Southwest Airlines Unveils Evolution of its Aircraft Interior

DALLAS, TX – Southwest Airlines has unveiled a refresh of the cabin interior for its Boeing 737 fleet, that the airline is calling “Evolve.” The make-over includes a number of changes, including new seats, carpet and bulkhead decor. (pictured below)

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When walking on board, customers will notice changes to the seats, in particular. First, the “saddle tan” leather of the older seats has been exchanged for a lighter, sand-colored tan. The seat covers are made from “E-Leather” which has been tested for over two years on Southwest’s flying “Green Plane” testbed. Travelers will also notice the shape of the new head rest is contoured for more rest and comfort. Southwest Marketing Manager Angela Vargo mentioned that the new seats are slightly thinner (in depth not width) and lower to the floor, noting “Depending how you sit in your seat, you’ll have up to an extra inch of personal space.” As we all know, every inch matters when it comes to personal comfort on a plane. The thinner seat profile has also allowed Southwest to add 6 seats to the 737-300 and 737-700 aircraft configurations. They will be upgraded from 137 to 143 seats, without any sacrifices in leg room. In addition, the capacity adjustment will help Southwest’s bottom line in the form of potential extra revenue and reduced operating cost per seat mile, along with a weight savings of over 600 pounds per aircraft.

The cabin’s former blue carpeting has been replaced by patterned grey recyclable InterfaceFLOR carpet. This new carpet has also been tested since 2009 while flying around on the “Green Plane.” It is interesting to note that this carpet is installed in squares of two sizes, versus the custom cut sections formerly used on the 737. This saves on having to replace large sections when a small area is worn out or stained, and can be done with the seats still installed, which in turn saves on labor costs for the airline, and reduces out of service time for the aircraft. When a section of the new carpet needs replacement, it is returned to the manufacturer, where it is re-engineered is a process that is completely carbon neutral.

Once seated, customers will notice a few other aesthetic changes, such as new brushed aluminum tray table locks that now click into place, and should help prevent the unwelcome tray collapse into your lap. The seatback pockets are now a mesh, allowing you to see the pocket’s contents. This could be especially advantageous to those who might be prone to forgetting their phones, books, ear buds or tablet computers when getting off the plane. The forward and rear bulkheads have also received a new design, with a dark leather-like texture, highlighted by an update of Southwest’s winged heart logo.

It doesn’t take too much guessing to realize that this is how Southwest’s new 737-800s will look on the inside once they start to arrive in March, aside from the “Boeing Sky Interior” updates to the overhead bins, window bevels and lighting systems. In comparison to the Spirit interior (2001-2012), the new interior features more muted colors, giving it a more refined and business-like feel. Overall, this is a stylish and welcome update to the brand Southwest has presented to travelers for over 40 years.

This aircraft, N935WN, goes into service this month, while the airline plans to begin fitting one aircraft per night with the new interior starting in March of this year.

Cutting the Cord – How I ditched Cable TV

A couple of weeks ago, in a rare moment of budgetary clarity, I emailed my wife and suggested we cancel our AT&T U-Verse cable service and buy an AppleTV device. For the $99 price of the magic little box, we would save ourselves $86 per month in subscription and equipment rental fees. Being that we’re in the process of cutting expenses and reducing debt (thanks, Dave Ramsey) it was a no-brainer.   We’ve been AT&T customers for almost 3 years, having signed up as soon as their U-Verse service was available in our neighborhood. Before that, we had Time Warner.

For us, the decision was not about AppleTV’s capability of streaming on-demand TV shows and movies (for a rental fee). Who never actually paid to watch something downloaded from iTunes. We were using it as a digital middle-man, if you will. Paired with our iPad2, via AirtPlay Mirroring, we streamed TV shows, either from their network website, or from the network’s own apps, available in the App Store. Even for networks whose videos are Adobe Flash format (Fox), there’s an app for that! Download the Skyfire Web Brower for iPad (3.99).

Fast-forward several days, and I was becoming annoyed with having to go through the motions of just getting the TV set up to watch a non-rented show on Apple TV. It took several minutes to get everything on the right TV and stereo inputs, and to choose a show and then get it to display with sound properly on the TV. For some reason, we frequently had to re-start either the Apple TV, the iPad or back out of AirPlay mirroring just to get the sound to play with the show. And because the show was streamed over wi-fi, we were at the mercy of the network speed gods – which sometimes left the show displayed in very poor quality, or frozen on the screen for a second or two.  I began looking for other options.

I ended up going with a Roku 2 XS. Its $99.99 sticker price matches the Apple TV but the Roku box held advantages I preferred over the Apple TV after comparing them.

1. The Roku system displays shows in full 1080 HD. Using AirPlay mirroring, the shows streamed through AppleTV only came across at 720P at best, leaving much of our 46″ screen unused.
2. The Roku system has a native Hulu Plus app. It still requires a $7.99/month subscription, but it freed up my iPad, which I’d rather use for other functions. I was also concerned about those times when I needed to take my iPad on a business trip or when the battery might go dead, leaving us without a TV option. Using Hulu Plus, I would still have that to watch shows if and when I do take the iPad on road trips.
3. The Roku system has an Ethernet port (on the XS model), so your data stream is more reliable than when depending on a Wi-Fi signal as with AirPlay mirroring. You can also choose to use Wi-Fi if you like.
4. Though it wasn’t a decision-making factor, Roku’s XS model also comes with a motion-sensing remote control, and “Angry Birds” pre-installed. I’ve already been playing it for years in my iPhone, but it’s a good feature for those without smartphones, or are shy about letting the kiddos handle their fragile phones.

I’m returning the Apple TV today. The only thing I’ll really miss about it is being able to stream music from my iPhone and/or Mac desktop computer to it.  But if I want to play music from my phone on my home stereo, all I really need is a $6 audio cable from Radio Shack. Put one end in your iPhone’s headphone jack, and the other end in your stereo’s audio input.

In short, canceling our cable service and buying the Roku XS 2 as a replacement is saving us almost $1,000 a year! Sure, I’ll miss ESPN, Discovery Channel and a few others, but are they worth $1,000 a year? We could all use  more time spent exercising, reading, or playing with our kids anyway.

Review: Sea Life Auqarium – Grapevine, TX

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were looking for somewhere fun and different to take the kids, along with an escape from the oppressive Texas summer heat. We settled on the new Sea Life Aquarium in Grapevine, Texas. On their website I discovered you can buy discounted tickets before you go. We briefly discussed buying a year-long family pass, because it pays for itself after 3 visits, but ended up buying just a single visit.

My first warning sign was that this place is located inside a shopping mall. Inside the mall I found a kiosk that let me print the tickets we had bought at home. This ended up being pretty handy, because the ticket purchase line stretched far out into the mall corridor. Our pre-paid tickets got us into a shorter queue, but we were still shuffled through a maze of stanchions and past the optional group photo op in front of a green screen. Finally we came to a door at the end of a narrowing hallway, where we waited. From the time we got in, it took another 30 minutes to really get in the aquarium.

 

 

The door opened, and we were funneled into a holding room and greeted by a Sea Life employee. The room featured a 360-degree aquarium, filled with hundreds of small minnow-like fish. The fish circled the room in a counter-clockwise pattern while the Sea Life employee went over the dos and don’ts of the facility. She also explained that we should NOT pass up the restroom, because there would only be one chance during the tour. After her obligatory shpeel,  another door opened and we were allowed to proceed to tour the aquarium. We chose to hang back and let the others go first, so we could take our time, and not bump others with our stroller.

 

We saw various tanks filled with all manner of fish, rays, seahorses, eels,  jellyfish and a few sharks. Each display had a touch screen monitor describing the fish featured there. At the end of the tour was a rock pool, where kids could touch starfish, urchins and hermit crabs. My daughters, aged 5 and 2, seemed to really enjoy all of the “fishies.” I found myself disappointed with the experience, and thankful that we had not bought the family pass. It took less than an hour to see everything, and we really took our time getting through it. I consider it a lesson learned.

As an alternative, I recommend the Dallas World Aquarium in downtown Dallas. Though it is a little bit more expensive, it is a vast facility. It is less crowded and in addition to fish and sea critters, it features hundreds of reptiles, birds, and even MONKEYS! I left here feeling much more satisfied with the money and time I had spent.

Sea Life Aquarium  Grapevine Mills Mall – 3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway – Grapevine, Texas 76051

Hours of Operation:  Mon- Sat 10:00M – 9:30PM | Sunday 11:00AM – 7:00PM *Last admission is 2 hours before closing.

Admission: Adult (13+) $16.15 Online | $19.00 at the door //  Kids (3-12) $12.75 online | $15.00 at the door // Kids (2 and under) FREE

A Hotel Experience: From Agony to Ecstasy in Under 30 Minutes via Social Media

The part I enjoy most about my career is that occasionally, I get to travel to far-off places like Providence, Rhode Island. I had begun my work day as I boarded a Southwest Airlines plane at 9:00AM in Dallas, Texas. I flew through Saint Louis to Orlando. In Orlando, I had 10 minutes from the time I got off my plane until my next flight boarded. I grabbed a pre-made chicken wrap and hopped on my next flight to Norfolk, Virginia. I spent three hours working in Norfolk then hopped on another plane to Baltimore, where again, I changed planes. Finally, I boarded my flight to Providence at 10:25PM. By the time I made it to the Sheraton at Providence Airport, it was 12:05AM. For those of you who have not been counting, that’s FIVE flights in one day – with over 15 hours of combined flying or “airport appreciation time.”

Within 10 minutes of getting to my room, I set my iPhone alarm for 9:30AM, put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door and crawled into bed.

At some point in the middle of the night, I think I hear a tap on the door. Then I hear it again, more vigorously. I grumbled “WHAT?!?” and the tapping ended. I rolled over and the clock said 8:40AM. I realized the tapping had come from the housekeeping staff, wanting to clean my room. Since my alarm was still set for 9:30AM, I tried to go back to sleep. Complete failure. So I got up, made coffee and turned on the TV, which I watched in bed while I decided what action I should take. At 9:27AM, I fired off the following tweet at Sheraton’s accounts:

Only eight minutes later, Sheraton’s @StarwoodBuzz account replied:

I replied two minutes later with my e-mail address as well as my Starwood Preferred Guest account number. Six minutes after that at 9:43AM they replied once more: “Thank you. Just spoke to the director of housekeeping who will look into this matter with the housekeeping staff.” Simple, speedy resolution. I figured it was over at that point, and I was satisfied.

But wait, there’s more! At 9:50AM the phone rang. It was Olga, Director of Housekeeping, calling to apologize and offered me a free breakfast in the hotel restaurant. I replied that I appreciated the offer but I was in a bit of a rush to get over to the airport. She encouraged me to stop and pick up a coffee and muffin on my way out. Upon checking out, the Housekeeping Director was working the reception desk. She apologized once more when she recognized my name , and again encouraged me to partake of some free breakfast. I obliged and speed-walked down to the restaurant, where I got a couple of cinnamon rolls to take with me. As I was leaving, Olga mentioned that she had also credited my SPG account with some extra credit.

I’m not writing this to bring attention to the Sheraton Housekeeper’s error, but to the fact the Starwood Brand has an excellent grasp on social media. Let’s look at what they did RIGHT:

• They replied quickly, with a promise to take corrective action.
• They followed through on their promise, which was verified when the Housekeeping Manager called me.
• They went above and beyond my expectations with the free breakfast offer and extra credits.

Every job I’ve had since a teenager has been in some form of customer service, either with money-paying customers, someone needing help, or internal customers within a corporation. Organizations that understand the value of excellent customer service know that customers are fickle, and can spend their money elsewhere. Thus, it is imperative to maintain, and repair if necessary, the goodwill of their customers. Starwood continues to have my good will, as a result of this perfectly-handled occurrence.

Don’t Dallas My Austin

This photo was sent to me this afternoon by a buddy of mine and it got me to thinking. These four little words cut right to the heart of the Texas-sixed discrepancy between two of Texas’ most famous cities.

Dallas, for better or worse, is known for a “denim-and-diamonds” lifestyle, as reflected in the popular 1980s show “Dallas.” Oil men, cowboys and glamorous women with big hair and even bigger, um… accessories. Dallas is mature, sensible, conservative and largely dull. Dallas also happens to rank at number 4 on the fattest cities in America list.

If Austin and Dallas were siblings, Austin would be the nerdy little sister. She is the quirky, music-loving, health food-eating, computer geek in the family who doesn’t give a damn what anyone else says about her. Austin is proud of its young, and admittedly “weird” vibe. Surrounded by parks with trails and spring-fed swimming holes, Austin is a playground for the outdoorsy-type. In contrast to Dallas, Austin ranks at number five on the list of America’s leanest cities.

Prior to Dallas, I spent my previous 23 years in Houston. Houston would be the smelly, pervy uncle who nobody really wants to be around. If you’ve ever flown into the city via Hobby Airport, you’ve seen the strip clubs, “adult news stands” and refinery smoke stacks nearby. The best thing Houston has going for it is Saint Arnold Beer.

However, this isn’t about Houston. Given the choice, I’d live in Austin. The city just makes me feel great every time I’m there. The weather seems nicer, the food tastes better and the people friendlier. I love the hilly topography and the downtown area partially framed by a lake. So here’s to you, Austin, and your lovable weirdness. May you be the little sister that never grows up.

Photos: The Seaplanes of Vancouver, BC

As someone who calls myself “The Flying Photog” I couldn’t very well go to Vancouver and not snap some photos of these interesting nautical aircraft. I do regret that on my trip to TBEX 2011 that I was never able to ride on one of these fascinating planes.

While visiting Vancouver a few years ago before an Alaskan cruise, I noticed these planes buzzing around the harbour. But, I was never able to get up close to them. It was this beautiful photo on Melanie Renzulli’s Instagram feed that brought my attention to these planes again on this trip. I sought her out, and she kindly directed me to where I could find the planes.

In case you’re wondering who had the cojones to fly the world’s first powered seaplane, Wikipedia tells us it was French engineer Henri Fabre, in 1910.

Now, on to the photos!

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TBEX 2012 – Why Key$tone?

Sure, Keystone is a probably beautiful place – but WHY the distant, expensive locations, TBEX??

Keystone is 98 miles (driving) West of Denver, Colorado and they definitely don’t have a light rail system (such as NYC subways and Vancouver’s SkyTrain) that’s going to take you there from the airport. The closest airport to Keystone with commercial airline service is Vail, Colorado – 51 miles away.

First, let’s take a look at a sampling of some current airfares from airline hub cities to Denver. New York to Denver: A Kayak.com search shows fares currently about $400 round trip, and that’s out of Newark. Nobody likes Newark. It’s $413 from LaGuardia and $523 from JFK. Los Angeles to Denver: $192 round trip. Atlanta to Denver: $269 round trip. Chicago to Denver:$219 round trip.

Now, let’s check out current fares from those same cities to Vail, Colorado.  New York to Vail: $560 from EWR, $829 from LGA and an incredible $1162 from JFK! Los Angeles to Vail: $809. Atlanta to Vail: $696. Chicago to Vail: $573. Of course, as we all know air fares are very volatile – so these prices will surely be different. They could be lower, or staggeringly higher. My bet is on higher prices, as fares have been trending upward due to the price of jet fuel. And don’t forget those pesky bag fees! If Candice Walsh drove to Keystone from Halifax in a car that got 20 miles per gallon of gas, she’d spend $479.50 (US) on gas at $3.50 a gallon.

Okay, so you ponied-up for your plane ticket and you opted to fly to Denver because it was cheaper. But wait… how to you get to Keystone? The first option would be to take a shuttle service. Keystone Resort offers one… for $142 round trip from the Denver Airport, and no shuttle from Vail is mentioned on their website. There is also the car rental option. A 4-day rental for an economy car at the Denver Airport currently starts at $113.99, but you’ll probably find a 4-cylinder engine severely lacks the gusto you’d want on mountain roads. A full size sedan will run you $129.10. Your best option would probably be to grab some friends and divide up the cost on a full-size SUV – the cheapest of which is currently about $390 for 4 days. Plus gas, of course! Perhaps Keystone will offer a free TBEX attendee shuttle (*party bus) to/from the Denver Airport.

Accommodations

An Expedia Search found 26 hotels in and near Keystone, with prices-per-night starting at $85.  I’m not a big hostel person, but I met several people who do prefer the cheap sleeps. I did a Google search for “Hostels in Keystone, Colorado” and was unsuccessful in finding a viable option. So if you’re a solo-traveler who usually stays on the cheap in hostels, I’ve got two words for you: SLUMBER PARTY. There are also no major brand hotels in Keystone, so you won’t be staying in town for free on loyalty program points. I predict a beer and Nutella-fueled, hippie-style blogger commune at a nearby campground in Dillon, CO. But the drawback there would be a lack or shortage of power outlets for our phones and iWhatevers. Does anyone have a portable generator, or bear repellant?

Attractions

The Vail Resorts TBEX 2012 press release mentions golf, horseback riding, fly fishing, whitewater rafting and the like – but how many of us can afford excursions like that? Okay, many of those things will likely be discounted, but how about the time investment? Did anyone find a gap in this year’s itinerary to squeeze in a round of golf? Only those who have the extra time to arrive a couple of days early or stay late have that kind of time. I managed to spend a couple of hours in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, but only because I decided to skip the Sunday afternoon sessions of the conference.

Suggestion for 2013

Why not Las Vegas? It holds no shortage of cheap rooms, hundreds of flights, convention space and places to party side-networking locations. Most of us who have gone to TBEX never slept more than what would qualify as a nap anyway.  Or may I suggest Austin, Texas? They’re quite familiar with the large convention scene there (see: SXSW), as well as being highly tech-savvy. Other centrally-located places that come to mind are Nashville and Chicago.

I love Colorado. I have been there several times, to several parts of the state. I hope to live there someday and it is one of my favorite places on earth. Denver would have been a great choice for TBEX 2012, and local enough for the Keystone and Vail Resort sponsors to really convey their message. I have never been to Keystone or any of the Vail Resorts properties, and I’d sure love to one day. One thing we all love about TBEX is the sense of community, but I’m afraid the conference location itself might make TBEX 2012 inaccessible for some.

Note: At the time of this blog’s publication, very few details were provided such as what kind of lodging discounts and transportation assistance may be provided for TBEX 2012. Hotel discounts were offered for TBEX 2011 in Vancouver, but mainly at 4+ star hotels, and still kept the price per night well above $100. Ironically, the Stanley Cup Finals were happening in Vancouver at the same time as TBEX 2011. I couldn’t help but wonder if the best hotels in town weren’t kicking themselves for slashing their rates for us, when they could likely be getting full price from hockey fans.

Photo Essay: My Ten Hours at OshKosh 2010

07:14 – Depart Chicago Midway Airport (MDW) under gloomy dark clouds and light rain.

08:00 – Touchdown at Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), home of EAA Airventure 2010. Taxi and towed to Aeroshell Square. Park nose-to-tail with a C5-C cargo plane.

08:00-18:00 – Drool over vintage and modern aircraft on display and watch aerial performances.

18:06 – Depart OSH

19:04 – Land at MDW

19:14 – Park at SWA Maintenance Hangar, shuttle to the airport. From there we caught a separate shuttle to our hotel.

Choosing a Window Seat, Wisely

As mentioned previously, I have flown my whole life. And for as long as I can remember, I have always loved sitting in a window seat.  I have never worried about how many people I would have to climb over, in the event I need to use the lav during the flight, though I sometimes try to temper my liquid intake beforehand. Too much information there?

You may be wondering why I enjoy the window seat instead of the coveted, roomier aisle seat? There are a few reasons for this. First, it makes the flight seem shorter when you have a view of constantly-changing scenery. Second, I have never been able to sleep well on planes, but having the wall to lean on with the white noise of the engines and air rushing by at Mach .085 does have a calming effect on me. Finally, a window seat view provides the chance to see landmarks that you may never otherwise see – or at least not from this unique perspective.

I do use some strategy in my seat selection when boarding the plane. The first choice to make is my row. I usually like to sit behind the wing because I think the wing provides an interesting element in the photo, along with some sense of scale. I usually fly Southwest Airlines on Boeing 737s and I like row 18 because not only does it have a great wing view, it is also one of the first rows to receive drinks in that section of the plane. My other criteria for selecting a seat is which side to sit on. Some people may never give this a thought. Others may just go with what feels right at the moment, perhaps next to an attractive stranger, or as far as possible from the screaming baby. Here is my Pro Tip: I like to choose my side of the plane based on the direction of our route at cruising altitude, and what side of the plane the sun will be on. For my photos, I like to have the sun on the other side of the plane, versus shining into my window – unless I’m shooting right at sunrise or sunset like in the top photo. Having the sun behind me means that the wing will be lit nicely and there will be little to know glare or sun flare into my camera. So for example, if I am flying North in the morning, I want to sit on the left side of the plane (when seated) because the sun will be on the other side.

Due to the nature of our flight privileges I don’t always get to choose the window seat on or near Row 18, but any window seat can provide an good opportunity for an interesting photo. No matter where I sit, I still try to get some part of the wing or engine into the frame.

Hopefully my seating strategy makes sense to all but the most directionally-challenged. Any camera can take good photos from the window seat. I also like to play with my iPhone camera in flight, using apps such as Hipstamatic and Instagram. Wherever you happen to sit, take the opportunity to shoot a few photos and be creative with it. You might surprise yourself with what you or your viewers end up liking.

The one about the Beer Festival in Colorado

Saturday July 10th, 2010 brought together two of my favorite things: Colorado and beer. My high school buddy Shannon had called me the weekend before and invited my wife and I to join him and his wife Whitney at a beer festival which was to be held in the small, mountain town of Salida,  Colorado. I had visited this town almost exactly three years ago when they got married, and I served as a groomsman and photographer.

The festival was held on the banks of the Arkansas River in Salida, CO

Our goal was to spend as little money as possible. First, I reserved a rental car through CarRentals.com. For the weekend we drove a Kia Optima for the grand total of $47 (plus gas). I was thankful to have locked in the rate on Monday (7/5), because by Friday (7/9) the rate had jumped to $112. I usually go with whichever car rental company is cheapest, and this time it happened to be Thrifty. From Monday to Thursday, we spent each day seeking sleeping arrangements that ranged from two different hotels (using free nights and/or program points) to camping out at Shannon’s in-laws’ property in Salida. We ended up choosing to stay with my wife’s step-sister at her condo in Denver’s “Tech Center” area.

Friday afternoon, (7/9) we flew from Dallas Love Field to Denver, via Tulsa on Southwest Airlines. We landed on-time at 6:00pm, picked up our rental car and were at the condo within an hour from landing.

Saturday morning (7/10), we drove South on I-25 and met Shannon and his wife in Monument, CO. The morning air was invigorating – cooler than anything we had felt in Dallas since April, and enhanced by a refreshing, pine forest scent. The clear sky was a glorious blue, highlighted by perfectly puffy clouds like you would see in a cartoon. Our three hour trek to Salida took us past (what claims to be) the “World’s Largest Rocking Chair.” But the best part of the drive was the final hour, speeding along the winding the Arkansas River.

We arrived in Salida at noon, and went directly to Amica’s – home of the best wood-fired pizza I’ve ever put to my lips. We were expecting a long wait due to the festival crowd, but only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table. My wife and I shared the “Montenotte” pizza, which satisfied us both for $10.50. Amica’s also makes some delicious beer right in the store: most famously, their Green Chile Ale.

The Montenotte Pizza from Amica's, Salida CO

After lunch we walked a few blocks to Riverside Park for the 14th Annual Colorado Brewers Rendezvous, located on the banks of the Arkansas River. We were greeted by a long, but smoothly-flowing line of beer fans. After having our IDs checked and paying the $25 entrance fee (THANKS Shannon & Whitney!), we made our way into the festival. We were given a commemorative pint glass, in which we would receive all of our beer samples that afternoon. I estimated the attendance at about 3,000 people and roughly 40 Colorado breweries were represented. We did our best to visit each brewery’s tent and sample each variety of beer, but after about the 15th sample they all began to taste unappealing. Below is a list of most of the beers we sampled. I wish I could provide a connoisseur’s review for each sample, but it was hard enough just keeping a list in the 4-hour window of the festival.

Asher Brewing Co – “Greenade” Double IPA

Upslope Brewing Co – Mexican Lager

Ska Brewing Co – True Blonde Dubbel

New Belgium Brewing – Dark Heather Saison

Great Divide – Yeti Imperial Stout

Avery – Pilsner

Phantom Canyon – Zebulon’s Peated Porter

Rocky Mountain Brewewing Co – Stout (topped with vanilla ice cream)  *no website?

Second Street – Amber Ale

C&B Potts – Witbier

Left Hand Brewing Co – Rail Yard Amber Ale

Gordon Biersch – Hefeweisen

Odell – St Lupulin Extra Pale Ale

Shamrock Brewing – Rock Llama Sour Beer (and “sour” is an understatement!)

Black Fox Brewing Co – Summer Saison

Bristol Beer Factory – Compass IPA & Pilsner

Oskar Blues – Old Chub & Dale’s Pale Ale

Boulder Beer Co – Hazed & Infused

About 40 Colorado breweries offered samples at the festival.

The weekend was the perfect recipe of air travel, driving, mountains, weather, friends and beer! I would love to go back to Salida again next year. I had spent the three years between my visits to Salida telling my wife how beautiful Colorado is and how we should move to the state. It only took about 24 hours for her to agree that we should live there… someday.