trailings: 40°0’0″N 105°0’29″W
In late March of 2025, I found myself with a Tuesday off and a strong need to get out and see the world. Baseline Road, which runs along the latitude of 40°N from Boulder to the eastern plains of Colorado, seemed like an excellent quick road trip. So I took a drive, made some notes, and decided to make this musical record of the trip. I programmed the basslines (pun intended) to mimic the road, then added drums to move us along. Then I sketched the landscape and architecture with keys and guitars. A couple of friends joined to play their impressions of sections. Finally, I followed the trail one more time, improvising the journey in sound. The end result is this album, which can be a tale of the road or a soundtrack to your own drive.
Tracks
- Chautauqua Park (Gregory Canyon Road to Broadway)
We begin in Boulder at its most Boulder-y. Chautauqua is gorgeous, beneath the iconic Flatirons. If you have a few million to drop, it’s a lovely place to have a home. For the rest of us, it’s great hiking if you don’t mind crowds and can find a place to park. - Jiffy (Broadway to 55th Street)
There’s a lot in this stretch: shops, dorms, offices, houses. An impressive marker for 40°0’0″N. But for locals, Baseline at Broadway means one thing: the World Famous Dark Horse Tavern. This track takes its name from their peanut butter, bacon, and provolone burger — an institution in itself. - Glen Barn (55th Street to Lakeview Drive)
The titular landmarked barn is a relic from the agricultural past. Past it, town gives way to natural areas, hiking trails, and Baseline Reservoir. - New Dry Creek (Lakeview Drive to Bluebird Lane)
East of Baseline Reservoir lie a few miles of fields and trails, a bit of a rural diversion before we get to the town of Lafayette. - Courtesy Road (Bluebird Lane to Highway 287)
This stretch, with its shift from rural to suburban sprawl, always puts me in an odd mood. Experimental guitarist Richard Ellis joins us here. He took this improv assignment to the next level: instead of overdubbing he listened once, then played solo to his memory. It’s a single perfect take, nailing both this and the transition into the next track. - Public Road (287 to County Line Road)
Highway 287 becomes the main street of dozens of small towns as it winds north through the Front Range. Richard Ellis tags along for a bit as we make our way past its box stores and former supermarkets and then through Old Town Lafayette. True to its name, it is quiet and historic and, for a few blocks, Baseline follows the Denver loop of the old Lincoln Highway. - New Vistas (County Line Road to Sheridan Parkway)
County Line Road marks the end of Boulder County and the beginning of Weld. The land gets flatter, the people more conservative, and the mountains smaller on the horizon. For now, we are in the land of subdivisions and golf courses. I used to play Celtic music with a band that rehearsed here, which leaves its mark on this cut. - Sheridan Parkway (Sheridan Parkway to turn onto East 168th Avenue)
The cover photo comes from the intersection of Baseline and Sheridan. Here, we’re in the I-25 corridor — the main North-South road in Colorado and a sort of dividing line between the suburban foothills and rural plains. - Leaving 7 (Start of 168th to Colorado Boulevard)
An odd collision of the rural Eastern plains and Boulder. During my drive, I wound up stuck behind a tractor with a Lamborghini behind me. And there is no better way to highlight that dichotomy than with a guest bass solo from the undefinable Kosnoco. - Big Dry Creek (Colorado Boulevard to Highway 85)
We are definitely on the Eastern plains now, fields and pastures with the occasional farmhouse. It could be Nebraska if it weren’t for the distant Rocky Mountains in the rear-view mirror. - Brighton Funk (Highway 85 to Interstate 76)
I have spent a surprising amount of time in this town. After almost every gig Graphite Addiction played in Denver, we’d come here for late-night burritos at a 24-hour taco joint. It’s still a funky town, if you look far enough. - Lochbuie (Interstate 76 to Watkins Road)
We cross I-76 into more fields. There is little here but what you bring with you, and I find ghosts speak loudest in open spaces. After a while, the road turns to dirt and curves back and forth. Up a hill and we find our journey’s end at Watkins Road.
Thanks for being a passenger on this ride and, as always, thanks for listening.
-Vic