Sealover - Colorado Excursions with History, Hikes and Hops

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2016 by Ed Sealover

All rights reserved

First published 2016

e-book edition 2016

ISBN 978.1.62585.752.1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016932060

print edition ISBN 978.1.46711.980.1

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

To Lincoln, though you may be too young to remember the roads we traveled for this book, they will remain burned into my heart as some of my best memories.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Undertaking Colorado Excursions with History, Hikes and Hops has been a journey in more ways than one. Like my first book, Mountain Brew: A Guide to Colorados Breweries, it began as a flicker of an idea that grew slowly. But once my wife, Denise, informed me in May 2015 that we had a second child on the way, it became an eight-month sprintand it was a wonderful time at that.

First, I have to thank Denise, who allowed me to take on this project while we were raising an infant and preparing for another. She once again designed the maps for this book, rounded up many of the photos and served as my final editor. But she also allowed me to drag her and our son, Lincoln, around the state several times, turning my research into our vacation and bedding down as a family in sometimes remote places like Lake City. It was a hectic, full schedule. And I loved every minute of it.

I want to thank The History Press and my commissioning editor, Artie Crisp, for making my work for a second time into a lasting contribution about the knowledge of Colorado. Though this book builds off of the century-plus of research done by writers and historians who have come before me, I hope that it inspires everyone who reads it to begin their explorations of the state and search for even deeper knowledge of what makes Colorado such an enchanting place.

Its important for me to acknowledge all of the brewers, vintners, distillers, bar owners and historical-site operators who sat down with me and explained why they love what they do and how it fits into the greater picture of this state. An especially large thanks goes to the incomparable Laura Lodge, who not only walked me through the workings of the Vail Cascade Resort but also took on double duty as my guide through the wildflowers of Booth Falls during my time in Vail.

And while all of the research in here comes from my visitations and from a few place-specific books that are noted in these chapters, I want to tip my hat as well to several publications that were invaluable in helping me plot out my travels. Those include the back issues of Colorado Heritage magazine, Walking into Colorados Past: 50 Front Range History Hikes by Ben Fogelberg and Steve Grinstead and the essential A Colorado History by Carl Ubbelohde, Maxine Benson and Duane Smith.

A deserving nod goes to friendsCharles Ashby and Tess Furey, Marcus and Trish Montoya and Sara Nesbittwho housed us during our travels and gave me great ideas on local attractions. Another goes to my friends around Denver and my editors at the Denver Business Journal, who havent seen me as much in these recent months as I pressed forward on this goal, but who havent abandoned me either.

Finally, a true, heartfelt appreciation goes to all of those who have shaped me into someone with the curiosity and desire to get out and know more about the world around meand then to share that knowledge with others. God blessed me with a spirt of wisdom I could not have acquired on my own. My late father, Ed Sealover Sr., instilled in me a love of history. Numerous friends got me onto the hiking paths and into the beer halls of this state from the time I moved to Colorado in December 2000. Susan Edmondson, former features editor at the Gazette in Colorado Springs, somehow agreed to my suggestion that I could write a beer column for the paper back in 2003. Bill Convery, former Colorado state historian, encouraged me to pursue my love of history and to put it into a book.

Thank you, everyone, who has helped to make not only this book into what it is but who also has helped to make me into who I am. This book is a love letter to the adventures weve hadand to the journeys I hope that I can inspire others to take as well.

INTRODUCTION

While writing Mountain Brew: A Guide to Colorados Breweries, I was struck by the answers of two of my favorite beer makers on why they felt theyd succeeded. Both Great Divide Brewing founder Brian Dunn and Avery Brewing founder Adam Avery spoke of how they were trying to make beer styles that established breweries were making in the early 1990s and found themselves struggling. Then both tossed aside expectations, concocted beers that they loved even if most people werent drinking thembig, hoppy creations on Averys part and a high-alcohol old ale on Dunnsand suddenly they sold like crazy. Today they are among the most respected brewers in Colorado.

Similarly, as I kicked around a potential follow-up to my first book, I asked myself what I wanted to research in depth. And the truth is, there are three things that I truly love doing when I have down timedrinking good locally made beverages, going on beautiful hikes and immersing myself in history. And at the same time, I would argue that Colorados outdoor recreational opportunities, craft beer scene and fascinating past are the three attributes that are most unique to this state and most compelling. So, while nobody else has tried to combine those three paths into one coherent travel guide, I decided to take that chance and show you why I love this state so much.

The book offers one historic site, one natural site and one drinking site for you to visit each day in relative proximity to each other. And while thirty days is a nice round numberwho doesnt want to go on a month-long journey?Ive divided it up into more bite-sized trips of three days each, in order to highlight destinations that can be traversed during a long weekend or short week.

Some destinations might be no-brainers for anyone planning to spend significant time in Colorado. Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde and Odell Brewing are likely to be on any significant hiking, history or hop trip list, and in those cases Ive tried to illuminate certain hikes or beers that let you get the best feel for the place in a short amount of time. Other locations, however, are far less likely to pop up on most itineraries. As such, Ive tried to lay out why the Museum of Colorado Prisons is one of the best museums in the state, why the half-mile hike to Zapata Falls is a lifeaffirming experience and why a stopover in Telluride for nothing more than tasting the experiments of Telluride Brewing is a trip you will not regret.

While some of the stops certainly deserve more than one day of explorationthe aforementioned Rocky Mountain National Park and Great Sand Dunes National Park are two that come to mindthe book is laid out to allow these daylong suggestions to be accomplished literally in a day. I did most of my research, at least for the non-metro areas, on a series of weeklong vacations with my wife and one-year-old son in the summer of 2015. Though the days could be full, they also were very fulfilling.