SteamboatLifestyle.com

The Steamboat Free Summer concert series wrapped up last weekend and after starting out strong 2-2, we unfortunately missed the last three concerts due to work and summer busy-ness. The first show of the summer was Big Kenny and he delivered a great show. I had no idea who this guy was, but my wife is a country music buff so she prepped me for what was a very entertaining performance.

There are two very different, ok make it three, experiences at the free concerts. The first is totally tuned into the music and getting as close to the stage as possible. We did this at Big Kenny and had a great spot in the 3rd or 4rth row in front of the stage. It was pretty empty because of the relatively unknown status of Big Kenny, or just the fact that there isn’t a huge contingency of country music lovers in Steamboat.

The second experience is the chill on the blanket in the family section. After starting up front at the Rythem Devils, we had to retreat for this option after my son Caleb asked “what’s that funny smell”? It was totally packed up front and it was fun to see Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart after a long, long, hiatus from the Dead shows of the late 80′s and early 90′s. This option worked out well as we met up with another family and were still able to hear the music.

The third experience is the drink beer and socialize methodology. This is the Steamboat locals favorite. They literally just drink beer and hang out in the back near the beer and food tents and just see who they see and who sees them. There seems to be a rite of passage for the true Steamboat local and once you’ve been to one free concert and experience this, you are in. This is another one of those community gatherings that is irreplaceable is the fabric of Steamboat Springs.

More info, check out:
http://steamboatfreeconcerts.com/

Click here to view a full version of the Rythem Devils on YouTube

High Mountain Sotheby’s International Realty was a sponsor of the first Steamboat Ride 4 Yellow cycling event this summer, held on August 8. After 12 months of planning, a group of dedicated individuals pulled off a spectacular event, raising over $300,000 for cancer. Proceeds are split between the Lance Armstrong “Livestrong” Foundation, and a local trust fund established to support local cancer fighter’s needs. Lance Armstrong himself rode the “Divide Ride” of 26 miles over the Continental Divide and finishing right at the top of Steamboat Ski Area gondola. Families and friends cheered riders across the finish line, in sometimes very emotional journeys, as some rode for fighters, survivors and others rode ‘in memory of’. Lance Armstrong made a poignant speech as the last riders were crossing the line, and a luncheon was held where Lance’s mother Linda Armstrong Kelley told the story about Lance’s fight with cancer and the journey it took them on as a family. See pictures and videos of the event on the website http://www.ride4yellow.com/, where you can still donate. Stay tuned there to find out more about next year’s race also.

Sadly, Steamboat lost one of it’s own just the Wednesday before the Divide Ride, Andy Caress succumbed to melanoma just eight days before his 25^th birthday. His story touched and was felt by many in Steamboat while cancer awareness was heightened with the Ride 4 Yellow event. Andy had established his own foundation, which his family plans to continue on in his memory. Check out the website to see more about Andy’s important message: http://www.mela-know-more.org/

High Mountain Sotheby’s International Realty participates in other local philanthropy through the High Mountain Community Fund, a Donor Advised Fund managed by the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, and it is set up so that a portion of our proceeds on every closed transaction goes toward the fund. In addition a portion of our grants will be given to the Acumen Fund, a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty.

Several times a year the community of Steamboat closes traffic on Lincoln Avenue and gathers on its main street downtown to celebrate together in Mayberry fashion. The kids in this community are so important and these parades and activities on main street bring out the best in them. This year was no exception as we even had an Olympic Size celebration sending off the winter Olympians to Vancouver and again later celebrating their success upon their return.

The big three gatherings that occur every year are during the winter carnival in February, Fourth of July Parade, and Halloween. We are fortunate to have an office right at the corner of 7th and Lincoln and pass out candy to the kids, as well as invite the adults in for mimosas or coffee and of course some good laughs. This year the U.S. Air force did a fly over with a group of F-16′s that really added to the excitement of the parade, but unfortunately you had to be quick with your camera to capture this image. I did get some raw video footage of this year’s parade. Make sure to come by and see us next time we have one of these events.

Click here to download the Fourth of July Parade video

Sometimes it’s the simple pleasures of Steamboat that make a great day, not
a grueling mountain bike ride or awesome powder day on the slopes, but just
spending a leisurely day downtown. For us, that’s what Memorial Day turned
out to be. We took a nice bike ride down the Yampa River Core Trail to
watch the freestyle event at the Yampa River Festival’s pro event at
Charlie’s Hole. The core trail itself runs from the south end of town near
the Steamboat Motel, all the way through town along the river, and out past
the Depot ending west of town. This is truly one of Steamboat’s best
amenities and a main stay in the Steamboat summertime for folks of all ages.

After watching a few warm up runs and enjoying the scene, we then fell
victim to a 9 year old growing boys hunger and temperament. We strolled
back through downtown and wound up hanging on the back lawn of the Sweet Pea

Market right next to the Yampa River. I highly recommend the roast beef
sandwich and the staff and atmosphere were excellent. There is something
about the sound of moving water and bright sunshine that soothes the soul.
After filling our stomachs and having some tasty iced tea (they had not
gotten their liquor license yet), we walked over to the new Gelato for some
desert. Unbeknownst to us, a new business had just opened up next store so
we got a chance to give a shout out to Kim at Kimmie’s Cruisers. This is a
great business concept and I think will be a great addition to downtown
Steamboat.

After filling our palates and sampling three flavors of Gelato, it was time
to bike on home and start thinking about the new work week.

Click here to Download Video: The New and Old School Downtown

This is not unique to the Steamboat lifestyle, but I decided to post it anyway as it sheds light on my personal world and I’m sure all parents will appreciate. It’s amazing what can come out of a clean slate for the day, a garage full of stuff, and a couple of 9 year olds with an imagination. My son Caleb has been spending his weekends thoroughly ravaging through every item in our garage the last few weekends, and this last weekend was a pinnacle moment. He opened up the day by taping together two pieces of pvc pipe that created a shotgun looking object, as well as doubled for him as a horn that allowed him to perform one of the best elk mating calls I have ever heard. After some time that seem to get boring, so he moved on to dismantling his old cruiser bike and proceeded to experiment with “metal on metal” to see what an ax could do to the bike (this did not go over well with Dad). After a brief scolding and Dad going back in side to cool off, the trifecta was rounded out by another interesting performance that involves rope, six wheels, and determination….

Click here to Download Video: Kids and Garages

My Dad and Uncle Dick were visiting Vail from Minnesota and I convinced them to drive to Steamboat for a day of fly-fishing. After debating several different guide services and waters, I selected Steamboat Fly Fisher and an area of the Yampa River west of town near Milner called the Lower Cam. It was a “blue-bird” day and we couldn’t have had better weather.

My Dad is a beginner fly-fisherman, myself intermediate, and Uncle Dick an expert. We arrived at the shop at 9 am and headed 20 minutes west of town toward Milner. At some point, I realized that the experience of going fishing with your buddies or family is so much more than just the fishing. The camaraderie of having coffee before the trip, talking shop and telling tales, and comparing stories and results afterwards is really what it’s all about.

My Uncle Dick certainly understands the essence of this fishing experience. My Dad and he arrived early to my house to say hello to the “wife” to be, and top off their coffee mugs to ensure a nice caffeine buzz when we got on the water. Dick grew up fly-fishing in Northern Wisconsin and has been wetting a line for well over 50 years. It’s awesome to see a 60-something-year-old man have the excitement and anticipation that embodies a 5-year-old on Christmas morning.

So, we got to the river and it was time to get our waders on and rig the rods. This is where it started to get interesting. The guide brought six weight poles for all of us and assured us that this stretch of water was known for having sizeable trout; we’d need this weight pole if we wanted to land a big fish. Uncle Dick brought his trusty four weight from home and insisted on sticking with this. It was quite a moment to see the guide’s reluctance, but also you could see in his eyes that “the customer was always right.” With that, we headed out onto the water.

As the guide squared my Dad and I away with nymphs, my Uncle walked down river and insisted on a dry. He told the guide that he would rather dry fly-fish for four hours and not catch anything, than to use nymphs. So, that is how things went. My Dad and I caught a dozen beautiful rainbow in a few hours, and my Uncle stayed down river from us throwing out dries with his four weight.

As we moved up river and got closer to our finishing point, Uncle Dick was running out of time and river. At this point, he stubbornly put on a hopper and methodically tossed it out, determined that it would entice a brown. Then, with no warning or prior activity, a lunker walloped my Uncle’s hopper. Anticipating this moment for over three hours, he was fully prepared. He tightened his line and set the hook in a split second, while my dad and I and our guide gathered on the shore to watch him try to land the fish.

Now remember, my Uncle opted for his trusty old four-weight rod against the guide’s recommendation and we all knew that he now had his hands full. But he calmly kept his line taught and proceeded to tire the large fish out. After about 10 minutes it was clear who was going to win this battle. The guide conceded and gladly netted the beautiful brown trout. We all knew what we had just witnessed and nobody needed to say anything. We just stood and admired the 24-incher caught by sheer stubbornness – and a little age and experience.

Uncle Dick with the Brown Trout