Steamboat Springs

In 1963 my parents and I stayed for a week at Rabbit Ears Lodge, a special treat the Phillips Petroleum Company granted new retirees like my father. The ski resort in nearby Steamboat Springs had just opened earlier that year. Steve and I have visited Steamboat four or five times, but only this year did we study exhibits at the Tread of Pioneers Museum and discover how the town got its name. It’s a perfect name for a community full of energy and creativity. Cousins Maxann and Jay, who spend summers there, have gotten to know many energetic and creative people. To celebrate Jay’s birthday they shared these energetic and creative friends with us and with Allene and Jim Cooley and Susan and Ned McConnell from Charlotte NC, where Jay and Maxann live in other seasons.  

 

Steamboat has a lively downtown. F.M. Light has been selling western gear there for over a hundred years. On September 18, Jay’s 78th birthday, we were perusing their sales racks when I heard a voice call my name! It was Tom Luccock, whom we had met in July at the funeral of Jay’s brother Roger in Arkansas. Tom and his wife Cathy have had a place in Steamboat for 34 years. They  joined us for lunch that day (see photo) and I saw them again just before they left to see Tom’s brother in Denver. From a sad occasion in Arkansas to a happy one in Colorado, our mutual admiration for Roger Collins spawned a special kinship with them. I hope to see them again soon.

 

Joe Ghiglia is a Steamboat guitarist who shared his creative music with us that evening. His beautiful songs spanned the eight decades that Steve and Jay have been close cousins and the more recent decades during which we four couples have met in Charlotte, Scotland, Ireland, and now Colorado. The Collins’ daughter Bailee had a fabulous charcuterie board delivered to us that afternoon in celebration of her father’s birthday. As we nibbled d’oeuvres and sampled Jay’s large collection of tasty libations, Maxann sang, too. Then we departed for a hearty dinner at Mazzola’s in Steamboat. Jay and Maxann make sure their guests are treated to the best!While the four men devoted their energy to golf at Rollingstone Ranch Golf Club, Maxann took us women to the home of Steamboat Springs artist  Jennifer Baker, who showed us some of her glass works and guided each of us in creating one of our own. Then Jennifer took us to visit a gallery in an art barn near Hahn’s Peak that she shares with sculptor David Marshall, who also has a gallery in Málaga, Spain. Jennifer and David have collaborated on several works. Click here for 50 photos showing these artists and their artworks. I was so captivated with Jennifer’s art that I bought two glass works for my living room at home. Jennifer is not only a gifted artist, but a generous and helpful friend to the Collinses. I hope to stay in touch with her, too.

Our next adventure was at Lucky 8 Bison Ranch, where we saw a herd of bisons that had doubled since we were last there in 2022. This was a new experience for Susan and Ned, but they adapted well to the ATVs. We all enjoyed a beautiful day for long-range views of the mountains. Closer up, we saw a very rare Blond Bison, in all his majesty; all the other bisons gave him deference. White bison are the result of recessive genes. They are not albino, which is a result of a melanin deficiency that causes a lack of pigmentation. The National Bison Association estimates that only one in every 10 million bison born is white. In this album you can share our adventure. If only you could have tasted the delicious food we had at the Antlers Cafe and Bar in nearby Yampa–Iberian pork, shishito peppers, and fresh fish–yum!On September 22, the first day of fall, the men hit the golf course again; Maxann took the rest of us to the Yampa Valley Botanical Garden, a non-profit with many volunteers. We had two excellent guides and saw families encouraging their children to love and learn about nature. This album of 34 photos allows you to see some of what we saw in this lovely part of Steamboat. We proceeded to a tasty lunch at Winona’s Cafe.

After a sumptuous “week in review” dinner, we attended a concert by The Longest Johns, a British group traveling around the world. What I admired about them was the collective effervescence they created. The book, AWE, lists this as one of the feelings of awe. The encores were the best part.

Monday morning we departed early for the 3-hour drive to the Denver Airport and saw the sun rise over Rabbit Ears Pass. Colorado provided spectacular fall colors all the way to Denver. You can see ten of my best photos in this album. Thank you Maxann and Jay for creating a week full of activities that energized all of us for the season ahead. Allene, Jim, Susan, Ned, Tom, Cathy, and Jennifer, thank you for the wonderful time we spent with you. Chug, charge, chug! Keep going full steam, Steamboat Springs!