AUTUMN COLORS
Fall tallgrass
South Boulder Creek Trail
1401 S. Foothills Highway, Boulder
Aspen gold has only just begun to shoot through the high country, but the tallgrass in the foothills south of Boulder is fully ablaze. Try the South Boulder Creek Trail, on the west side of Colo. 93 a half-mile north of Eldorado Springs Drive. Take the easy 4-mile loop up the South Boulder Creek Trail to the Mesa Trail, then go north to the Big Bluestem Trail and east back to the trailhead. The grasses are especially tall and colorful, and if you’re lucky, you may catch a glimpse of the rare bobolink, Preble’s meadow jumping mouse and Ute ladies’ tresses orchids that call the South Boulder Creek Natural Area home.
POTS WITH ATTITUDE
Cache La Pottery
464 Snowmass Drive, Livermore
970-493-3835 or cachelapottery.com
About halfway up the hill to Red Feather Lakes a little homegrown pottery with a sharp sense of humor is taking shape in a barn along County Road 74. Daniel Slack and his wife, Theresa Rose, together produce formal vessel forms (he throws, she sometimes glazes) that make you snicker. Take a peek at their Grecian bowl titled “Shakiti of the Suburbs,” or just ooh and ahh at Slack’s elegant pieces like the curvaceous “Renewal” vase with its sexy, curved handles. Until Larimer County gives the OK for regular business hours, they’re only open now and then, so call before you go.
FIDDLES, HARPS AND FLUTES
Spanish Peaks International Celtic Music Festival
Cuchara, Gardner, La Veta and Walsenburg;
celticmusicfest.com or 719-742-5410
Get out your fiddle, harp and flute or just pack a bag and head south to the second annual Spanish Peaks International Celtic Music Festival. Events include performances by top performers, plus instruction by some of the best, Thursday through Oct. 1.
