@opsopcopolis mentioned certain routes he flies being dirt cheap and others being expensive so it doesn’t really seem like there is any rhyme or reason to why certain routes are more affordable than others right now.
I was looking at flights for my parents from Detroit to Seattle for 9/10-17 and I found $350 roundtrip. On the other side, my potential flight to Salisbury, Maryland for the Delaware show in July is $1100 lol. Probably won’t pull the trigger unless I have a good few weeks of gambling but thought I’d investigate. I booked a hotel by the airport already so I have that piece locked down if I do go.
Fwiw the UM RR weekend has been expensive for months and I’m not entirely sure why. Seems like flying to CO in June is expensive in general. It’s costing me $1k to get to Raleigh from SLC this weekend, but if I was going to Hawaii I could go for $650… go figure
I think there’s multiple reasons flights are so expensive. Obviously the price of fuel is a major factor, typically Jet-A (what airplanes use) costs more then regular unleaded we put in our cars. There is definitely pent up travel demand from 2 years of Covid restrictions, Colorado especially is a hot destination right now and is seeing a significant surge in tourism. So much so they stopped advertising the state as a travel destination.
Lastly there is a pilot and crew shortage leading to less overall flights, high demand plus less supply will naturally lead to higher prices.
I think I might skip Red Rocks this year for the first time since 2011… I don’t know. I guess you could say I’m just getting lazier and 2 shows at 2 great venues with a relaxing weekend in the mountains in between sounds nicer than heading down and back up.
Also pumped to bring my parents to Dillon. Dad hasn’t seen an UM show since NYE 2009 and it’ll be Mom’s first show. Wonder if she will hate it or not haha.
If anyone has any fun hikes/brewery tours/etc. to do in the Morrison area, please let me know. Will have family with me during the day and looking for some ways to stay occupied with them.
I’ll check and see if there’s a Colorado recs thread as well
I’m sure some of the locals will have better suggestions but I enjoyed this trail. Cool ruins and if I’m not mistaken you can see Red Rocks. If that’s not the case than you see some red rock looking rocks
Favorite easy hike I recommend for folks is green mountain west ridge in Boulder. Great summit view without all of the elevation gain to get up there. Nice drive up Flagstaff Road and the hike is ~3 miles roundtrip and mostly flat until the last little bit, which goes quickly. Ends with a nice overlook of Boulder and good views north and west to the Indian Peaks.
If you want to stick right around Morrison and you’re looking for something more strenuous, Mt. Morrison starts from Red Rocks and with 2,000’ elevation gain in less than 2 miles it’ll kick your ass pretty good. There’s some fun rock hopping/light scrambling towards the top.
You don’t need to worry about getting in at doors. It’s a breeze to get into RR since they have a bunch of different entrances. I will be at the first 3 nights.
Pre game in the lot as long as you can. I usually catch about half the opener and still get the spot I always go to.
Red Rocks is one of those places where there isn’t a bad seat in the house, but some seats are certainly better than others. Worth it to pick a night to go in right at doors and be dead center in row 20 or so right behind the soundboard.
If you go in during the opener, you’ll probably have to pick between being a bit off-center in rows 20-30 or center above row 35 where it starts feeling like you’re kinda far from the stage.
That being said, it’s also worth being above row 35 or so one of the nights. Once you get up high enough, you have a good view of the Denver and beyond over the stage. If there are good clouds or anything, it can make for some really beautiful sunset views that you miss out on being lower/closer.
Last red rocks advice - the seating area is pretty asymmetric. The south side (Joel side) is a lot wider than the north side (Jake side) of the venue. If you have to go to the far end of either row, you’ll have a better (more centered) view on the north side.