Durango Telegraph - July 11, 2019

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July 11, 2019

Vol. XVIII, No. 28 durangotelegraph.com

inside

T H E

O R I G I N A L

I N D I E

W E E K L Y

L I N E

O N

D U R A N G O

&

B E Y O N D

Loved to death

Plastic passion

Get vichy with it

Can a tiny house help save Ice Lakes from Instagram fame? p8

‘Albatross’ highlights need to change consuming ways p14

Giving the French summer staple a Keto twist p16

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2 n July 11, 2019

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lineup

boilerplate

4 La Vida Local

Thinking small

Ska’s M.O.

Tiny house dispatched to Ice Lakes to help with over-use, stewardship

4 Thumbin’ It

by Missy Votel

5 Word on the Street

10

6-7 Soapbox

A new lease

BLM opens comment period on King Coal II mine expansion

11 Mountain Town News

by Missy Votel

12 - 13 Day in the Life

12

16 Flash in the Pan

Open season

The black bar returns for a whimsical look at some visiting specimens

17 Top Shelf

photos by Stephen Eginoire

18 On the Town

14

20 Ask Rachel

Tough to swallow

As if you needed another reason to hate plastic, “Albatross” comes to town

21 Free Will Astrology

by Joy Martin

22 Classifieds

17

22 Haiku Movie Review

Keep on truckin’

On the cover: Chris Schulte gets in an evening bouldering session in Sailing Hawks – In jeans./ Photo by Stephen Eginoire

Former Drive-by Trucker Jason Isbell among Ride Festival headliners

by Chris Aaland

EDITORIALISTA: Missy Votel (missy@durangotelegraph.com) ADVERTISING AFICIONADO: Lainie Maxson (lainie@durangotelegraph.com) RESIDENT FORMULA ONE FAN: Tracy Chamberlin (tracy@durangotelegraph.com)

T

he Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, beckoning singletrack or monster powder days. We are wholly owned and operated independently by the Durango Telegraph LLC and

Ear to the ground:

“How did I go from bad ass to ass bad?”

– A common maturing Durangoan’s lament

STAR-STUDDED CAST: Lainie Maxson, Chris Aaland, Clint Reid, Stephen Eginoire, Jesse Anderson, Ari LeVaux, Allen Best, Tracy Chamberlin, Zach Hively, Joy Martin and Shan Wells

P.O. Box 332 Durango, CO 81302 PHONE: 970.259.0133

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We’re only human. If, by chance, we defame someone’s good name or that of their family, neighbor, best

friend or dog, we will accept full responsibility in a public flogging in the following week’s issue.

Although “free but not easy,” we can be plied with schwag, booze and flattery.

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thepole

8

RegularOccurrences

The brew crew in Bodo is marking off another milestone this week. Ska Brewing’s flagship IPA – and Colorado’s “OG IPA in a can” – Modus Hoperandi is 10 years old.

To celebrate, Ska – in addition to drinking lots of Modus Hoperandi – will be popping the top on custom label artwork, specialty merchandise and sudsy events in what it is calling the “Summer of Modus.”

A nod to its punny name, Modus Hoperandi was the first of many India pale ales that helped establish Ska as a skilled IPA house and one of the country’s original canned IPAs when it debuted in 2009. To date, Modus is one of Ska’s and Colorado’s most decorated beers, with awards in 14 national and international beer festivals – including the Stockholm Beer and Whiskey Festival and the European Beer Star. Modus will go down as the first canned IPA available in Sweden and a convert beer for many a macro fizzy lager drinker in Colorado and beyond. Earlier this year, USA Today called Modus “one of America’s most delicious beers.”

The accolades are not by accident.

Modus Hoperandi is perhaps the beer that Ska has put the most effort into developing, said Ska co-founder and CEO Dave Thibodeau, including a rigorous and grueling blind tasting of every Colorado IPA they could get their hands on (the horror!) “We knew that we wanted pine and citrus, and Ska staff palates lead us toward Modus’ bold flavor and 6.8 percent ABV,” he said.

To start your summer of Modus, pick up a limited-edition combo 12er of Modus (six cans of Hoperandi and six cans of Mandarina) complete with the special anniversary artwork.

Modus fans are also asked to share their Modus memories on social media with the hashtag #mymodusmemories. That is, if you can remember.

The moose is loose

Residents of Westminster and Broomfield didn’t have to go far for a wildlife moment earlier this week. A young bull moose somehow managed to find its way into the suburban sprawl north of Denver, where it was seen hanging out around the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport on Sunday.

He then reportedly wandered off, bedding down for the night, before being captured by Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials on Monday.

According to the Denver Post, the moose, who weighed between 600-700 pounds, was relocated to the mountains surrounding Fairplay, where it is much cooler. And he stands a much better chance of finding a mate than in the suburban Denver bar scene. If there is one.

July 11, 2019 n

3

opinion

LaVidaLocal Impulse control Some people impulse buy tennis shoes, or candy, or Shaquille O’Neal bobbleheads. I don’t pretend to understand the complex psychological phenomena that underlie impulse purchasing, except to know that I don’t experience any of them. I get to rest easy knowing that my purchases are all well-reasoned investments. Like this bat house.

Frankly, I knew nothing about bats before one of my social media accounts suggested I acquire this bat house. My bat-ignorance is due to the fact that Batman has really nothing to do with bats, except for putting Bat- in front of every Bat-thing he owns. Other superheroes have schticks for their names. Wonder Woman is, in fact a woman, and Iron Man has all the superpowers of iron, probably. Aqua Man sounds like Old Spice started making toothpaste. And Spider-Man got bitten by a radioactive spider, which never would have happened if he’d had himself a bat house.

You see, bats eat insects like Batman eats common criminals. (Hey, look!

His name DOES make sense.) Hundreds of them every night. And no, radioactive spiders aren’t insects, Carol, but I guarantee that bats aren’t counting legs or abdominal segments before hoovering up anything that might bite you in your sleep.

But you know what bats don’t eat?

Bees. Good thing, too. Otherwise, I’d be wasting my time with this beehive I haven’t set up because I don’t technically have it yet. But I’ve said for years, I say, “Zach, you are going to keep bees the moment your living situation is more stable than a reality-TV bromance.”

I couldn’t have my eventual bats eating my eventual bees. Bees are even cooler than bats, even though they don’t eat spiders. But they do eat glorified, delicious sugar, which they make by regurgitating nectar from their special honey stomach. Entire peaceful philosophies center themselves around bees and the gentle art of beekeeping. They (the bees) (but probably also the philosophies) are the key to human life on this planet. Without bees, we would have no almonds, and we would have nothing in our bonnets when we are obsessively agitated over something like getting a new beehive. Plus, bees have proboscises,

which is the plural of proboscis, and that’s how I learn something every single time I write.

I may not have bees yet, but I do have bee books, because taking up a new lifelong passion is the greatest excuse to buy new books. I’ll even read them someday. First, I have to finish reading this other book about natural movement.

It’s called, fittingly enough, The Practice of Natural Movement. I met a genuinely cool couple recently. They dance tango, but I do NOT have room for another tangent. One half of the couple practices natural movement, and the other half does not. I decided that the one crawling across the room and jumping through crosswalks was the one I wanted to emulate. I asked him how I could be like him, and he pointed me toward this book, so I bought it right away. Another well-reasoned investment.

The whole idea, in my nuanced reading of the dust jacket, is that human beings actually know intrinsically how to be supremely fit without ever going to the gym a day in their lives.

I was sold right there. There’s more to life than “pumping iron” and “getting swol,” and nothing symbolizes modern life quite so well as running on a treadmill for an hour and getting no farther away from the television screen stuck on conservative news or, worse, hot sports takes. I could get swol AND save money on gym memberships.

You ready for this radical assessment?

Everything we do as kids is exactly how humans are meant to move. Our ancestors didn’t sit in chairs all day. They climbed trees and dug roots and chased smaller ancestors around the neighborhood. They rolled over grass and they crossed streams on felled logs and they picked their noses.

Those are our natural movements. Only now, so-called “civilization” has gotten us away from our inner wildness. We’re supposed to sit still and be quiet until we’re 65, by which point we’ve forgotten how to move at all.

We fool ourselves into staying fit by doing bench presses and yoga and bicep curls. Those manufactured, repetitive movements are good for only one thing: getting you cast in a superhero movie.

Who needs another Batman, when a bat house is mere clicks away?

– Zach Hively

This Week’s Sign of the Downfall:

Thumbin’It The new 800-square-foot greenhouse under construction at Manna, which will provide even more fresh produce to lowincome and homeless residents while supplying valuable job training to Manna clients A win for the First Amendment, with a federal appeals court ruling Tuesday that President Donald Trump cannot block certain Twitter users from commenting on the account he uses to speak as president The U.S. women winning a resounding fourth World Cup soccer title and helping to call attention to pay inequity between male and female professional athletes

4 n July 11, 2019

An unfortunate end for the bear that was relocated from Haviland Lake for breaking into coolers, which was shot after exhibiting aggressive behavior and killing chickens near Vallecito This winter’s historic avalanches adding insult to injury, with downed debris only creating more fuel for the forest-destroying bark beetle epidemic with little that land managers can do to stop it Historical ignorance alive and well, with a Florida high school principal refusing to acknowledge that the genocide of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust actually happened (he was later fired – thumbs up!)

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Spaghetti Freed

Ryan Bishop, of Oregon, broke into a house with his cat named Spaghetti, ate a cupcake, made coffee and then found one of the homeowner’s Christmas onesies in the dryer, which he put on before hiding in the crawlspace. When the homeowners returned, they found Spaghetti wearing a T-shirt, so they called the police who found Bishop. Spaghetti went to a shelter and Bishop went to jail, but the homeowners were nice enough to let him keep the onesie, which they shouldn’t have been drying in July anyway.

WordontheStreet

Q

With prime tourist season in full swing, the Telegraph asked, “Where is your favorite spot to watch tourists?”

Andrew Ehat

“Smelter Rapid.”

Heather Watcher

“Highway 550.”

Joe Creech

“The Fish Hatchery.”

Laura Boe

“The Telegraph Trail.”

Josh

“In front of the General Palmer.”

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July 11, 2019 n 5

SoapBox

ReTooned/by Shan Wells

A viable health-care crisis solution To the editor, When listening to Democratic candidates discuss health care, it’s important to hear what they mean as opposed to what they say. Michael Bennet, who is sponsoring Medicare X, talks about the benefits of a public option. When the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was being negotiated and the public option got nixed, it was in part because a public option undercuts insurance and pharmaceutical company profits. The idea is that those who can’t afford the phenomenal premiums currently being charged by the industry could “buy in” to Medicare … the public option … at a much lower price. If a public option is such a good thing, why is there not a public opportunity for every American, cradle to grave, to have comprehensive health care? That’s National Improved Medicare for All (NIMA)!

One of the problems with the ACA is that coverage was mandated for every American, yet there is no limit on premiums (and therefore profits) that insurance companies can charge. Similarly, there is no cap on drug prices, and no government negotiating for Medicare drug pricing. A public option would have been much more affordable.

Imagine comprehensive care for every American, including dental, vision, preventative and mental health care and prescription medications. Health care is possibly the biggest problem we face in America today; it underlies many of our other issues, including stagnant wages because of employer health care costs, bankruptcies, drug and alcohol addiction, and infectious disease outbreaks, to name a few. NIMA is the only viable solution to our health-care crisis.

– Dr. Lauri Costello, Durango4

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6 n July 11, 2019

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Help educate tomorrow’s leaders To the editor, International Student Exchange (ISE), a nonprofit organization, is looking for volunteer families to host international high school students in the coming academic year. Host families can expect to gain a new family member, experience a new culture, create lifelong friendships and make a positive impact locally and globally. High school classes will start soon and interested parties must apply immediately.

ISE is looking for host families in the Durango, Bayfield, Ignacio and surrounding Four Corner areas. Host families are responsible for three meals a day and providing a bed. A student may share a room with a same-sex sibling that is within four years of age. The family should welcome the student and treat them as a member of the family. The students are not just guests and are expected to help with household chores just as your own kids would.

The international exchange students are between the ages of 15 and 18 and come from countries such as Denmark, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Thailand, Brazil, Italy, Norway and others. “The exchange program focuses on bringing the people of the world closer together while educating the leaders of tomorrow through student exchange,” Wayne Brewer, CEO of International Student Exchange, says. American teenagers can also study abroad through International Student Exchange.

The deadline to match students with families is Aug. 31 and families can select an international student based on shared interests, hobbies, gender, etc. Family screening includes a background check, an in-home interview and verification of personal references. The international students are English-speaking and have their own spending money. Americans provide the caring environment, room and daily meals.

For more information about hosting, please contact Chris Talleri, your ISE local area representative at (970) 759-0325 or email at christalleri@gmail.com. If you are

ready to apply or for more information about the agency you may go directly to fourcorners.iseusa.org.

– Michele Blunt, ISE regional manager, via email

Drug prices are out of this world To the editor, Republicans and Democrats can all agree that our health-care system needs an overhaul. North Korea and Iran may be threats to our country, but there is no bigger threat to our survival than our pathetic attempt to provide health care for our citizens.

Even if you are lucky enough to have adequate health care, you most likely have friends or family who do not. We can no longer bury our heads in the sand so that we do not have to look at the ugly truth. American citizens are not receiving adequate care for everything from diabetes to heart disease. Our politicians tell us it is a complicated issue that cannot seem to be solved. We made it to the moon why can’t we care for the precious lives of our citizens?

My 20-year-old daughter is suffering from our broken system. She has an extremely unpleasant illness that should have an easy and inexpensive solution. She lost her insurance because her father changed jobs. I am so grateful that she does not have a life-threatening illness like cancer but what is happening to her is very disturbing.

My daughter has an infestation of round and pin worms and the medication for this is $4,000 in the U.S. The same medication is under $50 in Canada and Mexico. A digestive doctor in Durango recommended to me the Canadian website mapleleafmeds.com. If my dog were affected by these same parasites the medicine would be $22. The insurance companies and big pharma are our parasites stealing our money, health and quality of life.

I hope this information will help someone or even save someone’s life. Pharmaceutical companies are not powerful in our neighboring countries. On average a drug that costs $1,000 in the U.S. is as low as $10 in Canada and Mexico. I am so angry and frustrated, we are allowing

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companies to make huge profits off our suffering. No company should make ridiculous profit from someone who is sick or dying.

I am no longer going to support our pharmaceutical companies. I am going to order all of my medicines from Canada. Canada offers the exact same medicine from the same manufacturers. I often ask myself, “Why would these companies want to find a cure for cancer, MS or Alzheimers?” The answer is they have no incentive to do so.

I am moderate politically and have been against more government involvement into our lives. However, I will no longer support a candidate who doesn’t feel as passionately as I do regarding our health-care system.

Preventive medicine and lowering drug costs are just one part of the solution. A nonprofit “insurance” is another solution. Amazon and Walmart have talked about making this happen. Keeping the government out of the solution would be ideal. Mega rich people like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and the Walmart family are just a few examples of those who could help make this happen. A third option would be to incentivize doctors and medical researchers to keep people well instead of profiting from illness. Let’s put Mars on hold until we cure cancer, stop preventable diseases and provide health care for all Americans.

– Jennifer McCoy, Durango

“We’ll print damned-near anything”

The Telegraph prides itself on a liberal letters policy. We offer this forum to the public to settle differences, air opinions & undertake healthy discourse. We have only three requests: limit letters to 750 words, letters must be signed by the writer; and thank-you lists and libelous, personal attacks are unwelcome. Send your insights by Tuesday at noon to: PO Box 332, Durango, 81302 or e-mail your profundities to: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com. Let the games begin ...

July 11, 2019 n 7

TopStory

David Taft, left, with the San Juan Mountains Association chats with volunteer forest ranger Jim Sumrall on Tuesday at OR’s Educational Basecamp at Ice Lakes. The tiny house is a cooperative effort to address overuse and abuse at the popular high-country destination and educate hikers in Leave No Trace ethics./ Photo by Stephen Eginoire

Loved to death Land managers hope tiny house will help with Ice Lakes’ big problems

by Missy Votel

W

ith its dazzling tourmaline blue waters, soaring peaks and riotous wildflowers, it’s easy to see why Ice Lakes Basin is the stuff of Instagram dreams. But in the last several years, this hidden gem west of Silverton has befallen a fate similar to that of other postcard-worthy places around the state, and the world. I guess you could say, it’s gone viral.

“Even as much as eight years ago, we starting seeing a significant increase in hikers but not what we see today,” Jed Botsford, recreational program lead for the San Juan National Forest Columbine Ranger District, said last week.

“On weekends, the parking is maxed out, people are parked even where we have ‘no parking’ signs.”

Botsford said as many as 100 people (and their canine companions) make the 9.2-mile roundtrip trek to the upper Ice Lakes Basin on weekend days. And while some may have heard about the hike via word of mouth, many more found out via a simple swipe of the thumb.

“A large amount of day hikers go there to see the blue Ice Lake they’re seeing on social media,” he said.

He admits this is not a problem isolated to his corner of

8 n July 11, 2019

the San Juans. “It’s probably pretty standard for a lot of places in the world,” he said. “There’s a whole bunch of these places that are super beautiful.”

Nevertheless, the increased visitation creates a problem for land managers no matter where they are. Botsford said many of the folks who attempt the strenuous hike are illprepared for the mountainous journey, without proper clothing, rain gear, footwear or food and water.

“The elevation gain to Ice Lake is more than the Empire State Building,” he noted. “A lot of these people are inexperienced hikers who want to see this beautiful place and have no knowledge how to do it.”

Not only does the increased visitation create a safety risk, but it also leads to increased wear and tear on the trail as well as resource damage from folks unversed in Leave No Trace practices.

“With more use, there’s more trail maintenance, and more people short-cutting switchbacks,” he said. But the trail isn’t the only feature to suffer from increased usage.

Campers create headaches of their own, especially in the upper basin above treeline where they camp in plain view of others or on the shores of the lake, build fire rings that scar the land and use the limited vegetation to build fires

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for those rings. Dog poop is another huge problem as well as the waste from their people, with toilet paper becoming a common sight.

“You can’t really bury it above treeline, so we have t.p. issues,” he said.

And while this land is your land and my land, we can probably all agree discarded toilet paper is not something anyone wants to see littering a pristine high-alpine lake.

“We’re all trying to figure out how to deal with it,” Botsford said. “There are no clear answers.”

Some high-traffic areas, such as the Conundrum Hot Springs between Aspen and Crested Butte have gone to a permit system. Botsford said he has heard from many people saying similar limitations should be put in place for Ice Lakes, or that camping should be limited to the lower basin only, below treeline. But he said this comes with limitations of its own. Over the last several years, he’s seen his staff of rangers dwindle from seven to two due to budget cuts.

“Even if overnight camping was limited to the lower basin, there’s no staff to enforce it,” he said.

Similarly, a plan for voluntary registration for the nearby Weminuche Wilderness a few years earlier also failed due to lack of staff. “It was never put in place,” he said.4

One way the Ice Lakes area could see some relief is from the latest attempt to pass the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act. Such a bill, which would offer greater protections for the San Juans, has been introduced several times over the years to no avail.

The latest iteration was introduced by Sen. Michael Bennett, D-Colo., on Jan 28 and would offer protections for nearly 60,000 acres. The act is part of a larger, statewide public lands bill known as the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act, which would protect 400,000 acres of Colorado wildlands from energy development and other threats. In the San Juans, the act would expand wilderness in the Sneffels Range, add wilderness around Lizard Head and put less-stringent “special management area” protections for 30,000 acres at Ice Lakes, Hope Lake and Naturita Canyon.

“If the bill passes, then we would need to put a plan in place in accordance with the Special Management Area, but that hasn’t come to fruition,” Botsford said.

However, while the bill awaits the light of day in committee, local land agencies are doing their best to help spread the word about impacts at Ice Lakes. One effort entails a unique collaboration between the Forest Service, San Juan Mountains Association and outdoors gear manufacturer Outdoor Research.

Together, the three are taking a “tiny” approach to the problem, quite literally.

Starting July 4, OR’s tiny house began a summer residency at the Ice Lakes trailhead. Known as an “educational basecamp,” the tiny house serves as a stopping

off point for hikers looking for information.

“It’s basically a little mountain cabin on wheels,” David Taft, conservation director for SJMA, said. “It has a little kitchen, table with maps, guidebooks and everything you would need to know,” he said.

Taft said he, too, has seen the impacts at Ice Lakes, from overflowing parking lots to braided trails and trampled campsites.

“It’s just incredibly high usage,” said Taft. “With that many people, you’re going to end up with impacts.”

The idea for the tiny house was hatched in 2016 when the SJMA got a grant for Ice Lakes to become a “hot spot” through the Boulder-based Leave No Trace foundation.

Over three days that summer, representatives from the organization took note of visitor use patterns and then submitted recommendations on how to better preserve the area.

“When the report came back, it was ‘check, check, check,’” Taft said. “We said, ‘boy, we’ve got some work to do.’”

From those suggestions came the idea of having some sort of temporary structure in place at the trailhead. “We were kicking around ideas and said, ‘why don’t we have a trailer up there?’” Taft recalled.

From there, Ben Rockus, owner of Backcountry Experience, got on board and approached OR about the idea of using their tiny house.

“They loved the idea and offered it for the summer,” Taft said. “That’s how we got this super cool Leave No Trace basecamp.”

The basecamp will be staffed by volunteers for the next two months and open

Hikers embark on the Ice Lakes Trail. Some 100 people make the 9.2 mile roundtrip journey to visit the lake’s turquoise waters on an average weekend day./ Photo

by Stephen Eginoire mornings until 3 p.m. each day. The idea is that, in addition to offering information, the volunteers can chat with folks on the tenets of Leave No Trace (i.e. that toilet paper doesn’t just magically blow away in the wind and short-cutting may get you there faster, but it erodes the trail for everyone else.)

Volunteers will also be working on stewardship projects, trail restoration and signage. In addition to the tiny house, Taft said he is also encouraging people to “tag responsibly.” Such efforts have taken hold elsewhere, particularly in Jackson, Wyo., where locals have been very vocal about removing geo-coordinates from their Insta-

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gram posts.

“All of a sudden, everyone has the exact GPS coordinates for a place, and it blows up exponentially,” he said.

Of course, all this isn’t to say we should feel guilty about getting out and enjoying the great outdoors. It just means we need to work a little harder to keep them enjoyable and great for others, too.

“I understand it’s about gorgeous turquoise water. I can understand why people want to see it,” said Taft. “The goal is to get people to love these places, that’s the only way they’ll remain protected.

But, we can fall into the trap of loving these places to death.” n

July 11, 2019 n

9

Quick’n’Dirty Mine expansion up for comment The King Coal Mine near Hesperus could expand by more than 2,400 acres and operate another 22 years under a lease plan being considered by the Bureau of Land Management.

Last week, the BLM Tres Rios Field Office released a draft Environmental Assessment that evaluates the lease proposal from GCC Energy, owners of the King II Coal Mine. The mine is located about 15 miles west of Durango, and the EA was prepared jointly between the BLM and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE).

A public hearing to take comments on the EA takes place from 6 – 8 p.m., Wed., July 24, at the Tres Rios Field Office, 29211 Highway 184, Dolores. An information session will precede the comment session from 5 - 6 p.m.

This proposal calls for leasing 2,462 acres of coal under a parcel known as the “Dunn Ranch,” which is primarily on Ute Mountain Ute land. The parcel holds approximately 9.54 million tons of coal, and if approved, up to 12 million tons of coal could be mined under the plan.

Due to its low sulfur content and ash chemistry, the coal will be used to fire kilns that produce cement. According to King Coal, it would access the coal using ground-level tunnels and equipment from its nearby existing King II mine. A surface tunnel would be built between the two locations to allow the equipment to access the Dunn Ranch property, making for a surface disturbance of about 20 acres. It is estimated the new deposit, along with unmined coal at the existing mine, could keep King Coal in operation for another 22 years. The King II mine employs between 83 - 140 people.

“The Trump Administration is committed to creating jobs and producing energy safely,” Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt said in press release. “The BLM and OSMRE worked together to reduce environmental analysis redundancies and streamline the overall process to bring this project to fruition. We look forward to receiving public

10 n July 11, 2019

comments on a proposal that would extend the life of this mine and sustain jobs for another 22 years.”

This EA served as a pilot project that the BLM said streamlines the NEPA process and enhances coordination between the federal agencies. Historically, the BLM has prepared a NEPA document for the leasing application, while OSMRE, after issuance of the lease, has prepared a separate NEPA document of its own. With this project, both offices jointly prepared the document.

To view the draft EA or comment, search for the “Dunn Ranch Area Lease-By-Application and Mine Plan Modification” at the BLM’s e-planning site: go.usa.gov/xEKTV. Comments can only be submitted verbally at the hearing or through the ePlanning site and must be received by Aug. 5.

Health-care coop idea takes shape Help could be on the horizon for premium-weary local residents. Two local organizations have announced plans to explore formation of a local health cooperative to address the rising costs of health care in La Plata County.

The idea came after Local First and The Durango Network, a nonprofit serving 200 local, independent healthcare providers, conducted a nine-month Community Needs Health Assessment. The assessment, which wrapped up in June, engaged 175 local businesses, individuals, organizations and health-care providers on the most pressing heath-care needs in the area. The big takeaway: the cost of health care and insurance is just too high.

“Our business community asked us to address this issue, so we have thrown ourselves into the complex arena of health care,” Local First Executive Director Monique DiGiorgio said. She said the addessment is an effort to address the rising cost of health care and the disparity in insurance premiums between the Western Slope and the Front Range.

According to the report, between 2008-17, the Colorado

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Division of Insurance reported that health insurance premiums rose 50 percent. At the same time, spending for outpatient services on the Western Slope was about 87 percent higher than the state average, according to analyses by the Division of Insurance and the Colorado Commission on Affordable Health Care. Colorado counties with the least competition among hospitals and insurance carriers, such as La Plata, have the state’s highest insurance premiums, according to a Colorado Health Institute analysis.

DiGiorgio said the next steps include the formation of a steering committee, claims data collection and ultimately the possible formation of a health-care alliance, similar to the Peak Health Alliance in Summit County. Interested businesses and community members are encouraged to contact Local First on ways to engage.

“We are inviting other organizations and individuals to join us in coming up with a local solution to our healthcare needs,” DiGiorgio said.

Moving forward, it is hoped the collaborative effort will include new partners, such as the Chamber of Commerce and local health-care experts.

Jack Llewellyn, executive director of the Durango Chamber of Commerce, said the cooperative is an idea whose time has come, especially for the 800-some members.

“There is an identified and growing need for comparable health insurance costs for our region,” he said. “As more and more of our workforce are priced out of the marketplace, we must collaborate to find solutions.”

The Rocky Mountain Health Foundation, which funded the study via a $25,000 grant, said it looks forward to the results of this effort. “We hope it can be a model for other rural communities on the West Slope,” Executive Director Michaelle Smith said.

Read the report at foundation.local-first.org/health-care.

– Missy Votel

MountainTownNews Searing memories a year after the fire BASALT – Basalt and El Jebel are changed places a year after the Lake Christine Fire. Three houses were destroyed by the 12,500acre fire. Nobody died, although one firefighter was still being treated for injuries in May. It could have been much worse.

The fire began on the evening of July 3. Two mornings after, the Roaring Fork Valley was a “vision of hell,” says Scott Condon, a resident of the area, writing in The Aspen Times.

“Smoke clogged the air and was lit orange by the flames. Ashes rained down. Sirens wailed and there was a constant popping from natural and man-made materials consumed by the flames.

Luck spared the community a much worse conflagration. Had conventional wind patterns prevailed, 100 homes could easily have been lost.

A mobile home at El Jebel was at particular risk. A vegetationreduction project east of the trailer park undertaken several years before helped. And then the mobile home park was spared because of a somewhat risky strategy. Fire flares were used to create a fire line. There was no margin for error. No error occurred. This saved 200 homes.

The Lake Christine Fire started at a shooting range near El Jebel.

A young woman shot a tracer round that burst through a paper target. Wikipedia explains that tracer rounds can have a mild incendiary effect, igniting flammable substances on contact. It had been a drought winter, and the brush was tinder dry. The brush exploded into wildfire.

The Aspen Daily News reports that the woman and her boyfriend were sentenced last week after hearing what some of those who suffered losses in the fire had to say. The words were hard, the anger and sorrow still fresh.

“The Lake Christine Fire took my home and my security with a hellacious vengeance,” Andee McCauley said. She and her husband, Bill, lost their home. She talked of the “sheer terror of evacuation” as the fire flowed “like molten lava” down the ridge to their home.

She said she continues to grieve for the loss of her grandfather’s handwritten journals dating from the late 1800s, her grandmother’s pearls, her father’s violin, art, furniture, family photos and a large collection of tools.

The Daily News’ Chad Abraham reported the two defendants showed little emotion until they addressed the judge. Then they struggled to hold back tears.

Allison Marcus, 22, the woman who shot the rounds that started the fire, said she had not realized she was shooting tracer rounds. “I would not have done so if I had recognized the risk I had created.”

Her boyfriend, Richard Miller, 23, haltingly told the judge that he also didn’t know that the tracer rounds were in the ammunition tin. “I really wish I had looked and recognized tracer rounds were in the ammo tin. I am sorry.”

The Daily News reports that each must perform 1,500 hours of community service, pay $100,000 in restitution and spend 45 nights in jail.

“The two of you are now part of the history of this valley,” Judge Paul Dunkelman said. “That’s a huge responsibility. But you haven’t written the last chapter.”

That last chapter, he suggested, will be whether their actions in the future reflect their words of contrition at sentencing.

14 fallen firefighters remembered GLENWOOD SPRINGS – Twenty-five years ago, strong winds fanned flames from a small fire in the oak brush to the top of Storm King Mountain, located along the Colorado River west of Glenwood Springs. The fire killed 14 firefighters, including 12 in a small cluster who had too little time to deploy their portable shelters.

Crosses mark the spots where they died.

On Saturday, Jim Roth was among those who gathered to remember the conflagration on July 6, 1994. The Glenwood Post Independent reports that Roth has been driven to use his training in aerospace engineering to help firefighters. His younger brother, Roger, was a smokejumper from Idaho who perished at Storm King.

He designed a new kind of fire shelter, which didn’t end up being used, and later designed liners for fire trucks.

Those gathered also included Alex Robertson, who survived the fire and has continued to work in firefighting, now as a fire and aviation officer in Oregon.

“The challenge we have is that we cannot just not fight fire, we

can’t not put people in harm’s way,” Robertson said. “If we didn’t fight fires, they would burn up towns, and people would lose lives.

The challenge is deciding when it’s necessary to put firefighters in danger, and how.”

Winter Park & Steamboat crimp bags WINTER PARK – Shoppers in Winter Park must now pay 20 cents per plastic bag at most retail stores or use their own.

The law that went into effect July 1 was modeled on the disposal bag fee adopted by the neighboring municipality of Fraser in 2018.

The town gets 60 percent of the revenues and retailers 40 percent.

Retailers consulted by Sky-Hi News say they’ve received no pushback. “Most people are carrying something with them, so I think the word has spread quickly,” Kelly Driscoll, manager of Moose Hollow Trading Co., said.

Branded reusable bags will be provided to rental properties.

Farther west on U.S. 40 in Steamboat Springs, a bag law will take effect Oct. 1. No plastic bags will be given out by Walmart, Walgreens & other large stores, and a 20-cent fee will be charged per paper bag.

Grocery stores can still use plastic bags for produce, meat & seafood.

In British Columbia, officials in Whistler hope to enact a ban on free distribution of plastic bags later this summer now that Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau has indicated federal action will be forthcoming as soon as 2021. That federal ban might also include knives, forks and spoons given out at eateries as well as plastic straws.

Writing in Whistler’s Pique Newsmagazine, editor Clare Ogilvie advocates adding plastic bottles to the thou-shalt-not list. The municipality has banned distribution of bottled water at facilities it manages since 2012.

Why limit personal freedom? She points to the accumulating evidence of plastic polluting water in big clumps in the Pacific and in microscopic particles in drinking water.

Only 9 percent of plastic generated in Canada actually gets recycled. In Whistler, 50 percent of waste gets diverted from the landfill.

Aspen wants to discourage tobacco use ASPEN – Pitkin County commissioners have directed staff members in charge of public health to move forward with policies that would discourage tobacco use by youth.

Flavored nicotine products would be banned and no tobacco could be sold to those who are under 21. In addition, the commissioners favor a new tax on tobacco. The tax would require a public vote, which could occur in November, reports the Aspen Daily News.

Colorado has a new state law that gives counties the same authority to regulate products containing nicotine that home-rule municipalities have.

Aspen has already adopted a $3 sales tax on every pack of cigarettes and bumped the minimum age for purchase from 18 to 21.

Aspen also has a 40 percent tax on all other tobacco or nicotine products, including vape pens and e-cigarettes. Aspen in June also banned flavored tobacco products.

Ten stores in unincorporated Pitkin County – where Aspen is located – sell tobacco.

One health survey found that e-cigarette use among Aspen High School students is higher than the Colorado average, and the Colorado average is said to be highest in the United States.

A memo given to commissioners argued that nicotine is a gateway drug. “Nicotine exposure during childhood and adolescence actually rewires brain development, predisposing youth to further addiction and disrupting learning, memory development and attention for the short- and long-term.”

The Aspen Daily News reports that commissioners were also told that state and federal governments spend more than $650 per household in Colorado related to smoking.

Dad blames police, schools for overdose PARK CITY, Utah – The father of a teen-ager in Park City who died in 2016 from an opioid overdose has sued the police, the school district and individuals within them. The lawsuit claims they were aware the boy had acquired the drug but concealed the information.

Ryan Ainsworth was one of two 13-year-old students at Treasure Mountain Junior High School who died of the opioid known as U47700, also called “Pink” and “Pinky.”

– Allen Best

telegraph

July 11, 2019 n 11

dayinthelife

Tourist

T

he long-awaited re has finally arrived tunate wildfire alte terns, the recent tourist

A well placed “tourist blind� in a popular tourist area almost ensures a close encounter.

Behold the Eastern power speedy devils are best ob

With swan-like grace, the evolved appendages adorning the southern hand

12

n July 11, 2019

teleg

t Season: A Field Guide

by Stephen Eginoire

egional return of the tourist d! After last summer’s unforered seasonal migration patinflux is a welcome sight for

r ranger. Hailing from the Great Plains, these bserved off-piste, at creek crossings.

d snatch are a sight to see.

graph

local business owners as well as passionate observationists. Below is a quick reference guide to some of the characters you are likely to share habitat with over the next month.

A Oklahoman bushmouth examines the territory established by tell-tale patriotic goal-posts.

This beauty is called the lesser trike, replacing grit with polish and safety. The chance the see one dwindles after 5 p.m.

July 11, 2019 n 13

thesecondsection A piece of plastic hangs on a branch in the Animas River. If you thought plastic was only something seaside communities and island nations had to worry about, think again. All waterways eventually empty into the ocean, making it a problem for all of us.

A new film, “Albatross,” highlights this through the plight of, you guessed it, seabirds./Photo by Stephen Eginoire

The albatross around our necks Plight of sea birds offers stark reminder of permanence of plastic

by Joy Martin

T

he 1970s: a stormy decade with the silver linings of rock ’n’ roll, lava lamps and the magical mystery marketing genius behind the slogan “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” Only one of those was introduced to pop culture by the sometimes-groovy United States government.

According to the internet, the 3 R’s and iconic chasing arrows were pitched during the Environmental Protection Agency’s 1976 Resource Conservation & Recovery Act. As cities bloated with people and stuff, the RCRA was enacted to raise consumer awareness about wiser waste management. The alliterative catchphrase served its purpose, but, nearly 50 years down the garbage-strewn road, a new revolution of R’s has arisen: Refuse. Reduce. Reuse.

“Recycling should be the last-ditch effort, while the first thing we have to do is refuse: refuse the plastic straw, the plastic bag and the stuff wrapped in plastic – because that plastic’s not going anywhere,” Cristin Salaz, owner of WeFill, a local cleaning supplies refilling

14 n July 11, 2019

JusttheFacts

What: “Albatross,” a creative film When: Tues., July 16, doors 6 p.m. / discussion 6:30 p.m. / movie 7 p.m.

Where: Animas City Theatre Cost: Suggested donation $10 contributed directly to the film Note: This is a plastic-free event. If you’d like a beverage, please BYO cup (no glass). Due to graphic imagery, this film is not recommended for children under 13. station featuring biodegradable products, says.

A part-time wildlife biologist with Animas Biological Studies, Salaz used to clean houses when she wasn’t birdbanding. She recalls crying as she scrubbed toilets, mourning not only the election results of 2016 but also the myriad cleaning-product empties she tossed away.

The mindless waste prompted her to grab a pen and notepad and go through her own house to inventory all the single-use plastic she, her husband and the cat used.

telegraph

The amount was life-changing, and out of that reality percolated Salaz’s raison d’être: to open a householdand-personal-care-products replenishing station for the Durango community and thus provide another R option to the waste hierarchy: Refill.

“At WeFill, I sell an entrée of hope with side dishes of fear and shame,” she says. “If everybody can find two things in their house to refill, that’s a lot.”

For Salaz, curbside composting with Table to Farm has been a single-use-plastic-reduction game-changer.

She says she hardly uses garbage bags now. This includes plastic grocery bags that are somehow, to the shock and chagrin of local environmentalists, still unregulated in Durango.

While we wait for local citizen scientist and green business owner Alex Santos to open her zero-plasticpackaging grocery store, the day of reckoning is nigh for ye ole plastic bags. Santos, Salaz and Table to Farm Compost owner Monique DiGiorgio are resurrecting the bag ban conversation that last appeared on voter ballots in 2013. If their crusade prevails, the sack shall finally be sacked.4

“Because the plastic bag ban was not supported by the community, we’re taking a step back and letting things build organically through an individual pledge,” says DiGiorgio, a former wildlife biologist and current managing director of Local First.

The opportunity to sign this individual pledge commences July 16 at the Animas City Theatre when WeFill, T2F and Santos will host a screening of the film “Albatross,” a beautiful, horrifying documentary (read: not suitable for kids under 13) that addresses what can happen when we throw plastic “away.”

“Albatross” is the culmination of The Midway Project, a collaborative film and photography venture that began in 2008 halfway between the U.S. and Asia in the Pacific Ocean on a 2.4-square-mile atoll aptly named Midway. Midway is known for two things: its military history as a U.S. Naval Air outpost till 1993 and its designation as the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge starting in 1996.

Besides being a haven for monk seals and spinner dolphins, the Refuge also serves as the annual nesting grounds for 1.5 million albatrosses – and 20 tons of plastic debris from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a quarter of which ends up in the bellies of the gooney birds. While adult albatrosses can regurgitate the rubbish, albatross chicks cannot, and a third of the season’s hatch dies from bits of faded toys, toothbrushes and cigarette lighters obliviously fed to them by their parents.

As to why the gooneys confuse the plastic with healthier meal options, like squid or fish, scientists have recently discovered that as plastic biodegrades in salt water, it develops a chemical signature that smells like the marine creatures these seabirds deem food.

“Since they feed just off the surface, they pick up whatever has that smell and bring it back to their chicks,” Beth Wolff, wildlife biologist and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service volunteer, said.

Like clockwork, the charismatic birds arrive on Midway every October. By the month’s end, hundreds of thousands of albatrosses have ascended on the tiny island joining the 40 or so humans who are there to witness what unfolds next: an extraordinary microcosm of the circle of life, birth and death.

Wolff, who banded birds on Midway from October 2016 - March 2017, explains

that most of these 625,000 breeding pairs return to within 15 meters of where they hatched and end up mating with their long-term mates in view of their childhood bedrooms. And so begins two weeks of wild, languid fornication – with their brothers and sisters, grandmothers and greatgrandmothers nearby relishing their own leisurely bouts of copulation followed by all the post-coital cuddling, caressing and pruning to make nonintimate beings cringe.

After the orgy, the birds head out to sea to find food. Then they return to lay eggs that’ll incubate for two months and hatch at the end of January. Ten days after the chicks are born, their parents leave again to forage, a journey that gets longer and longer as food becomes harder to find. The souvenirs brought back to Midway are fed to the chicks, and ultimately back to the earth.

“The soil on Midway is made up of three things: sand, plastic and bones,” says Wolff.

“We’d clean up the beach every day and there’d be more plastic every day. You see more plastic debris than driftwood or anything organic, and it’s the most remote island in the entire world. It’s more trash than I’ve ever seen in one place.”

Despite the soul-crushing sight of a baby bird corpse riddled with bottle caps, Wolff recalls her time on Midway as far from glum. She points out that, while global modeling reveals rising ocean levels will take out most of Midway in the next 40 years, the albatrosses are better off than they’ve been in a long time. In fact, on Midway resides the world’s oldest known wild bird, Wisdom, still knockin’ boots and laying eggs at 68 years old.

“Being on Midway was not depressing,” says Wolff. “It was complicated but exhilarating, so raucous and energizing.”

Wolff, a former Durangoan, now does compliance work for energy development projects in the Mojave Desert. Her role is to identify habitats of the desert tortoise and ensure the turtles are unharmed and their homes restored after construction.

“If we didn’t have the Endangered Species Act, I wouldn’t have a job,” she says, pointing out the power of law. “Solutions lie in governance and not just everyday consumption choices. If it doesn’t come from the top down, there’s an unrealistic pressure on people to protect the planet. The actions we take make a differ-

“Joy is the smell of a freshly hatched albatross chick,” biologist Beth Wolff said of her time on Midway. However, the proliferation of plastics is threatening the large birds, who often ingest plastic and feed it to their young./Courtesy photo ence but so does voting and legislation.

Vote for the bag ban. Outlaw balloons; they end up in the trees, in the ocean, in the desert, but they don’t disappear.”

Fun fact: According to the United Nations Ocean Conference, the oceans might contain more weight in plastics than fish by the year 2050.

“It’s hard to bring that message from the ocean back to landlocked folks who are busy and looking for convenience, but your day-to-day choices do make a difference,” says Wolff. “Anything we can do to reduce a culture of single-use plastics would be great not just for the albatrosses but for us.”

Apart from last summer’s brush with Hurricane Bud, Durango’s relationship with the ocean is long distance at best. We know about the plastic straws shoved up sea turtle noses, but there’s a sense of detachment that comes from being an inland state, which is exactly what inspired the Colorado Ocean Coalition to form in 2011.

The organization grew into the Inland Ocean Coalition by 2017 with a mission to engage inland communities in land-to-sea stewardship.

“You don’t have to see the ocean to protect it,” states the IOCO website. “Those who live among mountains, rivers and inland cities have a direct impact on the cycle

of life in the ocean.”

Watching a film like “Albatross” should also help drive that message home. Take it from film-hostess Santos, who first discovered the documentary at MountainFilm in 2017.

“After seeing ‘Albatross,’ my life was forever changed because no more could I look at a bottle cap and not think of an albatross chick,” she says. “I started looking at everything I use in my life differently. I even make my own hummus and cream cheese.”

On World Oceans Day 2018 (June 8), “Albatross” was screened at the United Nations, and, from that moment forth, director Chris Jordan announced the “collective-consciousness raising experience” would be made available to the world as free public art. You’d think free public art would be the perfect price for a nonprofit affair. But, alas, the hosts are two for-profit businesses, WeFill and Table to Farm Compost, and Santos, the impassioned hummus maker. The bar just got raised for how business can be a force for good, for social and environmental change.

“I don’t have kids, and I’m not doing this for me because I’ll be dead,” says Salaz.

“I’m doing it for future generations of all species – and Keith Richards and Willie Nelson, cuz they’ll still be around.” n

Animas Rooted Theatre Company - a new nonprofit theatre company, student produced and directed by Theresa Carson, presents:

7:30 PM July 18-20 & 24-27 and 2 PM July 21

Roshong Recital Hall, Fort Lewis College

Tickets: Available $12/students at the door $15/adults or online at: https://search.seatyourself.biz/webstore/accounts/artdurango/buy-tix?d=0

telegraph

July 11, 2019 n 15

FlashinthePan

Getting vichy with it

by Ari LeVaux

I

once came home with a head of cauliflower with a stem that was so big, something had to give. I didn’t want to slice it into a stir-fry or grate it into a salad like a jicama. I wanted to change the world.

A cauliflower stem isn’t celebrated like the curdled crown it supports. Despite having the same flavor as the florets, and similar nutritional value, the stem is a pedestal for the trophy, with fewer pathways to glory. But I have learned that this less charismatic part of the plant can be just as glorious, perhaps never more so than in a pot of vichyssoise.

I’m hardly a traditionalist in the kitchen, but I believe there are some recipes, for some dishes, with which you shouldn’t mess. I once thought that vichyssoise was one of them.

I remember reading, in Kitchen Confidential, about how a bowl of vichyssoise bewitched Anthony Bourdain and drew him into the world of food. Smooth and simple, served cold with a few flecks of black pepper, vichyssoise is a unique assemblage of flavors. What Bourdain tasted was likely similar to what Julia Child taught, which was based on the same recipe the French military used during the war to cook vichyssoise for 100 men. It does not contain herbs, unless you count the chives on the garnish, which harmonize with the leek and onion – fellow members of the allium family – already in the dish. It is quirky rules like this, along with the blender action, fridge time and heavy cream, that makes vichyssoise so classic. I knew it was probably wrong, but the more I thought about adding cauliflower stem, the more I knew I had to do it.

The only question was whether I should add cauliflower stem to the vichyssoise, or simply replace the potato with cauliflower stem. It was a question I could only answer with side-by-side trials: with and without potato, with and without cauliflower. The result was lopsided. Vichyssoise is better with cauliflower and without potato.

Full stop. It’s thinner and lighter, with a delicate sweetness. It’s not only delicious as a soup, but also as a sauce for meat, fish, vegetables or bread.

Most cauliflower stems you will encounter are not large enough to make a vichyssoise, so you have to augment as necessary with florets. But it still allows you to make a nice pot of chilled soup and still have cauliflower

florets to roast or cook with your eggs in the morning.

Cauliflower vichyssoise is so intrinsically creamy, thanks to the cauliflower, that you can even get away with skipping, or at the very least reducing, the actual

cream. With less or no added cream, the flavors of the individual components are more vivid. It’s like hanging out backstage with the leeks and other allium varieties, along with the black pepper, butter and of course the cauliflower, but with their makeup off, so you can see who they really are. Just as smooth, but less polished.

In deference to the purists, I will try to refrain from calling my potato-free dish “vichyssoise.” But I can’t do anything about the fact that my cauliflower vichyssoise is better than the classic that spawned it. Nor would I care to.

The version with both potato and cauliflower is relatively bland and thick to the point of being sluggish, especially compared to the ethereal elegance that the cauliflower version brings to the table. That potato-free rendition is like a new expensive bicycle, just as sturdy as the old one but made with lighter materials, supported by

fiber and emulsion instead of potato starch. Unchained by those earthy, heavy potatoes, this chilled cloud is ready to soar.

The cauliflower outworks the potato in terms of flavor too, adding vegetal complexity without making it taste any less like vichyssoise. It also adds an unexpected creaminess that is completely distinct from the potato-y thickness of the original.

This creaminess is so creamy that there is no need for cream, and each time I make cauliflower vichyssoise I use less. In a side-by-side, the cream-free version won me over. It’s creamy enough, and the flavors of the cauliflower, black pepper and allium plants resonate more clearly in the absence of cream.

Is it still vichyssoise? Probably not. But it’s good. And it’s vichyssoise-esque. Which is probably the closest I’ll ever get to speaking French.

The cream is totally optional, therefore the amount completely subjective. Fortunately, it’s added last, so you can add it to taste and perhaps even conduct your own side-by-side.

Other than subbing cauliflower for potato, the only other deviation I take from traditional vichyssoise – and with all due respect to the elders of potato-leek soup – is my use of yet another allium: garlic.

Cauliflower Vichyssoiseesque Makes 8 one cup servings 6 cups chopped leeks (white and light green parts) 6 cups chopped cauliflower stems (supplemented with crowns, as necessary) 1 stick (4 oz.) of butter 1 small onion 3 cloves garlic 1 - 2 teaspoons crushed black pepper, depending on taste (it’s the only spice, so it’s OK if it stands out as a little “peppery”) 1 teaspoon salt 4 cups chicken stock (or veggie stock) ¼ cup cream Chives Sauté leeks, cauliflower, garlic and onion in the butter with salt and pepper. When the onions and leeks are softened and translucent, add the water/stock. Simmer for 20 minutes, adjust seasonings. Let cool to room temperature, and blend. Stir in cream, put the finished vichyssoiseesque in the fridge and chill. Garnish with minced chives and serve. n

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telegraph

TopShelf

Widespread, Isbell and hangin’ at the Fenceline

by Chris Aaland

The Ride has booked old favorites and emerging artists for its eighth season, which begins Friday night with a mammoth ost of the big Telluride music festivals celebrate the roots three-hour Panic show. Panic returns Saturday, when the festiof American music. Whether its bluegrass or jazz or val really gets rolling. Indie rock takes center stage that day, blues, a festival lineup isn’t limited to the genre in its with Big Something and the Temperance Movement servname. Take this year’s Telluride Bluegrass. If you throw out the ing as the undercard, along with four other bands. On Sunday, jam bands and newgrass, there were only a handful of traditional the festival is a bit more low-key with Jason Isbell & the 400 bluegrass bands on the bill. This year’s Telluride Jazz? It could eas- Unit closing the whole fester down from 8-10:30. The sevenily be called Telluride Funk and R&B. Blues & Brews? There are a band Sunday lineup also includes Colorado jam band veterans few true blues acts, but rock, R&B and even alt-country work Big Head Todd & the Monsters plus Rose Hill Drive and their way into the lineup.

Black Pistol Fire.

The one festival that holds The Rocky Mountain Uke true to its roots is The Ride Fest returns today (Thurs., July Festival, which turns eight this 11) through Sunday, with fifth Friday through Sunday. From its anniversary events scheduled humble beginnings as a for the FLC campus and a varifundraiser for KOTO-FM, The ety of downtown sites. Special Ride is pure rock & roll. Sure, it guests this year include Gerald wanders from one rock subRoss, Peter Luongo, Marnie genre to the other, traversing Ward and Devin Scott. The indie rock, jam bands, alternaRocky Mountain Uke Fest Alltive country (which is really just Stars perform at this week’s free Southern fried rock & roll when Concert Hall @ The Park in you think about it) and more.

Buckley Park from 5:30-7:30 Rock truly is the backbone of p.m. tonight. It’s a great opporThe Ride and probably will be tunity to catch some of the until it’s gone. artists you might want to shell Just like in 2015, this year’s out a few bucks for over the Ride is all about Widespread weekend at intimate venues.

Panic. I saw them several times Rockymountainukefest.com has in Durango in the early ’90s at all the dirt. the 400-seat FLC Fine Arts AudiThe All-Stars aren’t limited to torium (before the Great Snow the ukulele. Ross is at home with Flood of ’93 literally brought all roots music, including Westthe roof down) and at the old ern swing, bluegrass, Hawaiian, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit close out the 8th annual Ride Festival Iron Horse Inn (before its old blues, jug band music, jazz, Tin on Sunday in Telluride. ballroom collapsed in another Pan Alley, New Orleans R&B and snow dump some 15 years later). boogie woogie. He also plays guitar and dobro in addition to the Among my early Panic shows was their virginal Town Park set uke. Luongo is an educator known for his Maximum Ukulele proin 1991, when they opened Sunday’s lineup at the one-off Bill gram. Ward is a singer, teaching artist and playwright who has perGraham Presents Midsummer Music Festival. Graham’s vision formed from regional music theatres to Carnegie Hall. And Scott is would’ve probably become an annual highlight in San Miguel armed with both uke and a big, unexpected voice capable of hanCounty, but he died in a helicopter crash two months later. That dling material from R. Kelly to Patsy Cline. was an epic day, complete with vodka, beer, herb and hallucinoIt’s a busy week for Music in the Mountains, with six congens. I was 23 and invincible. To think that Panic warmed up the certs taking place at several venues, including the Community crowd for Taj Mahal, the David Grisman Quintet, Hot Tuna and Concert Hall, St. Mark’s Church and Cortez’s Sunflower Theatre. the Allman Brothers is mind-numbing. It’s also strange to think This week’s MITM events include three festival orchestra performback to the days when Panic, Phish, Blues Traveler, Col. Bruce ances, two chamber concerts and a children’s show. Musicinthe Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit and other jam bands mountains.com is your source for tickets, schedules and perwould play the old Fine Arts Auditorium up on campus. We were former bios. spoiled back then.

Purple Carrot plays jazz, jams, classic rock and blues at In the years since, Panic has become heir to the bluesy, jammy, Fenceline Cider in Mancos from 7-9 p.m. Saturday. I made it to Southern rock throne once held firmly by the Allman Brothers. Like Fenceline last weekend to catch the debut of Farmington Hill’s their forefathers, they built their reputation onstage. Panic has new lineup. I found Fenceline to be a perfectly funky pad, with played several other sets in Town Park, at the aforementioned Midan outdoor cider garden on the banks of the Mancos River. I also summer Music Festival, KOTO Doo-Dahs and the 2015 Ride. The worked my way through the majority of their cider menu, from crowds have grown through the years, which is a great thing for slightly sweet to tart to dry-hopped offerings. Trust me, it’s one of festival promoters and the band itself, but perhaps a bad thing for the coolest hangs in the Four Corners. old timers like me. Festivarians at Telluride events like Bluegrass, Elsewhere: Robby Overfield plays tonight’s Ska-B-Q from 5Jazz, Blues & Brews and even most Ride Festivals show respect for 7 p.m.; the Pete Giuliani Band returns to the Balcony at 5 the land, the town and their fellow concertgoers. But at Panic in p.m. Friday; the Smelter Mountain Boys bring bluegrass to 2015? Not so much. I’ve attended more than half of The Rides Durango Craft Spirits from 7-9 p.m. Friday; Jack Ellis works the through the years, and have found the crowds to be laid back and Sky Ute Casino in Ignacio at 6 p.m. Saturday; and the Blue friendly – with exception of those dates in 2015. A little introspecMoon Ramblers hold court in their weekly residency at the Dition thinks the younger Panic fans today act a wee bit like we did amond Belle Saloon at 6 p.m. Sunday. back in ’91. We were snot-nosed kids back them. I’m just the What it’s like washing windows? Email me at chrisa@gobrain grumpy old man screaming at clouds now. storm.net. n

M

telegraph

July 11, 2019 n 17

onthetown

Thursday11

Open Mic & Stand-Up, 8 p.m., El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave.

5th annual Rocky Mountain UkeFest, July 11-14, Fort Lewis College. www.rockymountainukefest.com.

Karaoke, 8 p.m., Wild Horse Saloon, 601 E. 2nd Ave.

Disco Night, 6:30-9 p.m., Chapman Hill Skating Rink.

375-7395.

Baby Meetup with Durango Café au Play, 9:30-11:30 a.m., 2307 Columbine. 749-9607.

Plursday featuring DJ Delicious Pants, 9 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Robby Overfield performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.

Storytime with Melanie Milburn, 11:30 a.m.12:30 p.m., White Rabbit Books & Curiosities Garden, 128 W. 14th St. 259-2213.

Friday12

Smelter Mountain Boys perform, 7-9 p.m., Durango Craft Spirits patio, 1120 Main Ave., Suite 2.

66th annual Four Corners Gem & Mineral Show, July 12-14, La Plata County Fairgrounds. www.duran gorocks.org.

Tween Time: Far Out Trivia, for ages 11-17, 1-2 p.m., Durango Public Library.

“The Biggest Little Farm” documentary, 3 and 5:15 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animascitytheatre.com.

Thursday Afternoon Social Club for veterans, their spouses and supporters, 4-6 p.m., VFW, 1550 Main.

Trails 2000 Trailwork Party, 4:30-7 p.m., Spurline Trails at Three Springs. www.trails2000.org.

Bayfield Farmers Market, featuring local farmers, bakers, craftsmen and more, 4:30-7 p.m., Joe Stephenson Park in Bayfield. www.bayfielddowntownfarmersmarket.org.

Free yoga, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Lively Boutique, 809 Main Ave. BID Coffee & Conversation, 8:30-9:30 a.m., TBK Bank, 259 W. 9th St. Zumba Gold, 9:30-10:15 a.m., La Plata Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave. Friends of the Durango Public Library Summer Book Sale, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., event also runs July 13, Durango Public Library.

LEGO Club, for ages 5-12, 1-2 p.m., Durango Public Library.

Robby Overfield performs, 5-7 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

Free Legal Clinic, 4-5 p.m., Ignacio Community Library. 563-9287.

Terry Hartzel performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Spanish Speaking Parents & Littles Fridays, 4-6 p.m., Durango Café au Play, 1309 E. 3rd Ave., Room 201. durangocafeauplay.org.

Sitting Meditation, 5:30-6:15 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave. Rocky Mountain UkeFest All-Star Band performs for Concerts @ the Park, kick-off performance for the Rocky Mountain UkeFest, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Buckley Park. www.durangoconcerts.com.

Auditions for “Macbeth,” presented by Merely Players, 6 p.m., Animas High School, Jesse Hutt wing. di rectors@merelyplayers.us.

Ignacio Farmers & Artisans Market, 4-8 p.m., runs Fridays thru Oct. 4, ELHI Community Center in Ignacio. 563-4600.

Gary Watkins performs, 5-8 p.m., Nugget Mountain Bar, off Highway 550 North just south of Purgatory Resort.

Terry Hartzel performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Open Mic Night, 6 p.m., Eno Wine Bar, 723 E. 2nd Ave. Brews & Clues Trivia Night, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio. www.powsci.org.

Jose Villarreal performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.

Live music, 7-11 p.m., Blondies in Cortez.

Karaoke, 7 p.m.-close, VFW, 1550 Main Ave.

Durango Early Bird Toastmasters, 7-8:30 a.m., LPEA, 45 Stewart St. 769-7615.

Drop-in Tennis, 4 p.m., Durango High School, 2390 Main Ave.

Submit “On the Town” items by Monday at noon to: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

BMX Friday Night Races, 6 p.m., Cundiff Park. 3757331.

Friday Nights at Fox Fire Farms, featuring music from The Jeff Solon Jazz Duo, 6-9 p.m., Fox Fire Farms in Ignacio. foxfirefarms.com.

The Casual Fridays performs, 6-9 p.m., DJ Hakan, 9

Ukulele Open Mic, hosted by Devin Scott, part of the 5th annual Rocky Mountain UkeFest, 8-11 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.rockymountainuke fest.com.

Free Friday Outdoor Movie Night featuring “How to Train Your Dragon – The Hidden World,” 9 p.m., lawn at Durango Rec Center. 375-5067 or www.downtowndurango.org.

Saturday13 Durango Farmers Market, featuring music from East 3rd Street, 8 a.m.-noon, TBK Bank parking lot, W. 8th Street. www.durangofarmersmarket.com.

Drop-in Tennis, 9 a.m., Durango High School, 2390 Main Ave. Trails 2000 Trailwork Party, 9 a.m.-noon, SkyRaider Trail. www.trails2000.org.

Friends of the Durango Public Library Summer Book Sale, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Durango Public Library.

Henry Stoy performs, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Jean-Pierre Restaurant & Wine Bar, 601 Main Ave. VFW Indoor Flea Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 1550 Main Ave. 247-0384.

Sensory Storytime, designed for children on the autism spectrum and families, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Durango Public Library.

Summer Picker’s Circle by the River, musicians of all levels welcome, 3-5 p.m., Saturdays thru August, White Rabbit Books & Curiosities, 128 W. 14th St. 259-2213.

The Black Velvet Duo performs, 5-9 p.m., Animas River Beer Garden at Doubletree Hotel, 501 Camino del Rio. Terry Hartzel performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.4

Free Tenants’ Rights Clinic Presented by Colorado Legal Services

Tues., July 16, 5:30 - 7 p.m. • Durango Public Library Topics include best rental practices, evictions, security deposits, etc.

For more info, call (970) 247-0266.

Don’t let a small space stop you from a successful harvest!

REAL radio, REAL people DURANGO COMMUNITY RADIO AT FORT LEWIS COLLEGE

18 n July 11, 2019

91.9 93.9

KDUR.ORG

telegraph

Light Show Public Skate, 6:30-9 p.m., Chapman Hill.

375-7395.

Leah Orlikowski performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave. The Magical Music of John Williams, part of Music in the Mountains, 7 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. www.musicinthemountains.com.

The Crags CD Release Party, 7 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Purple Carrot Trio performs, 7-9 p.m., Fenceline Cider in Mancos. www.fencelinecider.com.

Laugh Therapy Comedy Showcase, featuring headliner Zach Abeyta, Anthony “The Old Man” Myers, Betsy Schur and host Ryan MC, 8 p.m., The Underground at The Irish Embassy Pub, 900 Main Ave. 403-1200.

Comedy Cocktail Open Mic Stand Up, 8 p.m., Eno Wine Bar, 723 E. 2nd Ave. DJ Phish spins, 9 p.m., Blondies in Cortez.

DJ Side Affex, 9 p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Sunday14 Durango Flea Market, 8:30 a.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds.

Henry Stoy performs, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Jean-Pierre Restaurant & Wine Bar, 601 Main Ave. Traditional Irish Music Jam, 12:30-4 p.m., Irish Embassy, 900 Main Ave. Live Music on the Lawn, featuring Cook and special guest, 2-5 p.m., Sundays thru Aug. 4, Trimble Hot Springs, 6475 CR 203. 247-0111.

Adult Coloring, 3-5 p.m., event runs each Sunday thru Aug. 25, White Rabbit Books & Curiosities Garden, 128 W. 14th St. 259-2213.

Rebecca Favero & Kyle Dern perform, 3-5 p.m., Fenceline Cider in Mancos. www.fencelinecider.com.

Steve Blechschmidt performs for Music in the Shade Summer Series, 4-7 p.m., Wines of the San Juan in Blanco, N.M. Blue Moon Ramblers, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Summer of Hitchcock Series featuring “Rear Win-

Making music: Ukefest returns for its fifth year What: Rocky Mountain UkeFest When: July 11-14 Where: Various venues around

Durango

Tickets: www.rockymountainuke

fest.com The small but mighty ukulele takes center stage this week as the Rocky Mountain Uke Fest returns for its fifth annual strumabout.

Featuring four days of concerts, workshops, jam sessions and open mics, the UkeFest kicks off Thursday night with an all-star uke jam for the Concerts @ the Park, from 5 – 7:30 p.m. at Buckley Park.

According to UkeFest organizer and local uke maestro Denise Leslie, everyone from newbies to advanced ukulele players are encouraged to attend and “be prepared to exit as rockstar.”

“The ukulele festival is really focused on workshops and teaching ukulele skills to all levels of musicians,” she said.

“We’ll have ukuleles to purchase along with classes to teach even the novice. We are hoping to have strumming and playing happening all over town!”

This year’s presenters include: • Gerald Ross is proficient in just about every genre of “roots” music, from western swing, blues and bluegrass, to Hawaiian, jug band and jazz on guitar, lap steel, Dobro and ukulele. In addition to seven solo CDs, he’s performed with stars such as Bonnie Raitt, Arlo Guthrie and Doc Watson and appeared in the award-winning documentary “The Mighty Uke,” PBS’ “Wheatland – The First 40 Years,” and on “A Prairie Home Companion.”

• Peter Luongo is the founder of Maximum Ukulele, a program that teaches adults how to play. He also spent 30 years as a school musical director and was a member of the

dow,” 6 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animascitytheatre.com.

Jose Villarreal performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.

Langley Ukulele Ensemble, which was highlighted in the documentary “The Mighty Uke.” Luongo focuses on working with adult choral and ukulele groups around the world.

• Marnie Ward is a performer, vocalist, teacher and playwright.

Her experience has landed her appearances across the country from regional playhouses to Carnegie Hall; with jazz combos to symphonies. In Colorado, she is a member of the Hot Tomatoes Dance Orchestra, a guest vocalist with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic and a member of the Rocky Mountain Ukulele Orchestra. She also was the owner/performer for Reveille 3 – an Andrews Sisters tribute act.

• Devin Scott performs everything from hip hop to classic country. He got his start playing open mics in his hometown of Sikeston, Mo., but soon it became his goal to play for as many people as possible. He now travels the country teaching, leading jam sessions and singing for audiences.

Registration opens at 10 a.m. Friday morning at Fort Lewis College’s Theatre Hall. A welcome reception and ukulele jam takes place later that day at 4:30 p.m. at the Rochester Hotel Secret Garden, and the popular Ukulele Open Mic Night begins at 8 p.m. at the Animas City Theatre. The weekend continues with more workshops Saturday and ends with a concert that evening featuring this year’s presenters. There will also be a special “Cowboy Ukulele Jam” hosted by Leslie and special guests at the 11th Street Station in downtown Durango on Sunday.

For more details, to register or buy tickets, go to www.rockymountainukefest.com.

Community Cycle Rides, free and open to all levels and abilities, hosted by Adaptive Sports Association, 5:30 p.m., event also runs Aug. 19 and Sept. 16, meet at La Plata County Fairgrounds northeast parking area. 259-0374 or program@asadurango.com.

Rob Webster performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.

Monday15 Yoga Storytime, 9:30-10:45 a.m., Smiley Building Studio 10, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. Watch Your Step class, 10:15 a.m., Durango Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave. Terry Hartzel performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Industry Nights, featuring a screening of “Cheech & Chong Up In Smoke,” 9:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animascitytheatre.com.

Contiki Party with the Aussies, 9 p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

More “On the Town” p. 204

Give your summer wardrobe some sizzlin, style Check out out hot, new summer inventory

telegraph

July 11, 2019 n 19

AskRachel Interesting fact: Three states away from Colorado also gets you to: Washington, Saskatchewan, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Durango – the Mexican one.

Dear Rachel, I sorta kinda halfway get why people go to garage sales. The thrill of the haggle, the possibility of finding a gem for a quarter. But I seriously don’t understand why most anyone holds a garage sale. I look at the crap I’m getting rid of, and I think about giving up the better half of a Saturday to make maybe a hundred bucks (if I find the right suckers) plus all the time spent organizing and pricing, and I just think it’s not worth it. Am I missing the key to yard sale happiness? What is it?

- Nickel for Your Thoughts Dear Non-Negotiator, In 2009, a woman sold a painting in a cheap frame for $2. It turned out to be a Picasso. Or at least, possibly a Picasso. I didn’t find the follow-up story, probably because the lucky buyer vanished with untold stacks of cash to one of those off-shore countries. Personally? I’d feel better knowing I gave away a Picasso to the Humane Society Thrift Store than knowing I got talked down to a dime on it.

– Make it two pennies, Rachel

up? They could be going 35 in a 60 uphill, but you take advantage of a passing lane without any oncoming traffic, and they take it as a personal affront. Is this a deep-seated genetic competitiveness? Is it emasculating, even for the women drivers? What’s the crazy reasoning behind this universal behavior?

– Pass With Care Dear Dotted Line, They take it as a personal affront because it IS a personal affront. It’s one thing to be going slow. It’s another thing to have your slowness written out in big block letters and pasted on your windshield. When you pass a car, everyone on the road sees you pass them. It’s belittling! And when you do that, I have no choice but to tailgate your tailpipe until you’ve done your penance.

– Go your own speed, Rachel Dear Rachel, You know those social situations where person A offers something they don’t want to offer, and person B declines it because they’re not a jerk, and person A halfheartedly says, “Well, let me know if you change your mind,” and person B never does? Yeah, my neighbor is person B and she’s breaking that code. I offered to help her move, and she’s taking me up on it, only she’s moving three states away. What’s my best chance at helping her see her mistake?

- Wronged Party

Dear U-Haul, Yeah, you screwed the pooch on that one. I bet you’re not even getting nooky for your offer. You could backtrack to say that you meant you’d hold a garage sale for all her unwanted stuff. But you’re stuck. You’re so moving her to California or Illinois or Mississippi or dang, I never realized just how far three states away will get you!

– Bon voyage, Rachel

OntheTown

Leah Orlikowski performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.

by La Plata Electric Association, 6:30 p.m., Ignacio Library. www.lpea.coop.

Tuesday16

Latin Social Nights, 8-11 p.m., Wild Horse Saloon, 601 E. 2nd Ave. 375-2568.

True West Rodeo Opening Day, 6:30 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds. www.truewestrodeo.com.

Open Mic Night, 8 p.m.-close, Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Terry Rickard performs, 7 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.

Wednesday17

Dr.

Dear Rachel, Have you noticed how it’s impossible to pass someone on the highway without them speeding

from p. 19

Zumba Gold, 9:30-10:15 a.m., La Plata Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.

Guided Nature Tours, 9:45 a.m.-noon, Tuesdays and Thursdays thru Aug. 15, meet inside Purgatory Ticket Office. sjma.org.

Summer Reading Show: Salida Circus, 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., Durango Public Library.

Kennebec Market, featuring local farms, baked goods, handmade products and more, 2-6 p.m., event runs each Wednesday, Kennebec Café in Hesperus. 759-7345.

Drop-in Tennis, 4 p.m., Durango High School, 2390 Main Ave.

Trails 2000 Trailwork Party, 4:30-7 p.m., Ned’s Hill in Overend Mountain Park. www.trails2000.org.

Terry Hartzel performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Community Concerts in the Secret Garden, featuring music from Zia Chicks on Stage to benefit Manna Soup Kitchen, 5-7 p.m., Rochester Hotel, 726 E. 2nd Ave. www.sw communityfoundation.org.

Purgatory Sports Shop Rides, both coed and ladies’ mountain bike rides, 5:30 p.m., 2615 Main Ave. www.purga toryresort.com.

Rotary Club of Durango, presentation by Kiki Hooton of Local First, 6 p.m., Henry Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave. 385-7899.

“Albatross” screening, discussion on single-use plastic 6:30 p.m., film at 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.animascitytheatre.com.

Rob Webster performs, part of the free Summer Sounds Concert Series, 6-8 p.m., Three Springs Plaza, 175 Mercado St. 764-6000.

Trivia Factory, hosted by Ben Bernstein, 6:30-8:30 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.

20 n July 11, 2019

Terry Hartzel performs, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Thank the Veterans potluck, 5:30 p.m., Peter Neds performs, 7-8:30 p.m., VFW, 1550 Main Ave. 828-7777.

Loki Moon – Raw Experiments, 6-8 p.m., Eno Wine Bar, 723 E. 2nd Ave. Jeff Solon Jazz Duo performs, 6-9 p.m., Wednesdays thru Aug. 28, Cyprus Café, 725 E. 2nd Ave. 385-6884.

Pub Quiz, 6:30 p.m., Irish Embassy Pub, 900 Main Ave. 403-1200.

Future of Power Supply Information Series, hosted

telegraph

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

Open Mic Night, 7:30 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Karaoke, 8 p.m., Blondies in Cortez.

Karaoke with Crazy Charlie, 8 p.m.-close, Wild Horse Saloon, 601 E. 2nd Ave.

Ongoing Music in the Mountains, through July 28, around Durango. www.musicinthemountains.com.

“Practice,” curated by Maureen May, “Meanderings,” works by Jan Goldman, and “Wild Grace Art,” works by Sarah Sumner, all exhibits run thru Aug. 31, Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. 259-2606.

“Inside Out: Visions from the Artist’s Mind,” thru April 2020, Southern Ute Museum, 503 Ouray Dr. www.southernutemuseum.org.

Karaoke, 8 p.m., Thur-Sun, 8th Ave. Tavern, 509 E 8th Ave.

Upcoming Bayfield Block Party, featuring music, dancing, food and more, 6-8:30 p.m., July 18 and Aug. 15, Mill Street, Bayfield.

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): You’re in the Land of Green Magic. That’s potentially very good news, but you must also be cautious. Why? Because in the Land of Green Magic, the seeds of extraneous follies and the seeds of important necessities both grow extra fast.

Unless you are a careful weeder, useless stuff will spring up and occupy too much space. So be firm in rooting out the blooms that won’t do you any good. Be aggressive in nurturing only the very best and brightest.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Eight years ago, researchers in Kerala, India, went to the Padmanabhaswamy Temple and climbed down into centuriesold vaults deep beneath the main floor.

They found a disorganized mess of treasure in the form of gold and precious gems.

There were hundreds of chairs made from gold, baskets full of gold coins from the ancient Roman Empire, and a 4-foot-high solid statue of a god, among multitudinous other valuables. I like bringing these images to your attention, Taurus, because I have a theory that if you keep them in your awareness, you’ll be more alert than usual to undiscovered riches in your own life and in your own psyche. I suspect you are closer than ever before to unearthing those riches.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Children need to learn certain aptitudes at certain times. If they don’t, they may not be able to master those aptitudes later in life. For example, if infants don’t get the experience of being protected and cared for by adults, it will be hard for them to develop that capacity as toddlers.

This is a good metaphor for a developmental phase that you Geminis are going through. In my astrological opinion, 2019 and 2020 are critical years for you to become more skilled at the arts of togetherness and collaboration; to upgrade your abilities so as to get the most out of your intimate relationships. How are you doing with this work so far?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Vantablack is a material made of carbon nanotubes. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the darkest stuff on the planet. No black is blacker than Vantablack. It reflects a mere 0.036 percent of the light that shines upon it.

Because of its unusual quality, it’s ideal for use in the manufacture of certain sensors, cameras and scientific instruments. Unfortunately, an artist named Anish Kapoor owns exclusive rights to use it in the art world. No other artists are allowed to incorporate Vantablack into their creations. I trust you will NOT follow Kapoor’s selfish example in the coming weeks. In my astrological opinion, it’s crucial that you

share your prime gifts, your special skills and your unique blessings with the whole world. Do not hoard!

closely attuned to what you’re really feeling and thinking, and communicate that information with tactful precision.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Hi, my name is Rob Brezsny, and I confess that I am addicted to breathing air, eating food, drinking water, indulging in sleep and getting high on organic, freetrade, slavery-free dark chocolate. I also confess that I am powerless over these addictions. Now I invite you to be inspired by my silly example and undertake a playful but serious effort to face up to your own fixations. The astrological omens suggest it’s a perfect moment to do so. What are you addicted to? What habits are you entranced by? What conditioned responses are you enslaved to?

What traps have you agreed to be snared by? The time is right to identify these compulsions, then make an audacious break for freedom.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): Every year, thousands of people all over the world go to hospital emergency rooms seeking relief from kidney stones. Many of the treatments are invasive and painful. But in recent years, a benign alternative has emerged. A peer-reviewed article in a scientific journal presented evidence that many patients spontaneously pass their kidney stones simply by riding on roller coasters. I doubt that you’ll have a literal problem like kidney stones in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. But I do suspect that any psychological difficulties you encounter can be solved by embarking on thrilling adventures akin to riding on roller coasters.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): When cherries are nearing the end of their ripening process, they are especially vulnerable.

If rain falls on them during those last few weeks, they can rot or split, rendering them unmarketable. So cherrygrowers hire helicopter pilots to hover over their trees right after it rains, using the downdraft from the blades to dry the valuable little fruits. It may seem like overkill, but it’s the method that works best. I advise you to be on the lookout for similar protective measures during the climactic phase of your personal ripening process. Your motto should be to take care of your valuables by any means necessary.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Please don’t try to relax. Don’t shy away from challenges.

Don’t apologize for your holy quest or tone down your ambition or stop pushing to get better. Not now, anyway, Libra. Just the opposite, in fact. I urge you to pump up the volume on your desires. Be even bigger and bolder and braver. Take maximum advantage of the opportunities that are arising and cash in on the benevolent conspiracies that are swirling in your vicinity. Now is one of those exceptional moments when tough competition is actually healthy for you, when the pressure to outdo your previous efforts can be tonic and inspiring.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I can’t decide whether to compare your imminent future to a platypus, kaleidoscope, patchwork quilt or Swiss army knife. From what I can tell, your adventures could bring you random jumbles or melodic mélanges – or a blend of both. So I’m expecting provocative teases, pure flukes and multiple options. There’ll be crazy wisdom, alluring messes and unclassifiable opportunities. To ensure that your life is more of an intriguing riddle than a confusing maze, I suggest that you stay

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In his book The Histories, ancient Greek historian Herodotus told the story of a six-year war between the armies of the Medes and the Lydians in an area that today corresponds to Turkey. The conflict ended suddenly on a day when a solar eclipse occurred. Everyone on the battlefield got spooked as the light unexpectedly dimmed, and commanders sought an immediate cease to the hostilities. In the spirit of cosmic portents precipitating practical truces, I suggest you respond to the upcoming lunar eclipse on July 16-17 with overtures of peace and healing and amnesty. It’ll be a good time to reach out to any worthwhile person or group from whom you have been alienated.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): My astrological colleague Guru Gwen believes that right now Aquarians should get scolded and penalized unless they agree to add more rigor and discipline to their rhythms. On the other hand, my astrological colleague Maestro Madelyn feels that Aquarians need to have their backs massaged, their hands held and their problems listened to with grace and empathy. I suppose that both Gwen and Madelyn want to accomplish the same thing, which is to get you back on track. But personally, I’m more in favor of Madelyn’s approach than Gwen’s.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): As a self-taught rebel poet with few formal credentials, I may not have much credibility when I urge you to get yourself better licensed and certified and sanctioned.

But according to my analysis of the astrological omens, the coming months will be a favorable time for you to make plans to get the education or training you’re lacking; to find out what it would mean to become more professional, and then become more professional; to begin pursuing the credentials that will earn you more power to fulfill your dreams.

telegraph

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July 11, 2019 n 21

classifieds

Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon.

Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $5 minimum. Even better, ads can now be placed online: durangotelegraph.com. Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check.

Wanted Turn Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. Into Cash! at RJ Metal Recycle, also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970-259-3494.

HelpWanted

Piano Lessons for the Fall Lessons for all ages and levels. For more info visit duranpianostudio.com or call (970)710-0469

(Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)

Ads can be submitted via: n classifieds@durango telegraph.com n 970-259-0133 n 777 Main Ave., #214 Approximate office hours: Mon., 9ish - 5ish Tues., 9ish - 5ish Wed., 9ish - 3ish Thurs., On delivery Fri., 10:30ish - 2ish please call ahead: 259-0133.

Lost&Found Lost My Fave Seaweed River Hat! We were tragically separated on Sun., June 30, after a great afternoon on the lower Dolores. Last seen hanging around the Dove Creek pumping station take out. Thank you for your help in getting it back home so we can continue to have many more fantastic river trips together!

970-946-6632

Announcements

Seasonal Tent Crew Needed!

Durango Party Rental is currently hiring awesome, motivated people to join our Tent Crew!! Immediate openings available. Full and part time available!

Clean driving record a plus. Give us a call at 970.259.6009, or shoot us an e-mail at info@durangopartyrental.com to find out about joining our team!! We look forward to meeting you!!

DNF Co-op Seeks General Manager The General Manager responsibilities include daily operations, staff management and financial oversight of the area’s only member-owned food cooperative.

Position requires management experience, preferably in a retail grocery environment. The GM reports to the Board of Directors. Learn more at www.durango naturalfoods.coop/gm-search.

Chief Engineer Elevation Hotel & Spa on Mt. Crested Butte is hiring a Chief Engineer. Benefits include health insurance, paid time off, housing, gym membership, ski pass, and 25% off hotel services. Apply boxerprop erty.com/careers.

Himalayan Kitchen 992 Main Ave., 970-259-0956, www.himkitchen.com. Bringing you a taste of Nepal, Tibet & India. Try our allyou-can-eat lunch buffet. The dinner menu offers a variety of tempting choices, including yak, lamb, chicken, beef & seafood; extensive veggies; freshly baked bread. Full bar. Get your lunch punch card – 10th lunch free. Hours: Lunch, 11am-2:30 p.m. & dinner, Sun. Thurs., 5-9:30 p.m., Fri. & Sat. ‘til 10 p.m.

Closed 2:30 - 5, daily.

The Perfect Gift for your favorite dirtbag. Literature from Durango’s own Benighted Publications. The Desert, The Climbing Zine, The Great American Dirtbags, American Climber, Climbing Out of Bed and Graduating From College Me are available at: Maria’s Bookshop, Pine Needle Mountaineering, the Sky Store, or on the interweb at www.climbingzine.com.

22 n July 11, 2019

Summer Youth Camps Ranging from Nature Writing, to Woodworking, Girls in Engineering, Archeology, Renewable Energy and more are available at The Powerhouse – Science Center / MakerLab for July and August.

Some scholarships are available. Learn more at: www.powsci.org/camps/

Classes/Workshops Salsa Dance Classes Join us at the Wild Horse Bar and Saloon for our next 6 week Tuesday night class series beginning July 16th! Beginner class 7:15-8pm, followed by practice time and social dancing. No partner required, guaranteed to be a fun time! Msg salsadancedurango@gmail.com and like Salsa Dance Durango on Facebook for more info. See you on the dance floor!

Three-Day Quilting Workshop with visiting artist Pat Pauly Improv Design: Start Small, Finish Large August 8, 9 & 10 - Presented by Stitch Details / registration: www.stitchonline.net/pat-pauly Embodied Meditation The Reggie Ray Practice Group facilitated by Elisabeth Peterson meets Saturdays, 10:30 to noon, 1800 E. 3rd Ave, Suite 109. For more info twinfish@bresnan.net

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Classes at Namaste Thursday meditation - 8am Thursday classes: Parenting, healing herbs, food as medicine 9:30-10:30 Donations accepted.

RSVP to 970-247-2043. namastehealth center.com Mommy and Me Dance Class Come join the fun! Now registering for classes. Call 970-749-6456. mom myandmedance.com.

Services Tarot Readings Tarot Readings with Angela Watkins in the White Rabbit Garden. Saturdays in July, 12-3pm @128 W. 14th St. Call 602316-2788 to schedule an appt.

Tidying up with Evonne Do you need help organizing and letting go of your stuff? I use the Marie Kondo method and will coach and help you sort, organize and purge your clothes, books and knickknacks so you feel lighter and better within and without. Call 970-946-2591 for an estimate and consultation.

Low Price on Storage!

Inside/outside near Durango, RJ Mini Storage. 970-259-3494 Marketing Small and Local Businesses Media, social media, website content, SEO, etc. for small, local, independent or startup businesses. Email jnderge@gmail.com Harmony Organizing and Cleaning Services Home and office 970-403-6192 Advanced Duct Cleaning Air duct cleaning specializing in dryer vents. Improves indoor air quality; reduces dust and allergens, energy bills and fire risk. 970-247-2462 www.advanced ductcleaninginc.com

BodyWork Massage with Kathryn 20+ years experience offering a fusion of esalen style, deep tissue massage with therapeutic stretching & Acutonics. New

HaikuMovieReview ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Mike Myers makes an unexpected cameo and steals the movie – Lainie Maxson clients receive $5 off first session. To schedule appt. call 970-201-3373.

Massage “Special” 1 hr. - $50 / 1.5 hrs. - $75 - foot detox$35/ in town Durango/free parking/call or text Nancy R. @ (970) 799-2202 Massages by Meg Bush, LMT 30, 60 & 90 min. 970-759-0199 massageintervention.life Voted best massage in Durango 2018.

Couples, cupping, local CBD. Reviews on FB + Yelp. 970-903-2984 Mastering Touch 16 CEU’s A NCBTMB certified workshop for the first time in Durango. Sept. 14 and 15. To register, go to www.durangomo bilemassage.com/workshop--masteringtouch.html

RealEstate

Telluride Lodge Condo Live the dream: 4/bedroom, 3.5/bath condo in Telluride Lodge! Beautifully remodeled in 2013 with open floor plan.

Gourmet kitchen; gas fireplace; stainless steel appliances; large master bedroom w/ensuite. Steps from the grocery store, river trail & Lift 7. Live in, rent or both – successful short-term rental history. $1.1M. Mountain Rose Realty, Anne-Britt Ostlund: 970-729-8005. Listing ID 37205.

Radon Services Free radon testing and consultation.

Call Colorado Radon Abatement and Detection for details. 970- 946-1618.

RoommateWanted Male Only, In-Town Clean, quiet. No smokers, pets, partiers. $550 including utilities, plus deposit. 970-759-0551.

ForRent 4 Bedroom Home for Rent Looking to fill 3 bedrooms in downtown Durango. Available Aug 1st. $500 per person/$500 deposit, not including utilities. Dogs ok $50 extra per month.

Contact Brittnie 970-946-0261

Cabin Next to Natl Forest E of Bayfield, off grid, work/trade opp. $500/mth, $200/wk, dep. Respond to 970317-5863

ForSale Furniture for Sale Kitchen set for 6 people with buffet table and 83 inch couch. Used for two years, whole package for $1200. Call for details 970-903-7913 1990 Yamaha XT 600 Enduro New tires, chain, battery, tune up. 17K miles, $900. 970-759-8820 Westcliffe, CO Bluegrass Festival HighMountainHayFever.org July 11-14.

2 weekend passes $100/offer. Injury forces sale. 970-759-8007 Reruns Home Furnishings Storewide sales in both stores! Great summer inventory arriving daily. Cool vintage bench, patio items galore, planters, bistros. New great stuff and daily markdowns. 572 E. 6th Ave. 385-7336.

CommunityService Free Music Lessons and Songwriting Workshop for Vets Soldier Songs and Voices, a nonprofit organization provides free instruments and songwriting lessons to veterans as a form of

post-conflict care. The group is hosting free music lessons and a songwriting workshop for veterans on Sunday, July 21, from 4-6 p.m. at VFW Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave. For more info, email info@soldiersongsandvoices.com.

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Backpacking Trip for Ages 13-17 Join San Juan Mountains Association on a backpacking trip for ages 13 to 17 on Aug. 7-9. Teens will learn valuable backcountry skills as well lessons on fly-fishing and fire ecology. We will travel down through the Burro Burn area to a river valley. This trip is designed for all ability levels but participants will need to carry most of their own supplies.

Your guide, MK Gunn, offers 12 years of guiding experience and is a Certified Interpretive Guide. Clay Kampf, fisheries biologist for the San Juan National Forest, will also be with us. Some free rental equipment is available. A mandatory planning meeting will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m., Aug 5. For more info 385-1269 or email MK@sjma.org.

Trails 2000 Needs Survey Volunteers for its Trail Intercept Survey. It’s a simple, three-question survey to collect demographic info about trail users, such as gender, age, and hometown, as well as trail use data including trail location, activity, frequency, and date of use. Volunteers are needed for the month of July. Sign up and details at https://www.trails2000.org/2019/06/pleasevolunteer-to-complete-the-trail-interceptstudy/.

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24 n July 11, 2019

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