Meeting #5: Beyond Book Club Denver
May 26, 2017 – May 29, 2017

“I thought the Rocky Mountains would be a little rockier than this.” – Harry Dunne
“I was thinking the same thing. That John Denver’s full of shit, man.” –Lloyd Christmas

For our fifth ever book club gathering, the men of BBC journeyed west for Memorial Day, to take in the soaring peaks, the dizzying altitudes, and frontier spirit of Colorado. From the broad boulevards of Denver, to the majestic pinnacles of the Rockies, to the boulders of Boulder, the book club took in a wide variety of all the Centennial State had to offer. In an unusually unified approach, ten of the eleven book club members (Holden, our computer scientist in training, was soon to follow) arrived on the Friday of MDW. After the usual group hug, dropping-off-of-bags, and communal nostalgia, the book club assembled for dinner and a night out on the town. Waking up early with the dawn (or something closer to 11AM) the book club put on their best ol’ prospector impressions and journeyed out of the city for a hike through the Flatirons in Boulder. Despite looming weather conditions, the group began their long ascent up the mountain range, courageously fighting the altitude to get to the top and take some great pics for the gram, (and the emotional achievement of climbing a mountain).

After a recuperative brunch, the club was ready for its first book discussion – but they had the minor issue of a brewery tour to deal with. The gracious owner of Finkel & Garf hosted the book club for its first ever book club brewery tour (the only surprise is that it took this long). After touring Finkel & Garf’s fine establishment, the book club had the first book discussion of the weekend, concerning Jonathan Franzen’s renowned work, “Freedom.”

That night, the weekend of book club firsts continued with the first ever book club baseball game (for Max!). A trip to the scenic and beloved Coors Field to take in America’s sporting pastime after a day of nature and literature based activities.

On our last full day in Denver, the book club began the day with brunch, which featured the unveiling of the official book club travel bags! After a lot of showing off to other restaurant patrons, the club had its second book discussion, about the thought provoking work of non-fiction, “The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace” by Jeff Hobbs. To round out the weekend, the book club attended a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater, headlined by electronic music duo Odesza. Even those not in the mood for their brand of music agreed that seeing a show in the natural splendor of Red Rocks was an experience unlike any other.

At the conclusion of yet another fantastic weekend, the coveted MVP trophy was awarded to the ever deserving Billy Grenis. It was a book club weekend of firsts – a unique trip out west to take in the land, sports, music, and culture of Denver and the Rocky mountains.