Samantha Brown's Places to Love

-I'm in a destination where there's excitement in the air for what is new.

From a state-of-the-art home to the achievements of the best in the United States, to historical places that have been modernized and made accessible to all.

It's where all are invited to be successful, whether it's creating small businesses, protecting endangered animals, or truly loving our planet Earth, there's no doubt it's where people and place are the gold standard.

I'm in Olympic City, USA -- Colorado Springs.

[ Cheers and applause ] [ Upbeat tune plays ] I'm Samantha Brown and I've traveled all over this world.

And I'm always looking to find the destinations, the experiences, and, most importantly, the people who make us feel like we're really a part of a place.

That's why I have a love of travel and why these are my places to love.

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" is made possible by... [ Bird chirping ] -The rhythm of the waves.

The calming sounds of nature.

On the Southwest Florida coast, there are wide-open beaches and hundreds of islands.

Sometimes doing nothing can mean everything.

Learn more at fortmyers-sanibel.com.

-We believe watching the world go by isn't enough.

That's why we climb... ...pedal... ...and journey beyond the beaten path, on storied rivers, with a goal to ensure that every mile traveled turns into another memory.

You can find out more at amawaterways.com.

-All the untamed beauty of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the American Southwest, experienced on a journey by rail.

Rocky Mountaineer, proud sponsor of "Places to Love."

-The world is full of breathtaking destinations and experiences.

AAA wants to help turn vacation dreams into reality.

Wherever you want to go, AAA has services to help you before, during, and after your trip.

Learn more at AAA.com/LiveTV.

-It's hard to compete with the phenomenal mountain landscape that surrounds Colorado Springs, but this building may take the top podium.

The brand-new United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum captures the history, effort, and courage of Team USA.

For many current Team USA members, the opening of this museum is personal.

-I don't know what words can even come to express just how much this place actually means to me, but it's really about that journey of getting to the place and the hard work.

I'm John Register, two-time Paralympic athlete, combat Army veteran, and bestselling author.

At 5: 29 in the afternoon of May 17th, 1994, I was one of the world's fastest hurdlers.

I was on my way to the Olympic Games, but I misstepped a hurdle.

I dislocated my left knee, severed the artery behind the kneecap, and seven days later, I became an amputee.

-What's that mental capacity like?

You come to a place like this, and you get a chance to see it all come together with some of the heroes that you may have seen as you were growing up, maybe on like, you know, on boxes of cereal and things.

-Mm-hmm!

-And then you see them on the walls and you see their journey, you see their struggle of what it took to actually get here.

So this place, for me, is magical, because it feels like home.

-There's an incredible array of personal items donated to the museum by Team USA athletes.

John won a silver medal in the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games, and his artificial leg is part of the collection.

But I told John I didn't come here just to visit.

-I'm coming.

I'm coming for you!

-I came here to win.

-Ohh!

There are many interactive exhibits that let you try some of your favorite sports.

-That's right.

There you go.

There you go.

-And the experience can be rather humbling.

-My name is Carmelita Jeter.

-Carmelita!

-Fastest woman alive, sprinter for Team USA.

-That's right.

-That's who I'm competing against?

-That's who you're going against, right there.

-On your marks.

-Okay.

-Don't go before that "1" goes.

1... [ Beeps ] There you go!

[ Dramatic music plays ] [ Applause ] -That's a false start.

You got to do it again.

False start.

Disqualified.

Done.

-[ Laughing ] [ Olympic theme plays ] -But no matter how well or badly you do, you'll always be invited to the opening ceremonies with the crowd cheering you on.

Here I am, walking with Team USA!

This is so cool.

-Look at all your fans, looking around.

-Carrying the flag!

-To see that there is equity with inside of disability, that we just honor people for their triumphs and their achievements.

This place represents that type of gravitas, that type of humanity that we can celebrate, all of us.

[ Howling ] -When I knew I was coming to a wolf and wildlife center, in my mind, I just thought it would just be this open area, and maybe if I caught a glimpse of a wolf, I'd be lucky, right?

But they literally are surrounding us.

-Yeah, because they are socialized out here.

None of the wolves here came from the wild, so they all came from different situations -- people that thought they wanted a wolf as a pet, all the way to sometimes, sanctuaries that may have needed to find some homes.

And we also work with zoos as well, too.

My name's Darlene Kobobel, and for 30 years now, this has been my passion of working with wolves.

I am the founder of Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center.

Our center here is all about education, conservation, and preservation of the wolf.

-How many wolves do you have here?

-We have 15 wolves.

We have Arctic wolves and we have gray wolves.

We have Mexican gray.

We have tundra wolves.

We just give the animals that's here the best life that they can have.

-I was visiting just at the time the center had welcomed a new arrival from Texas.

-There she is.

Her name is Rae.

-Okay.

She's beautiful.

-Isn't she?

-She's three months old?

-She's three months, and we're hoping that she will be a little ambassador wolf someday.

-You said that they are apex animals, so that makes them absolutely imperative to our ecosystem.

How?

-Your deer and elk populations would get out of control if you didn't have an apex predator like the wolf.

-And when, say, elk and deer overpopulate, what happens?

-What happens to the land is you look at it and its overgrazed.

You're losing your plants, trees, shrubs, wildflowers, everything like that, because the purpose of the wolf pack is to keep that herd moving.

And so with the wolves, when they're moving that herd and getting them to move in different grasslands on the landscape, then this -- I know.

[ Laughs ] This area over here has a chance to replenish.

-Uh-huh.

[ Laughs ] If you could stay on the leather, I'd appreciate it.

Not the skin.

-She said, "Yes, I'll like that, too."

-I'm just one big wolf chew toy right now, and I've got no problems with that.

Here's something I didn't know that I learned today -- when a wolf pup gets a little too much, hold it like a baby and bounce.

You're just a little baby.

You're just a little baby.

At the Wolf Center, more personal encounters with wolves are offered.

[ Whines ] And what kind of wolves are they?

-They are both gray wolves, or also known as timber wolves.

-I'm pretty sure I won't be able to bounce one of these on my lap.

-They might smell the puppy on us too, so... -I just never thought anyone could have this experience with a wolf.

-Yeah.

Yeah.

-This is unbelievable.

I'm feeling the soft, inquisitive noses of Tala and NaVi.

What made you want to incorporate this interaction with -- where we could actually be with them and pet them?

-Yeah, you know, even though these are socialized in comparison to the ones out in the wild, they still have that bad reputation.

And this way, here you get a chance to experience a wolf, you know, and see how amazing they are.

-Oh, my goodness.

And how endangered are they now?

-You know, like, a little red wolf -- there's only about 10 of those left out in the wild.

The Mexican gray wolves is about 100 or less, and they struggle to keep that level right there.

And so gray wolves in Colorado, there are only now just seven of them, and we haven't had them since 1945.

-And so because we don't see them, because we don't interact with them, we can put these stereotypes on a wolf.

-Exactly.

-Can perpetuate this.

-If you ever saw a wolf out in the wild here in Colorado, oh, my gosh, consider yourself so extremely lucky.

And they are not going to come to your campsite.

They are not going to be a threat to you.

-And when you visit here, you can embrace your own inner wolf.

[ Howling ] All visits to the Wolf Center end with a long goodbye.

[ Howling continues ] -I think when chefs cook, we're channeling the ghost of our pasts, and we're trying to reconnect to those stories.

And you know, when you put your soul on a menu, you have to tell the story.

So for me, this reminds me of my childhood, growing up with my parents and going through Chinatown and getting dim sum and eating dumplings, and then working through China and actually learning techniques and always wanting to make it my own.

My name's Brother Luck.

I am the chef of Lucky Dumpling and I am a storyteller, and I tell my story through the plate, through the ingredients, and through the dishes that you eat.

You know, me being Creole, but also being raised in San Francisco, it's a fun blend, and as I was traveling through Hong Kong, I found this amazing similarity between that and New Orleans.

So we have a fried chicken bao, or chicken and dumpling.

This kind of reminds me of those drop biscuits that were cooked in the water.

This is a twist off of a char siu bun.

We did this with a traditional American smoked barbecue.

We smoke the pork shoulder, get all those beautiful applewoods in there, and then we actually blend it with a nice barbecue sauce.

-Oh, my God.

-So you get the smokiness of the pork, but then you get the sesame and the nice, yeasty bao dough that's been steamed.

-Perfect.

Oh, I love it.

-It's important.

When I think back to the homage of my father and my grandmother, Lucky Dumpling is the reincarnate of that.

I see them every day in the color schemes.

You know, my grandmother used to make us watch all these kung fu movies when she would babysit us, so it's a big reason why we have so much kung fu influence within the restaurant, from some of the art to some of the movies that play on the television.

You know, my father was big into funk and in that whole era of music.

That's what we listened to on the radio.

And then we would always go eat dumplings in San Francisco.

So, you know, for me, it's nostalgic.

-I want to try this right now.

-This is my version of a prime rib.

So, the prime rib is wrapped in the dumpling skin, served in an au jus with a little bit of horseradish creme and roasted tomatoes.

-Wow.

Oh, my gosh.

-It's not your average soup dumpling.

-That is so good.

-[ Laughs ] -That is so, so good.

-Food is always going to be about family and memories, and usually joy.

So, you know, when I get to travel, I realize that not a lot of people will travel like we will travel.

-Right.

-And when I come back home, I want to bring those experiences and I want to share those memories with my guests.

So I try to introduce that into my community.

I think that's why we've done so well with being here in Colorado Springs, is the community is a part of us and we're so grateful for them.

-So just in this view, right here, Jay, I am seeing basically baby pictures of our amazing planet.

-That's exactly right.

-A billion years ago.

-It shows you how dynamic the Earth is, how wonderful it is.

It is always on display.

You just have to look for it.

And here, you don't have to look too hard.

-I'm joining Jay Temple, a geologist who has volunteered as a geology interpreter at Garden of the Gods for over 22 years.

The biggest question everyone must have upon just beholding these amazing formations is how did they form?

-Great question.

-How are they here?

-These rocks originally formed in a horizontal position, so what you have to do is take these rocks and rotate them back to this.

-They were once flat.

-They were once flat.

And now they have been uplifted because of the mountains to the west of us.

-Okay, so that means one of these sides is older than the other.

-That's correct.

-So is that the oldest?

-That is correct.

-Wow.

-Yeah.

-How old is it?

-About 320 million years.

This is probably on the order of 300 to 275 million years old.

-Wow.

Jay points out evidence of a different time in places the rest of us would just walk by, like how this rock represents an ancient shoreline.

Ripples in the sand are preserved in what's known as the rock record.

-The thing that is so unique about the Garden of the Gods is that it is located in a metropolitan area, and it's been very well preserved by the city founders and the people that currently run the city.

-So where I see a stunning view of gorgeous mountain ranges, I'm sure, Jay, you see something else.

-What you're seeing here are a series of faults that essentially create a staircase where we go from 6,500 feet, where we're standing now, to 14,000 feet, where Pikes Peak is, on the highest staircase.

And now, that process takes place over millions of years, on the average of maybe three to four inches per year.

-And that just shows us that even Mother Earth just takes it one step at a time.

-That's correct.

-I love creating beers.

I love having an influence on the beer, I love to be inspired by the ingredients.

It just -- I love the creativity behind it.

I am Jessica Fierro.

I am the first owner, Latina head brewer in the state of Colorado.

I have to be inspired first, and then I create the recipe.

-What do you mean?

-So, for example, you're drinking the Drunken Churro.

-Actually, I'm not drinking it.

-Not yet.

Not yet.

-I would like be drinking it.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

-That was inspired off of one of my favorite treats, which is churros, and the agave from tequila.

So, Drunken Churro.

-This is a beautiful beer.

-Thank you.

Atrevida Beer Company is the name of my brewery, and it means a woman who is bold, daring, and fearless.

-I feel like as women, we really let our fears overtake our decision to go forward.

"I must not belong.

I feel fearful.

I must not belong."

-Yes.

-Did you feel that way?

And if you did, how did you break through those feelings?

-Yeah, I absolutely had those feelings.

I was very intimidated.

I mean, this is a, you know, for all intents and purposes, it's a white man's sport, right?

-Yeah.

-There were a lot of times where I was dismissed, you know, because I'm a woman and I shouldn't know that much about beer.

And what ended up happening is, I'm Latina.

I got a temper, you know?

So I would give it right back to them.

I wouldn't just let them speak to me a certain type of way.

That was one of the biggest things that pushed me into wanting to own my own brewery.

-Jessica also wants to give other women the opportunity to come in and brew and get their feet wet.

With her daughter, Kassy, she's also teaching the next generation to be confident to run a business.

When you walk into your doors, right above is "Diversity on tap."

That is your motto.

That's a pretty bold decision, but I mean, that really sparks a conversation.

And then, the names of your beers kind of lead you into another conversation.

Clearly, that's something that's really important to you.

-My goal with this, you know, "Diversity, it's on tap," it's to include everyone.

It's not about me shoving my culture down your throat, right?

It's about a sharing of cultures.

-Twenty years ago, when it was my job to stay in great hotels, I came here to the Broadmoor.

Over one century old, it's known for its European elegance nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

It's also known for its Hall of Celebrities.

Back then, as a youthful prank, I thought it would be fun to sneak my picture up onto the wall, and the Broadmoor kept it -- even put it in a nicer spot.

But I thought my picture was in need of updating, and this time, I brought accomplices.

Ellis?

All clear?

Elizabeth, anyone coming?

Interestingly, the city of Colorado Springs does not actually have any springs.

Luckily, they are close by in Manitou Springs, a charming and busy mountain town with a great location between Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak.

This is a place to enjoy local shops, great ice cream, and, well, the springs.

Alright, so I'm doing my own little self-guided tour of the springs in this area, and just in this little intersection here, there's like, eight springs, and this is my first one.

This is the Shoshone Spring.

And they give you a little map to follow.

What's cool about the map is then they tell you just sort of like, what's in the water.

So you know what all the ingredients are, all the minerals and vitamins that you're getting.

[ Sipping ] Mm.

Picking up a nice copper finish.

It's lovely.

So, Adam, never before have I seen a business plan so clearly.

It's the late '90s.

You've got all your skis from the '70s, the '80s, your kids' skis.

Like, maybe your brother dropped off skis.

-Yeah.

-Your garage is full.

You're like, "What am I going to do with all these?"

And you think, "I'm going to make a chair."

Am I right?

-Totally.

Started once a month and then once a week, and then I had a Facebook page, and then got this retail space seven years later, and it just kind of slowly, real slowly, ramped up.

[ Tool whirs ] -But not only are you providing a second life for skis and snowboards, but also you are quite literally taking all of this out of a landfill.

How much have you saved from a dump?

-Yeah, we calculated it in 2017, and it was like, 7,000 pairs, but it's literally like the world's best 2x4, you know?

So I mean, you're spending $1,000 for a brand new pair of skis.

-Yeah.

Yeah.

-And it's like cellphones and computers -- after 5, 10 years, they're not worth anything.

-Exactly.

-So we got to do something.

-How do you source all these skis?

You just can't rely on people cleaning out their garage.

-It's a little challenging.

-Yeah.

-We have about 70 different suppliers, a lot of the resorts, you know, they have their lost and found or the warranty stuff.

-The lost and found at the resorts.

-They're like, "End of season.

Come get them."

-Repurposed seating is the theme here, with ski lifts and even gondolas getting a second life.

Bird chalets are made using cross-country skis and ski poles are resurrected -- not as glamorous as before, but just as useful when you need them.

-Free lumber.

-Do you still ski?

-I do.

This is the only sport I was ever really good at.

-Uh-huh.

-You know, I competed a lot.

Just, there was never any money in it.

-Look at you now.

You make money in skiing.

-Yeah.

Had to find a way.

[ Bell ringing ] -I'm visiting Colorado Springs with my family, and the one thing they couldn't miss was a ride on the Cog train to Pikes Peak.

The railroad is celebrating its 130-year anniversary after a three and a half year shutdown to restore and update the iconic experience.

And it's the highest railroad in the United States, as we head to an elevation of 14,000 feet.

Whew!

Look how high we are.

That's pretty cool, huh?

While the family headed for the visitor's center and the bathrooms, I talked with Sandy Elliot, project manager for the restoration, about some of the major changes making Pikes Peak a brand new experience.

-We have removed the old 1960 Summit House, and we built a brand new facility.

That opened just a couple of weeks ago.

And then one of our biggest things is a site accessibility, so we have all these great elevated walkways that any person, regardless of their abilities, will be able to traverse the entire summit of Pikes Peak.

-I'm a little embarrassed to say, Sandy, that making the trip up with my children, this phenomenal trip, gorgeous views, the first thing we did when we exited the train was we head to the visitor's center for a bathroom and a donut break.

-Don't be embarrassed.

Everybody does.

Two biggest comments we've had during this entire project was, "Will the donuts stay?"

Absolutely.

You couldn't get rid of the donuts.

And then, more women's restrooms.

-[ Laughs ] -So we did accomplish both.

-Wow.

It was a special moment for Kevin and me to bring our kids to the top of Pikes Peak.

-Whoa.

Wow.

-I told them that this view inspired a woman named Katharine Lee Bates to write a poem, "America the Beautiful," and how it's now a famous song, but it was written to be a prayer for our country.

Ellis responded perfectly with, "Can we get more donuts?"

-Some of the things that I love about Colorado Springs is our beautiful outdoors, our Garden of the Gods.

Can't beat the craft beer out here, where the people are amazing and the outdoors is beautiful.

-When people come through the museum and they're visiting, my desire is for them to just kind of see this from that lens of the overcoming of the obstacles, the overcoming of the odds, elevating to just another level that you never thought was quite possible for yourself.

-With Colorado in all its beauty here, we need to have a balance here.

The wolf is an apex predator to bring back that balance.

She said, "We're not the big bad wolf that people make us out to be."

-This is an amazing city, because it constantly feels safe to me.

It's the food.

It's the cuisine.

It's the art.

There is an amazing culture here, and I love living in this mountain town.

-When we get to celebrate and be inspired by the accomplishments of remarkable athletes, when we learn that respect towards each other and nature go hand in hand, when we meet people who are bold, daring, and fearless... -There you go.

Go, go, go!

-[ Laughs ] What?

What?

-Now you point.

[ Crowd cheers ] -...that is when we share a love of travel, and that's why Colorado Springs, Colorado, is a place to love.

-For more information about this and other episodes, destination guides, or links to follow me on social media, log on to placestolove.com.

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" was made possible by... [ Bird chirping ] -The rhythm of the waves.

The calming sounds of nature.

On the Southwest Florida coast, there are wide-open beaches and hundreds of islands.

Sometimes doing nothing can mean everything.

Learn more at fortmyers-sanibel.com.

-We believe watching the world go by isn't enough.

That's why we climb... ...pedal... ...and journey beyond the beaten path, on storied rivers, with a goal to ensure that every mile traveled turns into another memory.

You can find out more at amawaterways.com.

-All the untamed beauty of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the American Southwest, experienced on a journey by rail.

Rocky Mountaineer, proud sponsor of "Places to Love."

-The world is full of breathtaking destinations and experiences.

AAA wants to help turn vacation dreams into reality.

Wherever you want to go, AAA has services to help you before, during, and after your trip.

Learn more at AAA.com/LiveTV.