Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2022 i 5280 Magazine

Depending on the size of the magazine we print each month, there can be anywhere from roughly 19,000 to 33,000 words in our editorial pages. We, of course, labor over our language, hoping to craft stories you’ll enjoy reading. But a lot of painstaking work goes into something we hope you don’t notice at all: getting the facts right. Magazine journalism has a long history of being singular in its efforts to confirm every verifiable truth before publication. As opposed to newspaper editors and TV news producers, who don’t have time to do an independent review for each story they run, magazine editors have by and large taken advantage of their longer lead times to ensure their product, often displayed for weeks or months, gets the facts straight. Over the…

Vibes in the Park: On June 19, Juneteenth Music Festival (JMF) is partnering with Vibes in the Park, which organizes get-togethers in City Park on summer Sundays that serve as safe spaces for Black people to hang out. The festival’s Vibes on 29th will feature live DJs performing on a stage erected on 29th Street. Denver Fire Department youth boxing matches: On June 18, Denver firefighters will hold bouts between amateurs ages eight to 18. The Street Festival: The headliners for this year’s two-day performance lineup are rappers Dave East (June 18) and Twista (June 19). Juneteenth Eats at Chēba Hut: Through June 19, Colorado-based Chēba Huts is offering a beer-and-shot special, $2 of which will benefit JMF. On June 16, a portion of the sandwich maker’s total sales will go…

On a brisk day this past October, Juan Ignacio Stewart invites attendees at an annual pitch slam in Boulder to sip samples of Frescos Naturales—canned, carbonated aguas frescas he started making just nine months before. The event is hosted by Naturally Boulder, a membership organization that supports the Front Range’s natural products industry, and Stewart is a finalist. In a few hours, he will present his product to a team of judges and investors who—if he wins—could provide his fledgling company with funding, mentorship, and the chance to exhibit Frescos at a major national trade show. Frescos’ packaging, with its bright colors and bold lettering, conveys the same confidence as Stewart, and those who can read the Spanish words on the labels—tamarindo, rosa de Jamaica, maracuyá—know instantly what’s inside. The…

The pursuit of crack climbing requires the shoving of fingers, fists, and entire bodies into seams in the stone, a brutal blend of friction and balance propelling practitioners skyward. “There’s an initial awkward stage,” says Zach Lentsch, who owns climbing instruction company Wyoming Mountain Guides in Thermopolis. “But once you power through, you learn all these techniques that open up a whole new world of climbing.” Unlock this painful but oddly addictive Pandora’s box at Wyoming’s Vedauwoo, a famed climbing area in Medicine Bow’s southeastern region that boasts more than a thousand routes—including these four increasingly challenging recommendations from two frequenters of the “Voo.” LE PETIT ARBRE Try It For: Learning The Ropes Most Vedauwoo routes require traditional climbing, an advanced style in which climbers install temporary anchors as they…

My screen-dominated life feeds me a steady parade of photos, most of them forgettable. But a couple of years ago, my eyes swiped across an Instagram picture of somebody holding a golden trout, and I felt a surge of envy: I want that. So, when I learned that some lakes in the Snowy Range hold goldens, I loaded up my fishing gear. Golden trout are native to the Little Kern River system of California. Over time, people have transplanted them into other U.S. watersheds, including the lakes of Wyoming’s Wind River Range, where a record-setting two-pound golden was caught in summer 2021. I didn’t care about size: I just wanted to see those blazing orange scales. Sadly, the Wind River Range is a five-plus-hour drive from my Steamboat Springs home.…

The main attraction of Wyoming’s smallest designated wilderness area, the Encampment River Trail runs the length of an un-compromising canyon that stretches from Odd Fellows Campground near the town of Encampment to the Commissary Park trailhead on the Wyoming-Colorado border. Backpackers can start their treks at either end, but unless they’ve left a vehicle at their destination, this 16-mile journey turns into a 32-mile haul. Not that that would be a bad thing: A three-day, two-night, primitive-camping back-packing trip gives adventurers time to get a line wet for browns, brookies, and ’bows; search the cliffs for elk and bighorn sheep; and explore the remnants of old cabins and mining operations. The best spot to pitch a tent along the trail comes roughly 5.5 miles in from Odd Fellows Campground, but…

How does this sound: a flight from Denver to anywhere in the world in under three hours. Plus, you get to skip the security lines at DIA. If Adams County has its way, that dream will manifest at the Colorado Air and Space Port (CASP). Formerly known as the Front Range Airport, this general aviation center changed its name when it received a license for space operations from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2018. But while it’s one of 13 FAA-approved spaceports—essentially commercial space launch sites, as opposed to NASA’s Cape Canaveral complex—don’t expect dramatic rocket launches. Instead, CASP will have spaceplanes that take off and land like traditional aircraft but can leave the atmosphere behind temporarily. Adams County is betting that space tourism outfits could be using this…

Low Earth orbit—the region from around 100 to 1,200 miles above the ground—is virtually lawless. In fact, it has become so easy to reach that, without any space police, it’s slowly turning into a junkyard. By some estimates, more than half of all satellites are defunct, and some 27,000 pieces of debris over four inches in size are circling the planet. “At the velocity that this debris is moving,” Hickenlooper says, “even a piece the size of a flake of paint off your wall can pierce the skin of the International Space Station.” That’s nothing compared with what’s coming. Elon Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, for example, is building a network, known as a megaconstellation, of some 40,000 satellites to beam the internet around the globe, and there are several equally…

“If you would’ve told me in 1972 that we wouldn’t be back to the moon for 50 years,” says Jack Burns, a professor of astrophysics at CU Boulder, “I would have said you are full of youknow-what.” Burns has a special interest in moon landings beyond being a child of the Apollo age. He’s director of the Network for Exploration and Space Science, a multiuniversity organization dedicated to developing advanced science on the moon. Burns also served on former President Donald Trump’s NASA transition team, which laid the groundwork for Artemis, the NASA mission that aims to not only return astronauts to Earth’s only natural satellite but also eventually establish longterm habitation there. “I’ve been working on this for 38 years,” he says. “This is the third iteration of us…

THE WESTERN HISTORY & GENEALOGY DEPARTMENT ON THE FIFTH FLOOR OF THE DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY’S CENTRAL BRANCH IS QUIET, EXCEPT FOR THE SOUND OF KALI FAJARDO-ANSTINE FLIPPING THROUGH MAPS OF THE CITY FROM THE EARLY 1930S. “LET ME SEE IF I CAN FIND WHERE MY PEOPLE WERE,” she says, before landing on a page that charts out an area just west of downtown where each building is marked with a specific color. “You can see,” she says, “my character’s whole neighborhood is red.” The character Fajardo-Anstine references is Luz, the protagonist of her debut novel, Woman of Light, a multigenerational saga due to be published by One World, an imprint of Random House dedicated to telling underrepresented stories, this month. And red is the color Sanborn Map Company, which created…

When we decided to examine Colorado’s aerospace industry (“Far Out,” page 72), we called Lea first. BIGGEST LEAP ”Immigrating to the United States from the United Kingdom opened the door to so many amazing opportunities, experiences, and friendships. I do miss a good cup of tea, though.” ON EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE ”I don’t think we’re alone, but given the immense distances and time scales involved, I think the chances of us making contact with another civilization are slim to none.”…

9 MILES IN The trail (#1162) to Mica Lake (four miles, one way) joins your route from the right. Continue on #1161, but only after departing it momentarily for a scramble up the massive boulder (dropped here 10,000 to 30,000 years ago) that sits to the south of the junction. 9.5 MILES IN The trail’s final mile swerves away from Gilpin Creek. As you finish the hike, keep an eye out for thimbleberry bushes. Look-alikes to raspberries, these ruby red fruits peak in late July and taste like rhubarb pie. 600 FEET IN After following Gilpin Lake Trail out of the Slavonia trailhead, your first landmark is the junction with Gold Creek Trail (#1150). Follow it off to the right: Hiking counterclockwise sets you up for the most impressive views…

1. VEE BAR GUEST RANCH During the summer, this lodge provides three- and six-night all-inclusive, dude-ranch-style vacations. On Saturdays from early June to early September, however, Vee Bar offers a bed-and-breakfast option ($220). 2. MOUNTAIN VIEW HISTORIC HOTEL & CAFE Built in 1907 and located in the tiny hamlet of Centennial, the Mountain View has several overnight accommodations, but just popping into the cozy coffee-shop for a cup of joe and a pastry is a great way to fuel up on an early morning excursion into Medicine Bow. 3. CENTENNIAL VISITOR CENTER Generally open from Memorial Day well into October, the center is staffed with rangers—who actually answer the phone (307-742-9730)—Thursday through Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It also has maps, brochures, and a vault toilet. 4. BARBER…

Dr. Morgan Medlock is no stranger to a crisis. Until recently, she served as chief medical officer and director of crisis services for Washington, D.C.’s Department of Behavioral Health, for which she oversaw the agency’s only 24/7 psychiatric emergency services facility. So confronting a problem as urgent as mental health care in Colorado should be right in her wheelhouse. Every year, Mental Health America, a bipartisan advocacy nonprofit, ranks the states based on prevalence of mental illness and access to care. In 2022, Colorado finished last for adults. Alarming statistics such as these led Governor Jared Polis to launch a task force in 2019 charged with evaluating the state’s mental health care system. A year later, the group released its report, which detailed a serpentine maze of more than 100…

As soon as you part the red curtain that separates La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal’s entrance from Larimer Street, you’re hit with the scents of toasted chiles, slow-roasted cochinita pibil, and long-simmered broths. These savory smells signify essential components of the tacos and stews that satisfy our appetites for Latin American flavors. They’re so familiar, and yet their creators often are not. Colorado is known for the sort of Mexican food that chef Jose Avila makes at year-old La Diabla near Coors Field and at his weekly barbacoa pop-up, El Borrego Negro, in Westwood. Mexican American chefs such as Avila—many of whom have run the kitchens of well-known eateries in town—are an integral part of the local restaurant industry. Plus, Avila estimates that 80 to 90 percent of the kitchen…

Five years ago, David Wright decided he was done with corporate America. He and his wife thought maybe they’d buy a bed-and-breakfast and enjoy a quiet semiretirement. Instead, they purchased 76-year-old Albany Lodge—a nine-room hotel with 14 cabins and a gear rental shop at the edge of Medicine Bow National Forest—and haven’t had a quiet day since. The noise emanates not only from the guests grabbing a few longnecks at the bar or laughing with friends and family at the on-site restaurant but also from the constant hum of off-highway vehicles. More commonly called side-by-sides, these glorified dune buggies have wicked shocks, knobby tires, and four-wheel-drive capabilities perfect for off-roading on the more than 500 miles of trails in Medicine Bow National Forest. “We are a ride-in, ride-out facility,” Wright…

Bike Town USA is surrounded by parts of Routt National Forest that include an expansive network of hiking trails fat-tire enthusiasts have been exploiting since the early ’90s. Then, trail-loving locals approved a 2013 ballot initiative that started using existing lodging tax revenue to build new routes for hiking and mountain biking. Now, purpose-built singletrack rounds out the old-school paths that plumb remote mountain meadows. So whether you’re looking to rail banked corners or shoulder your bike over gnarly cliffs, Routt National Forest near Steamboat has something for you. If you like: Stairways to heaven You’ll love: Hot Springs and Lower Bear trails Location: Mad Creek trailhead, seven miles north of downtown Because: The climbing may be constant, but the scenery is varied, combining bucolic cattle meadows, streamside conifers, and…

I’ve been biking for six hours across northern Colorado’s Routt National Forest. I’ve climbed almost 6,000 feet, from the grasslands to the foothills, from aspen groves to the dark timber, and through a couple of real-deal cattle drives. I’m on a bike with tires skinnier than those on my mountain bike but wider and more forgiving than my road bike tires. I’ve eaten thousands of calories in dried fruit, nut butters, baked goods, and sandwiches. My legs ache, and I’m dreaming of icing them in a cold mountain lake and lying down in my tent before a catered dinner. I’m trying not to think about what the next three days of riding might hold and whether my legs are up to the challenge. The Ramble Ride, founded in 2016, is…

5280: You were 17 when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. What did that moment mean to you? John Hickenlooper: My generation always asked, “Where were you when we walked on the moon?” It was an achievement that everybody in the country participated in. One argument you could make about the division we have now is that we don’t have that same shared mythology we did then. Still, it seems like space is one of the few things that Democrats and Republicans agree on. Recognizing the reality and the importance of our technical competition with China is something that really does unite both parties. There is this sense of urgency that we need to move quickly. I couldn’t help noticing the subcommittee’s previous name was Space, Science, and Competitiveness. Competitiveness…

In December 2020, Golden-based Lunar Outpost made national headlines for what seemed like a really, really bad business deal. NASA announced it had signed four commercial contracts to collect moon dust from the lunar surface, but where the other three agreements were for between $5,000 and $15,000—already paltry amounts—Lunar Outpost bid a single dollar. “That was probably the smartest marketing move we’ve ever done, because the story got picked up all over,” says co-founder and COO Julian Cyrus. “The dollar isn’t really anything, but it is establishing the legal and procedural framework for purchasing space resources.” Which was NASA’s plan all along. Still, it currently costs more than $1 million per kilogram (that’s 2.2 pounds for us Americans) to land on the moon, so Lunar Outpost paired the resource-collection mission…

Another way Artemis’ lunar mission will help us get to Mars? Water. Or, more precisely, the hydrogen and oxygen atoms water contains that can be used to make rocket fuel. “Estimates are anywhere from a hundred million to a billion metric tons of water are on the moon,” says Angel Abbud-Madrid, director of the Center for Space Resources at Colorado School of Mines. “That is about the equivalent of two Lake Dillons. That’s not much water on Earth, but it’s enough to refuel thousands upon thousands of rockets.” Turning the moon into a low-gravity Circle K could significantly reduce the cost to reach Mars and help humanity send missions deeper into the solar system. There are still questions, though. Two critical ones: Where is the water, and in what form…

PRICE KEY (Average Entrée) $ UNDER $ 10 ◾ $$ $ 11 TO $ 15 ◾ $$$ $ 16 TO $ 25 ◾ $$$$ $ 26 AND HIGHER. Want More Dining Options? Visit our online listings at 5280.com/restaurants. SYMBOL KEY NEW Indicates a restaurant featured in 5280 for the first time (though not necessarily a restaurant that has just opened). A Ace Eat Serve $$$ Uptown Area / Asian This Uptown restaurant features Asian-inspired cuisine and 11 ping-pong tables. Try the Sichuan shrimp won tons and don’t miss the Peking duck, which is served family-style on Thursdays and Sundays. Reservations accepted. 501 E. 17th Ave., 303-800-7705. Dinner African Grill & Bar $$$ Lakewood / African Head to this cheery African restaurant for rich stews, fried fish, rice dishes, and friendly…