2016 March

CD Review: Rupert Wates – Colorado Mornings, True Love Songs

by

By Brian Rill

Rupert Wates is not a Colorado native, although he currently has a residence in Salida. Born in London, England and based out of New York City, Rupert travels the world playing an average of 120 yearly shows. Now he finally comes home with the release of his highly anticipated eighth album, Colorado Mornings, True Love Songs. “The Manhattan skyline may be good for a week or two, but I’m over it now. Don’t need it anyhow. And the Paris boulevards trump Second Avenue until you run out of wine, then you run out of time. I’ve said my goodbyes to the place I came from. I threw it away for the price of a song.”

Read more

A Cold Shoulder for Chipeta

by

By Wayne Iverson

Southern Chaffee County boasts a fabulous view of three mountains in the Sawatch Range named for a Ute (Nuche) Indian family – Mount Ouray, Chipeta Mountain and Pahlone Peak. Indians don’t typically name mountains after themselves, so my guess is that some “white guilt” went into that honor – like a developer who names streets after the trees cut down to build a subdivision. But there is another problem – perhaps an error on the part of the applicant or the U.S. Geologic Survey Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Mount Ouray and Pahlone Peak are named for the highest point on their respective mountains, but Chipeta Mountain is named for the second highest point on its massif and is actually out of plain sight. Thus an effort to commemorate an important woman ends up coming across as more of an insult. So perhaps a campaign to move the name “Chipeta Mountain” from the 12,850-foot sub peak to the 13,472-foot highpoint is in order. 

Read more

Great Horned Owls

by

By Tina Mitchell

Who’s awake? Me too! Who’s awake? Me too! In the bleak midwinter, this series of five rhythmic, muffled, slightly eerie hoots – all on one pitch – wafts through the darkness. The sentinel taking attendance is the Great Horned Owl. Measuring nearly 2 feet from head to tail, the Great Horned is the largest and most widespread owl in North America. Seen most commonly perched upright in trees or on power poles at dusk, this owl is heavily barred in brown and black. Feather tufts (not horns at all, despite its name) on its large head give rise to its rather inaccurate, albeit catchy, common name. Its enormous yellow eyes are so large that they cannot move in the owl’s head. However, the owl can swivel its head as much as 270 degrees to look in any direction. Since Great Horneds hunt at night, locating prey by sound is vital – and this owl has the requisite acute hearing. With a skull nearly as wide as its body, its ears are set relatively far apart and offset from each other a bit, allowing the raptor to triangulate the location of the tiniest sounds even more accurately. 

Read more

America’s Candidates Keep Running the Wrong Way

by

By Martha Quillen

So far this season, the 2016 candidates have insulted immigrants, refugees, environmentalists, Muslims, Christians, the unemployed, undereducated, and whoever else was handy. And in the least charitable campaign ever, Donald Trump promised to kick out Mexican migrants; forsake homeless refugees; keep out Muslims; and arm our southern border against exploited children trying to escape Latin America. Trump also threatened numerous countries directly, challenged everyone who criticized him; scared the Brits; alarmed the Pope; and convinced half of America he’s dangerous. 

Read more

The Wheeler Geologic Area – Formerly Colorado’s First National Monument

by
IMG_8698
Will Citta enjoys an overview of the formations at the Wheeler Geologic Natural Area northwest of Wagon Wheel Gap. This was taken on the western half of the loop trail. Photo by Kenneth Jessen.

By Kenneth Jensen

The Wheeler Geologic Natural Area northwest of Wagon Wheel Gap offers some of the most unique and beautiful formations in Colorado. The site has an interesting history. During the start of the mining era in Creede, the formations were accessible by horseback and not considered remote. In 1908, the site became so popular that it was designated by President Theodore Roosevelt as the Wheeler National Monument, named for George M. Wheeler, head of the 1874 survey of Colorado.

Read more

Keeping Up With the Bundys

by

By John Mattingly If you’re like me and many sensible folks in Nevada and Oregon, you’re wondering why the federal response to the Bundy antics has been so patiently executed. Before pondering that puzzle, I’d like first to state my perception of the underlying problem, for which the Bundys have become icons: The cattle business …

Read more

Music Review: Jah Kings

by

By Brian Rill Psalm 68:4 King James Version Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah, and rejoice before him.  Jah Kings are an authentic reggae band from Crestone, Colorado. The music’s magic manifests from the start with an indigenous anthem called South Africa. It’s followed …

Read more

Book Review – Mostly Short, Mostly True Stories From Ireland: A Compilation of Thirty-One Short Stories

by

By Jim Remington Pineglenn Press: 2015 ISBN: 978-1-36-469865-2 110pp, $12.95 Reviewed by Eduardo Rey Brummel I loved the title of this collection of remembrances from Ireland, especially the “mostly true” part – after all, isn’t that the way it goes? But let me get this out of the way: I don’t consider nearly any of them …

Read more

Restaurant Review: Chappy’s Mountain View Bar and Grill

by

By Elliot Jackson 213 Main Street, Westcliffe, CO 81252 719-783-0813 Monday – Saturday: 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sunday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. For a town of its size (565, or 1,152 if you combine it with neighboring Silver Cliff), Westcliffe has an amazing number of restaurants. Not all of them are open all …

Read more

Only a Loose Wire Apart

by

By Hal Walter

When I first moved here in 1991, we had no snail mail delivery. I circulated a petition to get that started, and had one person refuse to sign, because her weekly visits to the post office were the only time she had a chance to visit with other people.

Phone service was by landline and often it went out for days at a time. Cell phones were unheard of, and dial-up Internet was still a few years off.

We didn’t have TV, though the previous owners had installed an aerial antenna that was better at attracting lightning strikes than it was network reception. Movies were rented on VHS tape from a small but busy business in Westcliffe.

Read more