Green Machines: Air-Friendly Ways to Get Around Denver

Protecting Denver’s air quality is a priority for government officials, who have come up with some creative ways to help Denver’s “brown cloud,” which is caused mostly from motor vehicles. Denver is more prone to the pollution because of its thinner air and its location in a valley. Here are some ways you can take … Read more

Wray, Colorado: Home of the Little Dance on the Prairie

They’re called greater prairie chickens for a good reason. These plump, 2-pound relatives of the grouse live in the tall-grass prairie and supposedly taste like chicken. Once hunted for food, the population of these ground-foraging birds has diminished so much, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species as “vulnerable.” Most of the … Read more

Colorado Scenic Byways: Trail of the Ancients

On an arid, sage-studded plain, ancient towers stand like sentinels. Cliff dwellings nestle in alcoves in deep canyon walls. And symbols etched on rocks perplex modern wayfarers. These and other priceless vestiges of prehistoric communities grace the Trail of the Ancients Scenic and Historic Byway. Situated in southwestern Colorado, the 114-mile route forms a semicircle … Read more

Second Life: All Things Renewable

The line of spoon rests looks like modern pieces of blown glass art. The abstract shapes and not-too-polished surfaces suggest each piece is a handcrafted masterpiece. Then I notice the Mountain Dew logo. The spoon rests are, in fact, a second life for glass that formerly existed as soda and beer bottles. Heated and molded … Read more

Vail Lacrosse Shootout: A Sport for All Ages

From professional teams to Little League, the sport of lacrosse is exploding in Colorado. Two pro teams — Colorado Mammoth and Denver Outlaws — fill the calendar back to back from January through August. Kids are learning to play as young as 5; and in the spring, both boys’ and girls’ teams dominate fields at … Read more

Southwestern Colorado’s New Venture: Agri-Tourism

Organic. Sustainable. Local. These buzzwords have taken on a new emphasis in southwestern Colorado. With a $50,000 grant in hand, the local tourism folks set out to establish a whole new genre for travelers – agri-tourism. Families looking to educate their children about the real world could find no better venue than the Great Sage … Read more

Central City: Sample Opera in Small Bites

Opera is one of those things — those things you wish you knew more about but don’t. Some (I?) wish we knew more about our town’s sports team, or the latest episode of the hit show everyone talks about at the office each morning. I might wish I knew, but am not willing to put … Read more

Tasty Brews: Denver International Beer Competition Winners

Denver has an ongoing love affair with beer. We like to drink it, we like to make it and, heck, we even like to celebrate it in all its hoppy goodness So it was with great fanfare that the winners of the 2011 Denver International Beer Competition were announced on May 2, 2011. Some 19 … Read more

Aspen Explorer: Autumn Gilds Colorado Resort Area

Colorado color begins at higher altitudes and works its way down, yielding golden foliage from mid-September through early-October. This is a quiet time in Aspen, Colorado’s ritzy resort in the Rockies. Streets empty, restaurants seat without lines and opulent hotels, such as the St. Regis, The Little Nell and Jerome, offer caviar-quality quarters at steak-and-potato … Read more

Reborn: Colorado Springs FAC is Stunning

If you have not visited the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center recently, prepare to be stunned. Not just because of the exquisite new building — 48,000 square feet of glittering glass — but because the Taylor Museum’s permanent collection will finally see the light of day. Long buried in the dusty bowels of the FAC’s … Read more