People like to say, “You only have so many summers left, better take advantage of them.” Well, I feel that way about the fall. Specifically, the fall in the Colorado high country.

Finally, after an (especially) hot summer, temperatures have dropped, there’s that beautiful crispness in the morning air, and the leaves are beginning to change. It’s a pilgrimage as old as time (or at least as old as social media)—trekking to the high country to see the golden bursts of color among the hillsides.

This year, we may have to adjust our schedules. Our hot summer, with drought conditions, means the leaves are changing ahead of their normal schedule. According to the actual professionals, peak color could arrive about a week earlier than usual and may, unfortunately, be slightly less vibrant.

Our scouts have reported back that colors are just popping along I-70 near Vail. Guanella Pass, a local favorite, appears to have peaked already and may be beyond its best color, but still very good!

For all of us living below 8,000 feet, the show is moving downhill toward us. Expect the best window from late September into early October.

We’re not going to tell you exactly where to go. There are enough of those “top” lists all over your social media. I’d be robbing you of the opportunity to get out there and explore for yourself. We must remember, that’s half the fun.

This is part of what makes Colorado fall so good. We don’t get three months of great colors. We only get a few short, glorious weeks. Go find some.

Recently, I had a water issue at my house. As my wife will attest, I’m far from handy. It was time to call in the professionals. But I don’t know any plumbers. So, I did what people have been doing for eternity—I asked my neighbor.

He unfortunately didn’t have any recommendations, so I was left to scan the bowels of Google and Yelp. I didn’t want hundreds of search results. I wanted a trusted recommendation.

So I had this thought: What if we could use the Foothill Crew audience as a way to answer that age-old question: “Does anyone know a good _____?”

There are thousands of us reading this newsletter every week. Collectively, we’ve hired a lot of people and learned who’s good, who’s reliable, who charges a fair price, and who we’d happily call again. Who we’d recommend if a friend asked.

What if we gathered all of that knowledge in one place and shared it with everyone? Think about it like a hyper-local Yelp or Angi’s List. Except you can’t buy your way onto this list.

Is this something that would be valuable? Chime in below.

SUNRISE: 6:58 AM
SUNSET: 6:57 PM
FORECAST: Basically ~70s all week, with a few afternoon rains
BEST DAY TO GET OUTSIDE: Thursday looking pretty nice for a run/hike

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Center for the Arts Evergreen, Evergreen- Evergreen Farmers Market with fresh produce, prepared food, and local makers. Freshies

Holidaily Brewing, Golden- Paint & Pints, 6-9pm. Art

Green Mountain Brewery, Lakewood- Weekly Run Club, 6pm. Run, then beers

Beck Venture Center, Golden- Startup Forum fireside chat with Mines alum Jack Norbeck of Fervo Energy, 3:30-7pm. Geothermal talk

Miners Saloon, Golden- Live music Wednesdays with Branden Sipes, 6-9pm. Miners Saloon

Snowpack Taproom, Conifer- Open Bluegrass Jam, 6:30-9pm. Pick a little

Buffalo Rose, Golden- Country Line Dancing with Jeff Goodwin and the Front Range Cowboys, 7-10pm. Boot Scootin’

Evergreen Nature Center, Evergreen- Preschool Adventures, 9-10am. Little naturalists

New Terrain Brewing, Golden- Bike Demo Days with Revel, Spot, Mondraker and ALSO., 3-7pm.Music by the Mesa follows, 6-9pm. Ride, then sip

Mountain Home, Evergreen- Annual Fall Fashion Show with cocktails, appetizers, door prizes, and fall looks, 5:30-7:30pm. Fall fits

Runner’s Roost, Golden- Weekly Run Club, meet at 6pm

BP Run Co, Wheat Ridge- Weekly run club, starting at 6pm. Lace ‘em up

Evoke 1923, Evergreen- Sips for Scholarships, 6-9pm. Raise a glass

Table Mountain Inn, Golden- Spirits Club, 6-8pm. Sip something strong

Buffalo Rose, Golden- Second Chance and Take It on the Run, tributes to 38 Special and REO Speedwagon, 7-11pm. Classic rock

Snowpack Pizzeria, Conifer- Comedy Night with Christie Buchele, 8-10pm. Have a laugh

Upper Beaver Brook Watershed, Evergreen- MILES for MALT community hike, 8:30-10am. Hike for the land

The Golden Mill, Golden- Rooftop barre with Unite Fitness, 9:30-10:30am. Get moving

Evergreen Lake House, Evergreen- Mountain Stories Literary Festival and Author Happy Hour. Mountain tales

Cheese Ranch Artisan Deli, Golden- Fondue Friday, 5pm. Yummy

Buchanan Park, Evergreen- Free Movie Night, 5pm. Jurassic Park

Golden High School, Golden- Homecoming parade and game, 5pm.

Jeffco Open Space, Golden- Back to Basics: Cold Weather Hiking, 6-8pm. Layer up

Denver Century Ride, Golden- The 100-mile route rolls through town, 6:30-7am start. Spin

Golden Farmers Market, Golden- Weekly farmers market, 8am-1pm. Market morning

Snowpack Taproom, Conifer- Saturday Morning Yoga, 10-11am. Flow state

Evergreen North Shopping Complex, Evergreen- Evergreen Elk & Art Festival, 10am-5pm. Art and antlers

Holidaily Brewing, Golden- Gluten-Free Oktoberfest, 11am-10pm. Prost

New Terrain Brewing, Golden- Fall Jamboree with Friends of CAIC, featuring Mark Morris & His All-Terrain All-Stars, 12-4pm. Jam

Plume Sauna Club, Silver Plume- Full Moon Sauna, 8-9:30pm. Hot and cold

Wulf Rec Center, Evergreen- Goat Yoga, 8:30am. Get out there

Olde Town Square, Arvada- Arvada Farmers Market, 9am. Sunday market

Evergreen North Shopping Complex, Evergreen- Evergreen Elk & Art Festival, 10am-5pm. Art and antlers

Dino Ridge, Morrison- Stego Stampede Fun Run and free Colorado Sesquicentennial celebration. Run with dinosaurs

New Terrain Brewing, Golden- Gear Swap featuring RapidGrass, 12-4pm. Swap and sip

Mountain Toad Brewing, Golden- Board Game Night, 5pm-close. Have fun

Foothills Art Center, Golden- Color Confidence for Painters, 10am-2pm. Get colorful

Golden Game Guild, Golden- Teach Me to Play Mondays, 6-9pm. Learn new games

New Terrain Brewing Co, Golden- Yoga on Tap 🧘 Yoga from 6-7pm, beers anytime. Get your ticket

Green Lake near Guanella Pass.

🤝 If you think someone else would enjoy these updates, please pass along. The more the crew grows, the better it gets for everyone.

💌 If you have good friends who were kind enough to forward this to you, skip the middleman and join the crew directly! 👇

See you around the next bend!