Estes Park is gearing up for a gorgeous summertime. Make reservations now to come up to the high country where it will be cool and sunny all summer long. Spend breath-taking days surrounded by wild-flowers, pine trees, eagles and rivers. Picnics, rodeos, parades, and concerts. Whether a short weekend visit or a relaxing riverside vacation, any time spent in Estes Park in the summer is time well spent. Continue reading
Ian Kleinman, owner of the Inventing Room, a “food entertainment company”, specializes in molecular gastronomy. If you’ve ever seen “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” you know that the “Inventing Room” was the name for the space where Wonka, came up with ideas like a chewing gum that tasted like a four-course meal. More wacky than that, Ian and Melissa Kleinman’s Inventing Room is a truly unique catering company in southwest Denver that brings together fun, delicious food, and culinary entertainment. Watch your food and drinks being made right in front of your disbelieving eyes.
Chef Ian Kleinman wears protective goggles as he shows off the foam he created using liquid nitrogen, at -321 degrees. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post) Continue reading
For the first time it is now possible to adopt your duck online for the May 7th 23rd Annual Estes Park Duck Race. Now duck race supporters have two ways to adopt a duck. You can obtain adoption forms from the charitable organizations in Estes Park, the Visitor Center, and many other places around town. Or you can go to a new online order form. Don Widrig, rep for the Rotary Club of Estes Park who puts on the race explains, “This is all a bit experimental for us. We have no idea if this will boost duck adoptions or not, but we do know it will be a lot more convenient for several of the participating organizations, such as Eagle Rock School, which relies heavily on parents, friends and family scattered all over the country. Now, all you have to do is tell someone to adopt their ducks online at EPduckrace.org.”
April 2: Chamber Music Society Fireside Concert, 7 pm., Cultural Arts Council Fine Art Gallery, 423 W Elkhorn Ave., free, contact jeand@airbits.com.
April 3: The Colorado Brass Quintet, 2 pm., Stanley Hotel, 333 E Wonderview Ave., www.estesparkmusicfestival.org
April 9: 13th Annual Student Expressions, Park District Student K-12 District Art Show, opening12 noon to 5 pm., Cultural Arts Center Fine Art Gallery, 423 W Elkhorn Ave., exhibit continues through April 23, free, contact info@estesarts.com.
April 14 and 15: It’s Showtime!, 7 pm. both dates, Estes Park High School Auditorium, 1600 Manford Ave., tickets $10 in advance; $12 at the door; students and children free, contact 970-586-9519. Continue reading
This time of the year is wonderful for bird watchers. Most people only think of spring and summer for optimum viewing of different species, but late winter and early spring offers numerous clear opportunities to see popular varieties because of the lack of cover from foliage.
Kaiyote Tours is recommended by Backpacker Magazine and Fodoris Travel Guides as an excellent winter birding guide company. With over 300 species of birds in Rocky Mountain National Park having a knowledgeable guide take you directly to the most prolific sighting areas is imperative. Kaiyote Tours has three tours that are especially nice. Continue reading
These well-organized, fun and challenging races are a combination of road and cross country running. Sponsored by the Estes Valley Recreation and Park District the race runs down MacGregor Avenue in Estes Park and on out to the historic MacGregor ranch adjacent to Lumpy Ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park. The off road portion of the race is on trails that run through wide open pastures that showcase stunning range views.
This high altitude race was co-founded in 1979 by Chip Salaun, who was a mountaineer, triathlete and author. Salaun had a passion for the area and laid out the course to challenge all levels of runners. In April of 1985 Salaun fell into a crevasse while climbing Mt. Cook in New Zealand, his remains were not recovered. Runners claim the breeze that blows during the race is his spirit pushing them on. Continue reading
A study of visitation for the months of July, August and September showed more than half of the day visitors to the Estes Park Valley came for the first time, and 42% of the overnight visitors were also first timers. Included in the study are spending trends, the demographics of the visitors, and a rating of their overall experience satisfaction.
The results were compiled from online surveys completed by nearly 3,300 visitors. The surveys show 38% of respondents possessed a college degree and another 38% a Master’s or Doctorate degree.
7th: Artists and Students Party at the Art Center of Estes Park, 5:00 pm to 7:00. A gathering of new artists, students and mentors. FREE Contact info: 970-586-5882 www.artcenterofestes.com.
14-17: Winter Festival! Downtown Estes Park event features a chili cook-off, scavenger hunt, horse and carriage rides, contests and more. 970-577-9900; 800-44-ESTES or www.estesparkcvb.com.
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Denver, the iconic mile-high city of the Rocky Mountains, has been experiencing near record level warm temperatures for this time of year. While a pounding snowstorm has swept across northern Midwestern states, dumping enough snow to collapse the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Denver and the Front Range have been experiencing mild and dry weather; warm enough to ride a bike to work.
Image: cyclelicio.us
Normal December day time high temperatures for the area are around 44 degrees. Lately temps for Denver have hovered at a balmy 60 degrees. The record high, set in 1921, was 72 degrees. Continue reading
Visitors to Estes Park sometimes complain of the poor roads around the village. Due to the high volume of traffic the roads receive, with over 3 million visitors annually, they deteriorate much quicker than in other places. Challenging weather conditions also contribute to the problems faced by town roads.
The Department of Public Works for the Town of Estes Park recently completed an inventory of road conditions for 58 miles of roadway owned by the town, and found that improvements needed to be made on approximately half of them.
Town Administrator Jacquie Halburnt says the town will “consider every option to fund roadway maintenance for our citizens and visitors.”
In related news, the highest paved road in the Continental United States at 12,183′ elevation, trail Ridge Road, is now closed for the season.