April 1, 2026: Former lawmaker on conversion therapy free speech ruling; A bittersweet farewell to Karla Walker

Summary

Colorado Matters – April 1, 2026

Episode Summary

Main Theme:
This episode of Colorado Matters centers on two main stories: the Supreme Court's decision overturning Colorado's conversion therapy ban on First Amendment grounds, featuring reaction and analysis from the law’s sponsor Daphne Michelson Genet; and a heartfelt farewell to longtime CPR Classical host Carla Walker, reflecting on her career and impact. Additional segments cover high gas prices in Colorado, the history of the Colorado Trail, and a quirky profile of the Movie Manor motel/drive-in in Monte Vista.

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Segment 1: Supreme Court Strikes Down Colorado’s Conversion Therapy Ban

[00:04–09:12]

Key Discussion Points

• Supreme Court Decision: On March 31, 2026, the Supreme Court struck down Colorado’s 2019 conversion therapy ban for minors, calling it “an egregious assault on the First Amendment.” The law had barred therapists from attempting to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of minor clients.
• Reaction from Bill Sponsor: Former state lawmaker Daphne Michelson Genet, House Bill 1172’s sponsor, expresses deep disappointment and concern for affected youth.
• Legal Reasoning: Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that the case focused solely on talk therapy, not on physical interventions, raising issues of protected speech.
• First Amendment Considerations: Michelson Genet emphasizes the law’s crafting to survive constitutional challenge, focusing on language preventing harmful, denigrating remarks toward LGBTQ youth.
• Future Legislative Options: Discussion of new proposed legislation allowing victims of conversion therapy to sue practitioners, rather than outright banning the practice.
• Broader Implications: The win for conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom is highlighted, and Michelson Genet laments the bipartisan (8-1) Supreme Court decision.

Memorable Quotes

• On the Harm of Conversion Therapy:
  • “When you are telling a child that they are not who they say they are, you are torturing their soul and you are torturing their mind. And when we are trying to make our children be something that they are not, that is torture.”
    —Daphne Michelson Genet [00:15, 08:39]
• On Billcraft and the First Amendment:
  • “We gave a lot of thought to the First Amendment because we wanted to make sure that we had a bill that would survive challenges, and unfortunately, this one did not.”
    —Daphne Michelson Genet [02:43]
• On the ruling:
  • “I was devastated. I'm devastated for the children who are going to be impacted by this ruling and whose lives are going to be threatened by this ruling.”
    —Daphne Michelson Genet [03:47]
• On the meaning of ‘narrowly tailored’:
  • “We felt that those were words that were considered harmful and harmful to a human being and to their life.”
    —Daphne Michelson Genet [03:03]

Key Timestamps

• [00:04] Supreme Court overturns conversion therapy ban; Michelson Genet’s reaction.
• [02:32] Discussion of First Amendment considerations when crafting the original bill.
• [03:40] Michelson Genet reacts to decision as word spreads.
• [05:09] Addressing how the law was intended to protect all LGBTQ youth.
• [07:00] Personal motivation and experiences behind sponsoring the ban.
• [08:03] Perspective on the Supreme Court’s bipartisan ruling and ADF’s legal victories.
• [08:39] Discussion of the word “torture” as applied to conversion therapy.

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Segment 2: Gas Prices Soar in Colorado

[11:44–18:48]

Key Discussion Points

• Causes of Rising Prices: The war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is the dominant factor, accounting for most of the recent increase; seasonality and refinery maintenance also contribute.
• Regional Differences: Gas is cheaper in interior states less exposed to export markets. Colorado’s proximity to these regions slightly insulates it, but not as much as places further inland.
• Strategic Petroleum Reserve: The U.S. is releasing oil from reserves, but the rate of release is insufficient to seriously impact global oil prices.
• Advice to Consumers: Use apps like GasBuddy to find lower-priced gas, and be vigilant as prices may continue to rise without diplomatic resolution.

Notable Quotes

• “The further inland you go, the more those areas are insulated against products being exported to a global market … That's why the nation's interior states are now the lowest price in the country.”
  —Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy Analyst [13:26]
• “You know, all things considered, that's like replacing a water main with a straw. And that's why oil prices have not very much been impacted by this.”
  —Patrick DeHaan, on SPR releases [16:02]

Key Timestamps

• [11:52] Major causes of price hikes.
• [13:09] Why Colorado’s prices are higher than some states.
• [15:06] The impact and limits of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
• [16:54] Outlook for future price trends.
• [17:50] Practical consumer advice for finding affordable gas.

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Segment 3: Farewell to CPR Classical Host Carla Walker

[19:27–32:42]

Key Discussion Points

• Career Overview: Carla Walker retires after 37 years in public radio, recounting her beginnings, from early dreams of being a traffic reporter to finding her calling in classical music hosting.
• Founding the Instrument Drive: Walker tells the story of launching CPR’s instrument drive, leading to a statewide nonprofit (Bringing Music to Life) that’s placed thousands of instruments with Title 1 schools.
• Personal Reflections: Walker discusses her musical upbringing, her philosophy on authenticity (“Who I am off the air is who I am on the air”), and her satisfaction with her legacy.
• Transition: She looks forward to a future with her church’s music program and remaining active in the Colorado arts community.
• Music for Calming Times: Recommends Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) and Rachel Portman’s “Fed by Our Mothers” for serenity.

Memorable Quotes

• “When I got out of school, I have a degree in radio and television. My mother declared it the most useless degree I could have gotten at all.”
  —Carla Walker [20:04]
• “Who I am off the air is who I am on the air. There's no difference at all.”
  —Carla Walker [29:05]
• “We need to find instruments that people aren't playing anymore and then get them in the hands of kids who want to play them. What a great thing to do.”
  —Carla Walker [24:13]

Key Timestamps

• [19:27] Announcement of Carla Walker’s upcoming retirement.
• [20:04] Early career: traffic helicopter to public radio.
• [22:30] Classical music hosting, musical upbringing, family influence.
• [23:49] The story behind the CPR instrument drive.
• [25:23] The wide impact of Bringing Music to Life.
• [28:21] Reflections on authenticity as a broadcaster.
• [30:28] Plans for the future in music and nonprofit work.
• [31:49] Farewell song selections for serenity and comfort.

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Segment 4: The Colorado Trail’s History

[34:03–37:33]

Key Discussion Points

• Trail Background: Began as a project for Colorado’s centennial in 1976, ultimately completed in 1987 after considerable delays and coordination challenges.
• Who Was Involved: Diverse volunteers; Governor Dick Lamm and his wife’s involvement spurred momentum.
• Impact: Now a major destination for thru hikers and backpackers, with an estimated 600 completions annually.

Memorable Quotes

• “The idea was that it was going to be a trail for the people of Colorado; I never even thought about it being anyone else coming in wanting to use it.”
  —Goody Gaskell (founder) via archive [36:31]
• “If you can think of a way to do it, it's probably been done.”
  —Paul Talley, Colorado Trail Foundation [37:12]

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Segment 5: Movie Manor Motel and Drive-In Theater in Monte Vista

[37:33–48:01]

Key Discussion Points

• Unique Venue: Features cinema screens visible from motel rooms; classic Hollywood-themed decor.
• History & Community: New owners Sheetal Patelia and her family relocated from Aurora, CO for a new start and now operate this roadside gem.
• Challenges & Appeal: Maintenance is demanding, business is seasonal and mostly tourist-driven, but the experience retains a special charm.
• Personal Touch: Each motel room dedicated to a film star; fitness room named for Arnold Schwarzenegger (“Yes, it is” – noted with a chuckle).
• Showtime Atmosphere: Host Ryan Warner describes watching a movie from the room, the nostalgia of the drive-in era, and the deep connection patrons feel with Movie Manor across generations.

Memorable Quotes

• “It's like a huge elephant that you have to feed it every single day. It is difficult. But you are in the wilderness. So come and enjoy mother nature.”
  —Sheetal Patelia, owner [44:41]
• “I think you are on your own Mission Impossible here.”
  —Ryan Warner to Sheetal Patelia [45:50]

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Tone:
The episode alternates between urgent, impassioned reporting (Supreme Court ruling), practical and informative interviews (gas prices), and warm, nostalgic farewells (Carla Walker, Movie Manor). The hosts bring empathy, curiosity, and local pride throughout.

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For more:
Full coverage and follow-up at cpr.org.
Noteworthy timestamps and speaker attributions included above.
(Ads, show open/close and credits have been omitted per request.)

Transcript

[Ryan Warner]

She tried to avoid a court fight, let alone a drumming by the Supreme Court. So the sponsor of Colorado's conversion therapy ban is disappointed, to say the least, in Tuesday's ruling.

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

When you are telling a child that they are not who they say they are, you are torturing their soul and you are torturing their mind. And when we are trying to make our children be something that they are not, that is torture.

[Ryan Warner]

Then longtime CPR classical host Carla Walker is stepping away from the microphone. We're just glad her mother was wrong.

[Carla Walker]

When I got out of school, I have a degree in radio and television. My mother declared it the most useless degree I could have gotten at all.

[Ryan Warner]

Carla will share some memories and naturally some music to calm in chaotic times. This is Colorado Matters from CPR News and krcc. I'm Ryan Warner. The Supreme Court calls Colorado's conversion therapy ban an egregious assault on the First Amendment. Justice has struck down the 2019 law in an 8 to 1 ruling Tuesday. Daphne Michelson Genet was a state lawmaker at the time and prime sponsor of what was then House Bill 1172. And Daphne, welcome to the program. Thank you for having me delivering the opinion. Justice Neil Gorsuch of Colorado Note writes of the therapist at the heart of this case, Kaylee Chiles did not take issue with Colorado's effort to ban what she herself calls long abandoned aversive physical interventions. Instead, Ms. Chiles objected to Colorado's law only as it applies to her talk therapy, therapy that involves no physical interventions or medications, only the spoken word. What's your reaction to that in particular?

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

Well, the spoken word is a very powerful tool and it is used often to undermine and make people feel less than. And I think the process of conversion therapy in the spoken word is just as bad as the physical actions that she is talking about that we banned.

[Ryan Warner]

This spoken word, of course, also has incredibly powerful protections in this country. How much thought did you give the First Amendment as you were crafting the legislation?

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

We gave a lot of thought to the First Amendment because we wanted to make sure that we had a bill that would survive challenges, and unfortunately, this one did not.

[Ryan Warner]

What were the protections you felt you put into place that protected therapists or any American's free speech?

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

That's a good question. I think that when we were crafting the bill, we were exceptionally careful that the language used talked about specifically the harmful act of denigrating and degrading a child so that they feel less than. We felt that those were words that were considered harmful and harmful to a human being and to their life.

[Ryan Warner]

And so the idea is you thought this was narrowly tailored. What was your reaction when the ruling came down?

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

I was very disappointed. I was actually in my car, and all of a sudden my cell phone started blowing up.

[Abby Burnett]

And.

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

And I don't look at my phone when I'm driving because I'm very careful. So I was like, oh, no, something happened. Something happened. And finally somebody called me and said, the Supreme Court just overruled your ban. And I was devastated. I'm devastated for the children who are going to be impacted by this ruling and whose lives are going to be threatened by this ruling.

[Ryan Warner]

I'd like to play a little from the therapist herself from a press conference. So this is Kaylee Chiles.

[Carla Walker]

I am overjoyed that today's decisive win for free speech, families and common sense will protect counselors like me. And more importantly, I am thrilled that the ruling will help struggling kids and families who are seeking professional guidance consistent with biological reality.

[Ryan Warner]

Consistent with biological reality. Those are words that I hear often in the conversation around trans folks. This ruling came down on International Trans Day visibility. Did you feel that your bill was created with trans folks in particular in mind? This is such a hotly debated thing about what kind of interventions there ought to be, especially for young people.

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

Certainly trans folks were in our mind when we crafted this bill, but this bill was for all LGBTQ children who live in a society where sometimes they are not trusted, they are not believed, and they are put into real risk when they go into such a therapeutic intervention as compared to conversion therapy.

[Ryan Warner]

You stepped away from the legislature earlier this year to work in the nonprofit realm. I'm curious if you've been having discussions with current lawmakers about how a ban might be rewritten based on this ruling.

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

While I have not had conversations, I have heard of a piece of legislation that's moving through that would allow a person to sue a therapist for conducting conversion therapy.

[Ryan Warner]

And how does that differ substantially from what you passed in 2019?

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

How it differs is they would have a case to go to court against their so called therapist, and in our version, the therapy would have been banned completely. You also could have gone to court, or you can file a grievance with the state. There are many mechanisms in the banning process to prevent this kind of therapy. I don't know a lot about the bill that's going through, but I think it's a creative way to extend the safeties and securities for our children while

[Ryan Warner]

presumably adding some due process for a therapist.

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

Yes.

[Ryan Warner]

Would you Talk about the people and the experiences that led you to sponsor the ban in the first place.

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

Yeah, I was a young legislator. I actually ran it for three years. The LGBTQ community sought me out and said, we want your help with this bill. It was actually then Representative Paul Rosenthal who was the prime sponsor and I was the co prime sponsor in the beginning. We worked for three years to get this passed and for many years before I came around, I think like four years they had been trying to pass this bill.

[Ryan Warner]

With this ruling, the conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom adds another Colorado based victory to its portfolio. Is ADF becoming a de facto check and balance, you know, on the states like Democratic trifecta?

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

Well, they certainly are being successful in their cases against the way we see society in Colorado.

[Ryan Warner]

And what is your perception then of the Supreme Court these days? I want to note that this was an 8 to 1 decision. So it's not purely that only the conservative justices put their imprimatur on this.

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

You know, yeah, I was floored that it was 8 to 1. I am disgusted that there are liberal leaning justices who would say that a child could be subject to such horrible torture.

[Ryan Warner]

Talk about that word torture, because it certainly came up in the debate.

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

Well, I think when you are telling a child that they are not who they say they are, you are torturing their soul and you are torturing their mind and. And you are trying to get them to wrap themselves around a vision of themselves that you have, not that they have. And when we are trying to make our children be something that they are not, that is torture.

[Ryan Warner]

Defta, thank you so much for taking some time today.

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

Absolutely. Thank you so much for your interest in covering this important issue.

[Ryan Warner]

Former state lawmaker Daphne Michaelson Genet sponsored Colorado's conversion therapy ban, which the US Supreme Court finds is a violation of the First Amendment. More now from the Colorado Springs therapist at the center of the case, Kaylee Chiles. First, though, Jim Campbell, chief legal counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom.

[Patrick DeHaan]

The Supreme Court issued a decisive win for free speech, families and common sense. In 2019, Colorado enacted its counseling censorship law, banning licensed counselors from speaking certain views about gender and sexuality to their minor clients. The ruling will help protect counselors from this law and similar ones in more than 20 other states and over 100 localities around the country, freeing them to help struggling youth seeking their professional guidance.

[Carla Walker]

I view my work as an outpouring of my faith. I want what's best for my clients and they often seek me out because we have a shared faith. It's crucial that families have counseling options, including options that allow kids to genuinely talk about experiencing discomfort with their bodies without the state dictating an outcome. This ruling means Colorado cannot insert itself into the counseling room and silence important views that clients want to hear.

[Ryan Warner]

And Coverage [e-mail] this time next year, we'll have a new governor, but first, voters have to decide who that is. Debates are key to that. On May 7, we'll host a live primary debate with the Democrats. The GOP will follow once their slate of candidates is set. Importantly, we want your questions for gubernatorial candidates Michael Bennett and Phil Weiser, respectively. The senator and the attorney general. Head to cpr.org debate to tell us about the issues that matter most to you and to help us distinguish between these two Democrats. Then catch our debate with Denver7 and the Denver Post the evening of Thursday, May 7th. That's cpr.org debate to help shape our coverage. This is Colorado Matters from CPR News. It's Colorado Matters from CPR News. I'm Ryan Warner. A gallon of gas hit $4 on average nationwide this week. In Colorado, it's hovering around $3.85, with spikes to 460. In Garfield County, CPR's Nathan Fernando Fresca spoke with Gas Buddy analyst Patrick DeHaan.

[Nathan Fernando Fresca]

It's pretty obvious the war in Iran is one of the big reasons gas prices are increasing, but is it the only one?

[Patrick DeHaan]

Yeah. No, it certainly is one of the largest factors, probably 75 to 85% of the reason for the hike in the last month has really been attributed to what's happened in the Middle east with the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that carries about 20 million barrels of crude oil on a daily basis from oil producers to the global economy. That's about 20 million barrels, about a fifth of the daily flow of oil. And that's been really impactful. So, you know, 75 to 80% of the rise really attributed to the Middle East. The other 20 to 25%, more function of seasonality, and it could even be more like 15 to 20%. The seasonal swing is in full motion. We are switching over to summer gasoline, more expensive to produce. And in areas like Denver, special blends are required, called reformulated gasoline. And there is a cost to that, not only that, the switchover, but rising demand as temperatures warm up and Americans start to get outside after a long winter. In addition, refinery maintenance, especially at the Suncor refinery in Commerce City, that's actively ongoing. And that maintenance across the nation's refineries also means that output of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel is lower as that maintenance is conducted.

[Nathan Fernando Fresca]

Is there a reason that gas prices are more expensive here in Colorado? In the West? Is it that reformulated gas, for example, the Midwest, according to the gasbuddy heat map, places like South Dakota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas are generally seeing lower prices prices overall than we are here in Colorado.

[Patrick DeHaan]

Yeah. And you'll notice that, you know, the nation's midsection, the most inland of the United States, has relatively lower prices compared to just about everywhere else. And the phenomenon going about to help that is that the further inland you go, the more those areas are insulated against products being exported to a global market that suddenly, as a result of the Middle east is much more exposed to what can be exported. And that is why the nation's interior states are now the lowest price in the country. Now, Colorado being a neighboring area, not too bad. In Colorado you go to the west coast and it's certainly much more painful in terms of the increases because as you get closer to the coastal areas, whether California, the Gulf or the east coast, there's the possibility that more of that product can be exported to a global market that's very much looking for any additional supply you can get.

[Nathan Fernando Fresca]

Oh, so it's kind of like the more insulated you are in the middle of the country, the prices aren't being impacted as much yet.

[Patrick DeHaan]

Yeah, that's exactly it. In fact, gasoline consumers were very obsessed with gas prices, but gasoline has been really the least impacted fuel out of a barrel of oil, diesel and jet fuel, far more impacted.

[Nathan Fernando Fresca]

Yeah. And I know the people driving those big rigs are also paying more with those diesel prices. You just see that on the side of the road on those fuel signs.

[Patrick DeHaan]

Yeah, no, absolutely. Not only gasoline prices higher, but yeah, the trickle over effect from diesel prices, which in Colorado today we're talking about average diesel prices at some of their highest levels in the last few years. Statewide average right now is approaching $5 a gallon for diesel. 494.

[Nathan Fernando Fresca]

So the Trump administration says that the U.S. strategic Petroleum Reserve is going to release OR is releasing 172 million barrels of oil. For listeners, can you briefly explain what the reserve actually is?

[Patrick DeHaan]

Yeah. The nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve is a collection of saltwater caverns down in Texas and Louisiana that are filled with petroleum. After the 1970s Arab oil embargo, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve was developed to store oil to be able to mitigate the risk of other countries or the Middle east destabilizing again. And that's exactly where we find ourselves. Is that due to the US Attacks in Iran, the Middle east is less stable and the global market is in chaos, essentially because of the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.

[Nathan Fernando Fresca]

Will that bring prices at the pump down like today?

[Patrick DeHaan]

Well, unfortunately, you know, the numbers just are pretty far apart. May sound pretty notable, right? 400 million barrels, 172 million barrels from the United States. But really, the market looks at it from a throughput, a flow rate. This is going to be released from the US SPR at a rate of approximately a million, maybe a million and a half barrels a day. You know, all things considered, that's like replacing a water main with a straw. And that's why oil prices have not very much been impacted by this, is because the. The flow rate is far less than it would be needed to really seriously offset what's happened in the Middle East.

[Nathan Fernando Fresca]

So I guess that raises the question, have we hit the ceiling here on gas prices, or do we, as Coloradans need to prepare for higher prices not too far out on the horizon?

[Patrick DeHaan]

Well, they certainly could go higher. I remain very surprised that there hasn't been more concrete of a response in how to address and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. You know, we've heard about military escorts, we've heard about shipping reinsurance. None of that's had any impact at all. I don't know if that has simply just, you know, been lack of a plan. But oil is still blocked on the Strait of Hormuz, and oil prices will continue to go up until either there's a resolution through restoration of the Strait of Hormuz. Diplomacy that would be helpful. And oil prices, unless there is diplomacy or some sort of improvement, oil prices are going to keep going up because there's a massive imbalance that. That gets worse every single day.

[Nathan Fernando Fresca]

People are really focused on finding the cheapest gas available. And is it always wise to just find that cheapest gas that you can find and just say, this is. This is where I'm going to fill up today?

[Patrick DeHaan]

Well, there's a lot of different things I could say on, you know, hunting for those prices or different things, you know, you develop your own sense of where it's cheapest on a daily basis. But, you know, to fact check any of it, really, using the power of crowdsourced networks, would be to Simply just check GasBuddy's app or Google Maps or Waze or whatever cost comparison app you'd like to use. I mean, we spend thousands of dollars every year on gas, the best way to get the best deal is simply to be aware of what prices are around you. And whatever way you do that is up to you. But I mean, that's really it. There's a lot of rules. There's a lot of myths that are perpetuated on best days of the week. But ultimately, just having a little bit of a tune in to what the price of oil is doing would be helpful. And when you get down to, say, a half or a quarter tank, start looking at what prices are on a more regular basis, and that'll help gain knowledge that could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars in the years ahead.

[Nathan Fernando Fresca]

Patrick DeHaan is an analyst with GasBuddy. Patrick, thanks so much for being here.

[Patrick DeHaan]

Thanks for having me.

[Ryan Warner]

Patrick spoke with CPR's Nathan Fernando Frescas and Colorado Matters continues in the next half hour with a classy classic in classical. I'm Ryan Warner. You're with CPR News and krcc. This is Colorado Matters from CPR News. I'm Ryan Warner. Listeners to our classical service have a habit to kick. Host Carla Walker signs off today after 37 years in public radio. I'll miss her voice and the depth of music knowledge behind

[Carla Walker]

a little contra dance by Mozart written in his final year. He wrote a lot of dances in his final year because he finally was getting paid by the Austrian emperor to be a court composer of contra dances and other things.

[Ryan Warner]

Karla's here to share a few recordings that can calm in chaotic times. She'll also share some career highlights. And welcome to the program.

[Carla Walker]

Thank you.

[Ryan Warner]

Ryan, if it weren't for your reaction to a helicopter, your life might have taken a very different turn. Carla, that is very true. What's the story here?

[Carla Walker]

When I got out of school, I have a degree in radio and television. My mother declared it the most useless degree I could have gotten at all. And she said, well, why don't you call wjr, where we lived in Detroit, big AM station? She said, they're always looking for interns. So I did what I was told and I called WJR and they happened to be looking for an intern for the morning, which was a monster show in ratings terms. It had a 15 chair in Detroit,

[Ryan Warner]

which is just basically all of Detroit was tuned into the station.

[Carla Walker]

All of Detroit was tuned in to the J.P. mcCarthy Show. And I got lucky enough to get an internship there. And they were a big enough station in those days. They had their own traffic helicopter and one of the hosts in the afternoon a couple times a Week he was the helicopter pilot and he said, well, why don't you come ride with me one morning? And I thought, sure, because this might be, this might be my calling to be a traffic helicopter pilot. Not a pilot, but a reporter. So we got to the airport at 5:30 or something and got up in the helicopter about 6 and flew all around Detroit and saw all of the accidents and the backups and everything. Flew over my mom's house and she was outside waving at us. And it was all I could do to fall out of that helicopter and get home because I was so seasick after it.

[Ryan Warner]

Airsick, I guess, right.

[Carla Walker]

I was like, this is not for me. I am not going to be a traffic reporter ever.

[Ryan Warner]

Ever. And how quickly would you say classical comes into your life after the, you know, the near nauseating. The nauseating experience?

[Carla Walker]

Not that long after that. It wasn't too long until I got a job in public radio. I actually got a job offer for big station in Detroit, full time job offer. And I got a job offer on the same day from a little classical music NPR News station in Kent, Ohio. And I took the one in Kent because I wanted to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond. In the Detroit station I would have been basically just a phone screener, somebody who answered the phone of people who called in to talk to the hosts. But in Kentucky I could be an on air host and I started in news. But because I had a background in classical music, my program director said, well, why don't you try to do this as well? Because in small stations you can do a lot of different things.

[Ryan Warner]

Oh yes.

[Carla Walker]

And get a lot of different experience.

[Ryan Warner]

I like how you say you can do a lot of different things. In small stations you have to do a lot of different things.

[Carla Walker]

Very true.

[Ryan Warner]

And what was your exposure to classical music early on then?

[Carla Walker]

I grew up playing piano and playing flute. My flute teacher was a former principal flutist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. So I loved playing the flute. And my parents who came from small town Arkansas and Louisiana, they really felt the need to make sure that my sister and I were exposed to culture. So we were regulars at the Detroit Symphony and the Detroit Pops growing up.

[Ryan Warner]

Do you still play?

[Carla Walker]

I don't. I tinker around a little bit on the piano, but not very much.

[Ryan Warner]

Okay. Anyone who's anyone in classical music has met Carla Walker, cellist Yo Yo Ma, violinist Joshua Bell, pianist Lang Lang. But those encounters for you, while important, are not the zenith. It seems to be the instrument drive.

[Carla Walker]

Yes.

[Ryan Warner]

That fills your heart.

[Carla Walker]

Yes. Back in 2008, Colorado Public Radio Classical was coming out of being part of a nationwide network. Yeah, we were one of the producing stations for that network. So we had to rebuild Colorado Public Radio Classical from the ground up.

[Ryan Warner]

As a purely local station.

[Carla Walker]

As a purely local station. And I was the program director, and I said, we need to be focused on the musical community of Colorado. And that, of course, meant the performing musical community, but also meant kids. So I said, we need to do an instrument drive. We need to find instruments that people aren't playing anymore and then get them in the hands of kids who want to play them. What a great thing to do.

[Ryan Warner]

To raid the basements and attics and storage units.

[Carla Walker]

Exactly. So one of our hosts at the time, Steve Blot, had a great background in advertising and marketing. And I said, could you help me with this? And he just ran with it. And I think that first instrument drive at CPR, we had 125 instruments donated.

[Ryan Warner]

Not bad.

[Carla Walker]

Which we thought was amazing.

[Ryan Warner]

Remarkable.

[Carla Walker]

And we got those repaired and into the hands of deserving kids. And we did it another time or two at Colorado Public Radio. And then Steve retired, and he took it with him and created its own nonprofit called Bringing music to Life. And now they get about a thousand instruments donated every year all across Colorado. About 2/3 of those get repaired. The others just aren't into shape that they can be repaired. And the salvageable ones get donated to Title 1 schools all across Colorado. And by their estimate, now over 25,000 Colorado kids have learned to play an instrument because of that little thing that we started back at Colorado public radio in 2009.

[Ryan Warner]

My heart is full.

[Carla Walker]

My favorite thing to do every year is to go to the instrument giveaway. That happens in August when all the teachers come from all across Colorado and they give out the instruments. And it's just the most amazing event.

[Ryan Warner]

And of course, any single donated instrument might be picked up by dozens of children.

[Carla Walker]

Yes.

[Ryan Warner]

And so one instrument represents. Who knows?

[Carla Walker]

And multiple kids playing it.

[Ryan Warner]

Oh, gosh. Okay, Goosebumps. How about your first piece for calm in chaotic times?

[Carla Walker]

I like to look to composers who show through their music resilience. And you don't have to look any farther than Beethoven for that. Beethoven lived in a terrible time. He lived through the Napoleonic wars in Vienna. In fact, there's this story that as Napoleon's army is shelling Vienna, and the noise is so loud and Beethoven is struggling with his hearing that he escapes to the basement of a relative and stuffs beetle pillows around his ears to try to Preserve whatever hearing that he had left. And yet, during the middle of all of this, he writes the most tender, beautiful thing. The middle movement to his Piano Concerto Number five, the Emperor.

[Ryan Warner]

You've got to be so good at trivia.

[Carla Walker]

I am terrible at trivia. Really? Yeah.

[Ryan Warner]

That amazes me. I mean, isn't being a classical host just having in your mind card catalogs?

[Carla Walker]

Oh, totally. Of facts on a very narrow subject.

[Ryan Warner]

Uh huh. I see. Then sports comes up, right?

[Carla Walker]

Exactly. There's this game that we love to play called Hipster. And you build a musical timeline. You play it with Spotify and you get a QR code. And let's say your timeline starts at 1985 and it's a Depeche Mode song. You're like, does it go before 85 or after 85? And you have to build this whole musical timeline. It goes from about 1950 to 2022. I love that game because it's the one game that I'm good at.

[Ryan Warner]

Okay, remind me not to play you on that game. You're leaving CPR classical, but you're staying in the nonprofit realm. Do you have a strong sense of who you are off micro?

[Carla Walker]

I do.

[Ryan Warner]

You do.

[Carla Walker]

I have always said in all the years that I was a manager in radio, it was a lesson I learned early on. The reason I didn't take that job in Detroit is because it was for a different host who struck me as someone completely different off the air than who he was on the air. And it was a big lesson for me early on to always be on the air who you are off the air. And so it's been really nice. I've been getting a lot of emails and calls from listeners, and the word that comes up over and over again is kind, kind, kind.

[Ryan Warner]

I have proof that you're kind off the air, by the way.

[Carla Walker]

So who I am off the air is who I am on the air. There's no difference at all.

[Ryan Warner]

So is there loss? I mean, it's interesting, right? Because you clearly had ambition. You said you wanted to be a larger fish in a smaller pond as opposed to sort of a dot in the ocean. Is your ego gonna have to adjust to not being on the air?

[Carla Walker]

I don't think so at all. Because in my family, nobody listens to me. I have to keep telling them, this is the last week, today's the last day. Don't forget to listen to Mama.

[Ryan Warner]

Okay? So husbands and children can be grounding that way.

[Carla Walker]

Very much so. But I will tell you that. But over the years, I've had a lot of different jobs. I started a network. I relaunched KVOD as a full time classical local station. I've had a lot of jobs and when my kids were in middle school, I decided to take a step back to being on air, thinking that it would last four or five years and get them into high school and then I'll go back into management. And it's been 16 years, which has been wonderful. I've loved every moment of it. But my brain has been telling me I'm ready for something different. I'm ready for a bigger challenge. I'm ready to try something new and different.

[Ryan Warner]

I love that. You don't want to atrophy.

[Carla Walker]

Exactly.

[Ryan Warner]

Yeah, I think that's right. Where are you headed after cpr? Classical.

[Carla Walker]

I always said that I would either go two places. I would go to a classical music organization, a performing organization, or I would go to my church, which is a wonderful, loving, inclusive community. St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch. They're a progressive community that has an amazing music program.

[Ryan Warner]

Aha.

[Carla Walker]

And in fact, last Friday night, I hosted a program of 160 singers and a 40 piece orchestra. So it's just right up my alley.

[Ryan Warner]

Okay, you can take the girl out of the classical station, but you can't take the classical out of the girl.

[Carla Walker]

See, I'm really not leaving classical music.

[Ryan Warner]

Do you have a favorite music venue in the state? Cause you've hosted shows all over. I know you were just back from.

[Carla Walker]

I was just at the Villar center, which was my first time at the Villar Center. A wonderful venue.

[Ryan Warner]

Vail.

[Carla Walker]

Yes, In Beaver Creek. Beaver Creek, wonderful venue. But I think that my favorite is Chautauqua Auditorium.

[Ryan Warner]

Oh, the acoustics.

[Carla Walker]

The acoustics are amazing, especially for classical.

[Ryan Warner]

I've never seen classical there.

[Carla Walker]

Oh, the acoustics are amazing in that place.

[Ryan Warner]

Okay, good to know. One more piece of music for serenity to leave us with.

[Carla Walker]

This is the kind of music that I like to put into my earbuds and go for a walk because I just find it so deeply comforting. And this is just one of many pieces that Rachel Portman has written that I absolutely love. But this one is called Fed by Our Mothers. It comes from the score to the movie Julia about Julia Child.

[Ryan Warner]

Carla Walker. Best of luck in the next chapter.

[Carla Walker]

I will be a listener and a super fan and listening to you every day. Ryan.

[Ryan Warner]

Oh, that's a kind thing to say. Is it okay if I miss you?

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

Yeah.

[Ryan Warner]

Okay.

[Carla Walker]

But we need to get together periodically.

[Ryan Warner]

Exactly. This is Colorado Matters from CPR News. You're with Colorado Matters from CPR News. I'm Ryan Warner. The 500 mile Colorado Trail between Denver and Durango is a bucket list item for the outdoorsy, but how did it come to be? One listener wanted to know. And For Colorado wonders, CPR's Tom Hess found out.

[Tom Hess]

If you're looking for a way to get from Denver to Durango that demands consideration of how many socks to bring, the Colorado Trail might be for you. Abby Burnett has heard the basics about it, including the prize at the La Plata county end.

[Abby Burnett]

I know that it's long. I know that if you hike the entire Colorado Trail, there's like a brewery

[Ryan Warner]

in Durango that will give you a

[Abby Burnett]

free drink after doing it.

[Tom Hess]

Abby's is hiking the trail this season, which made Abby think about what she didn't know about one of Colorado's most scenic of scenic routes.

[Carla Walker]

I was just thinking about that trip

[Abby Burnett]

that she's planning on taking and wondering more about it, like how it was

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

discovered or who pioneered it.

[Abby Burnett]

I don't know if you really discover a trail per se and then just what led to it becoming so popular for backpacking.

[Tom Hess]

The trail was meant to be a project for the state's 100th birthday in 1976. The final connection, however, was completed in 87. That's because the effort to build it became almost as much of a slog as hiking the trail itself.

[Abby Burnett]

A couple years before the centennial celebration, they thought, you know, this won't be that hard. We'll be able to link together a bunch of existing trails.

[Tom Hess]

Paul Talley is the executive director of the Colorado Trail foundation.

[Abby Burnett]

By the mid-80s, the project was really floundering. And there was an article written in a magazine in Denver that was titled the Trail to Nowhere. And the article was just about this great idea that kind of fizzled.

[Tom Hess]

The sheer size of the project is mostly to blame for the delay. The Colorado trail goes through 11 counties, more than a dozen towns, eight mountain ranges. It's a lot to coordinate, but if any publicity is good publicity, the Trail to Nowhere article fits that bill. It's credited with getting the attention of the right people.

[Abby Burnett]

The governor saw it. At the time, it was Governor Dick Lamb. He and his wife signed up to start volunteering with us. And just the exposure that came because of that really helped the trail get finished by 87, when we officially finished it. And so, you know, this group of people was a really dedicated group and it was a very diverse group.

[Tom Hess]

Lam support was important. But to that question about pioneering the trail itself, no one was more instrumental than the late Goody Gaskell.

[Carla Walker]

The country we have here in Colorado hadn't even been opened up to the public.

[Tom Hess]

Gaskell died in 2016, and her memories about the effort to build the trail are recorded extensively in Colorado history. Even she was surprised that it became the draw that it did.

[Carla Walker]

The idea was that it was going to be a trail for the people of Colorado, as I never even thought about it being anyone else coming in wanting to use it.

[Tom Hess]

The Colorado Trail's popularity expanded beyond the state borders and it's become a destination for thru hikers. Talley says around 600 people completed the trail last year, though tens of thousands hike portions of it. The foundation uses a system of volunteers reports and check ins from local businesses to gauge usage. They also get a lot of questions from prospective hikers looking for ways to etch their names into the history books, no matter how obscure a path it takes.

[Abby Burnett]

One of the things that's really weird about work of the Color Trail foundation is you will get a lot of questions about like first, has anybody ever done this? Anybody ever done that? Has anybody ever done in a pogo stick? Has anybody ever, you know, and so you get all these weird questions. And my standard answer to people is if you can think of a way to do it, it's probably been done.

[Tom Hess]

In Grand Junction, I'm Tom Hess. CPR News.

[Ryan Warner]

There's a double feature Friday at one of the most peculiar places to watch a movie. The movie Manor in Monte Vista reopens for the season. I checked it out on the final day of last season. This story starts with a vintage postcard. I like sending them to friends. And I found one of a roadside business in the San Luis Valley. I figured it had closed long ago, but I was wrong. All right. I've just driven through downtown Monte Vista. I am on a tree lined residential road now. Goodness. The fall colors are just stunning here. Stunning. Stunning. And I'm about to make a left to my hotel, which is not your average hotel. Oh, oh, I can already see it before I make the left. There it is, the big screen. Oh, two of them. Two big screens. The star drive in and the movie Manor Hotel. And here's my left. Yep, a motel that abuts a drive in theater. One screen points to cars, the other points to the rooms at check in. The concierge gives me the spiel.

[Patrick DeHaan]

So tonight, movie it's sketch starts 7:30pm and to get the volume in the room, there's a volume button on the wall of your room. And if you can open the curtains. You can see the screen from your room.

[Ryan Warner]

Okay, I've just driven up to my room 106 is the Robert De Niro Room flanked by the Cary Grant room. And what's to the right? Danny DeVito. You hear that wind? This best western built in the 1960s feels like it's out of an old western. Two stories surrounded by scrub. The room is dated but cozy. Art on the walls all features movie stars. I am looking at a single poster that is just a collage. Stars of the silver screen. Okay, pretty sure that's Gone with the Wind depicted in the background. There's Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Clint Eastwood, Frankenstein's monster, Laurel and Hardy and the cast of the wizard of Oz. Oh, there's Lucy and Desi. On the other wall, a cavalcade of stars eating brunch. Once again, James Dean. Oh, there's Elvis. We have Marilyn Monroe, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart. And I think that's Mae west, who I've come up to see sometime. Oh, and here's the volume button that he described at the check in. Walking to the window, opening the drapes. And there is the drive in movie screen. I'm guessing it's 30ft tall, at least 50ft wide and as massive as it seems, it pales in comparison to the size of the sky in the San Luis Valley. As the sun sets and that sky darkens, I think about snacks. The concession stand in half. Moonlight is like walking into the past. This is just magnificent. I order a popcorn and cheeseburger before the film starts. Sketch is about a kid whose drawings come to life. My grub is discounted tonight because this is the end of the movie season. I grab a little time with one of the motets and drive in's co owners, Sheetal Patelia. Her two year old scoots around the lobby on a big wheel. This is a family business. They bought it three years ago, moved from Aurora to this town of 4,000

[Sheetal Patelia]

people who have come here for their honeymoons, for their first date. And they actually revisit us after certain years. Like 40 years, 50 years, 60 years. And they tell you the history. That is how we know a lot of things that we actually did not knew about it. It gives the place really live.

[Ryan Warner]

I'm staying in room 106. Robert De Niro. What other star rooms are there?

[Sheetal Patelia]

So we have the entire list of the star names starting from room 101 to 228. Jenny Heckman. We have Paul Newman, we have Tom Cruise, we have Denny DeVito. And then we have Tom Schellick and Goldie Hawn.

[Ryan Warner]

Now it sounds like these stars are not all familiar to you.

[Sheetal Patelia]

No, to be honest, no.

[Ryan Warner]

Tell me how you wound up buying a roadside drive in movie theater motel in Monte Vista, Colorado.

[Sheetal Patelia]

We were looking for an investment, basically. And then we came across to this place and they actually listed it first and took it off and then we again threw them an offer. And when we visited this place, it has a breakfast table, mountain view. At that moment we thought, okay, this is a beautiful place to be in. Then we thought of relocating and managing it.

[Ryan Warner]

So you escaped the big city for a different kind of life?

[Sheetal Patelia]

Yes, we did. I always wanted. I kept telling my husband, when you make enough money for me, I want to buy a house in the mountains. And there I came up here, helped me buy this place.

[Ryan Warner]

How is business?

[Sheetal Patelia]

So it's mostly for tourists and leisure. So winters are slow so we want people to come in and experience this unique place. Summers are really good and our movie season is seasonal, basically. So we start from the first week of April until the end of September.

[Ryan Warner]

We are here for one of the last nights of movies.

[Sheetal Patelia]

Yes, you are. We are going to close the theater tomorrow, the drive in.

[Ryan Warner]

But obviously the motel stays open.

[Sheetal Patelia]

Yes, the motel stays open 365 days a year.

[Ryan Warner]

Are people disappointed in the dead of winter that the movies aren't playing?

[Sheetal Patelia]

Yes, some of them do. They are when people like travel by and stop by and this is actually, you can say hole in the wall basically. So a lot of people don't know about it. I want more and more people to know about this unique property and have a different experience than the regular hotels that they stay with.

[Ryan Warner]

Is it hard to maintain a place like this?

[Sheetal Patelia]

It is very hard. It's a huge place and we are in a valley. We are spread it in around 40 acres of land. So it is difficult. We do have certain spots where people can bring their RVs and park up here and even stay and do camping. There are many projects that are upcoming and that we are thinking of, but it's like a huge elephant that you have to feed it every single day. It is difficult. But you are in the wilderness. So come and enjoy mother nature.

[Ryan Warner]

I just found out that the fitness room is named for Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[Carla Walker]

Yes, it is.

[Ryan Warner]

Running this hotel means you don't get time to watch the movies.

[Sheetal Patelia]

No, I have to take a day off to watch the movies because I'm mostly at the concession stand in the evening and by the time, half of the movie is done at that time. We close the concession. Then I'm all done, and I'm tired and I'm like, okay.

[Abby Burnett]

No.

[Sheetal Patelia]

But I do take days off to watch certain movies. I did watch Jurassic World, Minions that we had last year. Yes. I wanted to watch Mission Impossible. Well, my husband got to watch it, not me.

[Ryan Warner]

Well, I think you are on your own Mission Impossible here.

[Sheetal Patelia]

I guess so. But it's not difficult. We have a really friendly and very supportive staff up here, so. So we're good on it.

[Ryan Warner]

Sheetal Patelia, co owner of Movie Manor, the motel and drive in theater in Monte Vista, Colorado. It's almost showtime. I return to my Robert De Niro room. All right, it is 7:28. We're two minutes from the start of the movie. It is almost pitch black. Oh, I think maybe the key is to turn the lights out in the room and then the screen will be king. Now, granted, it's a Monday night in Monte Vista, but while there are several people staying at the motel, there doesn't appear to be a single car in the area where you park and watch. But the show must go on. It's starting. It's starting. And like any decent movie theater, we're gonna see previews first. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to 1930. My God, what a melody.

[Carla Walker]

He will be a sensation.

[Ryan Warner]

Oh, this is the Downton, the new Downton movie preview. I am gonna watch the hell out of this movie when it's out, and I think for now I'm gonna sit in a chair. I have pulled up to the picture window in front of the wall air conditioning unit, and I'm just gonna enjoy myself and watch a movie.

[Carla Walker]

Hooray for Hollywood that screwy valley hooey

[Sheetal Patelia]

Hollywood where any office boy or young

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

mechanic can be a panic with just

[Carla Walker]

a good looking panic.

[Ryan Warner]

The Movie Manor in Monte Vista reopens for the season Friday with a double feature, the Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Five Nights at Freddy's 2. And that's Colorado Matters for now, with thanks to our crew, Sandy Batulga, Tyler

[Patrick DeHaan]

Bender, Carl Bielick, Anthony Cotton, Pete Kramer, Andrea Dukakis, Zan Huckpechone, Matt Herz, Tom

[Tom Hess]

Hess, Michael Hughes, Pedro Lumbragno, Shane Rumsey,

[Carla Walker]

Haley Sanchez, Chandra Thomas Whitfield.

[Ryan Warner]

And I'm Ryan Warner at CPR News and kr.

[Sheetal Patelia]

Hooray for Hollywood that phony super coney

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

Hollywood they come from Chillicothes and Paducah

[Sheetal Patelia]

with their bazookas to get their names up in lights all armed with photos from local rotos with their hair in ribbons and legs and tights.

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

Hooray for Hollywood.

[Sheetal Patelia]

You may be homely in your neighborhood

[Daphne Michelson Genet]

but if you think that you can be.