Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2017 i 5280 Magazine

[ FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR] Mountain Majesties T hey grace our license plates. They’re the focal point of photos on our phones and artwork in our homes. Even our baseball team is named for them. Yes, Colorado’s Rocky Mountains loom large in the lives of those of us who call the Centennial State home, and indeed, these behemoths—and one peak farther afield— play significant roles in three of our features this month. In a revealing personal essay (“Elevation Gain,” page 114), 5280 contributing editor Amanda M. Faison recounts how a summer spent with her family on the Colorado Trail inspired her and her husband to leave Denver for the slower pace of Summit County. The mountains, however, aren’t always so magnanimous. Fifty years ago this month, an expedition to Alaska’s…

F ew get a redo at the college experience: bumping up that GPA, acing those statistics exams, approaching the cute girl in Chem 201. Yet that’s precisely what Beau Gamble offered in 2015 when he called Marcus Hall to ask him to compete in the Basketball Tournament. Hall had played for the University of Colorado Boulder from 2003 to 2008 before going pro in Europe, but his Buffs teams never made the NCAA tournament. “This was my second chance to represent the school at that level,” Hall says. Founded in 2014 as a way to give college basketball junkies a fix during the summer, the Basketball Tournament is structured like the NCAA tourney, with 64 teams competing in a single-elimination bracket throughout July and early August. The winners of this…

A sneak peek into the national food event of the year—happening right here in Denver. PAGE 54 It would be easy to write off two-year-old Wonder Press as yet another haven for health-obsessed Boulderites. The sunny cafe specializes in cold-pressed juices, nutrition-packed smoothies, and light vegan fare (avocado toast, chia pudding, overnight oats). And the Lycra-clad patrons are all as radiant and fit as you’d expect. But what makes this spot worth a visit for mere 5K-running mortals is an attention to flavor that’s more in line with fine dining than with a hippie juice bar. Take the exceptionally rich, better-than-ice-cream maca-pecan smoothie, made with Peruvian superfood maca, house-made nut milk, banana, dates, vanilla, and fresh nutmeg. Sure, it’s the sort of ridiculously good-for-you meal in a glass that could…

WEST Carelli’s Pizzeria & Pasta 465 Yampa Ave., Craig, 970-824-6868 The stromboli at this locals’ haunt in Craig taste like they’re right out of Boston’s North End. Luckily, you only have to travel to northwestern Colorado to try them. Make a pit stop on your way home from Dinosaur National Monument to check out Carelli’s old Bakers Pride deck oven, which cranks out New York–style slices, or the killer Philly-style sandwiches on house-made hoagie rolls. There are always two IPAs among the six rotating taps, and the golf memorabilia on the walls comes courtesy of co-owner Brett Etzler, a former club professional. NORTH Hahn’s Peak Café 61070 Route County Road 129, Clark, 970-871-1495 Once you’ve docked your boat at Steamboat Lake State Park, get your land legs back at this…

We’re all friends with Adam Gildar, really. The artists he represents at his gallery; the collectors who buy his wares; the museum directors with the sway to make or break his reputation; the critics, like me, who write about his exhibits. And all of us, in our own ways, do business with him, too. The art world is, as Gildar puts it, “a gray place,” subjective by nature, and the rules of personal relationships are fluid and fully exploitable. One day, a few years ago, I met up with him at a project space in a crowded Mexico City neighborhood for an interview about a show he was curating. All we did, in the end, was hang out on the building’s rooftop, blasting beer bottles with the artist’s high-powered BB…

JASON J. HATFIELD Photographer Highlands Ranch– based photographer Jason Hatfield had run with camera gear in the past. But to make sure he could keep up with elite ultrarunners Heath Kirschner and Paul Landry when they took on the Colorado Trail (“Elevation Gain,” page 114), he spent a weekend jogging up fourteeners with his photography equipment on his back. “It was still harder to keep up than I hoped, but I was able to get all the shots I planned,” Hatfield says. “Running along with them—and capturing the incredible backdrop of the Weminuche Wilderness— was an inspiring experience that definitely contributed to more impactful images.” Hatfield’s work has also been featured on outsideonline.com. NATASHA GARDNER Articles Editor As someone who loves to bike, drive, and walk around Denver, articles editor…

Just because school’s out doesn’t mean it’s time to put the brakes on learning—especially if you’re in a class with Pedaling Minds. Launched in 2015 by retired pro cyclist and 2008 Olympian Mike Friedman, the organization’s after-school programs and new half-day summer camps held in Boulder, Superior, and Louisville use bikes to get kids exercising physically and mentally. During the academic year, the group operates two clinics for grade schoolers: Skills and Drills teaches basics like rider safety and handling techniques, and during the Science of the Bicycle, kids learn cycling physics, engineering, and chemistry while fixing their rides. The new camps (held July 10 to 14 and July 31 to August 4 for kids ages six to 13) similarly include lessons in maneuvering and mechanics, but with the welcome…

Trade I-70 traffic for wide-open Wyoming this summer. PAGE 40 When the honeymoon’s over, many young newlyweds buy a house; Chris and Tara Seegers bought an entire town. In January 2015, the young couple purchased Hillside, a tiny former mining community north of Westcliffe, and turned it into a serene weekend escape complete with modern cottages, a renovated meeting hall for weddings and concerts, and a historic post office. This month, Hillside debuts a fifth spruced-up cottage, though some of the town’s biggest attractions—like its location in Colorado’s only International Dark Sky Community—have never needed any updates. The town’s million-dollar midnight views can now be yours starting at $100 a night. townofhillside.com…

Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimates more than two-thirds of Coloradans play outside at least once a week. This month, Outdoor Adventure Quest dares you to up that dose of plein air with its adventure challenge: Complete as many of the event’s more than 1,000 outdoor activities (spread across all 100,000-plus square miles of Colorado) as you can in 72 hours to win fancy gear from sponsors. Sounds great—so long as you’re not limited by a job, family, or funds. For those who are, we’ve designed a slightly tamer game made up of challenges within two hours of Denver. Roll the dice to get going. START Ride the Buffalo Creek Big Loop in Buffalo Creek It takes the pros less than two hours to finish this 23.6-mile trail, which features 12-degree…

WHERE TO SEE MITCHELL Date July 22, during the Colorado Symphony’s free season preview (tickets still required) when Mitchell will conduct select works from the upcoming season Venue Boettcher Concert Hall colorado symphony.org G rowing up in Seattle, the Colorado Symphony’s new music director didn’t listen to a single Beethoven piece until high school. He was too busy rocking out to Kurt Cobain. Brett Mitchell, 38, officially takes over as the symphony’s new conductor when the 2017-’18 season kicks off on July 1. Every bit a product of his era, Mitchell’s musical tastes formed while listening to ’90s Seattle grunge bands and iconic scores from films like Raiders of the Lost Ark (not to mention his parents’ Beatles records). That affinity for pop culture and relatability is just what the…

U nless you’ve been trapped in a dead zone on I-70, you know that the biggest food event of the year— Slow Food Nations—is taking place from July 14 to 16 right here in Denver. We’re not just blowing smoke: This all-weekend festival is the South by Southwest of the culinary world. ¶ Slow Food, an Italian-born organization dedicated to “good, clean, and fair food” for all, biannually celebrates its mission in Turin at the Terra Madre conference. This year, for the first time, the United States is hosting its own rendition: Slow Food Nations. Of all the cities in the land, Denver was chosen to be its home—for 2017 and the foreseeable future—thanks to our collaborative, creative food community and booming dining scene. ¶ How can you join the…

FISH N BEER OYSTERETTE 3510 Larimer St. 303-248-3497 fishnbeer denver.com THE DRAW: Deftly cooked, straightforward seafood in a welcoming room THE DRAWBACK: When dishes get fancy, they lose their charm DON’T MISS: Charcuterie board, roasted fish, deep-fried starters, raw and grilled oysters, wedge salad A small but mighty Argentine-style wood-fire grill is the heart of the eight-monthold little fish house near the corner of Larimer and 35th streets. It romances you with a whiff of wood smoke and drippings as you walk in the door, and its flavor runs through some of the menu’s best dishes. If you sit at the counter, right by the entrance, you can see the action. Crank wheels raise and lower a pair of iron grates over red coals and splits of wood. Oysters, vegetables,…

G lossy feathers, some long enough to graze the rooster’s feet, drape in graceful arcs as Thomas Whiting holds the bird upright at arm’s length for me to see. This is no ordinary chicken. Even the rooster, who fluffs up as if on cue, seems to know he’s special. Plump and alert, he holds himself like a proud churchgoer. Whiting stares at the bird with a mixture of pride and scrutiny, as if critiquing a work of art. “This is a beautiful dun color,” says Whiting, who owns 5,000-acre Whiting Farms, just outside Delta. “It resembles a mayfly, which is one of the fishing flies people tie. Ever heard of a mayfly?” He speaks slowly, unperturbed by the pandemonium of bok-bok-boks and cock-a-doodle-doos in the dimly lit barn. Chickens and…

1885–’86 Germany’s Karl Benz creates and patents the Motorwagen, which uses an engine powered by internal combustion. 1899 The Denver Republican newspaper declares that the horseless carriage is “even speedier than the bicycle and is not so likely to get out of order.” 1902 In January, a Denver court issues what is supposedly the Mile High City’s first speeding ticket to a driver going 40 mph on 16th Street. 1927 Denver tries to promote August as “courtesy month,” during which drivers should treat others as they’d want to be treated. Traffic crashes increase. 1908 The Ford Motor Co.’s affordable Model T rolls off the assembly line and makes car ownership a financially achievable part of the American dream. 1930s AND 1940s In response to a scourge of deaths known as…

SPECIAL EVENTS JULY 8 Claudia Savage and Lisa Birman If you don’t normally associate the Centennial State with great literature, this reading by two Colorado-based writers might make you reconsider. Colorado State University alumna and poet Claudia Savage shares free-verse works about motherhood and creativity while Boulder novelist and poet Lisa Birman reads pieces about her home country of Australia. 3-4 p.m. Innisfree Poetry Bookstore & Cafe, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., Boulder, 303-495-3303, innisfreepoetry.com. Free. Visit claudiafsavage.com and lisabirman.org. JULY 12–14 Movie at the Symphony: La La Land in Concert See this Best Picture–nominated film in the style of an Old Hollywood silent feature—with live accompaniment. Watch Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling sing and dance throughout their heartbreaking pursuit of stardom while the Colorado Symphony plays the movie’s jazzy score, which…

You don’t need an ocean to have a shark expert. Meet Denver’s. PAGE 32 Most states have one or two music festivals worth bragging about (think: Bonnaroo in Tennessee and Sasquatch! in Washington). Colorado operates on a whole different level. The Centennial State hosts more than 100 music events each year, including multiday series like Telluride’s Bluegrass Festival and the Ride Festival, Grand Junction’s Country Jam, and Jazz Aspen Snowmass’ Labor Day Experience. Sure, these large festivals draw big-name acts like Beck (pictured), who will perform at this month’s the Ride Festival, and Keith Urban—but they also attract plenty of workers. In fact, since 2011, live-music jobs in the state have grown by 70 percent. The Colorado Tourism Office has even partnered with the University of Colorado Denver to study…

Do try this at home (or in Boulder)! Denver Parks and Recreation prohibits folks from attaching anything to park trees, so instead of rigging up that slackline in Cheesman, you might want to head to Boulder, where, in February, eight city parks became slackline- friendly (provided you wrap your line around designated trunks). Taylor VanAllen likes to say that no matter how long you’ve been highlining, there’s always an element of fear. But it’s not enough, apparently, to stop the 25-year-old Morrison native from going for a new American record this month. Highlining, a type of slacklining, is a modern-day tightrope walk: Athletes balance on nylon webbing, typically about two inches wide, stretched over canyons, rivers, and other terrain. In VanAllen’s case, that translates to traversing a 2,400-foot line suspended…

Brett Mitchell is staging a pop culture coup at the Colorado Symphony. PAGE 48 On the Fourth of July, nothing says American pride like red, white, and blue. But if you’re going for subtlety, consider something from Sword & Plough. The Denver fashion brand, which recently introduced a jewelry line made from .50-caliber bullet casings, makes bags, totes, and more from upcycled military gear like tents and uniforms. Launched in 2013 by Emily Núñez Cavness (an active-duty Army officer at the time) and her sister, Betsy Núñez, Sword & Plough donates 10 percent of its profits to veterans’ organizations like Got Your Six, a nonprofit that aims to dispel misconceptions about vets and support their transitions to civilian life. The brand, which won $25,000 in the FedEx Small Business Grant…

T he rolling hills of Boulder County spread before Kelly Whitaker like a ribbon as he strides across a field at local chef Eric Skokan’s Black Cat Farm. He squints to block the sun, planting his black leather Nikes inches from what looks like a carpet of new grass poking up through the soil. These fledgling plants of emmer, spelt, and white Sonora—all heritage wheat varieties—represent Whita- ker’s latest obsession. He shifts his gaze to the horizon. “See that farm over there?” he says, pointing to a ridgeline to the east. “That’s 800 acres of commodity wheat.” Whitaker’s eyes flash back to the tender shoots at his feet, which recall the bygone days of Colorado’s heritage wheat production. “Chefs have a voice; we can bring light to this subject.” Whitaker…

Reporting by Sarah Boyum, Spencer Campbell, Kasey Cordell, Mary Clare Fischer, Jerilyn Forsythe, Natasha Gardner, Samantha Harris, Karah Kemmerly, Lindsey B. Koehler, Jessica LaRusso, Hilary Masell Oswald, Denise Mickelsen, Abbie Mitchell, Emma Murray, Nicola Payne, Robert Sanchez, Erin Skarda, Callie Sumlin, Geoff Van Dyke & Emily Williams…

The purpose of a road—and how it is designed—is in flux. I f you find yourself alone in one of Colorado’s wild forests, you almost certainly got there by a path. The act of creating a line between two points is something humans do naturally: Stone-paved streets date to 4000 B.C., and Rome’s Appian Way forever changed how rural and urban communities were connected. But the invention of the automobile in the late 1800s was even more catalytic. The car’s popularity altered the way our roads were designed to make them safer and more efficient for motor vehicles. By 1935, the Federal Highway Administration published the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which dictated rules including the shape and color of a stop sign and how to mark passing zones…

BRIGHT IDEA Rapid Response Team Since February, after every fatal crash in Denver involving a pedestrian, bicyclist, or motorcyclist, a team of police officers, public works employees, and community members visits the location to see what could be done to make the area safer. Solutions might include adding a stop sign, building a protective curb extension for pedestrians, installing additional streetlights, or adjusting the speed limit. BRIGHT IDEA Sidewalks on Every Street More than 20 percent of Denver’s streets are missing sidewalks, and 40 percent of the pedestrian paths that do exist are “substandard,” meaning they present a tripping hazard or aren’t wide enough, says WalkDenver’s Jill Locantore. Sidewalk upkeep is the responsibility of homeowners, but if voters approve a funding proposal set to be on the ballot in November,…

1 MOVE YOUR HEAD When turning, if a driver tilts his head to see around the “A pillar” (the large beam between your windshield and side doors), it can help eliminate up to 18 percent of pedestrian-car crashes. 2 USE THE CROSSWALK Thirty-two percent of Denver’s pedestrian accidents happen between intersections. If you’re walking, log some extra steps on your fitness tracker by heading to the nearest crosswalk. 3 FOLLOW THE SIGNS People who fail to abide by pedestrian signals account for 11 percent of pedestrian crashes. This includes pedestrians who break the rules by walking when (or where) they shouldn’t.…

FINALLY HOME from her first day of work on a hotel housekeeping staff, Sara Garcia* returns to the Lake Fork Manufactured Home Community, unlocks her front door, and pronounces herself exhausted. Her longtime boyfriend, Pablo Lopez,* walks in behind her with their son, Diego,* who rushes to his tricycle, parked in the kitchen. “Hoo, boy,” Lopez says, putting up a hand to shield himself from the blast of hot, stale air that hits him as soon as he steps inside the trailer. Lopez leaves the door open while Garcia walks to their bedroom to put on a clean shirt and polka-dot pajama pants. It’s Cinco de Mayo, but Garcia and Lopez, both living in the United States illegally, are in no mood for celebration. It’s been a long day for…

SYMBOL KEY 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. PRIce Key (Average Entrée) $ under $10 $$ $11 to $15 $$$ $16 to $25 $$$$ $26 and higher A 12 at Madison $$ Congress Park / American With a menu offering 18 small plates meant for sharing (plus one large format plate meant to feed two to four people), Jeff Osaka’s new iteration of his celebrated restaurant is ideal for dining with a group. Don’t miss the veal sweetbreads with crunchy toast. Reservations accepted. 1160 Madison Street,…