High Times in Colorado & Wyoming!

Thanks to everyone who made our summer Western tour so special! We kicked it off in Lawrence, KANSAS, where we were joined for a rousing finale by all-girl act,The Ovaries-Eez. We then did a well-rested (ha!), long drive to Colorado for our next show in the gorgeous town of Windsor…where we were thrilled to discover that the stage was BEACH-FRONT! We were more than happy to take advantage of the water on this summer day. We also had a long drive ahead of us across Wyoming: We played Oyster Ridge Music Festival the following day in Kemmerer, T’was a pleasure to meet many music lovers and flatpicking fans! Carbondale Mountain Fair was an absolute blast. The fest has been honed to perfection over 42 years! No wonder there are fire dances, magicians, high-level entertainment…and vibes.

We were sad to move on from our beloved Carbondale, but the scenic drive through Aspen and up Independence Pass listening to Bela Fleck “Drive” helped to cheer the spirits. (Did you know all aspen in a grove are “one” tree?!) We arrived in Alamosa to a rainy sound-check and wondered if anyone would actually show up. Yes, they did, by the hundreds, for Sundays at Six Concert Series. And all sat quietly and listened to bluegrass!

Onward to the tallest dunes in North America: the Great Sand Dune National Park. And honestly, I felt like I was in Oman or somewhere exotic in the Middle East! I highly recommend this place for a hike to the top of the dunes, or a ride on a “snowboard” or “sled” made for rides on the sand!

 

We departed the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Range and made it to the beautiful town of Crested Butte just in time for a live radio spot with Nate Welch on his KBUT show.

Here in Gunnison and Crested Butte, we did some fantastic hiking and picking. We visited Castle Creek Guitars, sponsors of our concert at the I Bar Ranch. We performed with their originally designed instrument, the amazing “Dobrato.” Thanks to all the folks at the I Bar for making our Tuesday Night Burgers & Bluegrass Concert Series such a hoot.

North-ward to Frisco, where we truly loved their Thursday Night Concert Series! This historic town knows how to put on a party in their streets (complete with beer tent, stage left!) The town was dancing and hanging, festival-style.

Further northward to Avogadro’s Number, Fort Collins for AVOGRASS FESTIVAAAL! Thanks for the Grateful Dead tunes (’twas Garcia’s birthday). Thanks KRFC for having us in-studio (+ rockin’ T-shirts!) LOVE YOU, “The Fort!”

We moved on up the mountain range to a tiny historic town of Centennial, at the foot of the Snowy Mountain Range, where we performed at the Beartree Tavern…and a couple got ENGAGED as we sang our finale of “Mule Skinner Blues…” CONGRATS!!

We ended this amazing run of festivals at the awesome Beartrap Festival in Casper, Wyoming! So great to see Jalan Crossland, the Deadly Gentlemen, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and so many other talented acts in this HIGH elevation and wonderfully happy place.