RenDezvous 2011 - It's a date!

[Rani Zemirah]

Can someone post what the typical temperature and weather is generally like for that weekend in that area?  I'm familiar with weather in the mountains above Boulder, but Faire is in the foothills, and I'm not sure how hot it will be then. 

[Tanda]

The weather for the beautiful town of Larkspurshire is as follows:

Hot (80-100 degrees), unless it's not (40-60 degrees).
Dry, unless it rains.
Sunny, unless there are clouds.
Rain, unless it snows.
Lightning, unless....nope, pretty much always lightning.

My advice is to wear warm weather clothes and pack a water resistant very warm cloak. You may go back to your vehicle throughout the day to layer up or layer down. The day usually starts warm and ends with rain. Early July doesn't usually get silly hot, but that leaves the chance for snow. It has happened.
Suncreen - higher SPF than you normally would and reapply, you don't have as much air between you and the sun.
Water - more than you think you need. When we do dry, we do dry.

Larkspur is the nearest town to the festival and is at 6669 ft above sea level. It's an adorable little town containing a coffee shop, a bar, a pizza joint, a flower shop, postoffice, and gas station. Also, a church and a school. Their website can be found here: http://www.townoflarkspur.org/main.html

The biggest issue that out of towners have is thinking they can drink like they do back home. Between the uber-dryness and the altitude, you will be more affected by alcohol than normal - in the dehydrated, hangover way. So, stick to that 1:1 ratio of alcohol to water, and maybe even more. And have a safe way to get back to your sleeping place. The local Sheriff's department does random road side checks. Be safe!

Our festival is uphill both ways. No, really. You'll finally understand what your parents were talking about. Good, comfortable shoes are a must!

Hope that helps you get an idea.

[Rani Zemirah]

Awesome, Tanda!  Thank you for the handy tips!  That's about like the Boulder area, then, and I've actually been in snow up in Nederland on July 4th, so I know you're not at all exaggerating!  I know about altitude and alcohol, also...   

[Lady Kett]

Suncreen - higher SPF than you normally would and reapply, you don't have as much air between you and the sun.

I will second this! SPF 50 and still a sunburn! Something that would have kept me perfectly un-sunburned in Texas! Ok, it wasn't a "ow ow ow I'm going to die without some cold compresses" type of sunburn, but definitely a burn.

If nothing else, a second coating during the day whereas I've never needed that at 500ft above sea level!

Side Note: squeee~! When can we start a countdown? LOL

[eloquentXI]

The weather in that area of Colorado is pretty temperamental but its gorgeous, no matter what. Bring layers but expect to shed or add depending on what she's feeling like that day. 

WATER, WATER, WATER! I can't stress this to flat-landers enough. As a mountain-girl turned flat-lander, the mixture of dryness and altitude can really do people in. Headaches and bloody-noses used to be my plague when I lived in Colorado as a kid, and when I go back to visit family, I'm constantly have to keep an eye on myself.

Plane tickets will fluctuate from week to week and sometimes, month to month; just have to watch the prices.

I'm super excited for ya'll, this is a beautiful faire that I know everyone will enjoy!

[Rani Zemirah]

I'll agree with the water advice.  I lived there for 9 years, and people there generally don't leave their house without their own personal water bottle, and refill it all through the day!  If you're not from there you should drink at least 3 times the water you usually drink while you're there, and maybe even more, for those of you who don't drink much to begin with...  Dehydration can ruin your whole visit, and who wants that when we could all be having a wonderful time at Faire!?! 

[Rosamundi]

Huzzah! It's on my calendar in ink. I will follow this thread with glee!

[Zoë]

I would also stress the bringing of a cloak or other cover-up and leave it in the car if you can...clouds tend to roll in around 1-3 pm and sometimes they dump on us, and sometimes they sprinkle and move on, but you never can tell.  And if you are wearing delicate garb/steel boning/etc it's a good idea to stay covered up....all things we already know. 

[Molden]

I LOVE visiting this part of the world! 

I'm planning to attend with Lady Mikayla and allow enough time to:

Ride the Cog Railway to the top of Pike's Peak
Make the trip to Cripple Creek to take the Small Scale Railway Tour and play the "loose" slots 
Check out the Royal Gorge
Lose some golf balls at Gleneagle golf course
Sit in a dive bar in Manitou Springs (and hopefully fynd some 4:20 friendly sorts - Rocky Mountain High Baby!)
And of course, visit yer wonderful shire!
And lose some more golf balls at the Gleneagle golf course.

[Tanda]

I'm planning to attend with Lady Mikayla and allow enough time to:
Ride the Cog Railway to the top of Pike's Peak
Make the trip to Cripple Creek to take the Small Scale Railway Tour and play the "loose" slots 
Check out the Royal Gorge
Lose some golf balls at Gleneagle golf course
Sit in a dive bar in Manitou Springs (and hopefully fynd some 4:20 friendly sorts - Rocky Mountain High Baby!)
And of course, visit yer wonderful shire!
And lose some more golf balls at the Gleneagle golf course.

Absolutely get to the top of Pike's Peak - anyway you can!
Royal Gorge is Amazing!
If you are in need of Herbal Medication, there are quite a few dispenseries around. (One just opened in Larkspur, actually).

Hope all your Colorado Adventures are safe and fun.

[Zoë]

Yes, "herbal remedies" are never far away from just about any point in Colorado....

[FatSat30]

Oh, I wanna gooo!

Ive always wanted to go to Colorado and the meetup and Faire are just bonus features!

We live in TX, so it is a feasible drive!  Might have a early summer road trip in the works!

[Hausfrau Monica]

So far, two of the "Canadians" are planning on attending.  We have been talking about this since it was announced and are very excited to meet the people we are chatting with and the names we see on the forum.  The unfortunate thing is that this falls on the same weekend when our favourite faire is on in Toronto.

Any advice on accommodations would be greatly appreciated.

Tchuss!

[Zoë]

Most out-of-towners stay in Castle Rock, which is the closest big city, it is just north of Larkspur.  You might be able to get in touch with a couple other people and maybe all stay at the same hotel and carpool into the faire site together; it's about 15 minutes away.  If you go a little farther south of the faire site you will hit Monument and Colorado Springs, which are not terribly far away but the prices will probably be higher, especially in the Monument area.  Then of course there is the Denver/Denver South/Tech Center area, which is north of Castle Rock and is a lot farther away from the faire site, but you might find some good prices on hotels; also this area is closer to the airport.  When I go to faire, I stay at my parents' house, they live in Thornton and it's about 50 minutes away from faire, 25 minutes from the airport.  It's a bit of a drive to the faire site but the hotels are considerably cheaper.  So it all depends on what kind of budget you are looking at and how far you are willing to drive to and from faire and the airport, assuming you will be flying in.

[Rani Zemirah]

I believe I read that there is adjacent camping, correct?  Can someone tell us what the camping is like there on the grounds?  

Specifically:
Does it really fill up fast?
Does it open Friday, and if so, what time?
Is there water and/or facilities available?
What is the fee?
What are the rules (fires/firepits, animals, music, "quiet" times, alcohol, etc...)?  
What sort of terrain is it?
How accessible is to the front gate?
Oh, and are there areas that are traditionally reserved for certain clans/groups, and if so, is there a map available of where regulars usually camp?