Tuesdays with Tom: Adventures in Colorado
A recap of my recent trips to the Centennial State; plus thoughts on Riot Fest, Spectrum, How To With John Wilson and rushing the field
This might be surprising to hear, but I enjoy traveling and being on vacation. Some people consider this an astonishing fact (particularly on dating apps). I’d say it’s an extremely common privilege that you should take advantage of regularly if you can. With that said, I’ve been light on travel this year compared to others with one notable exception. I made not one, but two trips to Colorado this summer and I once again walked away impressed with the natural majesty of the state. Readers may recall my first trip to Colorado two summers ago, but these excursions differed from the original one in many ways. Care to learn more? Stick around and I’ll tell you what you need to know.
In my first Colorado visit in 2021, I had a long list of places I wanted to see and things I wanted to do. This past July, I had a much shorter list, but one absolute must on it. For many years, I’ve fantasized about attending a concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. Red Rocks is one of the most famous venues and national historic landmarks in the country and possibly the most unique of them all. At an elevation of 6,450 feet, Red Rocks is perched in a unique transitional zone between the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. It’s the only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheatre in the world and its infamous rocks are over 160 million years old. In 1906, John Brisban Walker owned the park, which has 738 acres, and began hosting large events in the unique space there over the next several years. The City of Denver bought the park from him in 1927. Later, Denver Mayor Benjamin Franklin Stapleton and Parks and Improvements Manager George Cranmer received approval from the U.S. government to build the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. They hired architect Burnham Hoyt to design the amphitheatre inside the park and it’s been open to the public since 1941.
It’s a bit reductionist to say that Red Rocks is a music venue. But can any other venue say that it existed in the age of the dinosaurs and The Beatles? I don’t think so. The Red Rocks Amphitheatre has hosted many incredible artists on its gorgeous stage, from opera singers to U2 to the South Park creators. It’s a rite of passage for artists and many legendary sets have been performed in the 9,425 capacity setting. It is quite literally a hike to get to your seats at Red Rocks. Our journey began at someone’s house in the Denver area, where dozens of adults dressed in jungle-themed attire to wait for a shuttle bus to drive us out to Morrison. Here’s a pro trip if you are attending a Red Rocks concert: get yourself a shuttle. It’s about a 30 minute ride to the Red Rocks entrance and Uber is a logistical nightmare post concert. Unless you have your own car, it’s well worth arranging a shuttle ride in advance. Especially when you have 30-plus adults traveling together like we did. I only knew a few people outside of our subset of this group, but you would not have known that on our bus ride.
The artist we saw on this glorious evening was Big Wild, the stage name for electronic music producer Jackson Stell. I’ve been familiar with him for several years, but never seen him live. Although he’s traditionally known for EDM, his latest album, The Efferusphere, is a large departure from that style of music. It’s essentially an indie pop and rock album with Stell doing most of the vocals himself. He closed the show with a crowd-pleaser, his biggest song, “6’s to 9’s”, but the rest of his setlist was a surprise for the wide-eyed guests attending this concert. If you are curious to hear some of his newer tracks, I’d recommend “Feel Good” and “Red Sun” off The Efferusphere. Nevertheless, the combination of Red Rock’s stunning views of downtown Denver, the ancient beauty of the geology and the catchy, light-show infused music was one of the most satisfying things I’ve been a part of. It’s rare when something lives up to enormous hype, but I can confidently say Red Rocks is as advertised for live concerts. I’m envious of Denver locals who have close access to this unbelievable place.
Another Denver-area staple is The Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado. I think I’ve earned my status as a beer guy and we had the pleasure of seeing what the factory looks like in person on this particular visit. Coors has been around since 1873, when Adolph Coors and his business partner, Jacob Schueler, founded the brewery. Coors bought out Schueler’s stake for $18,000 in 1880 and Coors turned it into a family business with his sons. They managed to survive prohibition by running a manufacturing business and making malted milk and “near beer” products while alcohol was outlawed in the United States. Today, Molson Coors is worth $13 billion and the Coors Brewery is the largest in the world, with a production capacity of 22 million barrels of beer. One barrel contains about 36 gallons of beer by the way. That’s a lot of beer.
I didn’t learn any of this at The Coors Brewery because we didn’t get to do a proper tour. That option exists, but it’s difficult to break through their strict scheduling windows and get access to those tickets. Instead, we did a sampling in their private taproom. It might sound strange to sample a beer I’ve had hundreds of times, but thankfully there is more than just your standard Coors Light and Coors Banquet on tap in this area. The sampling option is only $10 and you’re allowed three total beers during your stay there. It didn’t feel right to not try a Coors Light on the Coors premises. I’m not sure if it was the placebo effect or genuine, but the beer did taste slightly colder than usual. I’ve poked a lot of fun at their “cold as the Rockies” slogan over the years and my opinion on Coors Light didn’t change from this visit. But I did gain a better appreciation for the Coors company and their iconic logo still stands the test of time. If nothing else, beer fans will get a kick out of the plethora of merchandise available inside the Coors Taproom. I could have bought 10 things there, but I kept myself in check and only bought a Coors Banquet hoodie and a Coors vintage t-shirt. The hoodie is already one of the most comfortable things I own. Overall, I’d say the Coors Brewery and Golden are well worth a day trip if you’re in town.
Simply said, the sprawling scope of Denver and its many neighborhoods is equally serene and fun. Berkeley reminds me of home, while also offering its own unique qualities. You can’t go wrong having brunch at Denver Biscuit Company or sipping on a beer at FlyteCo Brewing. You can do a lot worse than the pork belly tacos and bacon jalapeño mac and cheese at Post Oak BBQ and washing that down with a cold beer, too. Downtown Denver hosts Coors Field and a bevy of bars and restaurants that young folks flock to every weekend. There’s a reason why it’s very popular to be here.
My second trip to Colorado also had a very specific purpose, but a completely different agenda. Our friend Matt Martin is getting married and he wanted to do his bachelor party in Winter Park, Colorado. I’m still in the thick of my bachelor party era and I’ve discussed modern day bachelor party culture in this space before. This particular group is no stranger to large scale trips, but the backdrop of Winter Park is a change in scenery for most of us. The first step in the journey is the treacherous drive from Denver up into the mountains where Winter Park resides. The long, winding stretch of highways can become dangerous under the wrong circumstances. This time around weather was not an issue, but Labor Day weekend traffic added some time to our trip. Don’t let your B-team drivers get behind the wheel for this commute. You need your best guy or gal steering the vehicle.
Winter Park is a ski resort disguised as a sleepy vacation town with only 1,000 permanent residents to its name. It’s an absolutely gorgeous part of the country, teeming with nature and wildlife that I’m largely unaccustomed to. Although it’s roughly 90 minutes from Denver, it’s the closest ski resort to Denver International Airport. However, skiing is not an option in early September. It’s also not an activity I’ve ever done in my 31 years of life. From what I’ve heard, if you love skiing, Winter Park will more than satisfy your desire to shred some fresh snow. It might be the main activity in town, but it’s not the only one. There’s plenty of hiking trails to enjoy and they have enough of a restaurant and bar scene to get the job done.
Our VRBO host failed to mention that they have an on-property side house right next to the place we rented in Fraser, Colorado, just outside of Winter Park. We barely interacted with them, but that’s what I’d call an unpleasant surprise at “Casa Colo” as they call it. This home would make no sense as a permanent residence, but as a ski-town vacation rental it is ideal for a large group. There were 14 beds for 12 people, a basement with a pool table and two hot tubs. One of the hot tubs was broken and we decided against testing out the working one. I noticed my elevated heart rate immediately and I’ll blame most of that on the near 9,000 foot elevation of our area. The house wasn’t sleek, but the views are hard to beat. We had a surprise visitor our first night at the house, too. A gigantic moose was chomping on some vegetation right outside of our parking lot. One of our friends called us out to observe it from a safe distance. When I say safe distance, I’m talking maybe 15 yards away. I had a stellar, midnight view of this giant creature. I’ve only been that close to a moose playing Big Buck Hunter at dive bars. This was real life! Moose can weigh up to 1,000 pounds and stand over 6-feet tall flat footed. This male was definitely bigger than that and his antlers were massive. There are around 2,500 moose living in Colorado today, making this sight exceedingly rare. Apparently, they are very dangerous when provoked, which we had no intention of doing. Good luck seeing something like this in Chicago.
The next morning we took a quick ride to Yankee Doodle Trail, one of Winter Park’s many hiking opportunities. This is a moderately challenging 4.1 mile hike that gets you over 10,000 feet elevation at its peak. The trail is fairly narrow throughout most of the walk and it takes about 2 hours to complete. It was a nice one for this group’s range of physical abilities and we met some friendly strangers along the way. One of them was wearing a Sanibel Island shirt which amused those who are familiar with the island. There was a spirited discussion about the Yankee Doodle nursery rhyme song and its nonsensical lyrics. This led to another debate about the even more chaotic story going on in the “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt” song. His name is my name, too? What are the odds! You don’t need a silly name or macaroni in your feathered cap to finish the Yankee Doodle Trail.
Continuing the weekend theme of silliness, the main event of this day was beer olympics at the moose-infested VRBO. Four teams of three, representing different nations, competing in five drinking events to win nothing other than temporary bragging rights. We tried to make the teams as fair as possible and it ended up being a very close contest. Each country had a moment in the spotlight and if you think I’m about to get very detailed on what went down, you’re wrong! In the end, it came down to a tie-breaker round for first place between my team, Italy, and the impending groom’s country, The United States. I’m thrilled to announce that Team Italy emerged victorious and it justified the purchase of our shirts that proudly said “I’m Friggin’ Italian” (it’s verified with DNA, baby). We’re all competitors, but no blood or tears were shed during the games. Everyone had fun, which is the most important part (aside from winning obviously).
On the Lord’s Day, we made a trip to the resort area of Winter Park for a charming gondola ride up to one of the park’s peaks. What an incredible word to say out loud. GONDOLA! I’m nowhere near tired of saying it. As a non-skier, I’d never taken a gondola ride and it was pretty cool, if eerily quiet on the inside. When you get to the top, there’s a rustic lodge waiting for you called Sunspot Mountaintop Lodge. Pretty straightforward name right there. Before we got to the top, I experienced one of the bigger culture shocks of my life watching dozens of mountain bikers get ready for a day on the slopes. I’ve ridden mountain bikes hundreds of times in my life, but never put it together that people actually ride bikes in the mountains. This is not something I ever see myself doing and I’m still processing seeing how intense these bikes and bikers looked. But this is the way up here and do what makes you happy, right? I’m more of a competitive beer games guy anyway. The beer still tastes good at 11,000 feet in the air.
If you live in Denver, there’s a good chance that you are an avid outdoorsman, skier or simply craving the abundant lifestyle that Colorado provides in spades. It would be a waste of the natural resources and beautiful environment to not do these things and it explains why Denver maintains one of the highest population growth rates in the country. It is wonderful to visit and you won’t be bored for any portion of your stay in the Metro Denver area. Whether you’re taking in some live music in a park that’s millions of years old, shooting the breeze with local moose or yucking it up on a hiking trail, you’ll never be bored in this part of the country. It’s a big world, folks. Get out there and enjoy it.
Tom’s Thoughts of the Week
In the last two episodes of Friday Night Beers, Vince and I drank beers called Giggle Shark and Citra Ass Down. If you love Vince’s Michael Caine impression, you’re going to have a ball listening to Giggle Shark. We also explore the fun absurdity of Idris Elba’s Hijack and Jason Momoa’s effortless charm. With Citra Ass Down, it’s the pod’s first trip to the state of Kentucky, more traditionally known for bourbon over craft beer. But there’s plenty to explore on that topic, plus some great discussion about trailblazers in pop culture and the value of puns. Please subscribe, rate and review our podcast here and follow our Instagram page for relevant updates!
I’m a regular guest at Riot Fest and, unlike my recent experience at Lollapalooza, I don’t feel totally out of place when I go there each year. Here’s a quick recap of how this year was for your boy. On Friday and Saturday, I saw the following artists perform. Origami Angel, Parliament-Funkadelic, Just Friends, Bayside, Say Anything, Turnstile, Foo Fighters, High Vis, Viagra Boys and PUP. I won’t give you a play-by-play of each performance, but it was an excellent time if you are a fan of punk rock. The standout was Foo Fighters, who I had not seen live prior to last weekend. I’m amazed at the energy this band still has after 30 years of the rock and roll lifestyle. They are a well-oiled machine with an enviable catalog of amazing rock hits. They probably could have played for four hours if they were allowed to. It’s a show I won’t forget and the weekend at Riot Fest was a lot of fun.
One of the strangest shows I’ve ever seen just ended its three season run on HBO. It’s called How To With John Wilson. Fans of awkward, cringe reality-based humor like Nathan For You will feel right at home with this documentary series and that’s probably the only group I can fully recommend the show for. Each episode is filmed as a standalone adventure where John Wilson, the show’s narrator and sole director, begins with an innocent, open-ended question and follows it down the most bizarre route possible. For example, he may start an episode wondering how to get into better shape and somehow end up at a 9/11-themed bodybuilding competition. Wilson is oddly detached from the action of the show and rarely ever on camera himself. Instead, he documents everyday weirdos and lets them tell their stories free of judgment and full of absurdities. It mostly takes place in New York City and it could be described as a love letter to New York life. But he takes a lot of detours along the way and I found myself cracking up nearly every single episode. Without saying anything specific, the stuff John Wilson uncovers on this journey will blow your mind and make you laugh in equal doses. It’s a delightfully weird show that I enjoyed and I’m glad it's getting some recognition now with a larger audience.
I have not seen a cable distributor negotiation like the recently concluded battle between Disney and Spectrum. On Labor Day weekend, Spectrum shocked its 15 million cable customers by announcing they were losing all Disney channels, including ESPN, right as college football and the U.S. Open tennis tournament began. Spectrum customers were irate to learn they could not watch any of those sports programs that keep most people tethered to cable packages today. Usually these things get sorted out in a few days, but this dragged on for multiple weeks. Under the recently expired deal, Spectrum paid Disney $2.2 billion per year to carry the suite of Disney networks for their customers. Disney obviously wanted to charge more for these channels than before and Spectrum didn’t want to pay more. In addition to a re-negotiated price, Spectrum wanted to drop eight of Disney’s cable networks and for Disney to offer their Disney bundle of Hulu, ESPN+ and Disney+ to all Spectrum customers for free. This was initially a non-starter for Disney, but in the end they relented to these concessions for Spectrum. Philosophically, I’m actually with Spectrum on this one. Disney is basically trying to have it both ways by forcing Spectrum to pay more for its content while also trying to kill off its business with competitive offerings. It’s a victory for Spectrum and a rare situation where a distributor appeared to best Disney in a negotiation. Overall though, this dispute underscores why it is pointless to be blindly loyal to cable. Say what you want about the inflating costs of streaming, but it is seamless to join and quit any service you want. Spectrum customers have slightly more reasons to stay with them, but now they’re acutely aware this can be upended at any time. But I respect that they stood up to Disney and shined a light on the dying enterprise of the linear TV business.
Nothing illustrates the euphoric chaos of college football more than watching a triumphant team’s fans rush the field to celebrate a thrilling, marquee victory. Here’s some acceptable times to consider rushing the field: beating the No. 1 team in the nation, clinching a conference championship or a gigantic, historic upset for your school. After all, it is technically illegal to do it. But as I learned in 2010 as a Mizzou student, there’s nothing that security can do to contain 30,000 people from running onto the field if they are committed to it. However, somewhere along the line, the bar has been significantly lowered for students rushing the field. Students are rushing the field for unbelievably subpar reasons. Kansas fans once rushed the field after beating FCS Rhode Island 55-6 in 2016 in their opening game. What used to be a rare sight is now happening as often as 15 times per season. Most recently, Colorado fans rushed the field after narrowly defeating Colorado State in double overtime, a team they were favored to beat by three touchdowns. Enough is enough! I get that college kids want to have fun, but we need to reign this in. Rushing the field should be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Otherwise, it dilutes the value and rarity of the moment. If that win isn’t one of the biggest moments in your school’s history, you should stay in the stands. And if you disagree with me, your fanbase is pathetic. Yeah, how about that!