In time, Estes Park has become multidimensional. Streets have been added, neighborhoods have grown, entertainment venues have flourished, and all manner of restaurants, shops, lodges, breweries, and coffee shops have taken hold.
One hundred years ago, the Stanley Hotel was a very substantial addition, and it continues to break new ground. Mrs. Walsh’s Garden, Performance Park, the Tram, and the Marina add a lot to the town. Wonderview Avenue and the Loop changed the traffic flow. We added schools, a hospital, a fire department. The YMCA of the Rockies, the Elkhorn Lodge, Mary’s Lake Lodge, Taharaa — well, you get the point.
We continue to add dimension, with the buildout of Cleave Street, the Chocolate Factory and carousel, future artistic endeavors, new creativity shops, and new trails.
The Estes experience is very varied. And through it all, the rivers keep running, the spring rains and snows bring the beautiful thousand shades of green, and the fresh mountain air flows around us. The character, quality, and beauty of Estes is still the stage on which all our human experiences and activities play out.
Given that Estes makes its living to a large degree from the tourism trade, it’s important to be multidimensional. However, it is ultimately most important that the resources are cared for and preserved. The land, vegetation, air, water, animals, humans, and all must be kept healthy and strong in perpetuity.
We’re aware of that. But what we do about it is where our conscience advises us.
The legacy of Nick Mollé is not just a legacy. It’s a living vision. Nick spent many years documenting the plight of our natural resources. He pointed out paths of preservation and solutions to deterioration. He was very aware of the dangers impacting our natural environment. And at the end, he reminded us with his last, unfinished project that it is our conscience that will be our guide to move to the best possible future.
And our great fortune is that we’ll have continuity from the people and organization that Nick left in place.
Nick’s final project, Stream of Conscience: The Colorado, when completed, will be another vital piece in his collected works. It will also represent the transition to the crew that comes after Nick. His daughters, Lauren and Claire Mollé, lead the way. Emmy-award-winning videographer Seán Doherty and the uber-creative John Berry are two other key pillars of the team.
They are dedicated to completing Stream of Conscience for all of us. And their vision extends far beyond, to the many other stories that must be told of our natural world and our symbiotic relationship with it.
We need this very important dimension of Estes Park to survive and thrive into the future. This group absolutely has the skills and tools to keep this enterprise going. However, it costs money to make these good works.
Fortunately, they’ve had some good funding. The Newendorp family, the Owens family, and Kate Colby’s Loving Climate Foundation have helped thus far. Nick was also best friends with the late Barb Marshall, who often called him her “big brother”. Claire says that the Rocky Mountain Channel and Nick Molle Productions owe a huge “thank you” to Barb for her strong support over the years.
But it will take additional funding not only to complete this key documentary, but to create important future works in related and new directions.
This is a great cause. The value of the education and awareness that comes from this type of programming can’t be overstated.
I certainly encourage those with the means to consider helping keep these great works funded.
When Nick first came up with the title and mentioned it to me, I smiled and thought of the more typical “stream of consciousness.” It caught my attention: What does “stream of conscience” mean?