Mountain Secrets Blog

The Beginning: "It's 2010, and small businesses are hurting from an economy in recession. In an effort to support local shops that make our communities strong,  American Express launches Small Business Saturday^® on the Saturday after Thanksgiving — to encourage people to Shop Small and bring more holiday shopping to small businesses. 

One year later, the Shop Small Movement gains momentum, as local officials across the nation take notice and promote Small Business Saturday. In 2011, the Senate unanimously passes a resolution in support of the day. By 2012, officials in all 50 states participate. 

By 2017, there were more than 7,200 Neighborhood Champions across all 50 states... [with] an estimated 108 million consumers reported shopping or dining at local independently-owned businesses on Small Business Saturday — generating roughly $12 billion in reported spending."
Small Business Saturday History

Why buy local? According to a report by Michigan State University, "It means nurturing locally owned businesses which use local resources sustainably, employ local workers at decent wages and serve primarily local consumers. It means becoming more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports. Control moves from the boardrooms of distant corporations and back into the community where it belongs."

This week on exploring 285 we visited Evergreen Mountain Sports. They recently moved their location to Conifer. Evergreen Mountain Sports offers full outdoor gear shop, seasonal rentals, and a full service bike/ski tune shop. Check it out and see you around town!

As part of Governor Hickenlooper's "Colorado the Beautiful 16" Trail Connectivity Initiative, and thanks in part to Great Outdoors Colorado - GOCO and many caring volunteers, a new trail segment has been built connecting Staunton State Park to Cub Creek Trail in the Arapahoe National Forest. The ceremony commemorating the opening of this new segment was Monday, October 8, 2018 at the park, attended by John W. Hickenlooper, representatives from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Department of Transportation, The Bailey HUNDO, and more!

What is the "Colorado the Beautiful 16?"
The initiative is a key component of Colorado the Beautiful's broader goal to ensure, within a generation, every Coloradan will live within 10 minutes of a park, trail or vibrant green space.

Read on below!

This week on Exploring 285 we were at Blue Spruce Toys in Conifer. What a great place for toys, puzzles, games and more! Check it out and see you around town! 

Paul Romer, son of former Colorado Governor Roy Romer, was one of the people just awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics. Did you know that Conifer Mountain was a development by Roy Romer and that many of the roads on the mountain, including Paul's Drive, were named after his family? A little historical tidbit from Frank Fransioli who alerted us to this news! Read more below!

By the time you reach the timberline you will breathe a sigh of relief...not necessarily from the exhausting uphill climb...but perhaps the ghoulish sounds of nature as it transitions from summer to winter. ​

This week on exploring 285 we are at Aspen Perk Café Bar & Grill to enjoy their new menu and learn about the venue service they will be providing to the 285 Corridor soon! Check them out and see you around town!  

This week on explore 285 we are at Knit Knook . A great place to enjoy some coffee or tea with friends, take a knitting or crocheting class or buy your materials for your next project! 

​Watch video below​

Quite simply, this is perfectly Colorado!!! The Colorado Trail at Kenosha Pass is an amazing trail to see fall colors in the morning, afternoon and night.

This week on exploring 285 we visited a Borgata! Lots of local artists, craftsmanship, collectibles and more make great gifts or keepsakes! Come explore the 285 Corridor! 

Watch Video Below

This week on exploring 285 we visited Platte River Outfitters & The Sasquatch Outpost ! So many great souvenirs, Colorado gear, camping , fishing , big foot souvenirs & big foot museum ! Come explore the 285 Corridor! 

This week on Explore 285 we were at Bean N Bakery Bistro for a great atmosphere! They have a cozy atmosphere with breakfast, coffee, pastries and more! Watch the video and Come on out and explore 285 Corridor! 

​Watch video below​

This week on Exploring 285 we visited Chill'd Frozen Yogurt to cool down from the heat ! They have multiple flavors, tons of toppings and you can make your own chill'd desert!! Come check it out in Conifer, Colorado. See you around town :)

Watch the video below 

Park County, Colorado has a vibrant railroad history and they celebrate this each year with the Boreas Pass Railroad Day. Part of that storied history includes the Como Depot which has painstakingly been restored over the past few years to show its former glory and the steam engine once again whistles down the track - come see all that the South Park Rail Society and Denver, South Park & Pacific Historical Society have accomplished! On Saturday, August 18th, you can take a ride on Klondike Kate, tour the roundhouse, view Como's Historic School House and Painted houses, enjoy Living History Demonstrations, listen to the Denver Brass, head over Boreas Pass to visit the Breckenridge Highline Railroad Park, Roberts Cabin and Sawmill Museum, and then have dinner offered by the Como Civic Association.

Explore more in our previous blog, The Rich History of the 285 Corridor, and check out the South Park National Heritage website, tour the South Park Museum, and delve into the Park County Historical Society and Park County Local History Archives' treasure troves of photos and information!

Below you will find several YouTube videos that showcase the history of railroads in South Park and the restoration of the Como Depot. Enjoy!

Standing here while looking over the edge, the imagination leaps with excitement at the potential adventures

It started with a Tweet: "Need big color displays this 4th of July? With high fire danger why not try #hiking one of Colorado's amazing trails and see the #wildflowers instead! @MyMountainTown @MattMakens @Colorado @WXRules @COParksWildlife @PSICC_NF @CPW_NE @RockyNPS #4thofJuly #IndependenceDay2018 #cowx" and led to our newest partnership with the fantastic duo Miller and Debbie, the MAD Hippies! They hike all over Colorado and we are excited they will begin sharing their "raw, unfilitered life adventures" with us here on our Mountain Secrets Blog. If you are looking for advice or recommendations on the best places to go, tips on what to take with you and how best to be good stewards, safe hiking practices, or wondering if you are up for the difficulty level of a certain hike, they are your outdoor experts; come see what they have to share! Please welcome MAD Hippies Life to My Mountain Town!

In this episode of Keeping Up With The Community, I sat down with local leading photographer, Amy Johnson. We chatted about how she's self-taught, how she uses photography for a cause, her exciting new business, and a very special offer she's got for the community.

Click "continue reading" for the full interview and video! 

It's colorless, odorless, tasteless, and probably lurking in your basement this very moment.  Can you guess what I'm talking about?

Yup.

A little thing called RADON. 

In this episode of Keeping Up With The Community, Ryan Tereshko of Ryan's Painting and Contracting discusses the effects of radon, how to test for it, and what to do if your radon is on like Donkey Kong.

Press play to watch!

"A house, where a woman is not safe, is not a home." -Woman, Liberia

Small towns. A place where everyone knows your name and your business. The good and bad of small town living is embracing a close-knit community that supports one another but can end up being a bit nosey. Which, in the case of domestic violence, can provide a valuable safety net.

For me, service is a way of life. That's why I ended up as a volunteer for Mountain Peace Shelter (MPS). I'd been itching for a way to give back to the community for the last 6 months, and after talking with Donna, a friend who works at Mountain Peace Shelter, she provided a great option. It not only provided a much needed service, but provided nourishment and peace to my busy life, as well. Using the flexibility of their crisis line volunteer schedule, I could do it in the comfort of my own home, or wherever I happened to be. A few weeks later found myself at my first volunteer training course.

Over the span of two days I learned a lot about domestic violence that I hadn't known before, and I left the training determined to do two things:

1. Use my platform as a writer to get the word out about the good work Mountain Peace Shelter (MPS) is doing.
2. Learn as much as I can about Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence.

I planned my interviews with Lori Cuno, the Executive Director of MPS, Donna Thornton, the Crisis Line Coordinator and Crisis Advocate, and Curt Robinson, the President of MPS Board. Kathy Mastroianni, former Executive Director of MPS, was available as well, to share more about what MPS was all about.

After meeting with the staff at MPS, I knew that sharing their stories would tell you all you needed to know about why I fulfilled my desire to give back to the community. It also tells you why it matters to you.

The passion and warmth in their voices communicated the importance of what was happening at the shelter, as well as the love they are already receiving from the mountain town communities. Each person's commitment told a story before saying a word.