THE WIND BLOWS IN MY FACE; I feel the tires crunch below me, the brakes and shifters in my hands like cubes of ice. At this point I know that this bike is an extension of my body, the plastic pedals mixing with my fleshy legs and the finger grips molding to my hands. I …
READERS OF THE BUENA VISTA newspaper will occasionally notice that some veteran of World War II is mentioned as having served in the 10th Mountain Division. The distinctive logo for the 10th Mountain appears on the occasional obituary. Sometimes the “winter army” is mentioned in an article. A few of those men were locals when …
THE FAST-PACED RUSH AND BUSTLE of summer Main Street traffic had slowed to a trickle of locals entering shops and the few hardy visitors enjoying the views. I was there to meet Zeb McCain — a local author, tile guru and volunteer facilitator for the Nurturing Fathers Program — for lunch at a local eatery. …
FREIGHT, the fully restored 1884 Leadville depot, is host to a variety of public gatherings. In fall and close to the holidays, you can spend a Sunday afternoon at their community market to enjoy both the historic space and shopping. Party Priestess Elsa Tharpe said, “FREIGHT has always been the “yes” place — meaning …
AT FIRST GLANCE, the landscape around Highway 17 through the San Luis Valley might appear incapable of hiding anything. The earth spreads wide, splayed out below 14,000-foot peaks and an impossibly open sky. But off toward the Great Sand Dunes an oasis hides in a stand of tall, skinny trees. Finding this gem on accident …
“YOU’RE CRAZY!” IS COMMONLY SAID TO Rafael “Rafa” Millan-Garcia, with varying degrees of animosity mixed with awe. At the root of most of these comments is the fact that a bicycle is Rafa’s exclusive mode of transportation — which is impressive everywhere, but especially in Leadville, Colorado, where Rafa lives. At 10,200 feet, Leadville is …
THE RURAL AREAS OF COLORADO ARE riddled with mysteries, particularly where dirt roads meet trails winding into the mountains. People who choose to make their lives in this tough and unforgiving environment tend to be private people who have moved out of the city and off the grid for a specific purpose. Mike Rust was …
SOPHIA HERZOG, SALIDA, WON A BRONZE medal in the 100-meter breaststroke at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo and then retired. Tokyo was Herzog’s second trip to the Paralympic Games. In 2016, she won a silver medal in the 100-meter breaststroke in Rio de Janeiro. She was also a finalist in the 200 Individual Medley …
GOV. JARED POLIS THIS YEAR rescinded two orders on the steps of the State Capitol, ending the legal justification for the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864. Around 100 members of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes attended the ceremony, calling for changes. One of their “asks” was to change the name of Mount Evans, maybe to …
THREE OF US “ADVENTURERS” found ourselves enjoying a short jaunt on rail bikes recently. We were in the old D&RGW (Denver & Rio Grande Western) railroad depot in South Fork. A company there regularly rents out bikes for the three-mile run up to the turntable and back. Up for discussion was the idea of pedaling. …
EARLY MORNING, BEFORE the sun even hinted at dawn, I walked the dog along our suburban sidewalk, with numerous streetlights illuminating our way. I spotted movement ahead — a sizable four-legged form padding silently away, a long tail draped in a graceful curve nearly touching the ground. That’s all I saw but I didn’t need …
While anxiety and fear surrounding dental care is as common as dentists portrayed as villains (“Little Shop of Horrors,” Marathon Man,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” etc.) Dr. Nicholas Brown, DDS, is attempting to flip the script one patient at a time. Brown practices at Relaxation Dental in Salida, and his motto reads, “Because there …
Can I be the person who says we need to protect the planet and at the same time buy another plastic doll for my daughter? Climate change is a global problem and there are small solutions that we can start working on today. This summer I went to Red Rocks. It was a classic Colorado …
PARK AND CHAFFEE COUNTIES each have approximately 45 mining districts, geographical areas established during Colorado’s 1800s mining boom to specify individual mine locations. Many districts were named after a particular “strike,” a nearby town or even a memorable experience such as the early Snowblind District, the precursor to the Consolidated Montgomery District at the foot …
by Cailey McDermott There are roughly 28 public hot springs in Colorado. Mount Princeton in Nathrop touts five different soaking styles — the newest is the infinity pool. In addition to the public soaking, the infinity pool is open to private soaking experiences. You can reserve the entire pool for a romantic date, for a …
By Douglas B. Mendelson I have just gone through a nearly two-year long medical journey that has opened my eyes to the whole medical system so much, I felt compelled to share my experience to help educate others to my process and pitfalls encountered during my journey. I am not here to disparage any medical …
By Elizabeth Walsh TEACHER, AUTHOR, RANCHER and environmentalist, Nancy Oswald jokes, “If I ever wrote a memoir, I’d call it the crooked path.” Perhaps it is the twists and turns, the side ventures, even odd roads that lead to a full, rich, interesting life journey. Raised primarily in Denver, Nancy frequently spent time at …
By Mike Rosso Back in 1880, a Salida resident named Tom Cooke was searching for horses in the northwest mountains of the San Luis Valley. Instead, he found ore deposits which quickly gained interest from outsiders and within a year, the town of Bonanza City was founded and counted between 1,000 and 1,500 residents by …
By Forrest Whitman One of Colorado’s most spectacular train trips is back after three and a half years of rehabilitation. It’s a good time to board the Cog Railway from Manitou Springs to Pike’s Peak. The day we went, the weather was fine and the snow mostly gone. We did see moisture on the new …
By Peter Anderson Row, row, row your boat. Row it because El Rio is running high with water that has just come down off the mountain and your friends want to take their little boy on his first float; row it so he feels the waves as they push up against the floor of the …
By Chris Rourke Along a more than four-mile stretch of the Slate River near the town of Crested Butte lies a colony of Great Blue Herons. They return every spring to lay eggs, hatch their brood and tend to chicks. The majestic and colorful creatures can be spotted high in the tree tops overlooking the …
By Joyce Lohse In mid-June, Western Writers of America (WWA) converged on Loveland, Colorado, for their 68th Annual Convention. For a writer struggling with focus and direction, this was a perfect opportunity to learn about industry news and gain inspiration. Three days of listening, interacting and learning among 200 of the most talented Western writers …
By Mike Rosso We reached the end of the construction and finish phase of the house, and all that remained was the final inspection and certificate of occupancy. After a bit of ground leveling by the builder, a dump truck full of gravel was brought in to create a driveway. The builders then came in …
By Jennifer Swacina When I first heard about Nestlé mining water— right here in Chaffee County—I wished I had been here in 2009 to have joined those who rallied against it. Be careful what you wish for! In late 2019, I happened to read an article covering a routine county commissioner’s meeting with discussion that …
By Mike Rosso The Chalk Cliffs State Trout Rearing Unit sits at the base of majestic Mt. Princeton, near Chalk Creek in Nathrop. Originally a private trout farm, the state of Colorado began operating the facility in 1948 to provide catchable trout to waters throughout the Front Range and Eastern Plains of Colorado. Its stocking …
By Forrest Whitman Colorado folks, especially here in the Upper Arkansas Valley, used to be called “Colorado nice.” I still hear that sometimes, but not often. There are more of us here and that may result in less “nice” and more “grumpies.” Population booms lead to some positives and some negatives, but there’s no argument …
By Hal Walter There was a paper American flag taped to the stair handrail. Each weekday morning, through an intricate intercom system consisting of a cell phone, landline, iPod Touch and a Beats Pill speaker, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited, followed by the lunch menu, school announcements and an inspirational quote. Routines are important …
By Tom Purvis When spring came to Salida back in 2004, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced their plan to conduct a travel management planning process on their managed lands in the Upper Arkansas Valley. The trails that were available near Salida were few, rough, and not constructed sustainably. To say they were constructed …
By Chelsea McNerney-Martinez As regular readers may have already determined, I am an outdoor recreation novice, which is probably why I love Penitente Canyon so much. Although there are absolutely more challenges there than I will ever be prepared for, the canyon’s more than 25 miles of trails have hiking routes for every level of …
By Daniel Smith It was Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin who initiated Earth Day in 1970, the first national effort to focus on environmental issues. Later that year the Environmental Protection Agency was formed, to be followed by the Clean Air Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act; and the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act …
By Chris Rourke Some are snowy and silent. Others are rough and rocky. Still, some lead users on a narrow strip through a field of wildflowers billowing in the summer breeze. Trails are all shapes and sizes and have many uses. And we “users” are as varied as the trails we find under our feet …
By Kenneth Jessen Excluding ghost towns on private property, possibly the hardest to reach by vehicle is located in Alamosa County near the base of three fourteen thousand peaks, Ellingwood Point (14,048 feet), Blanca Peak (14,345 feet) and Little Bear (14,036 feet). It was called Camp Commodore (a.k.a. Commodore Camp or simply Commodore). The treacherous …
By Hayden Mellsop “No theme this month. Just write about whatever is on your mind.” Words to instill fear into the heart of any columnist, at least this one. Where to begin? Without a focal point my imagination resembles something of a flat, featureless ocean. Me, bobbing at its center, scanning the horizon in all …
By Tina Mitchell In 1961, I was a 10-year-old kid in the suburbs of Chicago and Walt Disney had me smack dab in his sights. “The Wonderful World of Disney” had become “must see TV” every Sunday evening in my house. With “Bambi,” he had brought wildfire to life (and, rightly or wrongly, mother-killing hunters …
By Clay Jenkinson The chaos of the last few years about “fake news,” “alternative facts,” and the press as “enemies of the people” has rattled America’s understanding of the search for truth, the reporting of facts and incidents, the role of the media in a free society, and the idea of “objectivity” in a post-literate, …
By Forrest Whitman All eyes are on the COVID-19 pandemic. But, a story that’s been shoved aside might just be nearly as important long term. A railroad war is going on right now between the Rio Grande Pacific R.R. and the Colorado and Pacific R.R. It’s over the old main line of the Denver and …
By Mike Rosso If I were to use one word to describe Browns Park in northwestern Colorado, it would be “remote.” The nearest towns of any significance are Craig, Colorado, Rock Springs, Wyoming, and Vernal, Utah, all of which are at least 90 minutes away by automobile. Save for a few cattle ranches, there are …
By Mike Rosso Colorado has seen consistent population growth since its inception in 1876, whether is was fur trapping, gold and silver mining, or world-class skiing. The state has seen an estimated 14.5% increase in population in the past decade, affecting both cities and rural areas as well. Between 2017 and 2018 the population of …
By Ed Berg Back in 2019 I attended a meet-your-neighbors open house for a new landowner who wanted to set up a tourism business; eco-tourism was to be part of it. He stated that they would not be letting “destructive cattle” graze on the riverside property. He didn’t know that the lady standing next to …
By John Mattingly The morning after a light snow is a revealing time to walk in the brush lands of the northern San Luis Valley. Fresh snow provides a relief map of the previous night’s activity, engaged in by other creatures that live here. The footprints of various rabbits and hares, mice and moles, numerous …
By Patty LaTaille Okay, granted, there are many riveting experiences found in the mountain town of Salida. Whitewater rafting, mountain biking, climbing a fourteener, to name a few—mostly outside adventure activities. For those who prefer an indoor enthralling experience, scurry your way to downtown Salida proper and release your inner creative energy at the unique …
By Chelsea McNerney-Martinez The Frontier Drive-In, located on U.S. Hwy. 285 just minutes from the town of Center, has been vacant for years. But before the pandemic made drive-ins more popular as the most practical way to hold outdoor gatherings, the potential for the Frontier to be on the frontier (not sorry) of tourism and …
By Doris Dembosky When was the last time you changed your clothes? Mostly housebound, I’ve worn the same clothing for four or five days. I’ve lost count. Some days I’m not even sure what day it is. Recently I stumbled across “Windchime,” a poem by Tony Hoagland. The poem begins: She goes out to hang …
