1. The “You’re Cute But You Could Still be a Murderer” Date

Friend-style options for the blind/we met online/I got your number at a bar date

He looked cute two drinks in at that Christmas party, but he could still be a creep. Take him for a test drive.

The last Saturday of every month, The Cup in Boulder hosts a cupping: a free, hour-long coffee tasting that’ll keep you and your potential someone engaged. Conscious Coffee provides five or six roasts, so you can sniff and slurp whilst scoping out your new non-single option. Rent a bike from Boulder B-cycle and tour the town afterward; or find your flavor of the year at Celestial Seasonings in Gunbarrel—flavors change annually—and learn what makes tea tea on a free tea tour and art gallery visit.

Need something to break the ice a bit? Go climbing. Most gym experiences shouldn’t be shared with anyone you’d like to find attractive after the fact, but climbing gyms offer rental shoes and harnesses and fun options for every skill level. Afraid of the learning curve? The Spot features primarily bouldering walls, so there’s no rope finagling, just hop on the fake rocks and go, or kick back and watch muscle-bound athletes fall repeatedly.

If you’d really like someone else to do all of the talking, take a historical tour of Boulder on the Banjo Billy bus: Nothing’s more romantic than the tale of three suicides with one note, Chief Niwot’s meeting with Capt. Thomas Aikens, and the mystery of Macky Auditorium. Or ride along on one of Billy’s Sunday night brew tours (high-class pub crawls) visiting Avery, Twisted Pine and Upslope breweries.

Banjo Billy Bus Tours: 4525 Martin Dr., Boulder, 720.938.8885

Tours vary by season.

The Cup: 1521 Pearl St., Boulder, 303.449.5173

Monday–Sunday, 7am–10pm. Cuppings: Last Saturday of every month at 9am

Celestial Seasonings: 4600 Sleepytime Dr., Boulder, 1.800.351.8175

Free Tours Monday–Saturday, 10am–4pm, Sunday, 11am–3pm;

Free Samples and Art Gallery Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm; Saturday, 9am–5pm; Sunday, 11am–5pm

The Spot Bouldering Gym: 3240 Prairie Ave., 303.379.8806

Monday, Wednesday–Friday, 10am–11pm; Tuesday, 7am–11pm; Saturday and Sunday, 10am–8pm

Boulder B-cycle: View a map of B-cycle stations at boulder.bcycle.com/

Re-opens March 16. Daily, 5am–midnight

Four other great dates:

2. First Date

3. Special Occasion Date

4. Out of Town Date

5. Outdoorsy Date

The post Five Great Dates appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Get to know the newbie in your life out on the towns: taste the trucks in Longmont, the best bites in Boulder, get boozy and learn a little.

Grab dinner on the go with a Culinary Connectors walking tour in Boulder (Fridays) or at the Prospect food trucks in Longmont (Mondays). Culinary Connectors’ walking tours usually feature three local restaurants, their chefs and a guide to keep you and your date engaged and excited. Prospect’s food trucks grow in number and gourmet constantly, but count on a cheap, unexpected display of delectable cart food every time. It’s perfect for a quick get-to-know-your-tastes dinner so you can skip the Asian/Mexican/Thai/Gourmet American Comfort Food…debate.

Experience Bitter Bar’s new look with a cocktail mixing class hosted by brilliant mixologist Mark Stoddard or soak up a little speakeasy-style—they’ll even let you slip out the back door down the alley. While you’re there, check out the spot’s amazing dessert line-up: The chewy hazelnut financier’ll have you salivating with elderflower poached pears and crispy hazelnut honeycomb.

For a sobering date, Crackpots in Longmont boasts awesome break-the-ice options: glass fusing, silver clay stamping and mosaics. Whimsy in Erie focuses a bit more on the booze with signature cocktails and painting, but warns outside drink-bringers will be dipped in paint and booed.

Culinary Connectors: Restaurants throughout Boulder, Denver and Aspen, 303.495.5487

Fridays, 3pm–5pm. Buy tickets online at culinaryconnectors.com/tour/walking-tours.

Food Truck Night: Lonosphere St., Prospect, Longmont

Monday, 5pm–10pm

Bitter Bar: 9th and Walnut streets, Boulder, 303.442.3050

5pm–close, Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday

Crackpots: 505 Main St., Longmont, 303.776.2211

Monday–Wednesday, 10am–8pm; Thursday–Saturday, 10am–10pm; Sunday, noon–5pm

Calendar online at ecrackpots.com

Whimsy Paint & Sip Art Studio: 500 Briggs St., Erie, 303.665.7026

Register for classes online in advance.

Boulder Outdoor Cinema: 2012 line-up not yet released.

The post Five Great Dates: First Date appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Whether you want hard-core romance and wine or to unleash a little magic, make this a night to remember.

While Bookcliff Vineyards offers great food and wine pairings all year, the chocolate and wine pairing weekend before Valentine’s day is a bit more decadent and includes live music by Phil Robinson. Make her smile, make the reservation. Don’t feel limited though, Your Place or Vine and Wine and Cheese both offer similar ambiance and great menus. At Your Place or Vine in Prospect, feel free to skip the wine and make it a cocktail tasting with cocktails featuring Vodka 14 and Leopold Bros liqueurs. At Wine and Cheese, try a flight of champagne with the gruyere voted “Best Cheese in the World” in the 2008 World Cheese Championships.

To really unleash a little magic and skip the cliches, the Butterfly Pavilion absolutely captures the princess fairy tale with Wings of the Tropics. Stop by the Water’s Edge for a little Under the Sea action. Bring a camera and avoid school days/times for the best results.

Follow up with stargazing at the Sommers-Bausch Observatory, but be sure to plan ahead for Friday night lights in good weather. Don’t miss out on the last months of holiday romance in Louisville with sparkly street lights, an ice-skating rink and free horse-drawn carriage rides. Still not enough? Schedule a hot air balloon ride with any of the dozens of local companies and fall in love with those purple mountains majesty all over again.

Your Place or Vine: 2020 Ionosphere St., Longmont, 303.834.8536

Tuesday and Wednesday, 4pm–9pm; Thursday–Saturday, 4pm–10pm; closed Sunday and Monday

Wine and Cheese: 14697 Delaware St., Ste. 1000/1100, Westminster, 303.452.4900

Daily, 11am–10pm

Bookcliff Vineyards: 1501 Lee Hill Rd., #17, Boulder, 303.449.7301

January–May, Friday–Sunday, 1pm–6pm; June–December, Thursday–Sunday, 1pm–6pm

Butterfly Pavilion: 6252 104th Ave., Westminster, 303.469.5441

Daily, 9am–5pm, last entrance at 4:15pm

Sommers-Bausch Observatory: 408 University of Colorado Boulder, 2475 Kittridge Loop Dr., 303.492.6732 or 303.492.2020

Check dates, but telescope observation usually begins Fridays at 8pm, weather permitting

WinterSkate: 824 Front St., Louisville, 303.449.3137

Monday–Wednesday, 2pm–8pm; Thursday, 2pm–10pm; Friday, 12pm–10pm; Saturday, 10am–10pm; Sunday, 10am–8pm

The post Five Great Dates: Special Occasion Date appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Face it: Mittens, snowshoes and frozen noses just aren’t sexy, even after the good ol’ whiskey warm-up. Skip the frustration and frostbite—but not the whiskey—and celebrate Colorado with a little outdoor lovin’ in Longmont.

Start with late-brunch beignets or eggs Pontchartrain and chicory coffee at Lucile’s Creole Cafe, or scarf chicken and waffles or honey vanilla waffles smothered in blackberries (and other brilliant breakfast specials) at Two Dog Diner.

After the succulence settles and the caffeine kicks in, head for the hills—but not literally and not in the winter. In the summer, the 8-mile hike to Chasm Lake offers up beautiful photography of the lake, Columbine Falls and Longs Peak. However, come the first heavy snowfall, the St. Vrain Greenway boasts all of the sunset sparkle and none of the avalanche risks, which makes it the perfect winter picnic setup. The walk averages four miles round trip, but nothing dictates that anyone circle every pond or even go all of the way out. Bring a camera for the sparkly sunset shots.

Find the perfect icy-lake view and lay out the little-used picnic blanket. We love the uber-gourmet baskets from Cured in Boulder and the simple-but-savory baskets by Lafayette Florist. Incite the appropriate oohs, ahs and mmms with a thermos of hot cider and Stranahan’s, or experiment with Leopold Bros Rocky Mountain blackberry or peach whiskies in a hot toddy. (Hey, we never said you wouldn’t want whiskey.)

As the sun winds down, pack up, hike out and use ice skating at Roosevelt Park as an excuse to hold hands and snuggle in public. The rest…well, that’s on you.

Lucile’s Creole Cafe: 518 Kimbark St., 303.774.9814

7am-2pm Monday through Friday; 8am-2pm Saturday and Sunday

Two Dog Diner: 645 Tenacity Dr. A, 303.772.2364

7am–3pm Monday; 7am–9pm Tuesday through Saturday; 8am–3pm Sunday

Longmont Ice Pavilion at Roosevelt Park: 700 Longs Peak Ave., 303.774.4827

Hours vary by day/month.

Longmont Area Visitor’s Association: 630 Coffman St., 303.776.9011

The post Five Great Dates: Outdoorsy Date appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Somehow, survival on the outskirts of Boulder bears all of the positives and none of the heavy traffic, Hill hype or leash laws associated with Boulder proper. Even where leash curbing is posted, Gunbarrel is a haven for pet owners who follow a pretty free-spirited, but responsible pet philosophy. Enjoy open space at Gunbarrel Ranch or a peaceful stroll around Walden Ponds with the pooch. Or move to one of the western neighborhoods—think condos or suburban homes—and sip morning coffee with a mountain view while the pups play in the yard. Dog parks dot nearly every neighborhood, but most of the neighborhoods themselves serve as dog parks with grassy, traffic-protected lawns. A pet (or more) in nearly every household makes it hard to find a Gunbarrel resident who won’t pet sit, and demographics range from retirees to recent grads. The hood isn’t dog-specific, either. Cats, both on and off leash, are safe from aggressive pooches and destructive drivers, courtesy of considerate neighbors. And at least one PowderHorn resident has befriended three generations of squirrels. Easy access to local hiking and biking trails make this an ideal area for apartment dwellers with anti-apartment dogs. Let Lassie herd to her heart’s content, Gunbarrel’s hodge-podge mix of hounds can take the heat.

{LOCAL STUFF}

Best trail for off-leashing:
Twin Lakes
Gorgeous sunsets and doggy swimming areas.

Best place to socialize pets:
Gunbarrel Park Commons
Low traffic, off leashing, lots of friendly pet owners.

Best local doggy doc:
Gunbarrel Veterinary Hospital
Acupuncture, geriatric care, daycare.

{DETAILS}

Median home cost/gross rent: $375,000/$1,050

Dog parks/hiking areas: 7

Perks: Celestial Seasonings tours (and the smell of tea in the air for miles); mountain and waterfront views from Tom Watson Park; suds at Asher Brewing Co.; bus services from Gunbarrel to Boulder and back; vino from Boulder Creek Winery; Jay Hill Farm and 63rd St. Farm offer the best of what’s grown.

The post Gunbarrel: Best place to live if you’re a pet lover appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

1. Display Case or Project Table:

Use one door as the back, and several doors cut up to make shelves, sides or a storage section.

2. Headboard:

Paint, finish or upholster an old door and hang it above the bed for a fresh, easy to relocate headboard.

3. Coffee table:

Find old table legs, use all or part of a door for the tabletop and cover it with paint or finish.

4. Trellis:

Use French doors with the glass removed to create a trellis for climbing vines.

5. Room divider:

Join several French doors (preferably matching) with hinges to create a Japanese-inspired room partition.

The post 5 Uses for Old Doors appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

1. Embrace Imperfection:

Go for a symmetrical layout with mismatched frames. Mix frames of similar shades, juxtapose colors and shapes in long lines, circles, sharp squares, etc. Balance shabby with symmetrical, so if distressed pine tables or ruffled lace dominate the space, clean it up with symmetrical layouts.

2. Tell a Story:

Fill a series of frames with photos from one trip, a child’s annual photo or macrophotography of flowers from that class last summer. Hang them in a line or left to right, top to bottom, 3×3 pattern.

3. Blow ‘em Away:

Stencil, buy or make flowers, leaves, birds—anything that would flutter away from a cluster or blow in the wind. Lay them out in a low cluster on a wall and slowly spread them across and up the wall as though they’d been blown by the wind.

4. Tickle it Pink…or Toile:

Frame fabric, make pillows or paint canvas with a bright color or pattern to give neutral rooms a bright pop. In colorful rooms, don’t match perfectly—use several shades in that palette and patterns that don’t contrast jarringly.

5. Make Color Pop:

Highlight one colorful piece on a muted palette or use white to highlight (think white matting for a bright photo or white bowl filled with bright candles).

6. Give ‘em the Green Light:

Use containerized planters to bring life (and a little feng shui) into a room. Hang buckets in a window, cluster succulents in a bowl on the coffee table or use that coffee cup collection to display hanging plants across the otherwise
unadorned mantle.

7. Rearrange:

Highlight statement pieces by drawing eyes to them aesthetically. Think symmetrical with a twist, using a piece or two to offset an otherwise hard-lined living room. Even with slightly off-center pieces, be sure not to load one side of a room and leave the other sparse. Consider low furniture in the dominant parts of the room (center and entryway), and higher furniture, such as couches and display cases, on the fringes.

8. Display a Collection:

Make books into end tables, teacups into candle holders or display photos or stamps under a glass-topped coffee table—whatever tells your family’s story. Be sure to draw together colors and patterns and vary heights when possible to avoid a cluttered design (cluster=good, clutter=bad).

The post 8 Ways to Make a Statement appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

It’s Colorado throughout—grandiose in height and heft, nurturing with snapping fireplaces and sunlit napping nooks, and comfortable—satiating souls in the way only the smell of fresh pine and a view of snow-capped peaks can.

“We tried to bring the outside in and have there be a very comfortable relationship between the house and nature,” architect David Biek said.

It took a team of designers, architects and contractors three and a half years to plan and about that long to build and fill the 6,500-square-foot space.

COLORADO CATHEDRAL: With natural, dry-laid stone and colors that match the native ponderosa pines that fill the wooded and mountainous areas beyond the home’s border, the patient crew of designers and builders worked to make the home appear timeless, as though it could have been an old church left in the mountains for a century. “We studied every grain and every piece of wood,” Biek said.

MARRIAGE OF STYLES: A two-foot Tibetan Buddha in the entryway and several other details in the home hint at Asian undertones in the otherwise cathedral-like homestead. Here, rustic meets contemporary to create comfortable spaces with fine detailing and subtly sophisticated, artistic charm. “I take a lot of pride in being able to create spaces that don’t feel ostentatious or overwhelming,” Biek said.

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS: An enclosed spiral staircase winds itself from the first floor to the second, creating a feature that feels much like a secret passageway. It’s a touch of whimsy that is certainly not an over-arching theme in the home’s design, but the details do give the home a personality that is anything but boring.  “We studied every aspect of the house to the point that it was almost obsessive,” Biek said. And one obvious trend is the contrast between vast, open spaces with intimate, cozy areas, giving the building a sense of place and a sense of hominess while keeping it elegant and impressive.

INTO THE WOODS: The materials in the timber-frame structure—especially the wood—lend the home a unique charm. The builders had a near obsessive focus on the wood. And that shows in this walkway. “I think the quality of the timbers used in this house adds so much more to the feeling of it than I ever would have guessed possible,” Biek said.

ROOM WITH A VIEW: The owner spent five years choosing the nearby knoll from 147 acres on his non-profit conservation ranch. To find it, he studied the seasons, sun and wind searching for the most natural place to build. Needless to say, the homestead has been a labor of love. “It’s a piece of artwork,” the homeowner said.

The post Handcrafted Home: From floor to timber-frame ceiling, this team built a legacy appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

You know you do it. Every winter, you pack on thick layers and a thicker tummy. You scarf that stuffing and snuggle down with the latest bit of literary smut.

It’s that bad break in good routines that lands you sick, sleepless and susceptible. Health and Beauty 360 targets the important routines that keep the whole family kicking when it’s cold outside. From pedicures to pet health, it’s a little something for every part of your person. The most important tip to take home this winter, however, isn’t to moisturize or wear the right shoes. It’s to give life a little one, two punch with a healthy dose of everyday essentials.

Exercise to prevent easy-come ice injuries. Eat normally. Don’t gorge (especially before bed), and don’t try to diet during the holidays. Crash diets not only destroy healthy bodies, but they wreak havoc on holiday happiness. We know it’s hard, but try to sleep on a schedule without the assistance of nightcaps.

After all, Health and Beauty 360 makes everything else too easy with tips for your:

Tummy
Hair and Nails
Face and Skin
Back
Feet
Pet’s Health

Plus, editor Andra Coberly underwent a renovation, Stairmaster, sadistic coach and all.

Like this photo? Check out more of Julia Vandenoever’s work at her website.

The post Health and Beauty 360 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Don’t take your dog off leash near frozen or semi-frozen water. Pets are lost every winter to icy lakes because rescue crews typically can’t get there in time to save them from hypothermia or drowning.

Give paws and tummies a quick wipe-down after a walk to remove salt, sand and ice balls that can dry and damage.

Stand outside with your pet during potty breaks. If you’re cold, any animal not designed for cold weather is probably cold too. Your husky might be OK for a bit, but a kitty shoulder-deep in snow won’t be.

Cats aren’t outdoor winter animals in Colorado, period. Beyond freezing, they could get trapped in small, warm spaces, or snuggle up to a car engine. Bang the hood a couple of times to scare off strays just in case.

Animals can be like children with hot objects, so be cautious with space heaters that have exposed coils or scalding metal surfaces.

Buy heated water dishes for outdoor pets or refill any water dishes with warm water no less than twice a day.

If your pet must be outside for extended periods of time during the winter, provide a warm bed, hay and/or a wrapped heating pad.

That sweater might help a bit, but pets lose most of their heat from their pads, ears and respiratory tract. Keep in mind that they, too, can get frostbite.

Have the furnace checked for carbon monoxide leakage. Pets are more susceptible to death in this way, especially in the winter, than humans because they spend more time at home.

The post Your Pet’s Health appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Simple Steps

Eat 12–15mg of zinc daily to prevent stinky feet.

Have your feet measured. The majority of women wear shoes that are too small.

Limit your everyday shoe collection to those with support—from arch-friendly flip flops to over-the-counter orthotic inserts in work boots—to prevent heel pain from plantar fasciitis.

Skip polishes and shellacs with brown or red bases, which can yellow nails and make them look fungus-filled, even if they’re not.

High heels place feet in an unnatural position and inflame toe bones and nerves. Save the sexy stilettos for nights that don’t involve a lot of walking, uneven terrain or drinking. Keep other heels less than two inches high.

Opt for chunky heels (but not rigid platforms) instead of skinny stilettos to prevent wobble-walk sprains that increase your risk of osteoarthritis.

Soak your feet in dark tea, warm sage water, vinegar (or natural apple cider), vodka or diluted tea tree or calendula oil to cure stinky feet caused by excess bacteria.

Avoid shoes with low, rigid backs that can cause irreversible bony deformities on the back of your heel.

Pointy-toed shoes are trending for men as well as women and they can cause nerve damage, bunions, corns and hammertoe.

Consider your toe box (space in shoes for your digits) when buying shoes. Even if the shoe is pointy, the part holding your toes should not be.

Technology

Barefoot/Minimalist Shoes: Runners are more prone to injury today than they were before the 1970s introduction of the modern running shoe. Running on a platform of reverting back to the natural, minimalist running shoes spur the debate: Which came first: bad form or form-altering shoes? Minimalist shoes garner praise for encouraging better form because, frankly, it hurts to heel strike without an inch of high-tech cushion. Runners then have to work harder to retrain their bodies to move comfortably and properly during exercise. Criticism comes when unaccustomed runners take off minimalist-style without coaching or an adjustment period and damage the little bones and tendons in their feet. Any runner switching from a modern shoe to a minimalist shoe should have his or her form professionally assessed. To prevent injuries, try to have your foot strike below the center of your mass, not in front of it. Boulder Running Co., Newton Natural Running, Boulder Community Hospital and Radiant Running in Lafayette, among others, offer gait analyses.

Rocker Bottom Shoes: Unless your doctor has prescribed shoes with a rocker bottom, their dangers outweigh unsubstantiated toning claims. Experts agree these shoes can create dangerous instability, especially on stairs, and exacerbate existing foot problems. They’ve been blamed, in at least two lawsuits, for hip fractures following extended use.

Tips

“We recommend you pedicure once a month to keep nails trimmed, prevent ingrown nails, so you don’t end up with any kind of fungus, and so any damage to nails is maintained and checked. Older people especially, or anyone who’s had surgery or can’t reach their feet, have a tendency to wait too long.” —Tina Capaldi, cosmetologist, Longmont

The post Health and Beauty 360: Feet appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Simple Steps

Stop straining. If toe touches and sit-ups cause even slight pain, switch to crunches and coached weight lifting.

Change your mattress every five to seven years. Use the floor or plywood to support a sagging mattress until you can replace it.

Use a pillow under your knees when sleeping on your back or between your knees when sleeping on your side to maintain the alignment in your spine. Avoid sleeping on your stomach.

Ice injuries for 48 hours afterward. Don’t stay in bed more than a day or two after an injury, and move regularly to avoid stiffness.

Pain or numbness in the arms, legs, chest and tummy can be the result of pinched, injured or irritated nerves in the back. If you haven’t had an injury, take notes throughout the day to help determine if you’ve overused or misused a muscle, ligament or disc. Try nixing high heels, back-pocket wallets and bags worn on one shoulder (sling messengers across the body).

Instead of posture-correcting by shoving your chest forward and chin up, rotate your pubic bone so it’s parallel to your seat and bring your chin down and throat back. Relax your shoulders down, keep both feet on the floor and position your seat to keep your knees and elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.

Technology

Vertebrae Repair: In vertebroplasty, bone cement is injected into crumbling and fractured vertebrae. Its success has been debatable, and leaked cement can press the spinal cord and require surgery. Researchers are testing new types of cement that may be less likely to leak and could include anti-tumor agents to prevent cancers that cause crumbling.

Stem Cell Therapy: Researchers in Manchester isolated adult stem cells from bone marrow to repair discs (the cushion between vertebrae), repairing their casings and replenishing their gel cores. The technique, RegenaDISC, is so new it’s exclusively offered at Celling Treatment Centers in Texas.

Disc Repair: Intradiscal Electrothermoplasty, a new approach to disc repair, involves the insertion of a needle into a damaged disc. A wire is threaded through the needle and then heated as it lies along the inner wall, destroying nerve fibers that grow into and invade degenerating discs. It also partially melts part of the disc, encouraging it to generate new reinforcing proteins in the disc fibers. Radiofrequency discal nucleoplasty uses radio frequencies instead of heat to decompress the disc and reduce pressure on the disc and surrounding nerve roots. Talk to your orthopedic surgeon about services offered at medical facilities throughout the North Metro area via Boulder Neurosurgical and Spine Associates.

Tips

“You have to have a strong core muscle. I always recommend an exercise ball versus sit-ups or normal types of (core exercises). The exercise ball is unstable and it forces your brain to control your muscles better. It’s way more functional. I’m not a huge fan of yoga  because it’s very slow and stretchy, and life is not that way. Life is unstable, it’s quick, it’s uncomfortable. You carry the groceries and the babies, and if you fall or slip on the ice, you have to be able to respond. If your body is not able to quickly respond, then you’re going to get hurt. …Get adjusted. You have 24 bones in your spine and if the bones are stuck or not moving properly, you might feel that more in the winter because you’re a little stiffer.” —Shane Fishbein, chiropractor, Boulder

“As someone who has aged while doing yoga, the important thing I’ve discovered about dealing with the stiffness that comes with aging is an overall, well-balanced movement program that keeps muscles strong and flexible. It seems that we can handle the kinds of arthritis and pain that comes to us as we age much better by keeping a strong muscular system around our skeleton. We can have serious damage from an osteoarthritis point of view, which in fact will not bother us if we’ve got a good balance of muscles in the body so we don’t feel bound by pain.” —Mukti Miller, yoga instructor, Boulder

The post Health and Beauty 360: Back appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Simple Steps

Avoid razor bumps by taking a hot shower before shaving with the grain and not stretching skin. Rinse with cold water and moisturize afterward.

Avoid moisturizers with paraben, alcohol or mineral oil. Look instead for humectants such as urea, glycerin, alpha hydroxy acids and dimethicone. Oily skin should be clean to avoid acne breakouts, but moisturized to prevent dryness and capillary damage caused by cold, sun and wind.

Vitamin A (no more than 10,000 IU/day) can help regulate skin cycles and prevent acne in men and women who are not pregnant or nursing. Food sources include sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, spinach and fortified cereals.

Hydrate by drinking roughly 13 cups of water a day if you’re male, nine cups if you’re female.

Invest in a bedroom humidifier; your central heating system dehydrates your skin.

Monitor your moles, or anything you think might be a mole. If moles change, have irregular borders, strange (black) or uneven coloration, bleeding or itching, visit a dermatologist. Remember the ABCs—asymmetry, border, color—when checking moles.

Technology

SPF: Learn the math. In simple theory, if 15 minutes in the sun is enough to burn you, SPF 10 would allow you to stay out in the sun for 10 times longer, or 150 minutes. Intensity (8 am vs 2 pm sun) and activity (swimming, sweating, etc.) make it nearly impossible for a 50-plus SPF to remain fully effective for 12 or more hours. Reapply every couple of hours.

Acne: Food technology may hurt your face. Processed, sugary foods spike insulin levels which causes a hormonal reaction that can lead to clogged pores. Some studies show hormone-filled dairy products can worsen some acne-sufferer’s breakouts. Foods with a high glycemic index including refined grains, sugary drinks and highly processed snacks can reduce the number and severity of breakouts.

Warts: Human papilloma virus vaccines are for both genders, sexually active or not. Most warts are caused by harmless strains of HPV, can be easily removed or go away on their own. Genital warts, however, can cause psychological damages related to anxiety and feelings of worthlessness. HPV vaccines last five years, protecting your 11-year-old in high school when even oral and protected sex pose an infection risk. Gardasil—approved for males and females ages 9 and older—is the only vaccine that prevents HPV strains 6 and 11, responsible for 90 percent of genital warts in both men and women.

Tips

“To keep your skin healthy, hydration is essential, and the best way to do that, in addition to drinking plenty of water, is to apply skin care products with a significant concentration of hyaluronic acid.” —Marianna, esthetician, Boulder

Like this photo? Check out more of Julia Vandenoever’s amazing photography at her website.

The post Health and Beauty 360: Face and Skin appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Simple Steps

Bring your own tools to the nail salon. Adolescent girls are seeing increased numbers of fungal infections from improperly sterilized instruments at salon parties. Don’t let nail technicians push back cuticles, which can create an entry for fungus.

Use shellac instead of polish. Shellac doesn’t chip off (it’s similar to a dental sealant), lasts up to six weeks and helps hydrate and reinforce nails.

Biotin, a B vitamin supplement, at 2.5 milligrams a day, can strengthen nails.

Don’t let salons buff or sand the surface of your nail before painting it. This can thin or weaken the nail bed.

Pay attention to changes in your nails, which can be signs of melanoma, diabetes, thyroid disease, liver disease, psoriasis and fungal infection.

Crash diets can kill your hair. Hair needs protein and iron, as well as omega-3s, zinc and vitamin A. Diets not recommended by a physician can lack nutrients and stunt hair growth or make it dull and limp.

Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in salmon and walnuts, as well as supplements that keep hair and nails healthy. Eat spinach and carrots for vitamin A, brazil nuts for selenium and cashews for zinc.

Protect hair from sun damage. Evenly distributing hair sunscreen can be incredibly difficult. Don’t fear a good hat or head scarf to protect your hair and scalp from sun damage.

Less is more: Blowdry, hot-style, wash and brush hair less, especially during the dry winter, to avoid drying out and breaking hair.

Technology

Hair Loss: Drugs that can cause hair loss include: anticlotting drugs, cholesterol-lowering drugs, antidepressants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics and drugs for menopause and birth control. Talk to your doctor about risk factors and early signs.

Dandruff: Doctors still don’t know what causes it, but it’s not contagious or harmful. Leave dandruff shampoos on for five minutes and rinse well. Yellow, greasy dandruff may be seborrheic dermatitis, but can still be treated with dandruff shampoo. Severe cases may need prescription steroids or antifungal medications.

Hair Analysis: Companies claim to be able to detect health problems and vitamin deficiencies by performing a hair analysis, but they really only detect poisons such as lead and arsenic. Those test results are so easily influenced—even by shampoo—the American Medical Association says they can’t be trusted.

Tips

“A cuticle oil…hydrates and conditions cuticles and keeps them from drying out and cracking. Make (a sugar scrub) at home with brown sugar, regular sugar or salt, and coconut or grapeseed oil. Keep it by your sink and, after you wash them, scrub on and rinse off for a one-minute manicure.” —Amber Osborn, nail technician, Louisville

The post Health and Beauty 360: Hair and Nails appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Simple Steps

Cocoa butter hasn’t proven effective at stretch mark reduction, but Vitamin E, panthenol, hyaluronic acid, elastin and menthol can aid in the prevention of stretch marks in muscly athletes and pregnant women.

Be diligent and patient with ointments or creams on stretch marks and scars. Pick ones that promise scar tissue reduction and collagen synthesis, such as retin A, retinol and vitamin A. Massage the area to encourage blood flow.

Dieters often ditch dairy. If you go that route, however, remember calcium is essential for healthy fat management.

Step off the scale and away from the crash diets. Your emotional stability and nutrition have a huge handle on healthy weight. Weigh yourself once a week, max, and consult a dietitian before cutting foods or calories.

Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. And a couple of healthy snacks.

If you don’t need it, your kids don’t need it. Don’t use children as an excuse to buy foods you shouldn’t, but will, eat an entire bag of on a bad day.

Track your nibbles, tastes and snacks, remembering to eat a healthy snack before indulging a craving. Eating healthy snacks first may ward off that Ben & Jerry’s craving, or at least leave room for less.

Don’t drink your calories. Fruit juices, even 100-percent juice, are high sugar and low fiber. Eating your fruit prevents sugary calorie pile-ups and is better for your digestive system. Sugary coffee drinks and syrupy cocktails aren’t ideal, either. Implement healthy, tasty options until they become your new norm.

Technology:

Stretch Marks: For people who don’t find creams and ointments effective, laser and/or light therapy can help, but often take several treatments. Laser therapy (fractional skin resurfacing) breaks down scar tissue and encourages collagen and epithelium production. Light therapy promotes normal melanin stores. Endermologie repairs damage by increasing circulation to effected areas. Check with your spa for endermologie options, or visit Boulder’s Mountain View Dermatology, Lafayette’s Aesthetic Solutions, or Longmont’s Institute of Aesthetic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery for laser treatments.

Toning: According to the American Council on Exercise, the bicycle exercise (on the floor, not a bike), the captain’s chair leg raise (at the gym), and any dozen variations of a crunch are the healthiest approaches to tummy toning. Think crunches with your arms outstretched, your legs overhead, a balance ball and heel digging. Add a little planking on your elbows and toes to the mix and count on a more toned belly.

Tips

“By resting and taking care of ourselves and eating when we are relaxed instead of when we’re on the run and in the car, we can actually somewhat avoid that holiday weight gain. That’s one of the ways to get rid of that stubborn belly fat is to get out of that fight or flight mode and relax and start digesting and resting and that belly fat’ll just melt away.” —Cathy Hayes-Daly, nutritionist, Boulder

“To be top-rated, a diet had to be relatively easy to follow, nutritious, safe and effective for weight loss and against diabetes and heart disease. The government-endorsed Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) snagged the top spot. … It’s heavy on produce and low in saturated fat and salt.” —U.S. News & World Report

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Check out our ultimate guide to winter sports in Colorado with a little somethin’ somethin’ for every athlete.

Powder: All things ski, snowboard and apres!
Paths: Be a backcountry badass or a powdery pansy, we won’t judge.
Packing: Bring your avalanche gear and a camera. The family’ll want to see this!

The post Mountain Range appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Elite

Holiday Affair
Rogers Pass/Heart lakes

In winter, these normally heavily trafficked routes can be less clearly marked, but topo maps and turn-right-at-the-tree directions abound for this uphill, butt-burning battle. Experienced snowshoers/backcountry campers shouldn’t have trouble finding the gorgeous alpine lakes or a nook to tuck a tent into.

Miracle in the Mountains
Longs Peak

Thirty-fourth Street has nothing on ski mountaineering Longs Peak in the winter. After that miracle, balling out in basic accommodations at the bottom ain’t no thang. Drop the tent at the RMNP Longs Peak campground, forget both amenities and reservations, and party on.

Friday Night Lights
Mount Zirkel Wilderness Area

Tucked in the Colorado portion of Routt National Forest, this gorgeous area is great for a weekend of meandering snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and star-lit back-country camping. Less-intense winter campers who still love the view should head to nearby Walden, Steamboat Springs or a Never Summer Nordic yurt in State Forest State Park.

Rudolph the Red…Deer
Red Deer Lake

Count on snowshoeing from Camp Dick—Middle St. Vrain Road is closed from late October through late June—then bear left (east) on the Buchanan Pass Trail (the westward St. Vrain Glacier Trail crosses creeks past the Buchanan Pass Trail turnoff that aren’t safe in winter). Red Deer Lake is about 14 miles roundtrip from Dick, so head out early and camp at Dick, or camp in the gorgeous Indian Peaks Wilderness backcountry.

Lite

Remember the Night
Ruby Jewel Lake

Pack out into the Never Summer Wilderness and hide away in several area yurts (including at the lake and Clark Peak) for a rustic weekend without roughing it. Explore the southwest slopes of Clark Peak by day, warm up by the woodstove at night, and stare at the stars over the lake till sunrise.

The Rookie
Crested Butte

Something about this area just grows on outdoor enthusiasts, especially when it’s blanketed in white. The Crested Butte Nordic Center offers amenities aplenty, while rookies test their wings cross-country skiing and snowshoeing to the Magic Meadows
Yurt about 30 minutes from all of the action.

Holiday In
Hunter Frying Pan Wilderness Area

Ski untracked snow while a warm, soft bed awaits at any of dozens of 10th Mountain Division cross-country huts in White River National Forest. Count on miles of trekking or skiing into the forest, but proper planning (or guided trips) can put most hikes within 5 or so miles of both a hut and pristine powder.

How the Snow Stole Christmas
Red Mountain Pass

Ski mountaineer Red Mountains 1, 2 and 3, play in the pass and Who it up on the whitest red peaks in the state. As the Grinch says, “The sun is bright and the powder’s bitchin’!” so snag a backcountry hut in Telluride or Ouray and spend the holidays in the snow.

The post Packing appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Elite

It’s a Wonderful Life
Cameron Pass

Backcountry at Cameron Pass brings in skiers from throughout the region for steep passages in Nokhu Crags and near Ruby Jewel Lake (with yurts nearby if you just can’t go home). Chill out at Montgomery Pass or risk a little Diamond Peaks’ steep bowl action (avalanche gear recommended).

The Longest Yard
Mount Elbert

An easy hike in the summer, snowshoeing Mount Elbert (14,440 ft) in the winter just isn’t for first-timers to do solo, especially when combining the elevation gain with a little rough terrain. With a few sporty cohorts and the proper prep, however, Elbert offers great views of Colorado’s other highest peak, Mount Massive (14,421 ft) and a pretty mellow march to the top.

Rocky
Ouray Ice Park

Explore a new set of powdery paths on roughly 200 ice and mixed climbing routes with the rest of the freaks who celebrate ice at the Ouray Ice Festival. Ouray’s climbing clinics and seminars make even the rock rookies feel like the Italian Stallion of ice. Skip the ski passes and go a few rounds—it’s free and open to the public.

In a League of its Own
Devil’s Thumb Ranch Nordic Center

Take nordic a little too seriously, baby those skis with a hot box or a stone grind, then nordic fest it up at Tommelfest. Rent a sled to drag the kids along or take advantage of an advanced technique class before hitting any of the more than 100km of groomed trails.

Field of Dreams (and snow and rocks…)
Mount Bierstadt

Start at dawn and snowshoe the west side from Guanella pass for about a six-mile (roundtrip) snowy summit on Bierstadt. Be a little more badass and take on Bierstadt, Sawtooth Ridge and Mount Evans in one early, hard-hitting day. Although it can be dangerous, Sawtooth isn’t as scary as it looks from Bierstadt.

Lite

Dream White
Vail

Christmas or not, dream of White River National Forest with a little help from Vail’s snowshoe, backcountry or skiing tours. Try something new with Telemark or cross-country skiing lessons, or really work those skills with a Skin and Ski Telemark
cross-country tour.

Bend It
Redstone

OK, so about the only activity not offered in Redstone is soccer, but when you can’t bend it like Beckham, nothing beats torch-lit ski trails, skate and ski races, sleigh rides and ice climbing. Pick your path, pack your pooch (for the Wiener Run and Doggie Dress-up Parade) or peace out away from the hubbub
for a little snow trek in nearby Maroon Bells.

Snow Dogs
Frisco/Breckenridge Nordic Centers

Frisco/Breck boasts roughly 75km of groomed classic and skate cross-country ski trails. Explore the newly expanded cross-country ski trail in White River National Forest, 18km of snowshoe single track on the shores of Lake Dillon, and get toasty in destination warming huts all day every day. Oh, and bring the pups for a little Siberian Loop action.

No Nightmares Before Christmas, Thanks
Beaver Creek

Beaver Creek boasts that its visitors aren’t exactly roughing it and, as it hosts its 2012 Winter Culinary Festival via Food & Wine, we’d have to agree. Meet Helmut Fricker blowing his alpenhorn in lovely, tasteful pair of lederhosen before heading out on a 5K, 10K or combined Snowshoe Adventure (newbies welcome) and live it up at the sponsor expos, plaza parties and post-race meals.

Winter Wonderland
Winter Park

With guided beginner snowshoe tours and free intermediate-level ski or ride tours, Winter Park’s intro to the area covers its huge bases (this is one of the area’s largest ski resorts) while also showing newbies around on sparkly, gorgeous nature trips. Rent gear, snag a map and tramp trails on a self-guided tour.

The post Paths appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Elite

Party on, Dudes
Eldora Mountain Resort
Break the law of gravity with an excellent adventure full of sick action at Eldora’s terrain parks or at the double black diamond Corona Bowl. There’s no sledding or wimpy snowplay here, so strap on skis, a board or snowshoes, or go home. No delicate snow pansies allowed.

Feel the Need
Steamboat
Much like skiing Steamboat, everything else here is a dream, especially for snowboarders. Steamboat’s Mavericks Superpipe is 450 feet of world class riding, and the terrain park features kinked rails, sliders, rainbows, S mailboxes, double barrels, a mini-Mav (no mini-Goose though) and a mini superpipe. Steamboat is a complete mountain range with nearly 3,000 acres of diverse terrain, and its gladed ski runs feature trademarked Champagne Powder snow. Get some.

Meet the Legend
Arapahoe Basin
A-Basin is a throwback to the classics of snowsporting, when everyone cared about powder, people and plunging down the side of mountains at a million miles an hour. It rocks rail jams at its terrain park and more than 100 trails with tough timberline bowls and powdery light paths that promise diamonds black as midnight, black as pitch, blacker than the foulest witch (kudos if you remember The Legend). Oh, and there’s some lighter stuff, too.

Nobody Talks About
Silverton Mountain
Better than Fight Club, the only thing hitting you in the face here is snowy mountainside. Terrain at Silverton is exclusively for the advanced and expert crowd that loves a challenge—including heli-skiing here or in Alaska. The first rule of your next near-life experience: bring avalanche gear.

Get Epic
Breckenridge
With more than 50 percent black diamond or double black diamond slopes, Breck boasts badass snowsports on roughly 2,300 acres, five terrain parks, two half pipes and 155 trails on four peaks. Breckenridge is also home to Colorado’s largest historic district, more than 30 bars and its own, award-winning liquor distillery. May the force be with you.

The Fear
Aspen/Snowmass
Ski, ride and party hard in Aspen/Snowmass during World Cup ski races, the ESPN Winter X Games or the Bud Light Spring Jam. Hit quadruple peaks—Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk, none of which promise an easy ski. Plan for powder here only if you’ve got guts and experience. More than 100 bars, restaurants and clubs, near-constant festivals and Hunter Thompson’s home bar in Woody Creek promise a hard post-game party.

Lite

Shaken, not Stirred
Ski Cooper
Little Ski Cooper is a no-frills, no lines, all-skill levels option for skiing and snowboarding that won’t break the bank. There’s no snow-making here, just 400 lift-served skiable acres, snowcat tours and a groomed terrain park. As it turns out, Mr. Bond, you can have it all—including ski, snowboard or telemark ski lessons with professional instructors.

Bangarang!
Monarch
Everyone at Monarch flies on all-natural, something-for-everybody runs to the same central location so nobody worries or gets lost. Snowcat skiers and riders have access to 1,000 acres, steep terrain and thick powder every season courtesy of Powder Cat snowcat. Revamped terrain parks, and Congo and Safari lifts to kids’ ski runs make Monarch a snowy little Neverland. Children six and younger and seniors 69 and older ski free.

Doggy Paddle
Crested Butte
With a mix of beginner to advanced options for skiing, tubing, snowboarding and snowshoeing, everyone gets a piece of this action—including athletes with disabilities who are well-served at the volunteer-based Adaptive Sports Center year-round. Head to the Adventure Park for ice skating, bungee trampolines, a climbing wall or the lift-served tubing hill, or check out the Crested Butte nightlife, especially the Princess Bar.

Bombs Away!
Ski Loveland
Loveland loves user-friendliness, so whether it’s snowboard practice at the terrain park, telemark ski clinics or the great mix of beginner to advanced slopes, it’s easy to find the right fit. One of the cheaper bets out there, Loveland rents just about everything, making it perfect for newbies and non-committals. Skip the Home Alone sequels this year and staycay in one of Ski Loveland’s cabins or nearby Silverthorne.

Great Scott!
Telluride
One of the top resorts in the U.S., Telluride is lightweight with all of the extras. Forget the flux capacitor, ski or heli-ski 1,700 acres or pound powder at one of the top-ranked terrain parks. Thaw out at the a warming hut, hit the Hop Garden for a beer and partake in a sleigh ride dinner…or any of the other dozens of dinner, booze and relaxation options.

Cowabunga
Copper Mountain
Well, the only animals missing are mutant turtles, but Ducktopus and Bearilla pick up the slack. Whether it’s Critterland, the Barn or the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center downhill training site, Copper Mountain is cheap, chill and for everyone. Woodward at Copper offers year-round snowboard, ski, skateboard and cheer programs in The Barn—an indoor playground with artificial Snowflex jumps, ramps, jib lines, foam pits, tumbling floors and Olympic fly-bed trampolines.

The post Powder appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

The future of Boulder County’s local-, organic-food-filled plates lies in the hands of non-elected officials this month as Boulder County’s Parks and Open Space moves forward with its first-ever comprehensive cropland policy. If Commissioner Will Toor approves the nine-part policy draft—a constitution for open space management—it would include provisions for local food production and distribution, water use and conservation, ecological approaches to agriculture, accommodating farmers’ needs and increased transparency.

Public attention, however, has focused almost entirely on a half-page subpoint in the 14-page policy draft that would allow additional genetically modified crops on the county’s 16,000 acres of plantable open space cropland. It’s a big deal for organics lovers… though, genetically modified corn has been allowed on open space since 2003, and the 200 acres of sugar beet fields that spurred this debate are surrounded by genetically modified sugar beets, said David Bell, county agricultural resource manager.

Area open space farming operations are relatively small, as is the GM portion of open space cropland, so this policy focuses on balancing local economy, ecology and community support, said Jesse Rounds, BCPOS natural
resource planner.

“It’s really about, how do we make sure at each decision point we’re doing the best we can for all three of those,” Rounds said. “We are proposing to expand our organic farming programs, lowering the barriers to entering that market, supporting local food efforts and also popularizing and promoting the fact that most of the crops we do grow here, whether they’re grown on 500 acres or 10 acres, end up in the local food economy.”

The policy recognizes the ecological value in aquatic ecosystems on and around agricultural land and promotes conservation as well as farmers’ needs, Rounds said.

Rounds manages the Cropland Policy Advisory Group and its policy recommendation as it makes its way up the county government food chain to the commissioner who will make the final approval.

“The reason this policy exists is to encourage us to put down on paper exactly how we (Boulder County Parks and Open Space) do all of the things we’re doing,” Rounds said.

Right now, they’re debating and publishing broad statements about open space management standards for an official cropland policy. However, instead of asking about policy implementation—the document leaves out how BCPOS will fulfill these promises—the public focuses here:

Agricultural parts of the drafted policy cite generic reviews, tests and approvals by the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration as they propose opening the door to additional GM organisms. Genetic modifications typically create pesticide resistance or increase yield but can nutritionally enhancement food or increase its pest resistance. Pest management provisions in the drafted policy reflect pro-GMO practices by allowing the use of pesticides that would harm
unmodified plants.

Cropland Policy Advisory Group member Rich Andrews said the majority of the group’s trusting approach fails to recognize extensive scientific research that led him and two other organic farmers on CPAG to disagree with the final recommendation and policy draft’s approval of GM crops and certain pesticides (glyphosate and neonicitinoid). He said he’d like to see the county ban those pesticides as well as genetically engineered crops, and set aside land to encourage non-GMO seed-supply production so area farmers “don’t have to feel captive to the giant seed companies.”

No legitimate scientific research—including that done by crop-engineering corporations, the FDA, the USDA or the EPA—indisputably proves pesticides or genetically engineered crops healthy or ecologically sound, he said. Although the policy requires those farmers using genetically engineered crops to prove any nutritional, production or pest/pesticide related claims before those plants are approved for use, it does not specify the proof or approval processes.

“BCPOS will develop a monitoring system in cooperation with farmers, CSU and other partner agencies to determine whether the GE technology is consistently delivering the anticipated and claimed benefits and whether any unanticipated adverse impacts have occurred,” the majority policy recommendation says.

“I’m glad they at least put in some criteria…” Andrews said. “…(Earlier in the process) it was basically just saying ‘If the federal government says it’s OK, it’s OK.’ I certainly can’t buy that because I know what the (federal) process is and I see how corrupt it is.”

True to promises of transparency, BCPOS’ preceding public policy meetings allowed for community comment, including a Cropland Policy open house Nov. 7, weeks after the draft and minority opinions were published. Now comes the sit, wait and trust groups including, but not limited to, Parks and Open Space staff, the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, CSU extension, CPAG, the Food and Agricultural Policy Council and the Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee.

A joint meeting of FAPC and POSAC will be held Nov. 15, an FAPC meeting on Nov. 16 and a POSAC meeting on Nov. 17. All are open to the public but not public comment. No date has been set for the policy’s submission to the commissioner or its implementation. To see the full policy draft, visit bouldercounty.org/find/library/environment/croppolicy.pdf.

The post Cropland Constitution appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

If you are involved with skiing (or snowboarding), chances are you have heard the phrase “après ski.” Perhaps you are savvy enough to know “après” means “after” in French, and that it’s pronounced “ahh-PRAY.” Or perhaps, like the guy I overheard on a chairlift at Copper Mountain, you are in the dark as to “why people keep saying ‘ah-prez ski.’”

Après ski is both a verb and a noun. The après ski, or simply “après,” has become as much a part of skiing culture as skiing itself, and as such has become an institution in its own right. To say après ski is as simple as drinking with your buddies after skiing would be analogous to saying skiing is simply strapping two planks to your feet and going down a snowy hill.

From the greenest novice to the most seasoned expert, to après ski is to relax, be with friends, celebrate the mountain and, in some cases, celebrate that you are still alive at the end of the day.

And just as there are types of skiers—Snow Bunnies, Powder Hounds, etc.—so too are there different types of après-skiers. If you like a candle/fireplace-lit ambience, great wine and want to be seen, find Sweet Basil in Vail Village. Boasting an extensive wine list, inventive cocktails, a small but well-curated beer selection and menu items such as organic Loch Duart salmon, Sweet Basil is the pick for the well-coiffed après-skier. Sweet Basil is also perfect for those who enjoy the après part of skiing more than the actual skiing.

Or, if you prefer cheap beer, rowdiness and spectacular people watching, the best place to go for a no-frills après is A-Basin. If you require a roof over your head to après, the Sixth Alley Bar is known for its bloody Marys (including a bacon bloody Mary) and cheap margaritas. The Alley has $1.50 tacos for those who save their money for gear. Pretension doesn’t exist here, and you will get respect for being able to shoot the breeze, tell some good jokes or talk gear like a gearhead.

But in my book, the best après is found in the parking lot at A-Basin, specifically at The Beach. “The Beach” is a strip of parking spots facing the mountain reserved in advance. The spots hold two cars each and have shared picnic tables. It is the perfect setup for an après-ski barbecue. There is absolutely nothing better than sitting outside after pounding the slopes, soaking in the sun, watching stragglers bomb down
the front side.

Skiing is about being outside, and it is often nice to keep that outdoor element going once the physical challenge is gone. Après skiing in the parking lot at A-Basin is essentially celebrating having been outside all day by being outside even longer. To me, that is the pinnacle of après ski excellence.

The post The Art of Après appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

In the October issue of Yellow Scene, Home for the Holidays and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving were listed as playing at the St. Julien Hotel Nov. 6 and Nov. 13, respectively. Those movies are not playing at the St. Julien. Yellow Scene regrets these errors.

The post Correction: October 2011 appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

When a time mishap put 503 International Cafe on its toes, general manager Ado Salguero didn’t miss a beat—he snatched a little flavor from his Salvadoran roots and used pumpkin seeds as readily as salt.

That is a challenge,” he’d told me the day before when I gave him pumpkin seeds and a day to make me a dish with them. Sure. He also refuses to call himself a chef. Great non-chef, terrible liar.

So while his spiced jicama with lemon and an earthy ground pumpkin seed topping alternately surprised, burned and snuck a little sweetness over the tongue, he whipped up a pan-seared halibut and a mellow pumpkin seed spin off of a traditionally almond-based romesco that soothed the burning beast his appetizer created. “I didn’t want to make anything too generic,” he said.

His menu isn’t Salvadoran, but it hides none of its love for the country’s cuisine, nor did his dishes—the jicama dish is pretty traditional Salvadoran. However, where papusas, cassava and the like might be processed, souped, fried or pickled, Salguero’s intimate relationship with international cuisine shone through in the consistencies of each element: from the crisp jicama to pan-searing on the halibut to the white fish’s bed of thinly sliced fingerling potatoes, little chunks of earthy, never gelatinous, beets and pliant spinach.

His platings are simple, never presumptuous or scanty, and his time spent serving in the restaurant industry showed especially in his love of describing each bite as it came off of the plate. His cooking lessons started during childhood with his family, he said, but 12 years serving polished his palate…and his plans for 503.

“We’re trying to bring a higher level of food (to Lafayette) without having to break the bank,” he said. “With the pumpkin seeds, there were a lot of generic things I could have done and we opted to do something much more catching to the eye, much more pleasant to the palate.”

Salguero’s sprinkle of crispy breaded onions were just the right amount of crunch coupled with felicitous flavor.

“We’re trying to change the culture of Lafayette’s dining experience,” he said.

He divulged a few plans for international favorites that’ll grace the menu in coming months, traditional dishes hailing from Spain to Japan. Frankly, we can’t wait.

503 International Cafe is located at 103 N. Public Rd. in downtown Lafayette.

The post Challenging Elements: Pumpkin Seeds appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Maggie Flickinger

Business Director, Barrett Studio Architects

Fashion Philosophy: We have a term at the studio for our projects’ architectural expression: organic modern. I’m drawn to the juxtaposition inherent in that term and it’s this dichotomy that informs my fashion philosophy. For me, that results in pairing punk rock hair with an ultra-feminine frock or softly voluminous fabrics with chunky industrial jewelry.

Fashion Staple: My funky hair—courtesy of Mary Owens at A Mary Owens Salon—and the confidence to rock it. On the rare occasions that I’m required to don traditional business attire, the hair still gives a clue to my creativity.

Favorite Local Store: Nature! My favorite ring is made from a chunk of wood and the artisans at Angie Star are creating a custom necklace showcasing a linear lava stone shard for me. Porcupine quills and fox fur (found, not hunted!) form the basis of another necklace I’m designing. Another great (and somewhat undiscovered) resource is Violette on Pearl. This boutique humors my penchant for dresses every season of the year.

Mark Stoddard

Proprietor and Beverage Manager, The Bitter Bar

Fashion Philosophy: Retrosexual: classic, sophisticated, masculine.

Fashion Staple: A custom-tailored suit.

Favorite Local Store: Weekends.

Susan Kaiser Yurish

Founder/Owner, Hanna’s Specialty Foods, Delicatessen And Catering

Fashion Philosophy: I have always built my wardrobe on classic pieces. I don’t mind spending a bit more on those items due to their timeless nature. Each season I always compliment the classics with a few trendy items so

the look is always up to the minute.

Fashion Staple: A beautiful, classic black dress that can be dressed up or dressed down depending on the occasion is essential.

Favorite Local Store: Coming from New York City, boy was I thrilled when Macy’s showed up in Colorado. However, Ville de Luxe in Louisville has great, fun things, Timabalier in Lafayette has fabulous jewelry and purses, and the ladies at Pearl’s Salon, also in Lafayette, always help keep me looking my best.

Nicole Duke (left)

Professional Cyclist for Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld.com, Hairstylist, Mom

Fashion Philosophy: Dress for your body type. Pick and choose elements from latest trends but keep the core of your wardrobe simple, classic and elegant. Never wear anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, that way your inner beauty can always shine through confidently.

Fashion Staple: Good Mascara, and a pair of wedge heels.

Favorite Local Store: Two Sole Sisters, for amazing shoes, purses and jewelry.

Kristin Weber

Graphic Designer/Art Director at Sugar Design

Fashion Philosophy:

What you wear is a direct reflection of who you are as a designer, but with three kids, that style has to include a few really great pieces, accessories and great shoes—and it has to come together a little funky in a flash because you don’t want to dress like a mom to meet clients. When “dress up” is over, it’s Lululemon time.

Fashion Staple:

Good jeans, I swear by Joes and 7 For All Mankind, dark and straight-legged. Jacket: Barbour motor cycle style.

Favorite Local Store:

Nordstrom Rack, Antrhopologie, Lululemon Athletica

Jeff Lindauer

CEO, Spring44 Spirits

Fashion Philosophy: Comfort, casual with sophistication. After being a corporate CEO for so many years, I was glad to trade in my daily uniform of suits and ties for Spring44 casual wear.

Fashion Staple: Jeans, jeans and more jeans—dressy jeans and casual jeans. Button-down starched shirts and blazers that can be dressed up or down. Ralph Lauren for events/openings. Great cuff links…even with jeans. Wonderful and worn-looking boots. Sunglasses.

Favorite Local Store: Ralph Lauren for events and JAX Mercantile for boots, belts, hats, sunglasses and wranglers.

The post What We Wear to Work appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Working 9 to 5 is so 1980. Full health coverage is an extinct species of benefit that went the way of the phone booth. Well, that’s what we thought. YS went searching for companies that break the modern mold, and these eight prove there are no limits to the perks, benefits and respect a company can give its employees.

Insight Designs

Beth Krodel and Nico Toutenhoofd were in search of the holy grail: the 40-hour work week.

The two former journalists—Krodel was a reporter and Toutenhoofd a photographer—were sick of salaried jobs at newspapers, where they’d work 50, 60, 70 hours a week for the same amount of pay. So in 1999, they opened their own web development and design firm. Now, Insight Designs works with Crocs, eTown and other major players. And all 13 of its employees work a 40-hour work week (or close to it).

“One reason my business partner (Toutenhoofd) and I went into business was that we wanted to create a company that allowed us to have work-life balance,” Krodel says. “…People don’t work 50 hours a week here. Or 45 hours a week. There are exceptions. …But we strive not to have anyone work more than 40 hours.”

One of the company’s guiding principles is to offer a work-life balance to all employees, which translates into flexible scheduling. Ellie Childs works four nine-hour days and works a half-day on Fridays. Carlos Real comes into work early a couple of days a week, so he can leave earlier to coach soccer.

“I’ve been here 7 years,” Childs says. “I can’t even remember the last time I worked more than 40 hours a week. And if you do that, the next week you can come in later.”

All Insight employees are paid hourly as well, so if they do work over time, they are compensated.

On top of flexibility, employees receive a $40-per-month health club membership reimbursement and tuition reimbursement up to $500 per semester up to three semesters a year for classes and ongoing education.

Employees can receive two bonuses a year. The end-of-the-year bonus is based on total company performance. The other is based on achieving what the company calls AABs: above and beyonds, which are annual goals that require staffers to work outside of their day to day. That may mean taking classes or setting up events or writing blogs for the website. They earn a $1,000 bonus for every AAB they achieve, up to five a year.

The office vibe is also conducive to productivity: It’s quiet and laid back with great views of the Flatirons and the smell of waffle cones wafting through the air (Ben & Jerry’s is just steps away from its Pearl Street location).

“What do I like best? It’s the whole thing. It’s the good feeling you get when you walk in,” Real says. “…My weekends are so busy, so when I come into work on Mondays, it feels like a relaxing thing.”

That’s the goal, Krodel says.

“It’s important for people to like what they do and like where they work,” she says. “Working 40 hours a week, vacation time and health club reimbursements make people happier. When you have happy, healthy staff, you will have healthy outcomes. It’s in the best interest for us as bosses.”

The bottom line: 100 percent medical, two to five weeks vacation time plus 10 sick days that they will buy back if you don’t use them, health club reimbursement, annual retreat and parties, 40-hour work week, $500 per/semester tuition reimbursement, wholesale/pro deals, flex time. Number of employees: 13.

This company is now hiring! Check out Insight Designs’ website to see its opening for a PHP programmer.

Natural Habitat Adventures

The coolest thing about working for Natural Habitat Adventures, the Boulder-based nature travel company, is not necessarily the dog-friendly office, the stellar benefits, the on-site gym or the paid-time off for new moms and dads.

It has to be the travel perks.

“It’s more than a job,” says general manager Rick Guthke. “It’s a life pursuit.”

Field employees are often tasked with taking adventure-seekers and nature-lovers to the far reaches of the globe, coming face to face with gorillas in the mist or polar bears perched in the frozen tundra. The company also offers numerous travel incentives for employees, including a two-week site inspection each year (“With a handsome travel budget that covers nearly all expenses,” Guthke says).

The company is a leader in the nature travel and ecotourism industry and has focused on connecting people with the planet’s venerated natural spots. The office environment is “casual but hardworking” Guthke says. It’s dog friendly and there is no dress code. It’s a light-hearted space where the dedicated staff stay diligent. It also includes a state-of the-art health center on site that employees can use any time for free, including yoga and Pilates classes. The fitness center has a professional trainer on hand for small group training sessions.

Natural Habitat Adventures has a subsidized organic cafeteria and provides company ski passes, which employees can sign up for and use at anytime—“even on heavy snow days during the week if their work is covered.”

And the company owns a boat at Boulder Reservoir for the company-organized Summerfest; Winterfest entails taking a chartered bus up to the mountains for all-day skiing, with dinner out and bar-hopping on the drive home.

The bottom line: great benefits, three weeks vacation plus two-week, all-expenses-paid site inspection, in-house gym, organic cafeteria, ski passes, Summerfest and Winterfest, 120-hours a year of professional development. Number of employees: About 36. Check out Natural Habitat’s website!

Training Peaks

Imagine a world without hunger, where nobody misses a workout, dog walk or goes without gear.

At Training Peaks not only do employees have access to organic, fresh produce, a stocked kitchen and freezer, a full gym with showers, endurance training software, flexible scheduling and bike storage, the company also tosses them $600 a year for “health tools” of their choice.

“The company believes in investing in its people,” said communications manager Tia Mattson. “If we have the right talent pool and the right culture, then we have a long-term employee.”

To keep them healthy long-term, Training Peaks pays medical premiums and funds a $2,400 health savings account for each employee annually. And, of course, allows dog therapy in-office.

Training Peaks pays coaches, hosts visits by world-class athletes and helps employees obtain coaching certifications, attend conferences and expand their professional education. Then they launch a monthly software update and gorge on barbecue (which could be why they keep the dress code so casual and the work-out load heavy).

The bottom line: 100 percent medical, company funded HSA contribution at $2,400 per employee, 401k, flex time, generous PTO (three weeks), free organic food and group exercise all day with a side of work…for people who workout and eat well all day. Number of employees: 29

This company is now hiring! Check out Training Peaks’ website!

Imulus

When the three founders of Imulus, a web-development agency based in Boulder, started their company, they did not want to create a business that was susceptible to the economy. So, over the last nine years, they’ve built a “war chest of funds for a rainy day,” says co-founder and client services director George Morris. That has allowed Imulus to pick and choose the projects it wants and the clients it likes. And that trickles down to the employees, who then have the opportunity to work on fun, interesting, diverse projects.

“Basically, they don’t have to work on projects that suck,” Morris says with a chuckle. “If we were cash strapped, we would go after projects that are not ideal. So then, the team wouldn’t be enthusiastic. Our guys are doing a quality job, and they don’t have to sacrifice their standards.”

Of course, the work is just one perk here. Employees are treated as adults at Imulus. They are given respect as soon as they walk in the door, and they are offered support to make sure they succeed at the company.

“We want an environment that encourages your best work. We want to have a workplace where employees feel challenged,” Morris said. “We are a team. If we do things together as a team, we are not a bunch of individuals trying to get a job done.”

That means Xbox in the conference room, beer in the fridge, free Netflix and fencing uniforms and swords for the occasional duel (we are not joking). The company provides breakfast on Mondays and lunch on Fridays and often takes staffers out for a little fun: to  batting cages or even go-cart racing.

“We once used a printer as a piñata and played the music from Office Space in the background,” Morris said. “Recently, we took the whole office out to Dacono and rode go-carts around. We like to break up the routine.”

The bottom line: 100 percent medical paid, one month of vacation time plus two weeks of sick leave, Eco Pass, great leadership, free Netflix and beer, workshops and conferences on a regular basis, breakfast on Mondays and lunch every Fridays. Number of employees: 13

This company is now hiring! Check out Imulus’ website to see its opening for a front-end web developer.

Edward Jones

Just because a company is a ginormous national brand does not mean it’s inaccessible. Edward Jones has garnered props for being a killer employer from numerous organizations and publications over the years, and it’s because the company puts a strong focus on resources and autonomy.

“What it comes down to is that I own my own office. I have independence but have the support of a major firm,” says Bill DeWandeler, financial adviser at his Boulder office

The company is also employee-owned—and not publicly traded. There are just two employees in DeWandeler’s office, so it feels like a “mom and pop” shop, not a faceless megacorp.

“It doesn’t feel like a corporation,” he says. “The real value comes for the client. It’s not a call center. They call and they talk to one of us.”

The bottom line: Full medical with optional dental and vision plans, 401k, profit sharing and quarterly bonuses, community involvement and volunteerism, comprehensive web-based training program, flexible scheduling hours. Number of employees: 39,000 nationally. Check out Edward Jones’ website!

Trada

Sprawled out in the office-less expanse of the old Daily Camera building, Trada encourages collaboration, honesty and, most importantly, employees who take what Trada dishes out.

Trada knows micromanaging went out in the ’90s, and treats its employees like adults in scheduling, vacation and finding that perfect work/life balance by not limiting time off or guilting employees who take it.

“(Days off) shouldn’t be something where they’re nickel and dimed on the amount of time they can take off,” said Elaine Ellis, social media and marketing manager.

Employees pay $1 a month for a membership to One Boulder Fitness, can buy into the company’s equity program and enjoy full health and dental coverage for themselves and their dependents. They participate team build at events such as the Pike’s Peak marathon and on company sports teams. Dogs come to work, and sometimes work happens at home.

“It’s very counterproductive to have an employees work hard and not give them flexibility when they need it,” she said. “Not having a micromanaging culture requires hiring people that take pride in their work.

The bottom line: Butts in seats matter far less than butts that get work done. This company encourages employees to take advantage of every available benefit. Number of employees: 85.

This company is now hiring! Check out its website!

The post Yellow Scene’s Top Companies to Work For appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

The farm-to-table concept of making a connection between farmers, food and consumers has finally, in recent years, become cherished—and people in Boulder County are taking food authenticity to a moralistic level.

When you step into Pizzeria Locale, the first thing you’ll notice is the massive 1,000-degree wood-burning oven forged together from pecan and oak wood and volcanic rock culled from Mt. Vesuvius—the only Ferrara oven in Colorado. While the folks at Locale understood the value of producing culturally authentic Italian food and incorporating tools and materials, including the Ferrara oven, the Transportation Security Administration didn’t. Stefano Ferrara originally sent over all of the materials to build the oven in Boulder, including brick, clay and dirt from the heart of Naples. But all TSA saw was raw organic material.

“They were like, ‘Why don’t you just use dirt from Boulder?’” said Chris Donato, general manager of Pizzeria Locale. “They didn’t understand that it was an authentic thing, that it was going to be more of an art piece.”

TSA destroyed those materials. What you’ll see when you walk into Locale is the second attempt, an oven made by Ferrara and shipped over, pre-made on the soil that is the home of what most agree is the best pizza in the world.

Traditional European food culture embodies the elements of simplicity and craftsmanship—a duo Americans haven’t, until recently, been accustomed to seeing served together. Only in the last several years have Americans started to value high-quality food (U.S. sales of organic food and beverages grew from $1 billion in 1990 to $26.7 billion in 2010) and make an effort to become knowledgeable about where their food comes from.

Chef Jordan Wallace of Locale spent four months in Italy working at pizzerias, studying the art of pizza-making in Naples before the restaurant opened in Boulder.

“We wanted to have the exact same thing that’s offered on the streets of Naples,” Donato said.

Everything from the V.D.F. prosciutto slicer (hand-crafted by father and son team Mirco and Gary Schnidero) to the arrival of the pizza to your table uncut—which annoys some diners—is a nod to authentic Napolitan style and tradition.

“The pizza isn’t pre-cut because there’s lot more moisture to it; our mozzerella is very fresh so it’s really watery, the San Marzano tomatoes have more water to them, and we store mushrooms in oil so they’re richer,” Donato said. “If we cut the pizza for you, the water seeps into the dough faster, compromising the integrity of the dough.”

Donato said Locale is not about kitsch, but rather, holding true to tradition.

“People have been doing things this way for hundreds of years,” Donato said. “If you do things one way for that long, you end up producing something beautiful.”

After spending two years in Girona, Spain, fiancées Coral Ferguson and Will Frischkorn opened Cured, a cheese shop, in downtown Boulder. But they haven’t left their European ideals behind.

“European culture around food is so thoughtful. It’s not convenience-focused,” Ferguson said. “It takes more time out of their day, but it’s time they enjoy because so much of their life is focused around food.”

Cured has a small-market feel, with sections of the shop dedicated to local fruit and vegetables, cheese, bread, cured meats, wine and freshly made to-go items such as salads and sandwiches.

Frischkorn said he hopes to help people become more knowledgeable about their local food and farmers through the presentation of their products (read: samples abound!) and hosting weekly classes.

“We’ll bring in different purveyors, cheese makers and brewers, and teach people how farmer’s grow things, about the composition of the soil,” he said. “None of the cheese will be cut and wrapped in plastic. You’ll be able to try everything.”

Cured isn’t about importing European delicacies, but selling specialty meats and cheeses from the states, further expanding the growing movement toward local, fresh, simple food.

“We have so many incredible restaurants here, but we want to teach people that if you have quality ingredients, you can create incredible meals anywhere,” Ferguson said. “It doesn’t take a massive amount of tools or skill.”

Sarah Amorese designed downtown Boulder’s Piece, Love & Chocolate like a European boutique based on her travels.

“There’s a chocolate shop on every block in parts of France,” Amorese said. “It’s just the way they treat food: everything is smaller, there’s more attention to detail and craft, and there’s such respect for the purveyors and the ingredients.”

Amorese said she was amazed how food—even basic staples—was revered in France.

“I was in the Camargue [region] where fleur de sel comes from, and there was this huge festival of rice going on. Just rice. There was even a rice princess,” she said.

The shop’s open-glass chocolate case, based on that of a shop in Beaune, France, displays the truffles like jewels.

“We designed it so there would be more conversation,” Amorese said.

This sense of personal connection combined with experience of European culture provides the backbone for well-traveled locals trying to maintain the authentic experience.

“Our whole shop will be filled with products that speak to us,” Frischkorn said.

And if you don’t see the oven first in Locale, you’ll definitely see Jesus. Floating prominently above the bar and hand-carved in 1905, the piece was an opening gift representative of the religious and cultural tradition in southern Italy.

“If you walk into a pizzeria, there should be some Jesus,” Donato said.

Amy Segreti is a journalist and editor living in Boulder. She strives to live purposefully with regard to place, pleasure and palate. Especially palate.

The post Pizza, Love and Jesus appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

1. Bed: Establish a target sleeping place inside or out of a crate to give Fido a sense of security and consistency at night, and to save large breeds’ joints. For additional comfort and security, shoot for one with snuggly, raised sides.

2. Leash, leading trainers: Train puppies on-leash when out and about. Use engaging toys or treats to keep the puppy’s focus on you and establish a command such as “leave it” to call the puppy off of hazardous chewables or dogs. Consider a harness, Gentle Leader or a Weiss walkie for willful pullers.

3. Toys: Many pet owners don’t want their puppy chewing, but developing dogs require sensory stimulation as much as children. If you don’t have a grand to throw at a nylon/intestine removal surgery, spring for a variety of safe, interesting toys. Keep only a few out at a time, rotating regularly and tossing anything dismembered (aka choking hazards).

4. Crate: Even pet owners uncomfortable with crate training may need to travel with their pet, and crates keep pets safe. Establish an appropriately sized, clean crate as home to give your new puppy a sense of security, routine and direction. Upsize as Fido grows.

5. Collars/tags/microchip: Sounds like a no-brainer, but pet owners often wait too long. Get the vaccination, off-leash and identification tags a.s.a.p., and if you off-leash at all, spring for the microchip.

6. High-quality puppy food: Although dogs appear to digest anything, cheap foods full of additives and fillers, such as dehydrated milk and corn, can take healthy years from your beloved best friend. Dogs eat less of higher-quality foods and suffer fewer health problems when raised on a diet that lists meat as the first ingredient and includes good fats and grains.

7. Treats/training aids: Treats, toys and other training aids can make positive behaviors fun and lasting. As with food, go for high-quality treats and use them as incentive, in conjunction with praise and attention, to behave properly.

8. Grooming tools: A brush appropriate for the pup’s hair, which means bristles for short hair, pins for long hair, rubber or a curry comb for shedding, and a comb and scissors for mats, burrs and trimming around dirty areas such as paws, genitals and ears. Nail clippers and a Dremel-style file help as well.

9. Ear cleaner, saline solution: Small abrasions, seasonal allergies, ear mites and dirty buildup can cause permanent damage to dogs ears and eyes. Do a quick paw, eye and ear check after outdoor activities or windy car rides to prevent unnoticed injuries from festering.

10. Antimicrobial food/water dishes, plus to-go options: Although ceramics are prettier and plastics are cheaper, stainless steel bowls are pretty much indestructible, hypo-allergenic and easiest to keep clean. Consider elevated dishes for large breeds and collapsible dishes that can be carried in a dog-sized backpack for outdoorsy canines.

The post Ten New-Puppy, Must-Have Buys appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Colorado Aussie Rescue
303.558.6437
coloradoaussierescue.org
Although CAR’s Australian shepherds live in foster homes or in the group’s limited kennel space for now, the group is fundraising to set up permanent kennel space to increase its capacity for rescue. Long-haired, loyal and a little protective, these medium-sized dogs are great with kids, energetic and eager to please. Look to keep these guys mentally and physically exercised daily.

Colorado Beagle Rescue
303.464.9403
coloradobeaglerescue.net
As a non-profit with no facility, CBR keeps its beagles at homes, foster homes, shelters and kennels until they’re adopted. Beagles are small, short-coated scent hounds that require motivational training (treats, no tricks) and a fenced yard to prevent roaming. Because they’re intelligent, they require substantial time and positive attention to prevent mischief and barking.

Dalmatian Rescue of Colorado
303.281.8963
dalmatianrescue.org/about.htm
Because DRC’s fostering resources are so limited, the bulk of the group’s dogs come are last-chance rescues from kill shelters. Dogs from individuals generally are not accepted. These high-energy dogs beg to be running buddies. Without socialization and regular stimulation, these large dogs can be too much for small children. A strong leader can teach dalmatian manners with other dogs.

Front Range German Shepherd Rescue
Gs44@aol.com
members.petfinder.org/~CO171/index.html
Pure-bred German shepherd dogs rescued through FRGSR live in foster homes or boarding facilities until they’re matched with the right family. GSDs need strong pack leaders, good socialization and mental exercise regularly. Protective and loyal, these large, long-haired dogs need physical activity and near-constant human contact to remain socially comfortable and avoid stress-induced behavior such as fear-biting.

Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies
303.279.2400
goldenrescue.com/index.html
Surrendered and rescued goldens are kept in foster homes until GRRR finds them well-inspected forever homes. Most GRRR goldens are a year old or older. Goldens are medium-sized, long-haired dogs that respond well to obedience training. They require strong, decisive leadership and mentally stimulating physical exercise every day.

HO-BO Care Boxer Rescue
303.744.8329
hobocare.com
HO-BO rescues surrendered, abused, neglected and abandoned boxers, fostering them until homes that meet strict requirements become available. Count on a six-foot fence and waiting until children are 5 to 10 years old. Daily pack walks with extensive physical stimulation, plus regular training sessions are a must with these high-energy, medium-sized dogs.

Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue
303.552.0484
rmgreatdane.org
This five-state, and expanding, great Dane rescue works to have every Dane live in a pre-approved foster home prior to adoption, but the Danes sometimes live in daycare facilities for a stint. Because these dogs are giant, they require an owner who sets rules about jumping and being rowdy. They’re gentle and easy going with children, but can be prone to hip dysplasia, so shouldn’t be handled roughly.

Rocky Mountain Greyhound Adoption
303.995.6929
rmga.org
One of few breed-specific rescue groups with a kennel, this Brighton-based rescue focuses on former racing greyhounds. These dogs generally range from 2 to 5 years old, and tend to show gratitude for being in a loving home and off of the racetrack. They’re short-haired, large, but light and are known for their loyal, affectionate personalities and trainability.

Rocky Mountain Labrador
Retriever Rescue
303.818.8508
rockymtnlabrescue.com
With only a network of foster homes, RMLRR works to rescue labs and lab mixes from high-kill shelters. Because labradors are one of the most popular, and most commonly bred, dogs in the United States, “lab mix” can mean any number of characteristics shine through. In general, however, labs are sweet, trainable, athletic (especially when young) and
trustworthy.

Rocky Mountain Siamese Cat Rescue
970.351.6582
co.siameserescue.org
Working entirely from foster homes, RMSCR has saved roughly 480 Siamese and Siamese-mix cats. These highly trainable, people-oriented cats are vocal and demanding of attention if left alone too often. They’re generally good with children, other cats and dogs, when treated and introduced properly. Siamese cats are characterized by bright, blue eyes, dark points and a light-colored body.

…That Funky Stuff

Cavy Care Inc.
Denver
303.593.2195
cavycareinc.org
Cavy Care, Inc. offers adoption, surrender, sanctuary, boarding and education for guinea pigs, also known as cavies. It’s entirely funded by adoption fees and donations, and all-volunteer staffed. With more than 7,000 adoptions completed, CCI has guinea pig care and adoption down pat and reminds potential owners guinea pigs need a companion, live seven or eight years and don’t belong in aquariums or wire cages.

Colorado House Rabbit Society
Denver/Boulder chapter
303.469.3240
coloradohrs.com/default.asp
Rabbits are adorable, curious and pint-sized, but remember they explore with their mouths, eat hay that can cause allergic reactions and love to be petted but not necessarily held. They’re best suited to be indoor pets in homes without small children. Find a good vet, a litter box and remember they’re social, so snag a pair of well-matched Peter Cottontails or plan for hours of floppy-eared exploration together.

Colorado Reptile Humane Society
Longmont
303.776.2070
corhs.org
The cooler-looking the reptile, the more time, money and space it’ll cost. Be prepared to pay hundreds of dollars more than the cost of the reptile for care and containment. Be sure you’re willing to keep a container of bugs, fresh veggies and/or mouscicles in the fridge, and remember, reptiles need regular vet care, but reptile vets can be few and far between. Adopt, don’t buy captive-bred
wild animals.

Crestone Farm
Longmont
303.532.3207
crestonefarm.com/barnyard.html
Crestone Farm’s Old McDonald Barnyard Animal Rescue helps neglected, abused, homeless and unwanted horses, donkeys, pigs, goats, llamas, cows, chickens, ducks and rabbits. Right now, the group is raising money to put half-priced prosthetic legs on formerly frostbitten Bucky the goat for $760 with donated labor. Adorable? We think so.

Pig-A-Sus Homestead
Mack
970.858.9628
pigasus.org
Forget Thumper the rabbit, Thumper the pot-bellied pig has a way better legacy—inspiring the rescue of 65 little piggies. It costs about $450 to take care of one of these babies for a year, especially because abuse by overfeeding is so common. Because they’re as smart as dogs, and make awesome pets, they get puppy milled, too, so check your city’s zoning laws and rescue one instead.

Longhopes Donkey Shelter
Bennett
303.644.5930
longhopes.org
It all started in with Rocky, a 42-year-old donkey that found a new home on a 20-acre farm in Bennett, that now has 450 adoptions under its belt. Contrary to popular belief, donkeys aren’t stubborn, they’re just careful, with strong self-preservational instincts, and they bond strongly with trust-worthy buddies. Find your Rocky for a pet that’ll love you like a dog and let you load it up or ride it just about anywhere.

The post Can’t Get Enough Of… appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Let our Pet To the Rescue Guide wag its way into your home. With heart-wrenching stories and expert advice, Yellow Scene staffers explore issues related to rescuing, rehabbing and rehoming pets. Plus, one family’s journey of survival, syringes and stacks of bills.

Pit Bullied: Experts talk bites, bonding and breed-specific legislation

Milled and Misunderstood: Psychologically damaged dogs rehabbed and rehomed

A Pet Partnership: Boulder Valley Humane Society pairs up and branches out

Forgotten Flock: Birds bred for beauty misunderstood and neglected

State of Neigh: Colorado’s horses overbred and underestimated

Handle with Care: Jill Haffley, National Mill Dog Rescue behavior specialist, talks about integrating a behavior-challenged rescue dog into your home

Can’t Get Enough…Of That Funky Stuff: Check out these Rockin’ Colorado Rescues

Hot Under the Collar Facing the mortality of her puppy, editor Andra Coberly wipes away the tears and does all she can: beg, steal and borrow

The post To the Rescue appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Pick an excuse for failing to provide for horses and Colorado’s rescue groups have debunked it.

Front Range Equine Rescue and Colorado Horse Rescue save abused and neglected horses, educate the equine-curious public and help owners find help for hay, health, overpopulation, training, death and disposal.

Hilary Wood, president and founder of FRER, said her organization helped roughly 600 horses last year, but quantifying education and assistance benefits is hard with so many horse owners who underestimate equine ownership costs.

“We’re helping, but we’re also taking away some excuses for not doing right by the horse,” she said. “Overbreeding is one of the biggest, ongoing issues in the horse industry. …Not every horse needs to be bred.”

So FRER started a program in 2002, called Stop the Backyard Breeder, to partially reimburse gelding (neutering a stallion) costs, she said. Horse breeding is entirely unregulated, she said, but a licensing fee on stallions to accompany existing state-mandated brand inspections (required to sell or transport livestock) could help.

“People putting down 100 horses a year, keeping five of them and tossing the rest to auctions for slaughter is just gross irresponsibility,” she said. “You’ve got to hit them in the pocket, that’s the bottom line. …There has to be some kind of penalty. At what point does it become neglect and abuse?”

It’s a monumental education and assistance project, she said. Marion Nagle, FRER’s education coordinator, teaches children about the care, handling and keeping of horses through games and cooperative learning.

“We figure these are the people that’ll have horses in the next 10 years,” she said.

So while FRER educates horse lovers in the southern Front Range, CHR does so up north, incorporating educators such as Temple Grandin into its Mane Event Sept. 24.

“In Colorado, 6,000 horses a year go unwanted,” said CHR executive director Judy Smetana. “Horse rescues throughout Colorado are only able to save about 1,600 of those.”

Even responsible horse owners struggle with disasters, natural or otherwise, so CHR keeps eight to 10 spaces in its 60-horse facility open for such emergencies, Smetana said.

Colorado’s Hay Bank and the Colorado Horsecare Foodbank offer temporary assistance to keep responsible horse owners from choosing between paying the mortgage and relinquishing, or worse yet, neglecting, healthy horses, Wood said. But hay could be a bigger problem this winter in Colorado due to droughts in Texas and Oklahoma, she said. She said horse owners should start stocking up now to avoid being cut short in late winter and early spring before the first hay cuttings.

Because FRER fundraises nation-wide online and with direct mailing, in addition to local fundraising efforts, it can and does use grant money to help responsible horse owners stay on top of proper horse care as well, she said. Wood said she looks at the rescue as a business and has a bigger business plan than she ever thought possible.

FRER’s assistance allows responsible owners a bit of a grace period if they’ve lost a job or had a hardship to either recover or responsibly rehome their horse, she said. This allows her organization to look for and reduce genuine cases of abuse and neglect.

To avoid end-of-life neglect, when injuries or sickness could go untreated, or older horses could be sent to slaughter in Canada or Mexico, the group’s Trail’s End program reimburses half of the cost of euthanasia as well as 50 percent of the cost of disposal for horse owners who can’t bury the horse on their property.

The post State of Neigh appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

When it comes to birds, captivation is not domestication, so when parrots exhibit natural behaviors, they’re often neglected, abused or abandoned.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg for the country’s misunderstood parrots, which socialize, play and eat a surprisingly varied diet, and need regular veterinary care and groooming, said Gabriel Foundation president and founder Julie Murad.

“You wouldn’t just stick a 5-year-old kid in a cage with a ball and leave it,” she said, but bird owners are often too uneducated to know better.

Murad points to a palm-sized parrotlet and explains that providing it with veterinary care costs as much as doing so for the big, bright-eyed African gray parrot in the opposite corner. While cats and dogs are singular species, parrots world-wide occupy 353 species with hugely different needs and behaviors, she said.

“You can make generalities that parrots can be loud, messy and destructive,” she said. “Do they scream? Well that depends on the listener. Are they dirty? Well that depends on how someone provides for them and keeps them. Are they destructive or are they just repeating their natural ecology of what they’re supposed to do?”

Pet owners with unrealistic expectations want to pet, snuggle and touch birds, but wild parrots typically only use those behaviors in pair bonding with a mate, she said.

So Murad and her staff of 28 employees and roughly 50 volunteers work to educate the public about bird needs and behavior while rescuing and protecting the birds domestically, as well as through programs helping wild, endangered species world-wide.

“There’s no such thing as a mean bird or an antisocial bird,” said Gabriel Foundation volunteer Stephanie Losh, just those that are scared and misunderstood.

Murad and Losh marvel at how far their own educations have come, Losh’s since she came to the foundation, and Murad’s since working so hard to save her hyacinth macaw Gabriel, the only survivor from a clutch of five eggs that hatched three birds. He died at 22 months old and inspired both the Gabriel Foundation’s Denver Center and the Elizabeth Aviary and Adoption Center.

“I felt that if someone like me, who actually made it a priority, and really undertook with great passion to learn so much about the care of parrots (lost her bird), what about people who just don’t use their resources?” Murad said. “What about all of the misinformation that’s passed on to people?”

Losh said she regularly explains away misconceptions—birds can bond to anyone, not just one person; raising a baby bird does not guarantee a social, healthy bird; and parrots can’t live off of just sunflower seeds, or seeds in general—they eat fruits, beans, grains and vegetables.

“People come in and say, ‘Oh, I want to look at the birds, which ones talk?’” she said. “They all can talk, if they want to.”

Many of them spend more than just a few months at the foundation, and they talk to Losh as she walks by, some screaming excitedly and bouncing up and down, others “dancing” and saying hello and goodbye. They’re like children, vying for attention. Without a flock, space and stimulation, the birds require hours each day outside of their cages, she said.

Most captive-bred birds are only a generation or two removed from wild-caught animals from Australia, South America, Africa and Asia, even though the U.S. banned the importation of most species in 1992, Murad said. These birds are bred for coloration, not pet-like qualities the way dogs are, she said.

Tucked in a corner of the foundation’s Denver facility, a misleadingly quiet pair of salmon-pink, Moluccan cockatoos listens intently and one inclines its head when Losh talks, they were two of 42 surviving parrots rescued from cannibalizing one another in an unmaintained garage without heat or water. Cockatoos are the most commonly relinquished birds, Murad said, and the Gabriel Foundation still houses 40 of those rescued parrots among its roughly 825 birds. They often outlive their families or their family’s interest and patience, Murad said. So they land at Gabriel.

“Routine euthanasia for parrots for lack of housing and lack of places to go, like we see with cats and dogs, is not generally accepted,” she said.

The post Forgotten Flock appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

“If you build it, they will come” is rarely better epitomized than at animal rescue facilities.

So when PetSmart Charities built an adoption center in Westminster’s PetSmart, the Humane Society of Boulder Valley came…with more than 280 adoptions—244 dogs, 36 cats—since its July 9 opening.

Humane Society of Boulder Valley is the only shelter in a 12-hour radius that accepts pets from overpopulated facilities, which includes roughly 55 shelters. It can do so because it boasts a 91 percent adoption rate, said CEO Lisa Pedersen. The Humane Society of Boulder Valley pumped out roughly 6,200 adoptions last year, Pedersen said, working with trainers and behavior specialists on everything from handling unsocialized dogs to litterbox training to provide the best life possible for each pet.

“Because we’ve had such a successful adoption program, it is a really natural fit,” she said. “One of the things we wanted to expand was our ability to service Broomfield County and east Boulder County, so we saw it as a great opportunity for us to get more animals into those service areas and, inevitably, what that will mean is we can save more lives.”

PetSmart Charities shoulders the $150,000 to $200,000 cost of building PetSmart’s Humane-Society staffed adoption centers, said PetSmart Charities communications manager Michelle Thompson. Partners such as Humane Society of Boulder Valley then staff the facilities. PetSmart stores charge these rescue groups no rent to operate within the facilities, she said. PetSmart opened its first enhanced adoption center in May of 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas, and five others since, including the Westminster location, she said.

“It was something we needed to do to help more pets find homes,” Thompson said.

Instead of having to transport animals from Humane Society of Boulder Valley to PetSmart, the adoption center provides a 24/7 location to keep animals until they are adopted, effectively opening up space at the Humane Society, Pedersen said.

Thompson said they expect to see 1,300 cats and dogs adopted from the facilities per year at about 25 per week. Thus far, it’s been more like 40 per week, Pedersen said.

“If you want a puppy, we have ‘em,” she said. “If you want a small breed, we have ‘em, and for those animals coming in from our own community, they get adopted more quickly too. …It just gives us a great variety.”

Beth Skinner, a real estate agent who volunteers at the center on Mondays and Wednesdays, said she’s amazed at how quickly the animals at the new facility are adopted.

“Most of that entire crew that was there on a given Wednesday has been adopted out by the next Monday,” she said.

Having a facility in Westminster, 30 to 45 minutes away from Humane Society of Boulder Valley, opens up adoption opportunities tremendously, she said.

“People have an opportunity to adopt from the Boulder Humane Society, but don’t have to go clear into Boulder to do it,” Skinner said.

She said she loves helping the mix of dogs, from puppies to an 8-year-old lab mix that was adopted recently.

“Whatever you’re looking for, I’m pretty sure they have it,” she said. “It’s just been a fantastic experience, totally different from my day job. The animals just totally give back to me. I don’t see it as me giving something to the animals or to the shelter, they’re giving something to me. It’s so much fun.”

The post A Pet Partnership appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

I won’t pretend to be completely objective about the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. I’ve been in the military for four years, which gives me regular access to gay and homophobic soldiers.

So in the midst of fresh DADT briefs prepping us all for the repeal, as rights were reviewed, lines were drawn and questions answered, something seemed…off. Then the injustice came clear: The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell does not come with a policy of nondiscrimination, unlike those policies incorporating women and ethnic minorities. Lesbian, gay and bisexual service members and their family members will still experience limited rights, benefits and assistance due to the federal Defense of Marriage Act and Title 10 of the U.S. Code.

The government and military repealed a nearly defunct policy; sexual orientation is no longer a basis for investigation into service members’ personal lives, nor is it a basis for separation from the military. It’s a big, but underwhelming deal, said David McKean, legal director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

“For those people who are serving, (the repeal of) Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is an incredible step forward,” he said. “It’s an incredible stride toward full military equality and toward LGBT equality in this country, but it’s not everything. It’s not even everything in the military.

“There are going to be a whole host of benefits that DOMA and Title 10 prevent from being conferred to people who would otherwise be qualified spouses just on the basis of sexual orientation.”

It’s bullet five in Title 10 USC Section 101: “‘spouse’ means husband or wife, as the case may be.” It’s Defense of Marriage Act Section 7: “‘spouse’ refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife.”

It—the definition of spouse under DOMA and Title 10—means same-sex spouses of active duty service members:

1. Will not be allowed a legal say in directing the disposition of remains if their spouse is killed on active duty.

2. Will be notified after “qualifying” next of kin in the event of death or hospitalization of their spouse.

3. Will be severely limited in their ability to travel with their spouse when that spouse is ordered to relocate, or to travel to their spouse in the event of a hospitalizing injury.

4. Will not receive the basic housing allowance provided to the spouses of service members on active duty.

5. Will not receive TriCare, the military’s healthcare provided to “qualified” dependents including spouses, or other healthcare services such as grief counseling.

6. Will not be allowed access to their spouse’s retirement benefits after the death of their spouse.

7. Will not have access to the commissary, post/base exchange and other similar on-post or base services.

8. Will not receive any of the above benefits for their children unless those children are legal dependents of the active-duty service member.

Same-sex marriage is recognized in six states and in Washington, D.C. Roughly 40 other states have constitutional provisions or laws that restrict marriage to one man and one woman. With a new legislature on its way in, Rep. Jared Polis said he hopes not just civil unions, but same-sex marriage will soon become a reality in Colorado.

“Colorado had a very close vote on civil unions last legislative session,” said Rep. Jared Polis. “It came within one vote of passing.”

Federally, following DADT’s repeal, he said he’d like to see the Respect for Marriage Act replace DOMA. RFMA would recognize and allow marriages between same-sex couples, he said.

“(Under RFMA) married couples would have the full rights and support the military provides to opposite-sex couples,” Polis said. “…With the military, there will be a new education opportunity, that hasn’t happened yet. There’ll be very sympathetic cases that, once Americans see, (they’ll ask:) How can you not give grief counseling to the spouse of somebody who lost their life? I think that will kind of wake people up to the need to recognize those unions.”

It’s a battle of moralities surrounding marriage that fuels the fight outside fo the military.

Inside of the military, however, protests are largely sexual, not moral: “Do I have to/I don’t want to share a room or shower with gay service members” comes up during most briefings, discussions and occasionally during room assignments.

So much of military service—physical tests, room assignments, clothing and hair regulations, even friendships—revolves around gender and sex that service members new and old find the open acknowledgement of homosexuality inappropriate. Do you house a lesbian with men? Would she be safe? Shouldn’t she be? Which is more important, anatomy or sexuality? Where do you put a bisexual?

The military has attempted to dodge such questions by making no additional provisions to care for homosexual service members following harassment or discrimination. To paraphrase a brief I received: The military decided sexuality is no longer its business, period.

If open homosexual or bisexual service begets discrimination or harassment, service members’ avenues of reproach are limited to the chain of command or inspector general, McKean said. Unlike religious and ethnic minorities, women and blacks, LGB service members may not seek justice through the military’s equal opportunity office.

McKean said SLDN and the LGBT community now look to the president to issue an executive order establishing a policy of non-discrimination through the Military Equal Opportunity office.

Although the chain of command may take legal action against ill-behaved service members, if a chain of command were the source of the problem, the inspector general’s role to act on its findings is not clear, especially in cases involving discrimination or harassment of LGB service members, McKean said.

“For gay and lesbian service members to have the full range of options with respect to addressing discrimination and harassment when it arises, they really need access to MEO,” he said.

But discrimination isn’t likely to come from service members, McKean, Polis and service members said. They’ve been briefed, know how to behave and most just don’t care. This isn’t an integration, McKean said, LGB service members are integrated, they’ve been serving. Polis compared it to atheists serving in a largely Christian military—they’re not persecuted, they’re just there, part of the masses. The organization is still the same (Christian, white, male, heterosexual or otherwise) and service members in varying degrees of homo- or heterosexuality, feminity, color and ethnicity might only have issued a collective sigh of relief that this battle, albeit not the fight, is over.

Today the government gave us this:

“…The military will not, from Sept. 20 forward, view (openly gay service) as so detrimental to unit cohesion, good order and discipline that the mere fact that people in the unit know it requires that service member to be discharged for the good of the unit,” McKean said.

But as the country “defends” marriage, it attacks so much more.

The post Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is Done, Discrimination Isn’t appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

The Colorado River has not emptied into the ocean since 1998. Coloradans see it in the two-weeks-early runoff and their rapidly disappearing snowpack—the agonizingly slow death of Colorado’s primary water source.

As the state moves rapidly toward doubling its population to 10 million by 2050, it remains one of few western states without a water plan. Gov. John Hickenlooper insisted at How the West Was Warmed, a climate change conference, the state must move forward with a plan in the next five years. The general consensus? The solution must start with the people and politicians will just have to catch up.

Brad Udall, research scientist and director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-funded Western Water Assessment, wrote Water in the Rockies, a 21st Century Zero-Sum Game.

“Water is a vexing problem world wide,” Udall said. “Climate change is really water change. Solutions are almost always zero-sum. Colorado suffers from all of the above problems. Solutions need to involve the five rights: right people, right prices, right priorities, right flexibility and right morality.”

Beth Conover, author of How the West was Warmed, a collection of stories about how people have experienced climate change in the Rocky Mountain west.

“Water issues in the (Colorado) basin are not new, but the increased urgency created by climate change might facilitate or require a more urgent look at how to balance some of the uses in our rivers,” Conover said.

She said the Colorado River is representative of all of the state’s rivers.

“It’s sort of the grandaddy of them all,” she said. “It’s sort of an overdrawn checking account—there’s more demand than supply already and with persistent drought and unknowns related to climate change that becomes an even bigger threat.”

Udall said the state doesn’t know right now how much right it has to the Colorado River, with the bulk of it diverted to other states and climate change decreasing its usage by roughly 20 percent in 2050.

“This is a dangerous strategy,” he said.

Already, all state water, including wastewater, is recycled in the state, so water reuse and redirection would take from someone using that water, Udall said. Even conservation presents challenges, he said.

“Moving water around, solving these problems (is) really difficult because of legal impediments, infrastructure impediments, environmental issues, property rights and the many, many people that show up whenever somebody wants to move water.”

Some Coloradans might claim the Colorado River’s failure to reach the sea isn’t this region’s problems, he said.

“I think it is,” he said. “I think everyone who uses that system needs to have a place at the table to solve it.”

Front Range utilities have begun banding together to do climate change studies and the state has funded no less than three studies on climate change and water issues in Colorado, Udall said.

“We’ve begun, at least, to nibble at some of the solutions,” he said.
With areas in the state relying on unsustainable groundwater, the Colorado River’s future does not look good, he said.

He said the state needs the right people in the policy-making room with the right priorities on the environment, then focus can include agriculture and other uses.

“You make sure your economy and your environment are protected first,” Udall said. “…We need the right prices on water. We’re underpricing water. If it’s less than your cell phone bill, you have no idea what it is.”

Colorado looks to lose 50 percent of its trout due in the next 50 years due to warming and stream flow changes, Conover said.

“About two-thirds of our species in the state of Colorado depend on our river corridors,” Conover said. “A lot of things people in Colorado take for granted, floating on rafts, being able to fish, the aesthetic qualities, all of the benefits that really draw a lot of people of our state in addition to the basic economic sort of life-blood characteristic of water in our region, are a threat as we look at the future.”

To put the problem of climate change into perspective, Udall cited the Pakistani flood, overpopulation, deforestation, China’s South to North Project displacing hundreds of thousands of people, and Australia’s 10-year drought.

“How about water quality?” Udall said. “We’ve talked drought and infrastructure. …There are 400 dead zones around the world right now due to too much nitrogen from fertilizer run off. Two of those are in the U.S.—two of the really big ones, the Gulf and Chesapeake Bay.”

As these dead zones grow exponentially, it becomes more evident that the world’s nitrogen cycles have been damaged even more than it’s carbon cycles, Udall said.

“You’re going to hear a whole lot more about nitrogen and fertilization throughout the 21st century,” he said.

If Colorado is to be at the nexis of a solution, Hickenlooper said, the east versus west, agricultural versus environmental, and urban versus rural wars must stop.

“It’s impossible and inexcusable to ignore the stress that is being applied to our systems, especially water,” he said.

The state must stop glossing over infrastructure, proposing solutions on the back of agriculture, allowing practices that contradict environmental interests and come together to reduce per capita consumption and develop a water rights framework, Hickenlooper said.

Udall summed it up: “Wendell Barry said it best, ‘Do unto upstream as you would have upstream do unto you.’”

The post Colorado River…Good to the Last Drop appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Festival on Main in Longmont:
Friday, August 26 at 6 pm. Soul Sacrifice and the Last Men on Earth provide the ambiance for a ridiculous number of fun activities for both kids and parents. The kids’ll leave looking like circus animals (face painting anyone?), begging to learn the flying trapeze, but it’s a guaranteed good time.

Art, Wine & Jazz:
Saturday, Aug. 27 at 6 pm. The Longmont Council for the Art’s major fundraiser features wine and beer tastings, appetizers, a wine pull, live and silent auction, artist demonstrations, live Jazz and an Art 2 Go section. Proceeds from art, wine and jazz benefit the LCA’s nine programs including Artist in Residence, the Muse Gallery and Friday Afternoon Concerts.

Boulder County Aids Project’s drag show Absolute! Fabulous! Gorgeous!:
Saturday, Aug. 27 at 7 pm. Join BCAP and Atlas at the Dairy Center for their sixth annual drag show and community celebration promoting HIV awareness with a fun, festive and fabulous evening of performance. Ages 18 and older only! All seating is first come, first served. Those who want the action right in their laps should throw down $25 for preferred seating in the first four rows.

Brides Against Breast Cancer’s Tour of Gowns:
Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 27-28. The 2011 Brides Against Breast Cancer Nationwide Tour of Gowns is underway! More than half of the gowns sold are brand new, the rest are vintage, retro and fabulous. Visit here to register.

Just Between Friends Huge Kids Sale:
August 26-30 at 9 am. Head to the Boulder County Fairgrounds for great deals on all of the essentials for kids and some awesome stuff for moms, too! Get out with the old and in with the new at the new swap and shop boutique or just peruse this year’s great selection.

Other great options include:

Cabaret for a Cause 7 pm Saturday at the Boulder Theater
Out Boulder PrideFest noon Sunday in Central Park
Avenue Theater’s Annual Fun & Games Fundraiser 6:30 pm tonight (Aug. 26)
Venue de Miles 7 am Sunday at Prospect New Town in Longmont
Educate!’s 3rd Annual Hike for Africa Saturday 8:30 am Flagstaff Mountain to Green Mountain and back

or visit our calendar for music, festivals and more. Click here to check out everything awesome in the Boulder, East County and North Metro region!

The post Aw Baby! appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Couponers can keep their crazy savings, you’ll take your time, sanity and dignity right to the full-price rack. Even so, knowing where to find the best deals on local favorites means more money left over for more local favorites. We scoured your cities for the cheapest everything…from yoga classes to haircuts to great booze for less than 12 bucks. Eat, drink and be gorgeous.

8 Edible Cheapies plus 5 Tasty Freebies
12 Wines for Less Than $12
10 Gear and Athletic Apparel Picks
10 Sexy Steals

Plus…
Pick a Poison, Drop a Dime, Save a Smidge
Couponing Tips From Miserly Pros

The post 45 Top Deals, Steals and Shopping Thrills appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Extreme couponers save money, but the bulk of them are well on their way from TLC’s Extreme Couponing to A&E’s Hoarders—a massive fail in life, if not in reality TV.

Normal consumers don’t buy 150 candy bars in one trip, go recycle-bin diving for coupons or delight in countless hours of calculating discounts because even the most savings savvy know they don’t have to—couponing is anybody and everybody’s industry.

It’s all about doling out time, effort and fiscal expenditure accordingly: Extreme couponing equals extreme time, which most sane people simply won’t sacrifice.

Jill Bender, a single mother of three sons, and founder of the blog singlemomonabudget.com, saves an average of 62 percent on her groceries without sacrificing family favorites or her family’s health. Still, she heavily criticizes the practice of extreme couponing.

“It ruins the benefits of the whole process, not only for us as consumers, those that go to the grocery store, but the manufacturers, the grocery stores,” Bender said. “It’s taking advantage of a system that isn’t financially set to be taken advantage of.”

She spends $250 to $300 a month on groceries, she said, without emptying store shelves or stockpiling deodorant for a couponing apocalypse.

Pam Oden, a Boulder mother of four who prefers to feed her family organic foods, saves about 50 percent on her grocery bill without stockpiling or wasting her days clipping coupons. She works full time and said she finds Extreme Couponing unbelievable.

“I’ve got four kids, so I really have staples I’ve got to purchase each week whether I’ve got coupons or not,” Oden said. “I don’t comprehend the fact that there’s things these folks on TV can absolutely get for free.”

Couponers brave enough to delve into Dante’s nine circles of couponing hell should use Couponing Like Momma Couldn’t (Page 60) to learn the ins, outs and etiquette of couponing.

The less intense, but just as desperate to increase disposable income, should read on.

As couponing resurges in a broken economy, social-couponing sites profit and grow by doing consumers’ footwork for them. Price-conscious consumers intimidated by even 45 minutes of reliving the oh-my-god-I’m-my-mother moment during kitchen-table coupon clipping, however, have countless social-couponing options that follow a simple formula in which effort is pretty proportionate to savings and spending.

For the über-frugal, sites such as The Grocery Game, Single Mom on a Budget and Coupon Sense serve as a toe-in-the-water middle ground for coupon clipping. Coupon Sense, for example, researches sales, policies and coupons, and provides an organizational system for clients’ Denver Post sales inserts.

“So I get my Sunday paper in my driveway and I log into Coupon Sense and it tells me exactly where to file the coupons,” said Jen Kugler, Coupon Sense Colorado director.

Then consumers use the website to find products on their grocery list, locate ads and clip only coupons they know they’ll use. The site shows them the best prices on products they would otherwise pay full price for, taking all of the research and guesswork out of the couponing process. Fees for such services range from none to $10 on average.

The fees pay professionals to keep updated store policies. Coupon Sense provides updated copies of its featured stores’ policies (including those on rain checks and coupon stacking) as they change and encourages its clients to print those policies for potential run-ins with uninformed employees.

Outside of stricter policies, Bender said she’s encountered mostly positive changes in the coupon industry, including more opportunities for healthy food. Potential couponers often believe coupons are only for junk food, she said.

“That’s not true at all,” Bender said. “There are a lot of coupons for healthy foods.”

Oden spends five hours couponing before each three-hour, two-store shopping trip, but her couponing has evolved recently, too. She used to shop primarily mainstream, corporate stores with bigger discounts, she said.

“We eat a lot of organics, so there have not been a lot of coupons available for that for a long time, but things are starting to change in that respect as well,” Oden said. “Now that organic food stores are putting out coupons, and stores like Whole Foods and Sprouts are putting out coupons, I’m going back there again more than I have before because when they have a sale and you can use two coupons (store and manufacturer) on top of that, it’s cheaper than buying organic at King Soopers.”

Bender invests 45 minutes to an hour a month with an advanced couponing system, and promises great organizational systems are key to couponing without sacrificing personal time.

But for the fearful consumers uncomfortable committing to clipping coupons all together for fear of floundering, sites such as Groupon, Google Deals and Living Social make it simple: log on, get deal. These companies’ popularity and usage exploded while other companies’ growth remained largely stagnant following the economic downturn in 2008. Groupon launched in Chicago in November of 2008 and has spread to more than 43 countries since, said Kelsey O’Neill, the consumer public relations representative with Groupon.

Groupon deals typically last six months to a year, which allows users more freedom to redeem them at their leisure than a typical coupon. Groupon also allows consumers to shop for specific deals, such as skydiving—a huge hit, O’Neill said.

Groupon is spreading from Denver to Boulder and expanding its overall business to include a travel partnership with Expedia—Groupon Getaways—and a Groupon Now! option for immediate deals.

Google Offers, launched in April—shortly after Groupon turned down Google’s $6 billion purchasing offer—looks nearly identical to Groupon, including the link to fine print. It offers similar, although considerably fewer, deals. Google Offers is available in NYC (downtown, uptown and midtown), Portland, Ore., Oakland/East Bay, Cali., and San Francisco, but promises Denver is coming soon.

For the free-spirited, Groupon’s Groupon Now!, which launched in June, offers coupons that must be used within hours or a day of purchasing but can be automatically refunded if they’re not spent.

“These are real-time, location-based deals,” O’Neill said. “It’s just another way to explore your city by popping into a yoga class or grabbing a quick bite to eat or even getting a reduced price on some dry cleaning. They’re the kind of deals you’re getting with Groupon, just more in the moment and spontaneous.”

Facebook Deals allows iPhone users to check-in at a location and view nearby stores offering deals to users who check-in there or present their phone to the cashier. Available in San Diego, San Francisco, Atlanta, Austin and Dallas. Facebook touts that it will surge ahead of Groupon and Living Social with its group coupon deals.

So, give a social-couponing site personal information and get personalized deals, but time-consuming hunts proved unsatisfactory for couponers such as Ashley Kingsley, chief executive mom with Daily Deals for Moms.

For the finicky: Even after providing demographic information to social-couponing sites—a must-do for all deal seekers—couponers often seek more personalized services. When Kingsley found herself among the dissatisfied after she had her second child, so she founded Daily Deals for Moms in Denver in April of 2010.

“I started to see some of the bigger conglomerates…offering deals that didn’t resonate with me as a mom,” she said. “I wasn’t out skydiving or taking limo rides at this particular point in my life, and I realized the mom market is extremely powerful.”

Moms make roughly 85 percent of household purchasing decisions, Kingsley said, so she created a business that caters to moms and small businesses while working to keep capital local.

“We started hiring moms in other cities because they were connected to their communities and they’re the ones that know the businesses in their city,” Kingsley said. “I don’t want to live in a Walmart world.”

But consumers continue to push to save: Limited income means eating cheap cake, even if it’s from Walmart. So local businesses continue to fight for ways to push back, promising higher quality while placing increasing limits on deals and discounts to protect profit margins from threats such as the ever-more-broken economy and savvier couponers.

Daily Deals was the first social-couponing site to allow struggling businesses to cap how many of their coupons or deals would be sold, Kingsley said. Popular social-couponing sites such as Groupon protect businesses with per-customer purchasing and gifting limits and rules disallowing the combination of Groupons with other deals.

But everyone’s protecting a profit margin. Industry leaders Groupon—possibly the fastest-growing business in the world right now—and Living Social face threats from strong companies joining the social-couponing race—including Google Offers and Facebook Deals. Consumers need only take advantage, plucking from the plethora at will.

But what about when half of the skydiving group cancels or that half-off top looks better all of the way off?

For the fickle couponers who bought vinyasa flow yoga classes, then realized they hate pretzel girl: In lieu of tackling the instructor, sites such as Lifesta, Coup Recoup and DealsGoRound buy unwanted vouchers.

Professionals suggest keeping receipts for two weeks after making a non-perishable purchase. Bender writes that shoppers should never fear returning any item the instant buyer’s remorse sets in. Store policy abuse is emptying a shelf, not using the existing system. Couponing can benefit all parties involved, Bender said, so take advantage.

“Your car payment is not negotiable, your house payment is not negotiable,” Bender said. “I think it’s a positive thing to teach people how to save money (where they can), especially in these times.”

The post Pick a Poison, Drop a Dime, Save a Smidge appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

At the start…
• Use manufacturer and store coupons (available in advertisements, inserts and online) when items are on sale for huge savings. Sign up for discount cards, not credit cards, to save even more.
• Sign up for couponing sites’ email alerts, but give basic profile information so you receive only relevant coupons.
• Set up email filters directing coupons to a designated inbox.
• Ask friends and family members to set aside coupons and inserts.
• Create a filing system and file spine up.

To simply save…
• Leave the kiddos at home; tired moms can only resist so many, “Mom can I have…but I need…if I’m good, I should get a…” fights. And experts say you’ll spend more time in-store and spend more if the kids tag along.
• Never shop with a credit card. Wait, find a cheap substitute or improvise until payday. Don’t ever pay interest on groceries.
• Consider longevity with inedible purchases. Quality, not quantity counts.
• Give gift certificates purchased online.
• Stop impulse shopping. Period. Wait a week or even 24 hour; if you can do without it, do.

When couponing kicks in…
• Spend a few hours couponing and planning when and where each shopping trip will take place. Create a grocery list and stick to it.
• Find motivation in sharing the experience with a spouse, child or friend.
• Put that “you saved 50 percent” money into a savings account after setting a grocery budget and savings goal.
• Take what you need and leave the rest for everyone else. Don’t stockpile.
• If you’re motivated, track your grocery spending and savings on Mint.com.
• If the on-sale product isn’t on the shelf, get a rain check until it’s restocked.

The post Couponing Like Momma Couldn’t appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Hey there, gorgeous, how’d you get those thighs? Forward, yes, but in the city GQ swears can’t dress but looks amazing naked, nobody wants to be the one with dimples in her spandex. Keep that body buff, beautiful and relaxed and nobody will notice that fannie pack…or the socks and sandals…

1. Yoga
Prana offers free drop-in yoga classes most days of the week. Students cannot pay for the service, but may leave a donation for the instructor. Check out the schedule a www.prana.com/boulder-store.html.

2. Climbing
Heavy climbers get the best indoor gym deals by paying six months in full for a combined Boulder Rock Club/Spot Bouldering Gym membership ($450 for six months, $900/year). Both gyms offer awesome extras, including guest passes, passes at other gyms, yoga and climbing classes and discounted gear. Otherwise, BRC is $660 a year, paid in full, and the Spot is $545 a year, PIF. Rock’n & Jam’n’s two gym locations offer fewer extras, for less moolah. Rock’n & Jam’n’s options include a bouldering-only membership during off hours for $340 PIF, all climbing during off hours for $432 annually PIF or pay $540 annually PIF to climb any time.

3. Outdoor Sports
Avid4 Adventure offers half-day family trips, climbing, kayaking, canoeing for half off ($39) through Aug. 27. Registration comes with a $30 coupon for day camps valid through 2012. Enter yellowscenefamily as a coupon code when you register online at Avid4.com.

4. Massage
The Denver School of Massage Therapy in Westminster offers student massages for $25/hour Saturdays and Sundays or two for one three weekends every quarter. Elements Therapeutic Massage in Boulder offers three, 55-minute massages $190 ($63 per massage/regularly $79) by a professional masseuse.

5. Mani/Pedi
The best deal in a spa-style mani/pedi is at Chequers Hair Studio and Spa in Lafayette for $55, but Westminster’s Happy Nails offers its mani/pedi package for $30.

6. Spa Package
For the whole kit and caboodle, nobody beats Tapestry Salon and Day Spa’s deluxe and mini packages in Louisville. Deluxe: 60-min massage, 60-min facial, mani/pedi $195; mini: 30-min massage, 60-min facial, manicure $119.

7. Kids Cuts
When you look like a goddess toting a ragamuffin, run the kids by any Great Clips for a $12 haircut for anyone 11 and younger.

8. Martial Arts
Settle those kids down with Way of the Crane’s one month free until Oct. 31 deal, or take advantage of Bennetts Karate with three months for $99.

9. Gym Membership
For a spa/fitness center combo, One Boulder Fitness is only $54 a month, but athletes who just want their workout straight up will appreciate Anytime Fitness’ $27.99 deal if they mention Yellow Scene Magazine (normally $30/month). Most Front Range cities’ recreation centers cost roughly $30/month for an adult pass.

10. Pilates Deal
The Core Pilates Studio offers unlimited classes for $170 a month, but group classes are cheapest at North Boulder Pilates, with 10 M.A.T. class punches for $120.

The post 10 Sexy Steals appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Buying local is delicious, but with a dozen cupcake-worthy occasions a month and teens with tenacious appetites, something’s gotta give and it shouldn’t be the vacation savings. Show off that yogurt-instead-of-bacon body somewhere fabulous this year.

8 Edible Cheapies

1. The best deal on Noosa Yoghurt (no other yogurt compares) is the 5-pound tub sold at the Boulder Farmer’s Market. Buy more than one and they’re $10 each.

2. For specialty cupcakes, Tee and Cakes in Boulder’s $28 dozen beats out other local bakeries, but sadly, Walmart’s premade or made to order $6 dozen are cheapest. Costco’s cupcakes are the best middle ground, tasty as they come and $15.99.

3. Hole-in-the-wall breakfasts should be cheap, a little dirty and super delicious. On average, Great Scotts in Broomfield (average cost $5.50) and the Village Coffee Shop in Boulder (average cost $6.10) boast the cheapest breakfasts, with the Walnut Café following up a close second (average cost $6.20). We wouldn’t have it any other way.

4. To share a dainty dessert for two, hit up Bácaro Venetian Tavern for its $6 tirami sú alla trevisana, a ladyfinger soaked in espresso layered with soft mascarpone cheese and cocoa powder, or The Med for its $4.50 lemon buttercup. For higher quantity, order the West End Tavern’s cookie sundae and feed as many as four for $6.

5. Eat froyo like a it’s going out of style at 44 cents an ounce, with toppings, at Ripple and Aspen Leaf in Boulder. Golden Spoon in Broomfield, as plain froyo, is cheaper by two cents an ounce.

6. Those with a sweet tooth froyo just can’t reach will find Cold Stone ice cream surprisingly cheap at $9.99 for a half gallon and authentic Boulder ice cream at Glacier $30 for a gallon tub, ordered in advance.

7. When sugary buyer’s remorse kicks in, hit up Ela Family Farms for the cheapest CSA in the Front Range area at $270 for the full season and $215 for the late season.

8. For the tastiest happy hour for the most reasonable price, hit up The Med in Boulder and score $2–$5 tapas, pizza and bruschetta among other awesome shareable Mediterranean nibbles.

Plus, 5 Tasty Freebies

1. Snag Chili’s chips and queso free just for signing up for the email list.

2. Slurp a free 7.11 oz. Slurpee at 7-Eleven every July 11.

3. Panera’s member cards are free and so are the bonus gifts. Free pastries? Yes, please.

4. The Unseen Bean offers 10 percent off of a different sight-free coffee every month. Visit theunseenbean.com/shop/ for this month’s deal.

5. Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day was in April this year. Visit benjerry.com/scoop-shops/feature/free-cone-day/ for the next free day.

The post 8 Edible Cheapies Plus 5 Tasty Freebies appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

1. Boulder Running Company’s Memorial Weekend Sale
is an awesome score the same weekend as the Bolder Boulder, boasting 75 to 80 percent off retail on discontinued clothing, apparel and footwear with a good spread of shoe sizes, giveaways with purchases and freebies from vendors. Call 303.786.9255 or visitboulderrunningcompany.com for more info.

2. GoLite’s Warehouse Sale
generally occurs in May and includes last season’s discounted gear as well as apparel. Call 303.546.6000 for more info or visit golite.com/salesevents/ for updated listings.

3. REI’s Anniversary Sale
every May offers the best deals on just about any outdoor gear, but members get even better deals, plus awesome discounts, at the biannual Members Garage Sales. Boulder’s next garage sale is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 22. Call 303.583.9970 or visit rei.com/outlet all year long for great gear deals.

4. Eldora Mountain Ski Club/Eldora Mountain Bike Adventures Fundraiser
La Sportiva, SmartWool, Billabong, Kombi and more sell discontinued, sample, slightly flawed and overstock gear and apparel Sept. 16 from 3pm to 7pm and Sept. 17 from 9am to 5pm at 3850 Frontier Ave. at Pearl Street and Foothills Avenue in Boulder.

5. Camp USA/Scarpa’s Warehouse Sale
should fall in September this year, representatives said. This awesome dual sale includes samples, gear with cosmetic blemishes, discontinued and overstock gear. Call 303.465.9429 or 303.998.2895 for more info.

6. Mike’s Camera Tent Sale
Mother’s Day weekend rocks awesome discounts on lenses and accessories with smaller discounts on bodies. Mike’s Camera Expo includes sales, informational stuff for customers, deals on cameras and accessories and happens around Thanksgiving, but it’s not as stellar as the tent sale. Call 303.443.1715 for product information.

7. Dick’s Sporting Goods’ biannual clearance sales
are the best time to shop Dick’s. Every January after New Year’s and June after Father’s Day, take 25 to 50 percent off of the lowest ticketed price. The summer sale is usually store-wide and includes footwear, apparel, golf, cycling, fishing, camping and team-sport paraphernalia, while the winter sale is primarily apparel. Apparel sales will dip as low as 50 percent off, but gear typically goes at 25 percent off. Locations in Broomfield, Longmont and Thornton.

8. Prana’s biannual sales
usually hit at the beginning of August and February and promise 40 percent off of everything in the store from apparel to headbands to chalk bags to yoga mats. Call 303.449.2199 for exact dates.

9. Fresh Produce’s Warehouse Sale
boasts nothing priced for more than $15, with kids clothing for as little as $5. Save up to 80 percent off retail, representatives promise, with new prints and colors each year, and an evolved line this year that promises more fashion-forward dresses as well as tried-and-true essentials. The sale moves every year, usually occurs on Memorial Day weekend, but sometimes lands a weekend before or after. Call 303.444.7573 or follow Fresh Produce on Facebook at facebook.com/FreshProduceClothing for the next location.

10. Crocs Warehouse Sale
at the Twin Peaks Mall in Longmont typically occurs in early to mid-December. Prices start at $5. Check Crocs’ blog for exact dates company.crocs.com/blogs/crocs/ or call 303.848.7000 for more information.

The post 10 Gear and Apparel Picks appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Thanks to Mike Papacek at PJ’s Wine & Spirits in Longmont for his help compiling this delicious bit of grape-infused goodness. At the time this list was compiled, Boulder Liquor Store, Gunbarrel Liquor Store or PJ’s offered any number of these wines for less than $12. Sale wines were avoided to ensure accuracy, but prices may vary by location.

Reds

1. Murphy Goode Cabernet Sauvignon
Murphy Goode’s smooth cabernet sauvignon sits on the lighter side for a cab and pairs well with steak, grilled meats and lamb.

2. TriVento Select Malbec
This malbec presents tasty red berry flavors and goes great with burgers and red meats.

3. Heron Pinot Noir
Heron’s beautifully balanced pinot noir offers just a hint of vanilla and oak that beg to be enjoyed, surprisingly, with heavy salads (think eggs, olives, mushrooms) and saucy duck, turkey or pork.

4. Duck Pond Syrah
This fruity syrah’s inky tannis goes great with saucy red meats, rich spices and dark chocolate.

5. Monte Antico Toscana
Balance the earthy cherry tastes of this primarily sangiovese Italian red with tomato sauces, pizza or Swiss steak.

6. Red Rock Reserve Merlot
Because this berry-filled merlot offers such perfect balance, it balances out dinner tables boasting everything from herbed meats to tomato sauces to heavy smoked cheeses.

Whites

7. Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc
This surprisingly delicious screw-top sauvignon blanc from Chile is crispy, but not too tart. Try it on with light fish, shellfish or chicken.

8. Pacific Rim Sweet Riesling
Pacific Rim’s sweet riesling’s summer fruit flavors balance splendidly with all foods spicy and savory, from curry to Caribbean.

9. Chateau Ste. Michelle Pinot Gris
With the slightly spicy pear undertones in Chateau Ste. Michelle’s pinot gris, shoot for scallops, oysters or buttery veggies.

10. Clos Du Bois Chardonnay
Fresh and fruity—think crisp apples on a hot day—this sunshiny chardonnay goes well with chicken, fish and light pasta dishes.

11. Domaine Uby Colombard Ugni Blanc
Think light salads, parmesan, garlic and honey when devouring this super-pure, citrusy colombard/ugni blanc combo.

12. Kris Pinot Grigio
Floral and spicy, this pinot grigio goes wonderfully with everything from roast veggies to risotto
to ricotta.

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From packs to doggie booties, gear-heads need the right stuff to hit the trail prepared. Here are our favorite packs, boots, baby packs and dog duds.

Backpacks

Every body carries weight differently, so everybody should get professionally fitted. Then check out the hottest (not literally) backpacks, tested for comfort, durability and capacity. These packs might just rock your world on the rocks this summer.

Our favorite weeklong (or longer) women’s pack: Gregory Deva 60 or 70 liter

As a close second, the Osprey Ariel, which comes in 55, 65 and 75 liters, was a super light, easy-to-stuff pack (and, as of this year, it comes in an extra small), but its little pieces broke three times in less than a year of travel. In hard tests, nothing beats the Gregory Deva. The Deva’s sticky lumbar support sits and stays perfectly, so even someone accustomed to an Ariel’s lighter frame could fall in love. Hip and back fit is especially important for women, who tend to notice extra shoulder weight more than men do. Devas also come with more bells and whistles (pockets, hooks, zippers, etc.), which are unnecessary for minimalists, but don’t detract from overall carrying capacity. The Ariel is a minimalists’ pack in that regard, but its light design makes it just a little less hardy and comfortable (think bruised hips from a thin, but custom-fitted pad—bony girls beware). Deva is a strap-on sweet spot (with customizable fitting) and plenty of cushion. The REI Women’s Crestrail (in 65 and 70 liters) is a great mix between the Deva and Ariel, winning it high praise among price-conscious backpackers.

Our favorite week-long (or longer) men’s pack: GoLite Terrono 70 liter

Maybe we expect too much from a pack, but pack designers seem to have stopped really trying to create lighter, sturdier packs. Now they’re just screwing with us, but we did find more comfort in some frame tweaks this year. Gregory’s Baltoro (65 and 75 liters) scored second overall for comfort and carrying capacity, but its versatility is diminished by its pocket design, a problem solved in the roomy GoLite Terrono. Although the 90-liter was a bit much fully packed (nobody wants that Frankenstein top flying around during a mountain-top scramble), the 70-liter held its full load comfortably and without complaint. For such a light pack, it’s just as sturdy as the Baltoro, taking hard hits, falls and scrapes like a champ. Instead of bruising or rubbing the hipbones, the Terrono’s thick hip belt and awesome suspension set it ahead of the rest. For a more minimalist design, Osprey’s Aether can handle regular usage, but Osprey’s super-pricey Argon makes better use of space and is a bit more comfortable overall.

BabyPacks

We love all of our mommies and daddies out there—we even launched a magazine for them—so we patrolled reviews and grilled parents for which baby packs work best on Colorado’s trails. For the sake of carrying gear, we chose only baby carriers that also include a diaper bag/backpack section.

Best Baby Day Pack/Framed Baby Pack: Kelty TC 3.0 & Deuter Kid Comfort (II & III)

For lighter hikes, a lot of mommies love the Kelty TC 3.0 with a rain cover for its comfort and adjustability. It puts the baby (bulk of the weight) right up against mommy or daddy’s back for everyone’s comfort and happiness. The torso and seat areas adjust to fit baby, and hipbelt pockets make locating keys and snacks a breeze. For longer hikes, framed packs with a larger capacity were favorites, and the Deuter Kid Comfort (II and III) got rave reviews. The most common complaints with other framed carriers were that baby had nowhere to rest his head, was pulled too far from the body and was failed by the rain cover. Kid Comfort solved all of these problems with an easy rain cover, and up-close baby placement balanced with pack space and head support so baby’s head doesn’t rock a 90-degree angle during naptime.

Hiking Boots

Most of our readers walk, so they know which shoes work best for them on light day hikes without packs. You want to know what to wear on those 14ers or when you’re carrying 60 pounds on Kilimanjaro. Boots work just like packs—get fitted and give them a test drive or two before heading out to conquer the world. Watch for sliding and toe jamming, and consider ankle and midsole support as well as breathability vs. waterproofing. Expect the tougher, more waterproof boots to require a longer break-in period.

Best women’s boots: Scarpa Kailash GTX, Asolo Attiva GTX, Lowa Albula GTX Lady

Lowa Albula GTX Ladys are handcrafted in Germany, Gor-Tex lined, death-defying boots—in a classy shade of blue. Although they’re an investment, Lowa wearers—a.k.a. Lowa lovers—can’t say enough about these boots’ cozy, supportive and durable make. For a step down in aggressiveness and price, the Asolo Attiva GTX offers a more breathable but still dry boot. The Attivas earn praise for needing little breaking in and having a great all-day, all-weather feel. The Scarpa Kailash GTX are lightweight, comfortable and require pretty much no breaking in—a feat for a boot that can support a backpacker readily without exhausting her feet.

Best men’s boots: Merrel Moab Ventilator Mid Hiking Boots, La Sportiva Delta GTX, Asolo TPS 520 GV

For the longevity every man wants, the Asolo TPS 520 GV are performance-tested to keep most men going (on the trails) for years. With Gore-Tex liners to keep feet dry and Italian-tanned leather, these beasts can take it, whatever it is. La Sportiva’s Delta GTX are tough enough for backpackers, with full ankle support and Gore-Tex liners. Their partial leather, fabric and synthetic upper promises to allow feet to breathe more than leather boots, too. Merrel Moab Ventilator Mids aren’t anything fancy, but they’re sturdy enough for heavier hikes with a lighter pack, and super breathable for warm weather. Plus, they’re anywhere from half to a third of the price of the heavy-duty boots.

Doggy Essentials

We’re a little nuts about our dogs, and we know you are, too. Instead of comparing dog booties, bowls and beds, we’re suggesting a few essential items in addition to a collar, leash and tags that’ll help those furry fellas along the trail.

Food/Water

REI has an awesome dog food bowl that cinches up like a chalk bag and a collapsible water dish to match. Don’t forget these, especially the water bowl, on walks longer than an hour.

Paw Protection

OK, we get that your dog will most likely hate us for this, but hot sand at Great Sand Dunes and sharp rocks at Flatirons could easily turn Stimpy into Limpy. And if you’re doing these hikes to get in shape, your dogs’ feet probably aren’t in shape either. Use Pawz disposable booties for hot sand or Ruff Wear Bark ‘n Boots Grip Trex for long mountainous hikes.

Clean Up

Grab some Bio Bags and throw Pookie’s dookie in a compost heap. Most parks require that you pick up the poop, but landfills are full of pet waste in non-biodegradable bags. Spend the extra buck or two and make Boulder proud.

Use these new, fancy duds on our 15 Great Hikes!

The post Must-Have Gear This Year appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Photo by Joe Hodgson

This is Colorado, where men and women are judged by how many 14ers they’ve hiked and how dirty their Subarus are. Never fear, read on to up your Colorado cred.

Coloradans wouldn’t be Coloradans without monster hiking calves, an excessive number of backpacks and a go-to anecdote about mountain climbing. Whether you’re looking for a leisurely stroll, a starlit overnight trek or a breathtaking ascent, Colorado has it all, and it’s in your backyard.

Considerations: Remember to check with park authorities for seasonal closures and required permits. Always start mountain ascents early enough to be back below the alpine line by noon, and hike through the week for smaller crowds. The north face of any mountain will be hardest and most dangerous. Practice Leave No Trace standards on any trip, and always take more food and water than you think you’ll need, especially on trips of four or more hours (don’t forget a collapsible dog bowl for Fido, either). Distances reported here are one-way unless marked as roundtrip/loop.

Photo by Joe Hodgson

Day Hikes

Mount Sanitas and Centennial Park

From the Centennial Trailhead, the easy, mile-long Sanitas Valley Trail connects to the moderate 2.2-mile Dakota Ridge Trail to the east (good for trail running) and the moderate 3- to 3.5-mile Mount Sanitas West Ridge Trail that loops to the more than 6,850-foot-high summit of Mount Sanitas (beware of deceptive false top outs here). The Dakota Ridge Trail is a hogback trail that offers views of Denver on one side and Red Rocks amphitheater to the west. The steep, difficult mile-long East Ridge Trail connects the Sanitas Valley Trail to the Mount Sanitas Trail. The 2.8-mile Red Rocks Trail (best accessed from the Settlers’ Park Trailhead) is a moderate to difficult, bike-friendly trail that connects to Dakota Ridge to make a great six-mile loop. Confused? This series of interconnected trails are clearly marked from every trailhead, focus on the view and take a nice, long walk.

Regs: Dogs are allowed, but voice and sight control standards apply. No bikes on the Sanitas loop, but they are allowed at Red Rocks and Dakota Ridge.

Directions: In Boulder travel about a half of a mile west of 4th Street on Mapleton Avenue and park at Centennial Trailhead on the south side of Mapleton. Overflow parking is up Mapleton in Sunshine Canyon on the left.

Chautauqua Park/Flatirons

Although pretty much everything here is easy to moderate, the Mesa and McClintock trails are the best for pretty, green strolls. They’re about six miles each. The First-Second Flatiron Trail (about a mile each way) is an easy hike, accessed via the Chautauqua trail to the Bluebell/Baird trail split. Turn left and follow the sign for the Flatirons Trail. Less than .1 miles later, the Flatirons Trial splits. The Royal Arch Trail, which narrows into the Flatiron Loop Trail (about a mile and a half each way) is a nice moderate hike, but it has rock stairs, so it’s not for anyone with cardio or knee problems. At its end, turn left to the Bluebell/Baird trail back to Chautauqua, or turn right and follow Mesa trail to the Ranger Station (an easy 2.5-mile loop). The Gregory Canyon trail (about a mile each way, with a steep elevation gain) is slightly more difficult and a great butt workout.

Regs: Dogs are allowed, but voice and sight control standards apply. Cyclists will be ticketed.

Directions: In Boulder, Broadway and Baseline roads both lead to the Chautauqua Park entrance on the left.

Heil Valley Ranch

Heil Valley’s easiest hike is 1.3-mile Lichen loop, for hikers only (no bikes or horses). Picture Rock (5.5 mi), Wild Turkey (3 mi), and Wapiti (2.5 mi) trails, and Ponderosa Loop (2.6 mi) are all moderate hikes. Wapiti provides access to all Heil Valley trails, except Lichen Loop. At its peak are Ponderosa and Wild Turkey loops, as well as the Picture Rock trail north from the Wild Turkey Trail to Hall Ranch, Lyons. Hall Ranch is a haven for cyclists, with 10-miles of trail containing a 2.2-mile stretch called Nelson Loop, which starts at Bitterbrush Trailhead and runs up the south side of Indian Lookout Mountain. The easier approach is from Antelope Trailhead, if there is parking. Avoid weekends at Hall Ranch because the cyclists crowd out the main loop, but through the week, looped hiking trails off of Nelson offer views of Longs Peak.

Regs: No dogs. Cyclists and equestrians welcome everywhere but Lichen Loop.

Directions: Follow Hwy. 36 north of Boulder and turn left (west) onto Lefthand Canyon Drive. Half a mile down, take a right at the Heil Valley Ranch sign on Geer Canyon Drive. It’s a dirt road for about a mile and a half (go slow and watch for cows and wildlife).

Great Sand Dunes National Park

Great Sand Dunes features the tallest sand dune in North America as well as the beautiful Sangre de Cristo and San Juan mountain ranges. For a uniquely challenging but not horribly long hike, park near Medano Creek and summit Star Dune from High Dune, hiking a mile to a mile and a half depending on your route, or go straight up Star Dune, hiking 3.5 to four miles to the top. Camping is allowed throughout the park and preserve backcountry, but not in the dunefield outside of the day-use area. Nearby Buck Creek, north of loop two in the campground, offers a short hike into the backcountry for a break from the dunes.

Regs: Leashed dogs are welcome on the main trails, not in the backcountry, but watch for paw blisters in the hot summer months.

Directions: Travel 35 miles northeast of Alamosa from U.S. Highway 160 and CO 150 from the south, or from State Highway 17 and County Lane 6 from the west.

Hanging Lake

The trailhead is marked near the parking lot and promises about an hour hike. Stick with it for a mile and a half (a cliff-side set of stone steps) and a sparkling turquoise lake and splaying waterfall is tucked into Glenwood Canyon. It’s great for a nice rest and a picnic. It’s free to get in, and Hanging Lake is the perfect place to photograph Colorado in all of its glory. Don’t accidentally turn at Deadhorse Trail, which does not lead to the lake. On the way back, a sign marks the turn off to a short walk to Spouting Rock. This fall is secluded, a fantastic fairytail tucked away on the hike.

Regs: No dogs or fishing. Stairs and steep rocks take this trail off cyclists’ options list.

Directions: I-70 westbound bypasses Hanging Lake entirely, so westbound travelers should exit at Grizzly Creek rest area and turn left onto the eastbound ramp. Once traveling eastbound, pass Shoshone and take the exit marked Hanging Lake. Signs mark the rest area and trailhead.

Photo by Joe Hodgson

Overnight/Backpacking

Baker Pass

For a lumbering backpacking trek, head west on the gravel road from the Bowen/Baker Trailhead to the marked trails for Bowen Gulch and Baker Gulch (the first landmark, about a half a mile in)—the next isn’t until 3.2 more miles west down Baker Gulch, at the junction of Parika Lake (roughly 5.5 miles from the trailhead) and Baker Gulch trail. Camp at Parika Lake (about seven miles from the trailhead) or turn right (north) toward Baker Pass and the Continental Divide. Cairns (man-made rock piles) mark the sketchy trail near the pass, which leads to a remote part of the Never Summer Mountains. Rocky Mountain National Park doesn’t manage the backcountry camping—it’s mostly National Forest land—so call 970.887.4100 for specifics. Most travelers camp and fish at Parika Lake, then continue southwest along the Continental Divide ridge (left at the T) and into Bowen Pass the next morning. Bowen Lake offers more camping down the Bowen Lake Trail off of the Continental Divide Trail. All in all, the trip runs 14-16 miles, depending on trails and gorgeously distracting diversions. Schedule the Continental Divide portion before the 2pm storms.

Regs: Dogs are allowed off leash after the first mile or so of the trail (after the land becomes National Forest instead of Rocky Mountain National Park land). RMNP restrictions to overnight parking and an entrance fee apply.

Directions: Follow Highway 34/Trail Ridge Road 6.7 miles north of the Kawuneeche Visitor Center or 10.6 miles south of Milner Pass to the Bowen/Baker Trailhead on the west side of the highway. The turnoff from Trail Ridge Road/Highway 34 says National Forest access, Bowen and Baker Gulch.

The Colorado Trail

Although it takes one or two months to backpack the entire 483-mile Colorado Trail, it is also broken up into 28 manageable hikes (generally moderate) that range from roughly 11 to 33 miles, or sponsored hikes with the annual Colorado Trail Trekking Program. The CTTP hikes allow travelers to carry only a daypack, with overnight gear shuttled to the next camp daily—all of the way from Denver to Durango. Hike early in the morning to avoid unpredictable, high-altitude weather, and plan for all conditions with seasons in mind. Nearby highlights: Segment five from Long Gulch to Kenosha Pass offers a moderate 15-mile hike through the Pike and San Isabel national forests. Segment six offers a harder, 33-mile option from Kenosha Pass to Goldhill Trailhead through the Pike, San Isabel and White River national forests. Both segments offer camping throughout. See it all at coloradotrail.org/segments.html.

Regs: The trails are dog friendly, but check area leash/off-trail laws because they may change from park to park. Camping is dispersed throughout the areas.

Directions: Long Gulch Trailhead lays along Lost Park Road/Forest Road 56 seven miles southwest of Grant. Drive west from Grant on Highway 285 to reach the campground. Kenosha Pass is just off of 285, four miles north of Jefferson.

Medano Lake and Mount Herard

Medano Pass’ gorgeous, primitive road campsites are breathtaking in summer and fall. But trail access is limited—especially in winter and spring—and hunters use the area, so be cautious, prepared and wear bright colors. Off-trail camping is allowed most everywhere in the preserve. The approach trail to Medano Lake, which is surrounded by campsites, is about a half mile west of Medano Pass on Sand Ramp TH (for high-clearance 4WDs only). The lake is about four miles from the trailhead. In the park along the Sand Ramp Trail, Aspen Campground (in an Aspen grove) is almost six miles from the Point of No Return and about 2.3 miles from the sand ramp. It’s the highest designated backcountry site in the park, with views of the dunefield. Sand Creek campground is about 10.5 miles from the Point of No Return in a grove of cottonwood trees, and it’s the only backcountry site that allows campfires (with wood found locally on the ground). For a moderate 13er, Climb Mount Herard with views of the Crestone Group mountains and Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Regs: No dogs outside of the day-use area. Check with Great Sand Dunes National Park for closings and conditions. The park’s Visitor’s Center offers free backpacking permits and information.

Directions: Access the Medano Lake trailhead from the west via Great Sand Dunes National Park (travel 35 miles northeast of Alamosa from U.S. Hwy. 160 and Hwy. 150 from the south, or from State Hwy. 17 and County Lane 6 from the west to get to
the park).

Flat Tops Wilderness

Colorado’s second largest wilderness with more than 160 miles of trails was nature-made for polyamorous hikers. Lakes, streams, elk, moose, beetle-stricken spruce and fir, and massive burned patches offer travelers a buffet of striking visuals outside of Colorado’s beautiful mountains and hills. Here are the highlights: great views from the 11,600-foot Devil’s Causeway (start at the East Fork Trail beginning at Stillwater Reservoir near Yampa), Mandall Pass (at the top of the Mandall Pass Trail which begins at Yampa Reservoir), Turret Creek (via Turret Creek trail at the Hilltop Trailhead near Sweetwater Lake, ends at Trapper’s Lake Trail 1816), and the 11,070-foot, lava capped White River Plateau (via Turret Creek Trail). Instead of a structured hike, take a weekend, plenty of supplies and just explore.

Regs: Dogs are allowed, but voice and sight control standards apply. Both national forests offer regulated campsites as well as plenty of backcountry camping throughout Flat Tops. Check with the Yampa Ranger District (970.638.4516) for seasonal closings and conditions.

Directions: Trails throughout the Routt and White River National Forests about halfway between I-70 and Steamboat Springs. Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway goes from Meeker to Yampa on the edge of the wilderness. Nearby towns include Meeker, Yampa, Steamboat Springs, Glenwood Springs, Buford, Toponas, Burns, New Castle, Craig, Hayden, Phippsburg and Oak Creek.

Arapaho/Caribou passes

The Arapaho Pass Trail runs up the north slope of the North Fork, Middle Boulder Creek drainage and into Indian Peaks Wilderness. Ignoring the turnoff to the Diamond Lake Trail, travel a couple of miles to the Fourth of July Mine and turn right (northeast) onto Arapaho Glacier Trail 905 up to the Arapaho Glacier Overlook, about 3.5 miles from the trailhead. From there, travel down to Rainbow Lakes Campground to settle in for the night, or Arapaho Pass Trail goes west to Arapaho Pass, which is about three miles from the trailhead. When Arapaho Pass Trail intersects with Caribou Trail 11, it turns off to Lake Dorothy, which is roughly 3.5 miles from the trailhead. Caribou Trail is basically an old road blasted into the side of a cliff, and it’s sliding away in places. The trail runs out at Caribou pass, but a trail runs down the far side for about four miles to Junko Lake Trailhead. From Lake Dorothy, the north slope to Caribou Pass runs to Caribou Lake on the Arapaho Pass Trail. Snow drifts give Caribou Pass a short, so check conditions. Weather can get nasty above the treeline, so start early.

Regs: Leashed dogs allowed. Backcountry camping permits from Indian Peaks Wilderness are required to camp in the designated backcountry zones. Camping is prohibited within 100 feet of lakes, streams and trails. Campfires are prohibited east of the Continental Divide and at Caribou Lake. Call the Boulder Ranger District (303.541.2500) for seasonal specifics.

Directions: From Nederland, follow County Road 130 to Eldora (the ski resort signs point the way). Continue straight through Eldora past the pavement’s end. Follow the fork right to the Fourth of July Trailhead, ignoring Hessie Trailhead parking.

14ers

Longs Peak

The only 14er in Rocky Mountain National Park, Longs Peak’s Keyhole route is a 15-mile, moderately difficult 14,255-foot ascent. Longs is more of a scramble than an easy hike, even in the summer when it’s not snowy. It doesn’t require ropes and harnesses, but the terrain is rough, it’s a little steep, somewhat exposed and can have snow. This isn’t one for the younger kiddos (more than 50 people have died climbing this mountain), but it’s a rewarding summit for strong hikers. Climb during the week to avoid crowds, and in the summer to avoid dangerous snow and ice. Bring crampons and an ice pick for technical climbing when snow and ice are present.

Regs: No Dogs. RMNP camping at Longs Peak is permit free, but camping in the back country and boulder field requires a permit. No permit required to climb.

Directions: Longs is 12 miles southwest of Estes Park in Rocky Mountain National Park, near Estes and Meeker parks. For the north face, drive roughly nine miles south from the intersection of US 36 and CO 7 to the turnoff for the Longs Peak Ranger Station. The southern approach is north 10.5 miles from the junction of CO 7 and CO 72 on the Peak to Peak Highway to the Longs Peak Ranger Station turnoff. From the turnoff, drive west one mile to the trailhead.

Torreys & Grays peaks

At 14,267 and 14,270 feet, respectively, Torrey’s and Gray’s peaks come in a set—summit one and you can easily summit them both in the same day. It’s about an 8.5-mile round-trip hike to summit them both. The super stable hike to the summit of Gray’s, and a slightly more difficult/less stable hike to Torrey’s summit can end in a snow slide to the bottom if the weather’s right. If no snow is protecting the mountainside, stay on the trails here. It’s rude to detract from the view and disturb what little of nature is left on these mountains by trampling it. Besides, nobody likes a cheater.

Regs: Dogs allowed. Celebrate the double send at several free camping spots throughout Stevens Gulch. No permits required.

Directions: Travel four miles north of I-70 on the Continental Divide in the Front Range to Stevens Gulch Trailhead. Anyone in Bakerville, Montezuma and Keystone can point the way to these peaks in the Arapaho National Forest. Four-wheel-drives are the best way to access the roads up here, but 2WDs can take it in nice weather. Travel via Forest Road 189 in Stevens Gulch from the northeast (take exit 221 from I-70).

Mount Elbert

Mount Elbert is the Rockies’ highest peak at 14,433 feet, and it’s the second tallest in the contiguous United States (California’s Mount Whitney beats it out by about 65 feet). The South Mount Elbert Trail from the lower trailhead to the summit is about 11 miles roundtrip with a 4,850-foot elevation gain; from the upper trailhead, it’s about 7.5 miles roundtrip and a 4,000-foot elevation gain. The north face hike on the North Mount Elbert Trail is technically easy as well and only about nine miles roundtrip with about a 4,500-foot gain.

Regs: Camping near north trailhead. This is the highest spot in the United States that allows dogs. Leashes required. No permit required to climb or hike.

Directions: To hike the north trail, head south from Leadville on U.S. 24 and turn right on CO 300. Take a left on County Road 11 and right at Halfmoon Campground after about a mile. Five or so miles later, the trailhead is on the left. From the north and west, 4WD access goes to 11,000 feet on Halfmoon Creek Road. It’s in the San Isabel National Forest.

Maroon Peak

(South) Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak aren’t for the kids, dogs or grandma, but the family will appreciate pictures of the surrounding Maroon Bells’ pyramid-like mountains. These are climbs, not just hikes, especially North Maroon Peak, so rookies should train before trying to knock Maroon Bells out. Both ascents start at the Maroon Lake Trailhead. Cairns mark the most commonly used routes, but only experienced mountaineers should lead the way. Although the North Maroon Peak route is nine miles compared to Maroon Peak’s 12, the North Maroon Peak requires rope and helmets (especially in snow and ice). Maroon Peak can be topped out without the gear. North Maroon Peak is less than a half mile north of Maroon Peak. Falls from either exposed climb can be fatal. Because these routes are considerably harder than most we’ve mentioned, the crowds here are smaller.

Regs: Camping along Maroon Creek Road. Leashed dogs allowed. Obtain free permit tags at the trailhead. Shuttle fees apply from Ruby Park in downtown Aspen when the road to the trailhead is closed.

Directions: Maroon Creek Road offers 2WD paved access to 9,600 feet from the north out of Aspen, but the road closes to traffic seasonally, so the bus charges a small fee for people and none for dogs. Nearby towns include Aspen and Snowmass.

Mount Bierdstadt

This baby 14er is great for beginners, said Dr. Kelli Space at Jasper Animal Clinic, whose dachsund has summitted a few peaks with her. It’s about seven miles up, with trail almost the entire way. Although this isn’t hiking on a dirt road on level ground, Bierdstadt is pretty darn easy. This may include a few loose rocks (talus/scree) or maybe a little bit of snow, depending on the season, so great-grandma may have a little bit of trouble rocking this one, but everyone else should make it to the top comfortably.

Regs: The campground below the trailhead on the Guanella Pass road is the easiest opportunity to celebrate the summit. Dispersed camping is also available in Scott Gomer Creek. Leashed dogs allowed. Free permit available at trailhead.

Directions: Bierstadt is two miles west of Mount Evans, in the Mount Evans Wilderness. From the north, take Guanella Pass from Georgetown, down I-70; or from the south, take 285 from CO 5, which snakes to the top of Mount Evans. It’s near Georgetown, Idaho Springs and Grant in Pike and Arapaho national forests.

Also, check out this year’s must-have gear!

The post 15 Great Hikes appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Photo by Gray Box Studios

It’s officially sandal season, and we’ve picked out a few pieces of easy, breezy, toe-liberating footwear for the ladies out there. Like what you see? All of these are available at Two Sole Sisters, 1703 Pearl St., Boulder.

1. Florida by Chocolat Blu in pelle red $112

2. Snaw by Cocobelle in burnt orange $104

3. Salvatore by Butter in green $275

4. Leila by Corso Como in cognac $159

5. Yvonne by Miz Mooz in green $104

The post Sandal Season appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Photo by Brandy Simmons

I prefer high-heels to galoshes, but after May’s graduation ceremonies I grabbed garbage shoes and braved Boulder’s refuse juice—organic, I’m sure—to examine our environmentally conscious community’s “trash.”

When transients move out, they rarely rehome plastics and appliances, which is a real problem in communities with students and service members, whose first thoughts are moving on, not what they leave behind. Still, CU labels its trash as “landfill,” and Naropa banned plastic bottles from campus, so I wondered if the Boulder community would break the waste-filled mold during spring-cleaning season.

The problem, I discovered, isn’t at all exclusive to the end of the school year—it’s just intensified. Whether we do it to avoid inconvenience or to avoid giving away what could have brought in a profit, Boulder County’s waste is typical and problematic.

The university brings in extra mobile garbage bins at the end of the school year, so I went to town and dubbed graduation weekend my Freecycle Paloozalah (Feel free to adopt the holiday; it’s non-denominational). Admittedly, I needed a toaster and just couldn’t see the point in paying for one when I knew some Pop-Tart addict would leave me one.

More importantly, I was curious.

Without actually stepping in refuse juice—you’d really have to try to get to the bottom of most trash receptacles—I freecycled two clean, super sturdy laundry hampers, about two dozen white hangers that match my own, a pair of like-new Ugg-style boots and an unstained, odorless couch…in two hours on my first run. And someone came a few of my morals short of losing a brand new cooler full of iced-down beer. Who leaves that outside of an overflowing garbage bin?

Although I burned my armpit a little reaching inside, I didn’t break Boulder’s laws against actually standing in CU’s special trash containers. (Which, for the record, have ladders to make it easier to hang off of the outside and reach in, just wear long sleeves.)

Non-transient Coloradans shouldn’t get high and mighty here, there was plenty of recycling, perfectly good clothing and otherwise reusable product in non-student dumpsters, at homes and businesses. And I can’t get high and mighty because I didn’t rescue all of the clothing and bedding I found that could have gone to families in need.

What gives? It’s mostly laziness, but selfishness, too—if residents and companies can’t make a profit, too many people believe the product is better off in a landfill, said North Denver Garbologist’s founder Joy Kay, a teacher with a degree in microbiology. She uses trash picking to further her artwork and has gained gallery recognition for her pieces.

Co-workers told Kay she was stealing, that if she didn’t pay for this trash, it wasn’t legally hers to take. To them, supporting businesses on the front end is the only legitimate means of consuming, and digging through “trash” is for the desperately needy.

Store owners agree: If items can’t be sold, companies typically damage them before sending them out back to go to the landfill. They rip the covers off of books, spray paint furniture and destroy clothing. And they don’t like to talk about it because it makes them look like the bad guy. We know they’re in it for the money. They know it. And that’s fine…for the most part. Is it really better for everyone, though, if the labor and materials go straight from production to landfill?

And really, is there any downside to this growing community of people rescuing perfectly good items—from food to furniture to clothing—from slow, environment-destroying waste?

As much as Kay benefits from it, she said she’d prefer the problem not exist. From her very first experience freecycling, Kay said she was stirred and disturbed.

“All of the way down to my soul and my bones, I was appalled at how much waste (I found),” she said. “I thought, this is ridiculous and shameful.”

Her best finds have included five undamaged wedding dresses perfectly packaged in a dumpster behind a bridal shop; furniture, un-expired dog treats and mukluks, and two 30-gallon trash bags full of computer software she sold online for about $5,000.

“I find a lot of amazing, salvageable materials to use,” she said.

Name the stores publicly though, and they lock their trash facilities. Why? Eateries hide behind consumer safety when they waste, but wedding dresses and educational children’s software don’t really expire. (For the record, students, neither do boots, climbing helmets and hampers.)

So until the selfishness and thoughtless consumerism changes, dig in divers. There’s something to be said about taking for free what these corporations and individuals would rather put in a landfill than share.

In Denver, back alleys see a pretty steady flow of visitors, but Kay said Boulder-area refuse is relatively untapped.

“When you go toward Boulder, there is not a lot (of diving competition), especially Longmont and Lyons; out there there’s nobody diving,” Kay said. “So you’ve got a ton of resources.”

Divers save their hard-earned money to put directly into the hands of people who produce goods ethically, Kay said. It’s a movement even my weak stomach and I can get behind.

Food divers I talked to agreed: stores in the North Metro area are less likely to worry about trash pickers filling a shopping cart with discarded pineapples to push eight miles home (true story…the police laughed and told him to return the cart). I haven’t tried food, but divers swear by its safety.

“There is a lot of enthusiasm out there for what I do, but not a lot of people out there are willing to do it,” Kay said. “In this economy, they don’t care if it comes from Walmart if it’s cheap.”

And diving into an array of trash receptacles takes considerably more time than finding the right Walmart aisle. Just be cognizant that buying products eventually creates waste. The oldest purchased item I own is a stuffed animal (in storage) from my third Christmas, and nobody wants that. So don’t buy impulsively; consider where your non-food/hygiene purchases will be in a year. If the answer isn’t within you, then you probably don’t need the product.

Personally, I’m no less comfortable in a back alley full of trash containers than at a shoe store, but it took a day of digging stuff out of garbage containers to get me there.

I wore my $3,000 camera like a shield around my neck at first. Clean, oblivious students stared when I popped out of trash containers in dirty alleys cursing about perfectly good (insert expletive here) in the garbage. I became indignant. I wanted to be on the opposite end of this waste, but don’t most Coloradans?

Nobody wants to be responsible for filling landfills, but spring-cleaning purges—graduation or otherwise—take precedence. This time of year, it’s primarily those cheap, easy-to-replace plastic bins and hangers, beds, towels and recyclables—tons and tons of recyclables.

It takes a few minutes to wash, pack, find a home for or separate it, but it just doesn’t happen. Sure, we care and occasionally feel guilty, but we’re busy, broke and singular. We think our damage as individuals is minimal. We know it adds up, but really, everyone abuses his or her “trash” can from time to time. I’m not asking all of Colorado to dive, just to consider reduction, reuse and then recycling before the trash can.

Take the clothes to a drop off, use Craigslists’ free section to get rid of stuff (I’ve seen half-used bottles of organic shampoo and dirt on there) and, for the love of God, don’t buy those ugly plastic storage drawers that fall apart when you try to move them. Even writing a quick Craigslist note that you’ve left a typewriter, old Halloween costumes and a seven-year-old couch by a trash bin in an alley can lead to less waste.

And anyone who needs a recycle bin could easily find 20 outside of student-area garbage containers, especially from May to July when leases expire.

This place gives so much to so many people, it’s not too much to give it a few minutes before giving it to the trash can. There aren’t enough garbologists to account for it all.

“If you can’t be part of the solution, at least don’t be part of the problem,” Kay said.

The post Garbage Grove appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Heat, Power and Appliances:

If solar isn’t in the budget, orient windows to allow winter rays to heat the house. Discuss type of glass, frame and glazing. Talk to your contractors about special appliances like induction stoves to minimize power needs, and learn how to read an Energy Star rating. Energy Star labels also give a projected annual kilowatt/hour usage for each appliance. Divide that by 12 and find out roughly how many kw/hrs you’ll use each month.

Insulation:

To run wiring and plumbing, your contractor will probably pull out the drywall, so discuss green insulation to save energy on heating and cooling with an eco-friendly product. Old-school fiberglass insulation is still an option, as is recycled, natural fiber such as ground up newspaper. However, greener, closed-cell foam provides a vapor barrier as well as insulation, and it’s air tight. Soy-based, closed-cell foam is the most green option, but it’s also more expensive.

Details:

Countertops and cabinets offer myriad recycled options, often 80–100 percent; many finished off-gassing or leeching formaldehyde years ago. Cabinets are one of the biggest off-gassers in a house. Consider volatile organic compound—how much gas a product emits—when choosing countertops, cabinets, flooring, paint and finishes. Low VOC products tend to be more expensive, but concrete countertops are low VOC and not too pricey.

The post Going Green in the Kitchen…Broccoli Not Included appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

We know you’re dying to know, and we just couldn’t wait to spread the news about…well, everything north of 104th (plus general good news). Here’s a sneak preview of the Hot Issue’s Month in Review.

U.S. troops killed Osama bin Laden and The Office’s Michael Scott left Dunder Mifflin Paper Co. to move to Boulder. Boulder County saw its first case of the equine herpes virus, former CU student Casey Abrams was eliminated from American Idol, and Niwot-based Crocs Inc. introduced Crocs Chameleons, which change color in response to sunlight. Paper Doll on Pearl Street closed its doors and auctioned off its iconic fiberglass rocking pig and Adam Raszynski will claim self-defense for allegedly pushing his mother down a flight of stairs and stomping her to death Feb. 23 after she shot him repeatedly. Local craftsman Laura J. Schiller’s work carving eggshells was chosen by the American Egg Board to serve as the 33rd commemorative White House Egg Display, a 55-year-old Longmont man was struck by a marked Longmont police car as he crossed Main Street at 23rd Avenue, and the Boulder Humane Society will provide a prosthetic paw for Lefty, a German shorthair pointer. Conflicting reports surround the death of a German shepherd, Ava, shot and killed by an Erie police officer, Rainbow Lakes and Pawnee campgrounds will close for renovations this summer and Joel Levenberg was killed during an avalanche while skiing on Torrey’s Peak. Eric Craig was identified as the man found dead hanging from a pedestrian bridge over Boulder Creek at CU, the Boulder County Board of Health formally legalized Boulder County’s 22-year-old syringe exchange program and Boulder Canyon Natural Foods introduced a single-serve compostable snack bag for Earth Day. Boulder is considering a plastic bag ban at area businesses, the City of Boulder and Xcel Energy continue to debate about liability for contaminating Boulder Creek, and the University of Colorado blamed “defective” toilet paper for causing more than $40,000 in damages. Jesse Hodgson, a former Longmont-area firefighter pleaded guilty to charges related to allegations that he forced his11-year-old stepdaughter to watch him urinate in an adult diaper and change him and Broomfield’s CAMP USA Inc. recalled 15,500 potentially hazardous climbing carabiners and quickdraws. Nordstrom Rack opened at the Twenty Ninth Street mall in Boulder, Broomfield Academy announced plans to open a new middle school, and Earl Albert Moore was taken into custody by the FBI in relation to the attempted Southwest Plaza Mall bombing. Thieves dismantled and stole Broomfield’s 500-lb lotus bench near Tom Frost Reservoir, and former Broomfield High School wrestling coach Travis Masse faces a potential life sentence for having sex with a then 17-year-old student. Naropa University officials are discussing consolidating the 37-year-old university’s three campuses to one location and Whole Foods Market purchased Ace Wine & Spirits in Boulder to open a full-strength liquor-licensed store. Three Boulder County youths are suing the State of Colorado for polluting the atmosphere, contributing to global warming and climate change, and the Boulder chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said it found disturbing the misdemeanor charge of bias-motivated harassment against a man based entirely on his words.

The post Sneak Peak: Month in Review appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Photo by Joe Hodgson

Happy Noodle’s Executive Chef Sam Proia taught us this month that the mantra “save bees, drink mead” extends even to brining scallops in the age-old booze.

“I started thinking about bees and realized mead was the oldest alcoholic beverage, basically,” he said. “Then I thought about smokiness because you can use smoke to ward off the bees when you’re collecting honey or to calm them down.”

We challenged him to make a dish with honey wine, with only 24 hours notice, and he delivered mead-brined, cold-smoked sea scallops paired with a quinoa cracker, arugula and sliced asparagus. The deeply sweet dish left a savory, lasting burn with curry spices and dried chilis in its caramelized onion, date jam.

The pan-searing on the spongy scallop provided a bit of texture, and the jam carried just enough spice to balance out the caramel-sweetness of the scallop and onion. Add the light, ancient-grained starch and greens, and the dish developed a textural balance.

“I thought of a cocktail party, that this dish could be more of a canapé,” he said.

In his second plating, he served the dish as an hors d’oeuvre, guaranteeing the even better combination of dry and crunchy, and moist and chewy.

He’s been at Happy for two years, writing a menu designed around taste instead of its original Asian theme, and he’s cooked with wine, but mead was atypical, he said. Proia said Happy has come to borrow the spicy, sweet or savory elements used in Asian cuisines to cook whatever tastes good.

“You’ll see that in this dish because there isn’t really a defining Asian element, but also because Asian flavors are awesome to be able to utilize into any style of cooking,” Proia said.

And he chose well, searching among the few local meaderies to settle on a honey wine from Medovina Meadery in Niwot, a milder mead less like the overly strong, fermented honey available elsewhere.

“This wine, not everyone is used to it, but they’d probably try it now—it’s nice and warm out—if this was chilled and they had something warm to much on as well,” he said. “If you’re not a follower of honey wine, of mead, that would be a good sort of introduction.”
Agreed, chef.

For information, visit happynoodlehouse.com or call 303.442.3050. Happy is located at 835 Walnut St., Boulder.

The post Challenging Elements: Mead appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

I’m a bush fertilizer, not an athlete.

My Army career is defined by an overall lack of bravado—I’m a public affairs specialist, so I take pictures, write stories and teach classes. I don’t do “athletic” with any semblance of dignity. I’m all Wild Kingdom—guts and screaming everywhere.

It’s been this way since my first Army physical fitness test. I trained half-heartedly, barely passed my push-ups, threw out my back (at 21) and ingloriously lost my breakfast in a parking lot after my almost 19-minute, two-mile jog of death. Not my proudest moment, but I passed that APFT.

My tour in Iraq was great motivation to workout with renewed dedication, and my CrossFit coach offered me a bush-fertilization discount. I was going to war, so my sergeant wanted me to score 100 percent according the hardest male standards on my pre-mobilization APFT. My stomach acid rose just thinking about running a 13-minute two-mile and doing 71 push-ups in two minutes.

I’m just not that badass.

He wanted me to nail the doubters to the wall, to make sure I, and soldiers serving with me, would be safe. So for their lives (and my mother’s sanity), I dedicated myself to weight-bearing exercises and metabolic conditioning instead of tests. My coach knew where soldiers fall short in combat. He was worried about me. So was I.

Female athletic standards in the military are pretty pathetic—which doesn’t reflect well on me—and they’re hardly applicable to our physical demands. So when it comes to Army tests, I’m OK with my unimpressive scores. I know what I’d really need in an emergency is the ability to carry heavy weight for long distances, and I can—I backpacked in the mountains of Morocco with burly mountain men for two months with roughly 60 pounds on my back. Overhead or back squats might be a better measurement of athleticism for soldiers, but the Army tends to be a step behind the times. So, I slack.

I’ve been deplorable since basic training. I fractured my collarbone when I tripped on a ruck march and I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want to extend my stay in sandy South Carolina. Come testing time, all 17 of those push-ups I needed to pass the APFT were excruciating. Bones don’t heal quickly. I’m neither proud nor tough, but I’m stubborn. It was during that training I discovered as long as I excel elsewhere, tests don’t matter much.

So I rode the APFT’s bottom percentile like a champ, and I advanced in rank without stellar fitness scores, winning accolades for my work, even in training. I’ve made my commanding officers and sergeants proud, and they recognize that my focus is simply directed to endeavors outside of chest-thumping, military bravado. I’ve shaved a couple of minutes from my run and increased my push-ups, but only when motivated by public failure or other athletic endeavors.

Because I prefer adventures to repeating three monotonous exercises daily, I typically reserve APFT training for the month or so before a test. For me, it’s a three-step program a couple of times a week. I do enough push-ups that it becomes routine to breathe while I do them. In the field or in combat, I need a strong back, lower body endurance and firing skills more than the ability to maintain a plank position. So, I’m satisfied stopping at 20 push-ups per test.

I do yoga so I can throw myself down on the mat during sit-ups without throwing out my back. I run a couple of times a week, in misery. I’ll never grow to be one of those people who enjoys running. I never get a second wind. So I run distances of one to five miles and do CrossFit for shorter bursts of metabolic conditioning.

But here’s the new challenge. I moved to Colorado a few months ago and switched units from a group of like-minded public affairs specialists to one made up of hard-core combat soldiers. I haven’t proven myself yet, so the sergeant rank I earned by going above and beyond my duties in public affairs could soon come into question.This new unit will likely focus more heavily on my less-than-awesome physical scores because it’s the easiest way to judge most soldiers’ efforts across the board. It might be bush-fertilizing time again.

If it’s really guts before glory, I should have glory coming in droves any day now.

On Women Training for the Real Stuff

Push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run are unlikely to cause serious, lasting injuries, but soldiers and marines, especially women, are at serious risk for hip fractures from carrying heavy weight over long distances.

Forced to take longer strides to keep up while carrying more weight than their bodies are accustomed to—for three to more than 20 miles—at least a couple of women in every basic training company develop hip fractures.

Drill sergeants try to protect their soldiers by encouraging them, especially the women, to consume a lot of milk, but by the time women are in training, increasing calcium consumption is a minimally effective, retroactive approach. Of course, about 1,000 mg of calcium (about three cups of nonfat milk) and roughly 800 IU of vitamin D is still essential for healthy bone maintenance.

However, service members who know they’re going into training, or women who wish to prevent hip fractures in general, should engage in heavy weight-bearing exercises a few times a week, preferably with a coach. The weight-bearing exercises help maintain or improve bone density, and teach women to properly use their muscles and bones to support increased weight.

The post Guts, No Glory appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.