Weekend Picks: Big world, little me
Apr. 13—Estes Park, Colorado is a pretty place.
It was warm enough to enter Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday, and I emerged much too late in the morning from a small, cabin-like room in a motel along the stream that begins somewhere up in the mountains and ends just west Loveland, Colorado.
The elk were abundant in the mountain town, and cars frequently pulled to the side of the road to admire them as they grazed and arched their necks to scratch off the remainder of their winter hair with their brand new antlers.
There weren't any elk to see inside the park this time, but there were plenty of steller's jays and chickadees following hikers along the route to Emerald Lake, frozen and snow-covered for skiers to descend down from the cold mountain ridgeline.
Wind gusts became fierce at the top of the mountain. Rye whisky, stowed in a stainless steel flask I acquired in Alaska, at least granted the illusion of being warmed from the inside out. It's a welcome illusion, especially when your calves are burning from maintaining your balance while trying not to plummet down an iced-over trail.
Even though I wasn't visiting to fish or camp, my weekend visit to Estes Park still served as a reward for waiting out the winter here in Wyoming. I'll soon get back to the serenity of Medicine Bow National Forest, hiking through Curt Gowdy State Park and trying to spot raptors down in Nunn, Colorado.
A return to nature is the gift that keeps on giving in our region, and a reminder that there's something much bigger than all of us to be found in the humbling visuals of a distant mountain peak, a splintered fallen tree or the unassuming golden plains that stretch endlessly into the horizon around us.
Aside from all of the worldly pleasures of the weekend — multiple pints of Guinness, good music and a warm fire — there's the reminder that God, or whatever higher power you attribute (or don't attribute) your spirit to, placed a simple lasting reminder in the land around us that we are very, very small.
In a way, that thought is comforting.
Pine trees are much older, much stronger, than you and I. The animals are much more in tune with their true presence on this Earth, the pestering blue-and-black Steller's jay more honed through years of evolution to happily survive the rough terrain of the Rockies. We are playing among this terrain for but a brief stretch of time, and that is a privilege.
That puts our interactions with one another in perspective — our loves, hates and desires, both eternal among our existence, yet fleeting in the moment. The flame burns bright, the taste of opportunity sweet, and camaraderie and compassion a driving reason for soldiering on.
It can be difficult to remember such a thing while we're trapped in the standard cacophony, but try your best to do so during this busy weekend.
The biggest event this weekend, the arrival of legendary rapper Ice Cube to The Lincoln Theatre on Sunday night, has been sold out for months now. If you're like me, the tickets were A) well outside my price range and B) gone before I had the chance to move some money around. Luckily, there's still a lot to get into around town.
Running throughout the remainder of today and tomorrow is the Capital City Art Show, an expansive installation of high school art in Story Gym. It's the largest art show in Cheyenne, and arguably all of the state, aside from the Wyoming State Art Symposium.
If you're still looking for your music fix, later tonight is The Lincoln's monthly Open Jam Night, a good place to relax and scope some local talent in an "open-mic" style music event. The following night features another round of Dueling Pianos at The Metropolitan Downtown. If you can't make Friday night, there's a second performance on Saturday.
Early risers can make the most of their Saturday morning with this month's Cheyenne Audubon Field Trip. Departing at 6 a.m., the group is visiting an area north of Hillsdale to spot sharp-tailed grouse. The group will also host a talk on Tuesday evening with Colorado entomologist David Leatherman, who writes the quarterly column, "The Hungry Bird," in the Colorado Birds journal.
Now, if 6 a.m. is a bit early, residents can participate in a Community Coffee Class with Snowy Elk Coffee Co. This class will teach attendees how to make the perfect cup of coffee.
Later in the day, the Wyoming State Museum will throw a "Jurassic Party" to celebrate the long-awaited opening of its renovated dinosaur exhibit. This is a 21+ event, featuring beer from Blue Raven Brewery, dinosaur experts, mini field trips and other activities.
Finally, the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra will perform "Postcards from the Isles," which features a compilation of works from English and Irish composers, Saturday night at the Cheyenne Civic Center.
Will Carpenter is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's Arts and Entertainment/Features Reporter. He can be reached by email at wcarpenter@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3135. Follow him on Twitter @will_carp_.
