Reports From the Road #5: Trail Magic

We woke up Saturday morning a bit late tired from our hike up to St. Mary's Glacier, so we took it a bit easier for the day, spending the day at or near our oldest daughter and her mate, Devin's home in Denver. Our one excursion was to Banded Oak Brewery to enjoy some local Denver-crafted beer while hearing some live music. Like most food and drink venues in these pandemic days, everything happens outside with tables widely distances and everyone wearing masks when not eating or drinking. The beer was good indeed, and so was the music from the local honky tonk band, Extra Gold. 

Extra Gold in 2019, Minolta 7s on Fomapan 100

Honky tonk style music is very popular in Denver, but I think Extra Gold stands out with its breezy, almost psychedelic style. Ironically, we saw them play live about this same time last year when we were in Denver to visit the girls, and it was then that I made one of my favorite concert photographs. This time, however, I used my Minolta XE-5 SLR with the 28mm lens and both finished up a roll of Ultrafine Extreme 100 and started a roll of Kodak Tri-X 400. The band played underneath a small canopy in the parking of of the brewery, so I was able to get quite close while still keeping all the musicians in the frame.

Both Megan and Devin are avid outdoor adventurers, and Debbie and I also love a good hike. So, Sunday saw us driving north on US 34 along the front range of the Rockies to a place between Longmont and Loveland called Sullivan's Gulch, where a strenuous two mile out and back trail climbs almost 1000 to a mostly level open field that allows breath-taking views of Long's Peak. Debbie and I have found that walking sticks are essential for trails that ascend and descend, and they sure came in handy on this trial. We picnicked at the trailhead first and then set off underneath a lightly overcast sky, for which I was very thankful.

Long's Peak, one of Colorado's 14,000 ft peaks.

The clouds not only made for cooler temperatures, but also for less contrast and more color saturation. I carried both SLR's with me, as I planned to shoot both color and black and white along the way. We encountered lots of colorful wildflowers and plenty of rock outcrops, but one of the best aspects of this trail is that it is lightly traveled. We only saw three other hikers on the way up and only four on the way down, so it was fairly easy to remain socially distant. When we reached the top, day had changed, and we were greeted with a beautiful partly sunny Rocky Mountain vista! It always amazes me how much clouds will improve a photograph. I decided to try out my 135mm Minolta Celtic lens to get a good shot of Long's Peak. I rarely used this lens; it’s simply too telephoto for me, and it really should be used with a tripod for best results. I didn’t carry my tripod up this steep climb, but I did have my walking stick which just so happens to have a tripod mount on it, which is accessed by flipping open the top of the stick Handel. I don’t actually use the screw mount; instead I just rested the camera on the stick for steadiness and gently squeeze the shutter.

Using my walking stick as a monopod.

Debbie and I at the top of Sulivan's Gulch.

Hikes like this one do not come along very often for me, and a was quite sincere when I told Debbie that today had been one of the best days of my life. However, it was not over yet. Megan and Devin took us to Ironton Distillery and Crafthouse for supper and spirits. Ironton crafts a number of spirits such as vodka, gin, whisky, rum, and others with great attention to detail. They also make fine thin crust pizzas and serve their products in a lovely outdoor patio setting that is maintained by the landscaping company for which Megan works. We were awed by her colorfully artistic barrel plantings that are carefully placed throughout the patio. I made a few shots of the patio before it got too dark, and then we all enjoyed a great meal and time together.

Monday will be our last full day in Denver, so stay tuned to hear about our adventures before we begin our journey home.