Around the Springs with Crites and Main

Loving his company

I enjoy my porch, and find it an agreeable place to end most summer evenings. Rarely can I share it with anyone. Most of my friends in Colorado live in Denver, so I have to rely on visitors for an opportunity to share that little patch of wealth. 

Between our adventures, we spent a fair amount of time on the porch, talking music, baseball, movies and life. Crites and Main were my first long-term visitors of 2021 and we had a pretty ambitious slate for their time in Colorado.

They kindly flew into Colorado Springs so we could take a spin through downtown, have Bingo Burger for lunch and a beer at Phantom Canyon as our first brewery stop. 

Through these days, we hit a string of breweries across those days, spacing them out for the sake of our livers. I gave Crites and Main the nickel tour. Downtown and my neighborhood are walkable, and it broke up the morning a bit. That afternoon, we retraced Crites’ last visit with stops at Goat Patch and Metric, both with very different beer lineups two years later. 

Percy follows his friend

But most nights, we landed back on the patio, with music playing, Percy alternating which of us he wanted to sit near and the cooler air supplied by the altitude making it a pleasant refuge. Of their seven nights in Colorado, four ended up the patio. That pleased me, that my house could be a place where cool nights and good conversation could run late. Crites got me a portable speaker for my birthday, and it served us well on those evenings.

After a few nights away (fodder for coming blogs), Saturday was mostly a chill day. Between the San Luis Valley then Coors Field and a late night in Denver, we needed a little recharge after running hard for a few days. We hit Coaltrain so the boys could acquire beers for to take home but drank relatively few. 

On Sunday, I had to take the guys into the high country. I found my way to the Florissant Fossil Beds in October 2008. With them now in my backyard, I try to bring as many people up here as I can. I showed them the old trees, but noted the real majesty of Florissant lies on the quiet trails that peak into its seldom-seen wilderness. 

Our lunch and beer stop was unquestioned, at least this time. Paradox Brewing in Divide has changed significantly in just a year or two. The corned bison sandwich redeemed their slimmed-down beer lineup that largely eschewed the barrel-aged sours that had been their hallmark. The food truck served up a corned bison sandwich that I have not forgotten.

Back down in the Springs, I figured we could round out the afternoon with an overlooked beer stop.  Most of the beers at Cogstone were winners, along with the Carrot Cream Ale I brought home. 

Storybook

After a last stop at Storybook Brewing, which always has a big diverse beer lineup, we landed back to the porch. Percy didn’t mind that we ordered food, listened to music and talked life. Neither did we. The days were crowded enough that chill evenings seemed to work well. Plus, the dash of nightlife that Denver provided satisfied me for a good while. The three of us have almost 20 years of history and rapport, so we rarely hit a slow moment.

Our plans for Monday morning were dashed by the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, which canceled our trip to the mountaintop. A simple e-mail ended that plan on Sunday evening. Color me disappointed – the tramway only reopened earlier in 2021, and I had not taken the trip yet.

 At least Monday morning was prime for exploring. I was a little distracted that the smoke that coated Pikes Peak for their entire visits seemed lighter on the day we were supposed to head up the mountain. Oh well, it could have been a mechanical issue – we’ll never know. 

Instead we pivoted to another top natural attraction, Garden of the Gods. The rock formations had the crowds that surround them every day, but we had time to find our own way around the red rocks. We passed a group exploring Garden of the Gods on horseback. For one last brewery, I went with Trinity. I picked Trinity Brewing, which I had only visited once but remembered enjoying. They had a strong stable of sour and wild beers that made us forget about striking out in Divide.

In Manitou

For lunch we ventured to the Border Burger Bar, which has been voted the best burger joint in Colorado. I would not argue. Both Crites and Main got to have their Sloppers, the Pueblo staple – an open-faced cheeseburger smothered in green chile and served with French fries on top. They enjoyed them, as we expected.

For the last night in the Springs, we returned to the porch for the Reds-Indians game, which the Indians won easily, ending the season series in a tie.

With Tuesday came the feeling of an end rushing up. That cannot be separated from any vacation. But we took our time, as our Red Rocks show started in the early evening. 

The Arcade

Our last local destination was obvious – Manitou Springs won out. The quirky opposite to Colorado Springs, the little liberal enclave has grown on me. Sure, it runs very tourist, but it is a tourist vibe unlike others in Colorado, more East Coast beach town than mountain retreat. We had a solid breakfast at The Kitchen, an unpretentious place where the man behind the grill popped out to take orders from customers. 

As video game aficionados, I figured the guys 4would appreciate the Manitou Arcade. Across many small buildings, the arcade covers almost an entire block and features a century’s worth of games. Main threw some quarters into a vintage Rampage machine. 

Manitou seemed like a good final stop before we headed up to Denver and Red Rocks to close out their trip. It’s a tourist spot, a beach town without an ocean or a beach, but plenty of 150-year-old charm. Hitting the smaller Springs seemed a good way to close out a long week, especially with its streets quiet and its quirks approachable.