veriwide said:
I will be taking my honeymoon to the Denver area in a couple of weeks. We will be in Boulder, Frisco, and Denver over the period of a week. I am looking for good camera store or two in that area to replenish my Ilford Delta 400 in 120, in case I did not bring enough with me.
Our major destinations will be the Rocky Mountain National Park, Garden of the Gods, the Gran Prix of Denver, and our whole reason for coming to Denver, three games with our beloved Chicago Cubs vs. the Rockies.
I would appreciate any film/used camera store leads, as well as suggestions about the areas we will be.
Thanks,
Patrick Pitzer
I grew up in Denver (actually Golden, close enough) but I don't know where to send you for film anymore - Waxman's is long gone. I bought mine mail-order, sorry.
As to 'suggestions', all I can offer are a couple of tips that flatlanders don't often realize. And yes, I know Boone is hardly the flatland, but believe me, to the Rockies, the Smokies are a tad smallish.
Bring sunscreen. Denver is not called "The Mile High City" for nothing. There is less in the way of the sun and Denver gets a lot of sunshine. People burn pretty badly without knowing it there.
Watch your alcohol intake if you choose to drink. Again, a mile high - a person's capacity is affected. You can drink 'the usual' and have it affect you much more than usual.
If possible, try to spend some time in Denver or Colorado Springs before ascending to the 'High Country' to give your body time to acclimate. Sea level (or roughly that) to 9,000 feet (roughly treeline) will give some people altitude sickness, and that is a very painful sickness to have.
Watch your athletic endeavors - if you're a hiker, bicyclist, runner, etc. Less oxygen in the air - you get out of breath more easily, even if you are in good physical condition.
If you get a chance and you like pizza...(and what Cubbies fan doesn't like good deep-dish?) consider a drive up to Idaho Springs for a visit to Beau Jo's Pizza:
http://www.beaujos.com/
Yes, they have a restaurant down in Denver, but it's not the same. Idaho Springs is one of the original 'mining towns' that has not been transformed (and destroyed for authentic or historical purposes) by so-called 'small stakes' gambling that has ruined Central City, Cripple Creek, and Blackhawk. Idaho Springs is also close by - a 20 minute drive up I-70 West from Denver. They have a cool waterfall visible from the highway, an authentic (replica) waterwheel, and a quaint and authentic 'old west' downtown area. And the pizza is something else again. My favorite pizza ever, ever, ever.
Do *not* let anyone talk you into going to 'Casa Bonita' in Lakewood. Yes, they have cliff divers and a guy in a gorilla suit running around scaring kids. In my opinion, it's cheesy and the food is blah-quality pseudo-Mexican TV dinners. Having grown up there, I was never impressed. But the tourists seem to like it, so it is often recommended.
Photographically - remember those polarizers and lens hoods. All good when you're shooting in the mountains. Snow reflections (even in summer) and again, less atmosphere above you make a polarizer a good friend and glare a constant companion.
If you're into trains, there is a lovely old train museum in Golden, just west of Denver about 10 miles:
http://www.crrm.org/
I've been going there since I was a kid, it is MUCH nicer than it used to be.
And of course, the free tour at the Coors brewery can be fun. Not much to see or photograph, but fun take the tour and drink the free fresh beer at the end of it. Downtown Golden is somewhat photogenic as well, and you can drive up Lookout Mountain to Buffalo Bill's gravesite and get some great shots east over Denver if the air is clear.
If you do happen to drive I-70 West, consider pulling off in Silver Plume, Silver Thorne, or Georgetown. These are slightly less 'touristy' mountain towns, somewhat unmolested, and worth a drive through.
Consider a tripod and a long lens if you want a shot of the 'space ship house' where they filmed the movie 'Sleeper', visible from I-70 West as you climb up the hill.
In Colorado Springs, you've got a number of things of photographic interest, depending on what you're into. The Air Force Academy is visible from I-25 just as you get to the Springs, including the stadium and the famous chapel. Garden of the Gods is near Pike's Peak, and there is a cog-rail train that goes up the side, gift-shop at the top is kinda cheesy, but it is kinda fun to take the cog-rail up and then back down again. You can drive up and back down, but it is hard on your brakes - some people overheat and lose control when their brakes fade coming down - very steep. They have a big race there every year, the Pikes Peak Hillclimb.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is interesting - built right into the side of the mountain!
Manitou Cliff Dwellings - never been there myself. Just thought I'd mention it.
Also in Colorado Springs is the Rodeo Hall of Fame if you're into that, and even (well, not my thing, but whatever) "Focus on the Family" has their HQ there. Living in NC myself these days, I realize that many in this area are of the evangelical persuasion - my neighbors know all about Focus on the Family, so I guess it is like Mecca or something for some folks.
Boulder will remind you of Boone, or better yet, Blowing Rock. CU is there, nestled against the hills, and they have a different character there. Sometimes referred to as "The People's Republic of Boulder" by locals. They have a nice open-air mall called the "Pearl Street Mall" where they have buskers and lots of touristy restaurants and there are generally lots of protesters or this or that, Hare Krishna's in full regalia dancing around, Mennonites and Quakers having get-togethers, and more college students with pierced everythings exhibiting a gross misuse of their parent's money than you can imagine. For lunch, Conor ONeills on the Mall was an Irish pub that was purchased, disassembled, and transported to Boulder and rebuilt piece by piece. A 'real' Irish pub in that sense.
If you want a TRUE sense of the Boulder Identity - The Sink:
http://thesink.com/
Robert Redford had been a janitor there when he was a college student - now he is one of the owners. However, it has not (or had not, last time I was there) gone tourist. It is still a college dive bar and grill and hangout, complete with band listings, stuff for sale, hangers-on and hippies, the pleasantly-mentally-disturbed, and women who wear nearly nothing and don't seem to mind old men who stare too much.
'Bout all I can think of. Hope you have a great time!
