasey Cordell drove past the Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Highway sign on Santa Fe Drive…

The 15-mile round-trip hike up Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park is daunting enough by daylight (just a fraction of those who start the trip manage to summit). But trekking the 14,259-foot behemoth by moonlight—and summiting at sunrise—is an even more adventurous, otherworldly experience. You’ll need between 10 and 15 hours, warm layers, a headlamp (or three), and a set of hiking poles to have a shot at seeing the Milky Way’s swirling constellations or the Diamond wall turned into a golden drive-in movie screen by the moon. If your skills—or nerves—aren’t quite ready for such high-octane nocturnal excursions, fear not. You can still glimpse the vibrant scenes that emerge after the sunlight fades in Jeff Long’s photography project and upcoming book The Night Mountain, a collection of nighttime…

1. BRIGHTON BOULEVARD IMPROVEMENTS Construction begins/ends: Late 2015/TBD Cost: $26 million Who should care: Developers betting big on the RiNo boom; anyone visiting RiNo on foot or two wheels Why: Brighton, the main artery of one of the most happening redevelopments in Denver, lacks sidewalks, curbs, even gutters. With the East Rail Line between Union Station and Denver International Airport coming next year, this stretch of the boulevard will finally get these amenities, plus better lighting, bike lanes, and upgraded signals. 2. 35TH AND 36TH STREETS’ PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES Construction begins/ends: Summer (anticipated)/In conjunction with RTD’s East Rail Line Cost: Not available Who should care: Anyone itching to get to Great Divide’s new taproom on Brighton Boulevard (open this summer!)...oh, and the airport, too Why: This connector between Wazee and Blake…

RESUMÉ NAME: Joyce Meskis PROFESSION: Tattered Cover Bookstore owner AGE: 73 FAVORITE TATTERED COVER READING SPOTS: In the orchestra pit at the Colfax store or on the big brown couch near new fiction in the LoDo location Owning a bookstore is a romantic idea. Was this a career path you set out on, or was it a career based on opportunity? I went to college at Purdue expecting to be a math teacher or an English literature professor. I worked my way through school at the college bookstore. I went on to graduate school at the University of Denver, still working in libraries and bookstores, until I woke up one morning and said to myself, Wake up, you idiot. Don’t you realize you’ve been doing what you love all these…

WHEN THE MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER ALL-STAR GAME lands at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on July 29, about 20 of the league’s best players will take to the field. Unless you’re a serious hooligan or aficionado, chances are you won’t recognize a single one of ’em (and not just because none of them are likely to be Rapids). Sadly, in a country dominated by baseball, basketball, and football, pros from less popular sports often get overlooked, no matter how many trophies and titles they rack up. So we wanted to introduce you to a few Centennial State superstars whose names aren’t Manning, Tulowitzki, or Vonn.…

DENVER’S COLFAX MARATHON goes big on fun (a jaunt through Sports Authority Field at Mile High) and support (13 aid stations). No wonder more than 16,000 runners jammed the starting line this year. But when it comes to adventure…meh. “They’re handing you sports drinks, and if you fall and twist an ankle, there’s an ambulance nearby,” says Boulder ultrarunner Buzz Burrell. “With FKTs, if something goes wrong, it’s all on you.” An FKT is a “fastest known time,” an unofficial race against the clock, often through a remote area. Burrell and fellow Boulderite Peter Bakwin picked up the term in 2000 when, before tackling California’s 223-mile John Muir Trail, they wondered who had run it fastest. After tracking down the record via word of mouth (and crushing it), Bakwin launched…

Running a festival is a year-round affair. “You have to keep people talking,” says Angela Astle, founder and executive producer of Athena Project, a Denver organization that promotes the work of female artists. The conversation turns to money this month, as Athena Project kicks off an online fundraising campaign that will culminate on July 27, when the nonprofit hosts an evening of competition between female improv groups at Blush & Blu in Capitol Hill (admission: $15). Proceeds will support Athena Project’s Girls’ Write program, during which sixth-through eighth-graders learn the theater trade from local pros, and Athena Project Arts Festival, a three-year-old multiday showcase in March that features the premiere of a women-authored play. The script calls for raising $10,000, but feel free to improvise and donate more. athenaprojectfestival.org…

DO THIS! RIDE the Little Scraggy Trail The first half of the new Little Scraggy Trail (part of the Buffalo Creek trail system) opened for riding last September. Pedal more than six miles of flowy single-track through rocky outcroppings on the stretch of undulating climbs and descents from the trailhead to Kelsey Campground. You’ll have to turn back just past the campground for now, but when the other half of the trail to Buffalo Campground is finished in 2016, you’ll get to tackle an additional several miles without any backtracking. HIKE the Colorado Trail from Kenosha Pass to Deadman Creek The Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango generally takes four to six weeks to complete. But the nine-mile out-and-back section from Kenosha Pass to Deadman Creek can be done between…

A 31-YEAR-OLD ENGINEER named Eric Coffman rolled his titanium wheelchair into the Operations and Checkout Building at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center early one morning in the summer of 2013. For the previous six years, Coffman and his team of Colorado-based designers from Lockheed Martin had been working on a propulsion system for Orion, the focus of a multibillion dollar spacecraft program that someday will take humans some 33.9 million miles to Mars. Now, inside a makeshift glass room built atop the facility’s concrete floor, here it was. Orion is the first deep-space vehicle NASA has created since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and ’70s. Orion’s diving-bell-shaped capsule, officially known as the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, stands almost 11 feet tall. Its heat shield, the thing that will keep the…

Reporting by Nicole Blanchard, Spencer Campbell, Kasey Cordell, Amanda M. Faison, Mary Clare Fischer, Jerilyn Forsythe, Natasha Gardner, Luc Hatlestad, Kiran Herbert, Lindsey B. Koehler, Jessica LaRusso, Lindsey R. McKissick, Chris Outcalt, Corrie Sahling, Robert Sanchez, Daliah Singer, Erin Skarda, Camilla Sterne, Callie Sumlin & Geoff Van Dyke…

HAIR SALON Editors’ Choice SCARLET SALON No fretting about putting your hair in the wrong hands here. Any of the 26 stylists at LoHi’s Scarlet Salon, including three men, will do right by your coif, so settle in for a cut and highlights (together starting at what we promise is a well-spent $150). If you have a morning appointment, enjoy a cup of java on the side; otherwise, wine service (one complimentary glass) starts at noon. Want to take home the 100 percent vegan line of Number 4 High Performance products you just had massaged into your scalp? Samples are in the goody bag waiting for you at the front counter. 1575 Boulder St., 720-855-7839, scarletsalon.t83.net Readers’ Choice BANG SALON 1207 E. Alameda Ave., 303-282-5444, bangsalon.net LANDSCAPER Editors’ Choice BLU…

FOR THE… CLASSIC DATER A progressive date at Union Station means you can extend (or cut short) an outing depending on how well it’s going. Start with a pint of local microbrew at Terminal Bar and follow it up with a seafood dinner at Stoic & Genuine (we suggest ordering a half-dozen oysters) and, perhaps, a nightcap at the intimate Cooper Lounge. 1701 Wynkoop St., 303-592-6712, unionstationin denver.com FOR THE… MIDDAY DATER Shake up a latemorning date with the Infinite Monkey Theorem’s last-Sunday-of-themonth brunch series. For about $20, enjoy a selection of eats from a rotating cast of Denver’s top chefs—plus adult beverages (wine, mimosas, peach Bellinis, and coldbrew coffee on tap are available for $5 each)—in a relaxed urban setting. Make a reservation. 3200 Larimer St., 303-736-8376, theinfinitemonkey theorem.com…

Tucked in the northeastern corner of Afghanistan, the snowcapped Hindu Kush mountains rise steeply between the terraced fields of the Korengal and Shuryek valleys. It’s a beautiful but stark and inhospitable place: Tenacious farmers and goat herders battle scorching days and below-freezing nights as well as roving anti-coalition forces who take refuge in the unforgiving landscape. ¶ On the morning of June 28, 2005, high on one of those rocky slopes, 25-year-old Danny Dietz Jr. crouched shoulder to shoulder with three other Navy SEALs fending off an attack from at least 50 mujahedeen fighters. The four men—Petty Officer Second Class Dietz, a gunner’s mate from Littleton; Petty Officer Second Class Marcus Luttrell, a hospital corpsman; Petty Officer Second Class Matthew Axelson, a sonar technician; and Lieutenant Michael Murphy, the team’s…

AN ABBREVIATED HISTORY OF TURN THE PAGE for a 165-year breakdown of Denver’s culinary moments. 1850 1858 Denver City is founded. 1800s Augmented by small game, roots, and berries, bison meat makes up the majority of the Plains Indians’ diet. 1858 Denver’s first restaurant, Karczewsky & Company at 11th and Wazee, offers bread, crackers, pies, and cakes in exchange for goods like dried apples, flour, and gold dust. 1859 Colorado’s first brewery, Rocky Mountain Brewery, opens in Denver. « 1863 Barney Ford, a self-educated runaway slave and civil rights activist, opens the People’s Restaurant on Blake Street and sells oysters, lemons, and Havana cigars. 1864 Moritz Sigi opens Colorado Brewery (now Tivoli Brewing Company). His buck beer (re-created by Tivoli in 2012) becomes the state’s most popular beer by 1868.…

Over the years, I’ve developed an affinity for wings of all styles—Buffalo, Asian, sticky. You name ’em, I’ve tried ’em. My devotion extends to the pork wings (yes, pork) at Ballpark’s seven-month-old Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. In truth, there’s nothing winged about these savory snacks. The appetizer, dreamed up by consulting chef Justin Brunson of Old Major and executed by chef Georgia Torres, is simply the eatery’s take on the pub standard: pork shanks, deep-fried to crispy perfection, then doused with a tangy, spicy, slightly smoky sauce made with Frank’s RedHot cayenne pepper sauce, brown sugar, butter, and chopped chipotle peppers. Garnished with sesame seeds and green onions and served with house-made blue cheese dressing, an order of five wings is big enough to share. But why would you? 2907 Huron…

DENVER NATIVe Beverly Grant is part activist, part community leader, and part food fanatic. Grant, who has had a string of careers in computer science and radio, loves the community-building that can come from sharing food. So, when she became aware that her neighborhood north of City Park and North Park Hill, where she grew up, were considered food deserts—areas that lack sufficient access to affordable, healthy foods—she took action. “[This realization] was like TNT dropped, and in putting everything back together I had this epiphany about starting a farmers’ market.” Now in its fifth year, Mo’ Betta Green Mark etPlace hosts four weekly markets that range in location from Highland to Stapleton; Grant chooses spots “where the built infrastructure doesn’t allow grocery stores,” she says. “Those are the places…

ST. MARY’S GLACIER One of your best bets for year-round snow in Colorado lies nine miles north of Idaho Springs at the end of Fall River Road. Park ($5) and hike about a mile beyond the lot on a moderate rocky trail with views of 13,000-foot James Peak, and you’ll hit St. Mary’s Glacier, a permanent snow patch that sits at 10,800 feet just above the pristine, blue-green St. Mary’s Lake. stmarysglacier.com MT. EVANS For $10, you can drive the 28 miles from Idaho Springs up to 14,000 feet near the top of Mt. Evans—and at that elevation, you’re bound to find at least enough of the white stuff for a snowball fight. And there’s a bonus for burgeoning peak baggers: A 10-minute hike from the parking lot lands you…

1 The number of readers who wrote in “sex and tequila” as the best first-date option on our annual online poll for “Top Of The Town” (page 73). While it wasn’t our first choice, we’re not knocking it, either. 3 The number of hours senior staff writer Robert Sanchez spent with U.S. Senator Cory Gardner’s father for “Will The Real Cory Gardner Please Stand Up?” (page 118) after driving to their Eastern Plains hometown of Yuma. 8.83 Total inches of rain that had fallen in Denver this year as of May 31. (Nearly half came during this issue’s production cycle.) Coincidentally, 8.83 also matches the staff’s level of rainy-day grumpiness on a scale of one to 10. The average amount of rain at this time of year is 5.53 inches.…

False teeth. A set is discovered once every few months. Most are claimed. (Ew.) A porta-potty on wheels. That’s all we’re going to say. $4,000 cash. RTD tracked down the out of-state owner. She sent RTD fruit and candies for years. Glass eyes. Three of them, not from the same owner. (They were all claimed.) There was also a prosthetic leg. A kitten. In a shoebox. (Aw.)…

PARKIFIHAS CREATED the ultimate win-lose situation for Mile High City drivers: The year-old company’s new parking spot sensor lets motorists know (via third-party apps) as soon as a spot is open, but it also sends a digital flare to Segwayriding ticket writers and private parking lot enforcers when your time is up. Ryan Sullivan, co-founder and CEO of Parkifi, insists he really just wanted to design an app to help people find parking more easily, not egg on meter maids. After circling for parking in LoDo made him late to a meeting, Sullivan vented to a co-worker, Rishi Malik. In 2014, the pair hatched the idea to create an app that would pinpoint empty spaces. They soon hit a snag. “You can’t make an effective mobile app for consumers if…

EL JARDIN 2.5 miles from Dick’s Sporting Goods Park Before kickoff, order enchiladas and tamales at El Jardin, a favorite since 1982. You will appreciate the authentic Mexican fare (including house-made sopaipillas)—all made from family recipes—instead of nachos doused with cheese from a pump. 6460 E. 73rd Ave., 303-288-3500; iloveeljardin.com THE WILD ANIMAL SANCTUARY 31.4 miles from DSGP Just north of Commerce City, this all-rescue animal haven covers more than 700 acres of open land. Check out the Wild Animal Sanctuary’s newest residents: a group of lions and tigers and an Andean bear. 1946 County Road 53, Keenesburg, 303-536-0118; wildanimalsanctuary.org STAPLETON TAP HOUSE 2.8 miles from DSGP Stop by this two-year-old north Denver spot for a pint from the 30 rotating taps, which include ales from Denver’s Epic Brewing, Fort…

SAGE CANADAY Mt. Elbert (1 hour, 7 minutes, 16 seconds up) “It is the highest point in Colorado, but it’s a nice wide trail, so you don’t have to worry about falling off a cliff on your way up or down. The views of the mountains around Leadville are spectacular.” ANDY ANDERSON Longs Peak (1 hour, 56 minutes, 46 seconds round-trip) “The route I took combines a little bit of everything, from route finding to trail running to rock climbing. And the north face of Longs is simply amazing.” KRISSY MOEHL Wonderland Trail, a 93-mile loop around Washington’s Mt. Rainier (22 hours, 22 minutes, 45 seconds) “At one point, the sun was setting and the sky filled with amazing hues of pink. We caught a glimpse of Rainier’s summit through…

ACTION/ADVENTURE 80239 Montbello and Stapleton TOP TITLE The Equalizer COMEDY 80218 Country Club, Cheesman Park, and City Park West TOP TITLE 22 Jump Street DRAMA 80210 Wellshire, University Park, Cory-Merrill, University, Washington Park, Rosedale, and Platt Park TOP TITLE Boyhood FAMILY 80238 Stapleton TOP TITLE The Lego Movie HORROR 80219 Harvey Park, College View/South Platte, Mar Lee, Ruby Hill, Athmar Park, Westwood, Valverde, Barnum, and Barnum West TOP TITLE Oculus *From April 2014 to April 2015…

1991 This year was Denny Dent’s coming-out. The performance painter—who used six brushes (three in each mitt) to churn out portraits in less time than it takes to cook a frozen pizza—later appeared at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration party. 1998 Cherry Creek won the first of its five Gold Grand Pinnacle Awards from the International Festivals and Events Association, putting it on course to declare itself “America’s Most Honored Arts Festival.” 2000 With the organization drowning in $205,000 of debt, the board had to decide whether or not to end an event that couldn’t pay its bills. (Hint: They chose “not.”) 2001 There’s nothing like a microburst dumping six inches of water in just an hour to make you question the whole “outdoor festival” idea. The sudden deluge smashed glass…

There may be no “I” in team, but there’s a whole lot of it in Salida’s year-old Captain Zipline Aerial Adventure Park. Unlike a team-building ropes course, aerial adventure parks are larger and more complex, designed to be selfguided using a smart belay system that attaches participants to fixed safety cables at all times. Tucked in the Arkansas River Valley’s Lost Canyon, the 120-element Captain Zipline includes swinging bridges, tightropes, tunnels, suspended ladders, and trapezes elevated up to 50 feet off the ground. The new features join six existing 200-to 700-foot zip lines to form an adventure mecca. “This is the place where Indiana Jones meets Spider-Man,” says owner Monty Holmes. Hundreds of aerial parks exist in Europe, where the concept originated, but Captain Zipline is Colorado’s first, and the…

ON A RAINY WEEKEND in mid-September 2013, the five members of the Lumineers walked onto the stage at Red Rocks Amphitheatre for the first time as a headlining act. A night at Red Rocks remains one of the most coveted gigs in popular music, and anticipating the significance of the moment, the band had prepared a surprise. On the second night of back-to-back shows, about halfway through the set, lead singer Wesley Schultz leaned into the mic and announced, “We brought some special guests with us—it’s an honor to play with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra!” Stage lights flicked on, illuminating a few dozen musicians seated in a semicircle behind the band. The nearly 10,000 rain-soaked fans erupted. At that point in their careers, it seemed as though the members of…

DESSERT Editors’ Choice STEUBEN’S Denverites first got a taste of pastry chef Nadine Donovan’s supreme talent at Fuel Cafe and then Old Major (oh how we adored her baked Alaska). When it was announced in February that she was leaving Old Major, foodies anxiously awaited her next move. Within a matter of weeks, she landed at the Vesta Dipping Grill/Ace Eat Serve/Steuben’s family. Fittingly, Donovan’s first menu included an ode to the 1950s: a lemon icebox bar, a not-toosweet treat that juxtaposes white cake with frozen lemon mousse, toasted meringue, ginger crumble, and blackberry compote. Her new home is a delicious match for a chef inspired by nostalgic desserts. 523 E. 17th Ave., 303-830-1001, steubens.com Readers’ Choice D BAR 494 E. 19th Ave., 303-861- 4710, dbardenver.com BURGER Editors’ Choice THE…

CAR CAMPING Editors’ Choice GUANELLA PASS, ARAPAHO NATIONAL FOREST Load the car with an extra ration (or two) of s’mores and set the GPS for Guanella Pass. The easy-to-spot 18-site campground ($17 per night, open until Labor Day) sits less than nine miles south of Georgetown and is the perfect launch pad for an early morning ascent of 14,065-foot Mt. Bierstadt or other nearby thirteeners. Beyond the convenient location, the fire rings (bring firewood), picnic tables, running water, and vault toilets mean you won’t exactly be roughing it. fs.fed.us Readers’ Choice (TIE) GOLDEN GATE CANYON STATE PARK and ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK BEST REASON TO LACE UP YOUR RUNNING SHOES Editors’ Choice CITY RUNNING TOURS DENVER When we found an excuse to re-experience the Mile High City as tourists and…

COSTUME JEWELRY Editors’ Choice FANCY TIGER CLOTHING Sometimes, the necklace completes the outfit; other times, a piece of jewelry inspires a whole new ensemble. Fancy Tiger’s statement-making collection, refreshingly displayed with plenty of space between items, falls into the latter category. All the jewelry is handmade (around 70 percent by local artisans), and many pieces have an earthy aesthetic, incorporating materials such as feathers, crystals, and hammered copper. Although the selection is small, inventory turns over every few weeks—which is why we couldn’t leave a pair of real Icelandic fish leather earrings ($28), made by a Fancy Tiger employee, behind on our last visit. 55 Broadway, 303-282-6590, fancytigerclothing.com Readers’ Choice JEWELIUS 2405 W. 32nd Ave., 303-975-6745 WEDDING GOWNS Editors’ Choice A&BÉ BRIDAL SHOP If Anna Bé is the elegant, accomplished,…

The fitness scene on the Front Range, long a bastion of workout fanatics, has recently reached a tipping point. A Yelp search for “gyms near Denver” yields more than 2,000 results, and it’s not difficult to determine that those numbers are genuine. Drive down any street in the metro area, and you’ll find a place (if not many places) to burn calories and build muscles. Many of these workout meccas are big-box gyms; others are part of a growing number of smaller or independently owned shops. CrossFit studios in particular have exploded; Colorado may have fewer people than many states (22nd out of 50 in population), but our go-hard-or-go-home populace sustains the ninth-largest CrossFit market in the country. And we’re not just into lifting tractor tires to get ripped: Boutique…

At the time of my visit with Cory Gardner in Washington, D.C., this past spring, the senator’s office was a small series of windowless basement rooms inside the Dirksen Senate Office Building, a few hundred yards from the United States Capitol. I feel compelled to tell you here that you should not pity Colorado’s junior senator for his accommodations. After all, they appear to be built for ambition: One of the previous inhabitants of SD-B40B is Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who announced in March he would enter the 2016 presidential race. Another is a man by the name of Barack Obama. I was sitting in his waiting room when Gardner emerged from his private office. He has a broad, friendly face and is shorter and paunchier than you might imagine.…

Smokin’ Ragin’ Hog BBQ offers a happy hodgepodge of Southern eats. LAST NOVEMBER, my boyfriend and I road-tripped to the East Coast. Desperately in need of nourishment in Kansas City, we followed highway signs to Arthur Bryant’s, considered by many to be a barbecue institution. Our saucy brisket sandwiches not only sustained us through a long night of driving; they also introduced us to Kansas City’s barbecue tradition of slow-smoked, dry-rubbed meats. Months later, on my way home from work, I stopped at Ragin’ Hog BBQ, a tiny, cash-only joint off Lowell Boulevard in Berkeley. I was again tired and hungry, and so I practically swooned as Arkansas-born Stacy Van Tuyl (who owns and operates the spot with his pit-master wife, Colleen) walked me through the menu. Once I decided…

Any parent knows that hungry children and long car rides don’t mix. When I was growing up, my family often piled into the Volvo for the three-hour drive to our cabin in Goldfield, southwest of Colorado Springs. We stopped at Sonic Drive-In in the Springs, even though we knew chili dogs and switch backs didn’t mix either. So when we discovered Serrano’s Mexican Bar & Grill, perched on a hillside in Woodland Park, we were overjoyed to find an alternative. Just like its canary yellow exterior, Serrano’s stands out among the lackluster chains in this mountain town. If it weren’t for the stunning view of Pikes Peak from the large windows and wraparound porch, you could (if you squinted real hard) be beachside in Mexico. Between margarita sips, you’re greeted…

BACK, SHOULDERS, AND ARMS The adrenaline rushing through your veins obscures the taxing workout that paddling white water levies on your back and arms—until the next morning. Regimen Hire a guide service such as River Runners (starting at $70) to lead you down the Numbers, a set of six Class IV and V rapids on the Arkansas River near Buena Vista. whitewater.net CORE Sure, you can do core-strengthening yoga anywhere. But in Colorado, you can do it on top of a mountain. Regimen Ride the gondola ($20) to the top of Aspen Mountain on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 10:20 a.m. for an hour of hatha yoga at nearly 11,000 feet. aspensnowmass.com CALVES These can be difficult to target, but Colorado’s countless vertical hikes have no trouble hitting the bull’s-eye.…

FAIRY SLIPPER ORCHID (Calypso bulbosa) SEE IT Scattered along Beaver Trail in Golden Gate Canyon State Park PEAK TIME June (it only blooms for two weeks) SULPHUR FLOWER (Eriogonum umbellatum) SEE IT Throughout the rockier areas of Vogel Canyon Trail in Comanche National Grassland PEAK TIME June through August BRACTLESS BLAZINGSTAR (Mentzelia nuda) SEE IT Strolling through Laura Smith Porter Plains Garden at Denver Botanic Gardens PEAK TIME Between July and August LIVERLEAF WINTERGREEN (Pyrola asarifolia) SEE IT Near the water at the end of Cub Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park PEAK TIME July COLORADO BLUE COLUMBINE (Aquilegia caerulea) SEE IT Along the slopes of Yankee Boy Basin in Uncompahgre National Forest PEAK TIME July WHITE CHECKER MALLOW (Sidalcea candida) SEE IT On Rainbow Trail, close to Hayden…

COLORADO SPRINGS THE RIDE: Cheyenne Cañon DISTANCE: 11.4 miles round-trip (from brewery) TIME: 1 hour or less DIFFICULTY: Hard Nearly every cyclist living in or around Colorado Springs, including international pros and riders training at the U.S. Olympic Complex, uses this climb to test his or her fitness level. Anything under 20 minutes qualifies a rider as a “competitive amateur racer,” according to Chris Carmichael, a Springs resident and former U.S. Olympic cycling coach. From Bristol Brewing, now located at the corner of South Cascade Avenue and Navajo Street, pedal a block or so south to begin a 2.6-mile spin along Cheyenne Boulevard to the gate at the canyon entrance. Here, the road enters North Cheyenne Cañon Park and shoots up more than 1,100 feet over 3.1 miles with an…