Pre-fab town grows despite plant closure, low water
Land of Enchantment beckons with travel worthy shows
Gravel race takes in scenic (no, really!) NM oil roads
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Finding a sense of self and place no easy task in chaotic world by Doug Gonzalez
Despite power plant closure and low lake levels, Page, Ariz. ... is growing?
by Jonathan Thompson
A few intriguing shows worth the drive to the Land of Enchantment by Jon E. Lynch
Galactic Gravel Grinder tours Aztec’s scenic (for reals) backroads by Jennaye Derge
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“I don’t think I could ever live in Colorado.”
– Is it the endless winter? Outrageous house prices? Prevalence of full-body fleece? Whatever it is, at least one recent visitor to Main Ave. is not planning to relocate here.
For the third year in a row, the “No Man’s Land Film Festival” is coming to Durango. The all-women adventure film fest will be held in the Vallecito Room in FLC’s Student Union on Thurs., March 30, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
The first film, “Who Are You to Tell a Story?” by Erica Hinck, is an “intimate view of the filmmaker’s frustrations and fears,” according to the event lineup.
“Reclaim Your Water: Natasha Smith” tells the story of Smith, a member of the Ebony Beach Club, a multicultural organization focused on surfing. In the film, Smith shares her story in the hopes of increasing representation in surf, skate and other sports that have historically been exclusively white.
“Miles to Go” tells the story of trans trail runner Perry Cohen, who formed a team of runners who identify as trans men with the goal of competing in states that have proposed or passed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. “In 2022 alone, there have been over 300 antiLGBTQ+ bills proposed in various states,” the event listing says. “‘Miles to Go’ follows their journey into the world of trail running and the freedom to be themselves on the trail.”
STAR-STUDDED CAST: Doug Gonzalez, Jonathan Thompson, Jon E. Lynch, Jennaye Derge, Clint McKnight, Rob Brezsny, Ari LeVaux, Lainie Maxson, Jesse Anderson & Clint Reid
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Cody Moore gets some late season face shots in the San Juan Mountains, which have been skiing more like January as of late./ Photo by Andy High
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“A Woman’s Place” highlights the Pinnacle Club, a women’s rock climbing group in the U.K. The film dives into womens’ long-standing involvement in climbing while also rebalancing the notion that the sport is primarily male dominant.
“Practicing Freedom” is a short documentary about queer folks and women of color as they build a community within the mountain biking world.
And finally, the last film is “Precious Leader Woman,” which focuses on Canadian snowboarder Spencer O’Brien. In 2014, she was expected to win gold at the Sochi Olympics, but when she placed 12th, fans were shocked. What few people knew is that Spencer was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, which caused debilitating pain. After the defeat, she retreated to her hometown in traditional Kwakwaka’wakw territory, north of Vancouver, along the coast of British Columbia. There, with the guidance of her family and close-knit community, she reconnected with her Indigenous culture and regained the strength to reenter the sport and defy all odds.
For more info and to buy tickets, visit https://bit.ly/3TMV5TH
I’ve been struggling recently with the idea of home. Although I have lived in Durango for eight years, I have a complicated relationship with it. How do you define home? Is it the place where you rest from the mental and physical woes of the day? Or is it as real yet ethereal as our intentions and thoughts?
When I was in grade school, I daydreamed about the big cities where my dreams would take me. Three months after finishing college, I scored what I thought was a dream job in New York City within the field that I majored in –photography. Before my plane landed, I secured a bedroom in the house of a friend’s mother in Queens. I was excited to start calling New York home. I felt a sense of pride for venturing out to this place far from home with a purpose that felt so near to my heart.
However, my dream job would soon become a nightmare. My employer was verbally abusive and kept me paranoid at all hours, threatening me with my job if I didn’t answer his late-night calls. I became a hostage to this job, and the price was my sense of self. I no longer felt capable or smart.
After weeks of fear being woven into hope for sticking it out, I gathered the courage to quit. Even though this employer withheld salary for my last three weeks of work, I had a bit of money left from my previous paycheck. I managed to skirt by on $2 slices of pizza, doctored-up bowls of ramen noodles and $5 steamed buns in Chinatown.
I eventually filed a case against my former boss with the New York Labor Department. Three months went by, and I still had not received my last paycheck and I became late on rent. My landlord –my friend’s mom – didn’t speak English but made it apparent through her sharp tones that I was a burden in her home. During this time, I was able to volunteer as an assistant to a portrait and fashion photographer who worked with other queer artists and performers. Although this was an unpaid job, it provided a muchneeded reprieve from the toxic environment of my former employer. Lana Del Rey’s first album would play throughout the day, and the busy Canal Street breeze would blow through the windows of the studio. This photographer paid me $100 twice for assisting him during shoots, with each bit going toward my attempt to set roots down.
One late winter afternoon, I was handed a letter that had been torn open by my friend’s mother. It was from the Labor Department. How long had she had it? One week? Two weeks? A month? The anger that rose was washed over by the sense of relief I had holding the check. Utilizing this and some money sent
Finland, which has held the title of happiest country for six years, offering to fly people in for a free masterclass on happiness. Can we get a one-way ticket?
Mr. Pickles, a 90-year-old radiated tortoise, a critically endangered species that rarely reproduces, and his partner, Mrs. Pickles, gave birth to three offspring. Now that’s hot.
A new study finding that cannabis legalization lowered rates of suicide, binge drinking, traffic fatalities and cannabis use in teen-agers. Paging Mr. Biden …
from my mom, I paid the overdue rent and ventured out to seek another living situation – another place to hopefully call home.
I packed three boxes of items and borrowed a dolly to transport them. The apartment I found on Craigslist did not have a bedroom for me, but it was cheap. I was relegated to a futon in the living room, which was right near the bedroom door of my potential roommate. He was a somewhat handsome middle-aged man, but his breath smelt like cigarettes, and so did his apartment. When I arrived, he was visually upset that I was moving in so late, and it echoed the energy of my ex-boss. I immediately forfeited this living situation and lugged my boxes back to the subway. I texted someone I was seeing at the time, who was in the first year of his master’s program. He offered a place to stay that evening, and I felt so relieved that I didn’t have to bring my boxes into the subway again. “You don’t need to save face – just leave your stuff here until you figure it out.”
Within the week, two other friends provided places for me to stay. I volunteered and applied to as many jobs as I could. After two months, it even started to feel like home. However, I eventually ran out of cash and my credit card was nearly maxed out. I felt like I had given my all. I was drained and ready to go back.
I returned to Farmington, where my mother’s side of the family resided. A week later, I received a message that the Guggenheim Museum was interested in meeting with me for a position. Having spent my last bit of money for the flight home, I couldn’t possibly make it back and declined. It was at that moment that I admitted defeat and started to believe I would not be able to find the career or become the person I wanted.
For the past decade, I’ve continued to unravel the trauma that became so intertwined with how I viewed myself. I mostly stopped doing photography, because I felt betrayed by it. It brought me far from home, far from myself, and I didn’t want to risk going down that path again.
But on the journey back to myself, I am finding moments of knowing who I am. I know the desire to create something beautiful still burns warmly within my heart and has manifested itself in other ways that do not include photography. Even in the writing of this essay, I am tending to the fire, ensuring its flames stay lit until I can make it back home. “Home is a place we all must find, child. It’s not just a place where you eat or sleep. Home is knowing. Knowing your mind, knowing your heart, knowing your courage. If we know ourselves, we’re always home, anywhere.” – Glenda the Good Witch, “The Wiz.”
– Douglas
The U.S. life expectancy continuing its decline, a result of poor diet, sedentary lifestyles, lack of universal health care, child poverty, lack of access to nutritional food ... the list goes on.
China banning a new movie starring Winnie the Pooh as a murderous psychopath. Hey, he’s just trying to expand his range as an actor and not be pigeonholed as a honey-loving cartoon!
Gonzalez
Professional mini golf has existed for 27 years, but putt-putt junkies have never been able to place online bets for livestreamed games because that’s always been reserved for actual sports like fullsize golf. However, last February, the Pro League Network launched the World Putting League for exactly that purpose, and nationwide betting took off in an absurd, but oddly predictable/American way. Now, online minigolf gambling is turning into a multimillion-dollar industry, even though the players themselves rarely win more than $5K in championships, which is the most absurd part of this story by par.
In light of the recent bailout of Silicon Valley Bank, it seems appropriate to review Rule 11 of the game of Monopoly: What if the bank runs out of money?
Some players think the Bank is bankrupt if it runs out of money. The Bank never goes bankrupt. To continue playing, use slips of paper to keep track of each player’s banking transactions – until the Bank has enough paper money to operate again. The banker may also issue “new” money on slips of ordinary paper.
So we find ourselves in a real world game, where the federal government and adjacent institutions are manipulating banking and money at its core. While some people have to work for their money, others just have to be in the right place at the right time for a handout. That probably doesn’t sit well with most people who work hard for their money and try to save for themselves, their loved ones and their future.
Fortunately, you can exit this unfair system. Bitcoin allows you to not be dependent on a third party to have access to your money.
This is just one of the benefits of Bit-
coin, a money you own without government control. We encourage readers to learn more about Bitcoin and opting out of this unhealthy financial game.
– Todd Flemion, DurangoI am surprised as anyone else that, as an English teacher, I am running a bill about math and the necessity that students understand it. But that is exactly what’s happening.
I introduced House Bill 23-1231 last week with Rep. Rose Pugliese, of El Paso County. Together, we are addressing the falling math test scores of Colorado students with a targeted grant program. The bill passed the Education Committee with a unanimous vote.
The three-year grants are optional, focusing on: students who are struggling after missing a couple of years of math during the pandemic; schools and districts that have several years of low math test scores; students getting ready for middle or high school; and pre-K students who need to learn numeracy.
We are doing this with a train-thetrainer system, training a few people to
teach math who can reach out to more people to teach math. Eventually, many people will have the skills to help students thrive, and the training benefits will continue for years to come.
Research shows that elementary teachers often do not necessarily like mathematics and hesitate to make math their priority. We also know when students miss a year of math, the next year is more difficult, which makes the year after that even worse. Students begin to feel inadequate, and learn to hate math. That needs to change.
The trainings will be offered in person or online, giving rural schools the same opportunity as urban ones.
Next, we offer to train parents. During the pandemic, many parents said they had trouble helping their children with math. This bill gives them the opportunity to learn what their students are learning, from word problems to complex calculations. They will have access to the evidence-informed curricula their schools are using.
For the first time, we will also train after-school programs, where educators help students with homework. Groups like Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCAs
offer affordable after-school tutoring, and local groups will be working with their school districts to make sure students are getting the help they need.
This program also offers digital math accelerators for K-8, with online opportunities aligning individual work with state math standards. This is for students who work better on their own, who may only need to focus on one or two concepts, or who don’t have access to tutoring. The state will share the program to every interested student. We also will train future teachers of elementary or math-focused classes and will train preschool teachers how to teach numeracy, guiding our youngest students toward understanding math concepts. CDE will publish a list of evidence-informed curricula for schools to consider. Ninth-graders will have access to specific interventions, and schools that have fallen behind will have extra math help. The bill will reach about 36,000 educators and 3,000 teachers-in-training. Some 51 districts and 523 schools will be targeted and about 50,000 students will have meaningful after-school tutoring, setting up students for success.
– Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-DurangoDropping into Page, Ariz., from the east can be a strange and magnificent experience. After crossing a high-desert plateau, the intrepid motorist glides along the asphalt down a vast, tilting swath of sandstone toward the Colorado River, losing nearly 3,000 feet of elevation along the way. The Vermillion Cliffs, jutting up from the horizon ahead live up to their name, especially at sunrise, and Navajo Mountain looms dark and mysterious to the right.
Up until a few years ago the vista was marked – or marred – by the Navajo Generating Station’s smokestacks and the attendant brown cloud juxtaposed against the pale pink stone and shimmering blue shock of Lake Powell. Now the stacks and the pollution-belching behemoth are gone and the reservoir’s diminishing waters only barely visible at times, replaced in the traveler’s view by the white bathtub ring – the ghost of the abundant water years of yore.
Last week I took in this same view, along with the void that now exists where the power plant once stood. I was on my way to the Phoenix area to do some reporting (a journey that would be cut short by a whiny, grindy wheel-bearing on the Silver Bullet), but I also wanted to visit Page to see for myself how far the reservoir level had fallen and to get a sense of how the community was faring. On that March, spring break-time day, I joined a convoy of vehicles rolling into town. I wondered what their first impressions were.
Did they experience a sense of uncanniness as they sailed along in their gleaming cars? Were they struck by or curious about the seeming newness of the place? Could they feel the emptiness spawned by the utter lack of history?
Oh, I don’t mean the place doesn’t have a history. It does. But it doesn’t belong to Page. Just 70 years ago, even the mere idea of Page didn’t yet exist. The mesa the community is now built on and around, along with all of the surrounding sandstone-covered land east of the Colorado River, was part of the Navajo Nation. But when construction began on Glen Canyon Dam in the 1950s, the workers needed a place to live. Though
the most logical place would have been Big Water, on the Utah side, the Arizona politicians were more powerful at the time (and Big Water was of the plural marriage persuasion) and wanted the camp on their side of the state line.
So, the feds finagled a lopsided land trade in which the Navajo Nation got land (albeit not the mineral rights) in southeastern Utah in exchange for the big parcel across which Page now sprawls. Page, née Government Camp, was established in 1957. That helps explain the surreal feeling here, the sense that the whole town was just plopped down in the desert, prefabricated. This isn’t unique to Page. Any Western town that experienced substantial post-World War II growth has areas like this. Consider Farmington, New Mexico, or Grand Junction, Colorado. But those communities also tend to have an older, more solid-feeling center or downtown, with stone or brick buildings from the late 1800s or early 1900s. Page does not.
Page gained economic substance in the 1970s, when Navajo Generating Station was built just east of town on the Navajo Nation. Many of the workers lived in the young town and if they did not,
they probably bought groceries and cars and supplies there. Page developed a middle class thanks to the plant. Wages were good, housing affordable. Maybe you could save up and buy a boat. By the time the power plant shut down in 2019, it was contributing about $51 million per year to the Page economy, according to a Northern Arizona University study, and paid $2.7 million in property taxes to the Page school district.
Page is also the main gateway to Lake Powell and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. More than 4.5 million people visited the park in 2017, with 80% or more of them coming through Page and spending more than $300 million per year eating in restaurants, shopping in grocery stores, and filling up the tanks of their vehicles or boats. The National Park Service, together with the major concessionaires running the marinas at Lake Powell, employed nearly three times as many people as the power plant.
But the power plant shut down in 2019 and Lake Powell’s water levels plummeted, leaving most of the boat ramps inoperable. Hundreds of highwage power plant and coal mining jobs vanished almost overnight. Visitation to
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area cratered: Fewer than 2 million people went boating or sightseeing or camping in 2021, nearly 60% less than in 2017, and spending declined as well.
As if that wasn’t enough, the first, devastating wave of COVID-19 hit just a few months after the power plant closed, promptly cutting off virtually all international tourism. By all rights, Page – having been hit by a double whammy – should be a virtual ghost town. And yet ...
I find myself in Page at least twice a year. I’m drawn by the dwindling reservoir and the surrounding landscape, which more than makes up for whatever the town may lack in history, charm or even identity. It’s a sandstone junkie’s paradise. I like to run or walk along the rim trail to the unpeopled area overlooking the reservoir north of town in the morning or evening and watch the light dance with stone. And besides, they overbuilt hotels back in those 4.5-million-peryear-visitation days so you can usually find a nice room for relatively cheap.
But this visit felt different, somehow. A warehouse for the defunct coal plant had been converted into a Zennihome
modular house production facility. Many hotels were sold out and the others were busy enough not to have to beg for my business. The Safeway was packed, mostly with the international tourism crowd. While I munched on a green chile cheeseburger at the Sonic, a large family or maybe tour group occupied the table near me. They appeared to be Asian, spoke in a language unfamiliar to me, and seemed enraptured by the tater tots and onion rings.
I was too timid to ask them why they were here, what drew them to Page rather than, say, Moab. Clearly they weren’t boating or swimming – it was too cold for that and the boat ramps are all inoperable. Perhaps they were taking the tour of Antelope Canyon, the iconic slot canyon east of town, or shooting machine guns at Gunfighter Canyon in a strip mall next to Sonic, or hoping to catch a glimpse of some celebrity staying out at Amangiri, the ultra-luxury resort near Big Water favored by the Kardashians.
Only at Amangiri can you stay in a tented pavilion, where one can experience “intimate wilderness encounters with no compromise on comfort,” for a mere $6,375 per night. It provides an entry point into the “wilds of the Old West” and even features a “bespoke … via ferrata route,” whatever the hell that is. These folks take slickrock-gentrification to the extreme.
I noticed a couple of new restaurants in town, including a chain brewery/distillery cut from the same faux-rustic-hipster mold that can be found in just about any tourist town. I skipped it, preferring to eat a can of sardines while I watched the last light set Navajo Mountain’s snow covered slopes aglow.
They’re building homes in Page, too. Big rectangular and modern ones with huge windows overlooking the reser-
voir. I can’t tell if people live in the new houses, though. Page’s population, if the data are to be believed, decreased by about 100 after the power plant closed. But then it rebounded and now sits at about 7,600 — 100 more than before the plant was shuttered. Go figure.
I suspect folks are drawn here not in spite of the lack of history, but because of it. It’s the colonizer’s myth reborn: the notion that the West is a blank canvas on which you can realize your dreams. The myth only leads to despair, but until it does, it’s great for the real estate business.
Dead Pool WatchSpeaking of Lake Powell, after months of hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing over the prospect of Glen Canyon Dam losing hydropower capacity or reaching dead pool, the Bureau of Reclamation is predicting this winter’s bountiful snowpack will be enough to fend off further water level declines through 2024.
It may not seem that way looking at the bathtub ring around Lake Powell and seeing so much of Glen Canyon Dam’s backside exposed. But the snow-blanketed mountains promise a big, maybe even huge, runoff. That, combined with reduced releases from the dam should bring reservoir levels up substantially this summer, maybe even enough to make a few boat ramps usable again.
So far, the snowpack feeding Lake Powell rivals that of 2011, when unregulated inflows were a whopping 16 million acre-feet. Whether that size of runoff will be repeated is still up in the air, though, as a hot, windy, dusty spring or the lack of a summer monsoon could offset some of winter’s gains.
The Land Desk is a newsletter from Jonathan P. Thompson, author of “River of Lost Souls,” “Behind the Slickrock Curtain” and “Sagebrush Empire.” To subscribe, go to: www.landdesk.org. ■
by Sam Brasch/Colorado Public Radio
Abipartisan group of Colorado lawmakers introduced a trio of bills Tuesday to help Western Slope residents handle the impacts of wolf reintroduction.
The new legislation comes nine months before Colorado wildlife managers must reintroduce wolves under a statewide ballot initiative narrowly approved by voters in 2020. If successful, it would be the first time any state has led an effort to restore the predators.
State Rep. Dylan Roberts, a Democrat who represents the towns of Avon and Steamboat Springs, said he never supported the idea but hopes the new legislation will help rural communities adjust to a self-sustaining wolf population decades after hunters and trappers eradicated the species.
“It’s
legislative level to protect as many people as possible while still honoring voters’ intent,” Roberts said.
Roberts is a lead sponsor of a bill to create a dedicated fund to compensate livestock owners if a wolf kills or injures an animal. While Colorado already has a program to cover the market value of any livestock lost to wildlife, state wildlife managers are currently considering rules to offer additional payment if ranchers can show wolves caused an incident.
The legislation is designed to ensure there are adequate resources for the effort, Roberts said.
It would provide $350,000 a year from the state general fund rather than pull money from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which relies on the sale of hunting and fishing licenses for most of its operations.
“It’s a commitment not to take away from the things the department does to support the sportsmen,” Roberts said. Another bill clarifies the state could only move ahead with wolf reintroduction after winning special permission under the Endangered Species Act.
The topic has become a point of frustration for rural Coloradans after a federal judge restored endangered species protection last year. Under the decision, state wildlife managers no longer have jurisdiction over wolves living in Colorado. Any effort to kill or disturb a wolf is also strictly prohibited.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does allow special designations for “experimental populations” under the Endangered Species Act. Colorado has applied for the designation through what’s called
a 10(j) permit. If it’s granted as expected, the state would likely have the authority to kill or trap wolves so long as those actions are part of a larger plan to conserve the species.
“Having a 10(j) allows Colorado to manage wolves in our state in cooperation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife,” State Senator Perry Will, a Republican who represents New Castle, said. “This management flexibility is critical to the success of the wolf reintroduction plan.”
Roberts added the legislation is necessary due to the tight timeline around the reintroduction process. While the ballot initiative requires “paws on the
ground” by the end of 2023, he said the state might not win the 10(j) permit until weeks before the deadline. The bill ensures Colorado Parks and Wildlife won’t proceed without the special permission in place.
A final piece of legislation would create a new “Born to Be Wild” specialty license plate vehicle owners could purchase for $100. Colorado Parks and Wildlife would receive half of the money to fund non-lethal projects to prevent conflicts between wolves and livestock.
For more from Colorado Public Radio, go to www.cpr.com.
simply doing what we can at the
This has been a long, unequivocally difficult winter. Without a moment’s hesitation, I can resolutely say not a one that has preceded it comes anywhere close to comparing. To be perfectly clear, I’m in no way referring to the snow totals at our home mountains and the surrounding areas. If anything, the truly uncanny and unprecedented amount of snowfall has provided me, personally, a healthy distraction these past few months. For those of you that don’t choose to recreate similarly from November/December on – I can dig it. The precipitation and inclement weather just present a pain in the ass (back, neck, shoulders, etc.) A total drag.
This has been an exhausting, painfully unpleasant, at times excruciatingly cruel, heavy-handed winter for a variety of reasons. But, as of last week, spring sprung, which means I can spew a litany of overused clichés and adages about death and decay leading to growth, rebirth, new leaves and blah blah f***ing blah. I’ll spare you.
Spring can also give way to rising temps, and rising temps also suggest that maybe, just maybe, the roads south of town ushering concert-goers to the Land of Enchantment are dry and clear. Spring tours will be routed through Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and live music equals catharsis. To some. To me. The squall crunch of guitars and effects pedals help temper some of the swirling, spiraling brain and are a hell of a distraction. Plus, you get to eat new foods, visit museums and galleries, shop at Asian markets, thrift at different shops, visit comic book stores, and hell, you can even visit a zoo or an aquarium if that’s your thing.
Some of you continue to ask for my opinion of worthwhile shows upcoming in New Mexico, so here are a couple few in the coming weeks:
• Cut Chemist, Fri., April 7, Sister Bar (Albuquerque): Lucas MacFadden, better known as Cut Chemist, is one of the greatest turntablists, arguably, of all time. A founding member of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli, Chemist solidified his status with his “Brainfreeze” collaboration with DJ Shadow. This will be an all-vinyl set and quite likely mind blowing.
• Brooks Nielsen, Sun., April 9, Launchpad (Albuquerque): I haven’t really looked into what Nielsen’s former band, The Growlers, are up to as of late. I’m not sure I care. Nielsen fronts (fronted?) the beach goth (their words, not mine) band since 2006, and his solo record sure does sound a lot like a Growlers album. People like The Growlers, I think? They certainly made a handful of solid albums, and
I’m guessing you might hear some of those tunes at this gig. That was an exceptionally underwhelming sell. Oops.
• The Appleseed Cast, Tues., April 11, Sister Bar (Albuquerque): I really, truly hate “emo” as a descriptor. “Postrock” doesn’t bother me as much for some reason. This Lawrence, Kans., band straddles a variety of indie rock-adjacent mediums. Likely not for everyone, but certainly for me. If you’re planning on zipping down on a Tuesday, let me know.
• Avey Tare, Mon., May 8, Meow Wolf (Santa Fe): Avey Tare is one-fourth of Baltimore-based Animal Collective and released his latest solo record, “7’s,” on Domino in midFebruary. Known for psychedelic textured electronic soundscapes, I imagine this particular show at this particular venue would be darn good, totally wholesome and not at all drugfueled time.
There are a number of other shows worth seeing that I’m happy to drone on about, but I am out of time and space. With summer around the way, more records will be released and more tours will be announced, though very few will be stopping HERE this summer. This is a point of contention, internally, and perhaps I will revisit it down the road. I guess this constitutes a gripe. Anyhoo … if you’re personally excited about a release or a tour announcement, send those recommendations my way along with questions, comments or gripes. Especially the gripes.
Jon E. Lynch is the program director at KDUR. He can be reached at KDUR_PD@fortlewis.edu ■
by Jennaye Derge
According to a lot of iffy information on the internet, on March 25, 1948, one – or three – unidentified flying objects carrying 16 – or possibly nine – “humanoids” landed in our neighboring town of Aztec. One UFO was assumed to be 50 feet, but another was described as 99 feet. They all, or one, presumably came from the planet Venus, but when investigators asked for evidence, they were given pieces of regular aluminum metal as samples of the crashed UFOs instead of actual space metal – whatever that is. The government and FBI got involved for a minute, but then decided that this sounded like a buncha poppycock and quit the investigation. In all, and in retrospect, it seems like it could have been fun for everyone involved, and lucky for us, 75 years later, almost to the day, the fun continues.
Area bicycle race and tour company Aztec Adventures is harnessing the three-quarters-of-a-century-old fable (or maybe truth – who really knows?) by hosting its second annual Galactic Gravel Grinder race near Aztec’s Alien Run trail system Sun., April 2. Started by Durango’s Neil Hannum and William Farmer, Aztec Adventures is offering an out-of-this-world two-wheeled tour around northwestern New Mexico’s often underappreciated BLM lands.
“You get into some of the highest land in San Juan County in an area that is so close to us, but no one ever goes up there,” Hannum said of the race course. “I think as New Mexico starts developing into what it’s going to be, it’s going to be a place that is really special.”
New Mexico has been trying to boost its recreation economy in the past few years, and the oil roads that weave through miles of sagebrush, sandstone cliffs and high desert landscapes are the perfect place to start. On Sunday, galaxy wanderers will get to choose from one of three different courses: 8.5 miles, 35 miles or 50 miles on what is said to be a variety of surfaces.
“It is pretty much all dirt, with a bit of pavement, and it will end on 4 miles of singletrack,” race director and co-owner of Aztec Adventures, Farmer, said.
This long winter and unrelenting precipitation will make conditions the big nail-biter in the days leading up to the event, but Farmer is optimistic conditions will not only be dry but prime.
“It usually takes around eight days for the trails to dry and the last day of precipitation was a few days ago, and there is nothing left in the forecast for the area, so I think it will be really good,” Farmer said.
Anyone who likes dirt and has ridden the unending gravel roads in northern New Mexico knows it’ll be good. A little moisture will keep the dust down, and those desolate oil and gas roads that seem to go on and on promise a day of blissful grinding. And to keep things
Racers in a recent Aztec Adventures gravel race pass by one of the many arches waiting to be seen in the nether reaches of Aztec’s BLM oil and gas backroads./ Courtesy photo
interesting, riders can expect a variety of terrain from rough and chunky gravel, rocky areas and steep, punchy climbs including one stout one at a 12% grade – shooting up almost to outer space. The courses will end in the area where the planet Venus dropped its humanoids, in the singletrack of Alien Run. Here riders will go head to head with those baby heads, but more importantly, that beautiful, smooth, sticky, slick rock.
Farmer says the Galactic Gravel Grinder was made with gravel bikes in mind, but a mountain bike would be fine as well. Riders can sign up in advance at aztecad ventures.com or the day-of the event, and pretty much all are welcome. Even, I assume, some alien visitors. ■
by Clint McKnight
Dan Flores’ beautifully written deep-dive into the conjoined histories of wildlife and humans in North America, “Wild New World,” is fascinating, heartbreaking and ultimately inspiring. It is easily my favorite book of the year so far. Flores, a retired Professor Emeritus of Western History at the University of Montana and distinguished historian, presents his sweeping account of evolution and anthropology as a captivating read that’s surprisingly hard to put down. It’s a wildlife story for the
ages, an epic account of the interaction between animals and humans reaching back 30,000 years. It was a time when this primeval con tinent teemed with an ex traordinary variety of jaw-dropping Ice Age beasts such as woolly mammoths, sabertooth tigers, giant ground sloths and beavers the size of Volkswagens.
An engaging and passionate writer, at one point Flores, who now lives in Santa Fe, jogs down the steepening path of a Clovis-era buf falo jump, gaining speed and adrenaline as he imagines the experience of giant bison hurtling toward their doom.
Revelations and fascinating theories occur on every page, such as the proposition that indigenous coexistence attitudes toward wildlife may have formed out of ancestral trauma of people who watched the disappearance of so many animals essential to their survival. Contrast that with the attitudes of European colonists, whose astonishment at the abundance of American wildlife leads to 300 years of thoughtless slaughter. Here, readers must steel themselves as passenger pigeons are erased from the sky in a gluttony of gunfire, and the relentless poi- soning of wolves takes out a host of other creatures as well. Such tragedies, however, give rise to vision-
aries such as John James Audubon, John Burroughs and George Bird Grinnell, who helped shift American perspectives on the limits of living public resources. In so doing, they also helped give birth to the bold concept of wildlife conservation.
I would suggest that the ultimate value of this exceptional book lies there, not just in the thrilling ecological history of North America’s original animal kingdom, but in its powerful motivation to appreciate and preserve what remains of that “Wild New World.”
When not being a legendary bookseller at Maria’s Bookshop, Clint McKnight writes book reviews on the side.
What: Book signing with Dan Flores, author of “Wild New World”
When: Wed., April 12, 6 – 8 p.m. Where: Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main
at noon. To submit an item,
Spring Fly Fishing Festival, events throughout the day, Duranglers Flies and Supplies, 923 Main Ave.
Get to Know CEO Robert Sarlls of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, 8:30-9:30 a.m., FLC’s Center for Innovation, 835 Main Ave., Suite 225.
Heather Leavitt Martinez artist demo, 3-4 p.m., Smiley Building’s ArtRoom, 1309 E. 3rd Ave.
Return to Clay, webinar hosted by Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, 4 p.m. crowcanyon.org
28th annual Creativity Festivity opening reception, 4-6 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Avenue. Exhibit runs thru April 28.
Durango Green Drinks, 5 p.m., 11th St. Station.
Bingo Night, 5 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.
Live music, 6-9 p.m., The Office & Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.
No Man’s Land Film Festival, a celebration of women through adventure and sport, 6 p.m., FLC’s Student Union, Vallecito Room.
Trivia Night, 6:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1330 Camino del Rio.
Ecstatic Dance, 6:30-8:30 p.m., American Legion, 878 E. 2nd Ave.
Southwestern Water Conservation District’s Water Seminar, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Sky Ute Casino, Ignacio.
Spring Fly Fishing Festival, events throughout the day, Duranglers Flies and Supplies, 923 Main Ave.
Gary Walker plays, 10 a.m.-12 noon, Jean-Pierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Ave.
Terry Rickard plays, 5 p.m., Mancos Brewing.
Larry Carver & Ben Gibson play, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.
“Mission: Joy” film featuring the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 6 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave.
Bentley Monk plays, 6 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.
Live music, 6-9 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.
Ru Paul’s Drag Race Watch Party, 6 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave.
Reefer Madness, The Musical, 7:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
The Doo Wop Project plays, 7:30 p.m., FLC’s Community Concert Hall.
Drag Show, 8:30 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave.
Spring Fly Fishing Festival, events throughout the day, Duranglers Flies and Supplies, 923 Main Ave.
9 Health Fair, 8-11 a.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. onlinereg.365health.org
Bitcoin Meet-Up, 10 a.m., 81301 Coffee Roasters, 3101 Main Ave. bitcoinstudygroup@protonmail.com
Children’s Musical Storytime w/Melanie Milburn, 10 a.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave.
The Metropolitan Opera Live in HD – Verdi’s “Falstaff,” 10 a.m., FLC’s Student Union, Vallecito Room.
Warsaw plays, 5 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
IF4 International Fly Fishing Film Tour, showings at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., DoubleTree Hotel, 501 Camino del Rio.
RC Hall & Friends play, 5 p.m., Mancos Brewing.
Art Silent Auction & Creativity Seminar, fundraiser for Silverton Powerhouse, 6 p.m., at the Powerhouse, 1250 CR2. silvertonpowerhouse.com
Live music, 6-9 p.m., The Office & Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.
Community Yoga, 6-7 p.m., Yoga Durango, 1485 Florida Rd. Donations accepted.
Metal Night, 7:30 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.
“Reefer Madness, The Musical,” 7:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Silent Disco w/DJ Spark Madden, 9-11:30 p.m., 11th St. Station.
Veterans Benefit Breakfast, 9 a.m. VFW Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave.
Feed the People! free mutual aid meal & winter gear drive for homeless community members, every Sunday, 2 p.m., Buckley Park.
Handel’s “Messiah,” 3 p.m., FLC’s Community Concert Hall.
“Reefer Madness, The Musical,” 5 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Live music, 6-9 p.m., The Office & Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.
Sunday Funday, 6 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Happy Hour Yoga, 5:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
Meditation and Dharma Talk with Chris Benitez, 5:30 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave, Suite 109.
Live music, 6-9 p.m., The Office & Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.
Open Mic, 6 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito.
Comedy Showcase, 7:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Coffee Connections with Manna Soup Kitchen, 8-9 a.m., Manna Soup Kitchen, 1100 Avenida del Sol.
Community Yoga, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Yoga Durango, 1485 Florida Rd. Donations accepted.
Trivia Tuesday, first Tuesday of the month, 7-9 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.
Jason Thies plays, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.
Live music, 6-9 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.
Man 2 Man Prostate Cancer Support Group, 6:30-7:30 p.m., via Zoom. Contact prostategroupdro@gmail.com for details.
Open Mic Night, 7 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
“As Seeds, We Grow” closing celebration, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum, Fort Lewis College.
Live music, 6-9 p.m., The Office & Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.
Birds of Play play, 7 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 8 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.
Karaoke Roulette, 8 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Rosie the Riveter Day, pop-up exhibit, Animas Museum, 3065 W. 2nd Ave.
Interesting fact: The greatest snow depth ever recorded in the USA was 451 inches in Tamarack, Calif. I’m sure they got more cumulative snowfall, but the cold undoubtedly made it shrink like a sour gherkin.
Dear Rachel,
The Durango Mall is almost vacant. Sears just closed, and there are many empty stores. So sad for Durango. I know you have rich friends in Durango, how about asking them to have a pool hall in a vacant store. Oh, I mean a pickle ball hall. Pool is for old rock and roll beer drinkers. Just have to paint some lines, get some portable nets and poles, and call it Durango Sweet Pickle Fitness. Heck people pay to workout, why not pickle ball? Parking and noise would be no big deal. Your thoughts on this, sweet dill or no?
– Kosher Dill
Dear Completely Non-Kosher, Are you jerkin’ my gherkin? If you put “Sweet Pickle Fitness” on a sign in an abandoned storefront, folks are going to presume you’re offering a whole
other kind of service for both pickles and balls. Frankly, that’s probably a lot more profitable. While there is still an injury risk with any aerobic activity, one has a much, much lower chance of blowing one’s knees out. You want your customers to SAY they can barely walk, but to not mean it.
– Bread and butter, Rachel
Dear Rachel,
Here I thought we had a good winter, but I’m seeing news of places with 600-700 inches of snow. That would bury every building we got in Durango with like two stories to spare. When you posthole in that much snow, do you ever come out again? Will the next Lucy to be discovered in 20,000 years be some poor kid on vacation in California who took off his snowshoes for a second?
– Snowed Out
Dear White Christmas,
What I’ve really wanted to do when I see pictures of buried ski lifts and whatnot is to drop various hot objects and see how far down they sink before cooling off. Fireplace coals. An iron on cotton setting.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Sometimes, I give you suggestions that may, if you carry them out, jostle your routines and fluster your allies. But after trying out the new approaches for a short time, you may chicken out and revert to old habits. That’s understandable! It can be difficult to change your life. Here’s an example. What if I encourage you to cancel your appointments and wander out into the wilderness to discuss your dreams with the birds? Will you actually follow through with brave practical actions that transform your relationship with your deepest longings?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You have done all you can for now to resolve and expunge stale, messy karma – some of which was left over from the old days and old ways. There may come a time in the future when you will have more cleansing to do, but you have now earned the right to be as free from your past and as free from your conditioning as you have ever been. APRIL FOOL! I lied. In fact, you still need to spend a bit more time resolving and expunging stale, messy karma. But you’re almost done!
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Businessman Robert Bigelow hopes to eventually begin renting luxurious rooms in space. For $1.7 million per night, travelers will enjoy accommodations he provides on his orbiting hotel, 200 miles above the Earth’s surface. Are you interested? I bet more Geminis will be signing up for this exotic trip than any other sign. You’re likely to be the journeyers most excited by the prospect of sailing along at 17,000 miles per hour and witnessing 16 sunsets and sunrises every 24 hours. APRIL FOOL! In fact, you Geminis are quite capable of getting the extreme variety you crave and need right here on the planet’s surface.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to become the overlord of your own fiefdom, or seize control of a new territory and declare yourself chieftain, or overthrow the local hierarchy and install yourself as the sovereign ruler of all you survey. APRIL FOOL! I was metaphorically exaggerating a bit – but just a bit. I do in fact believe now is an excellent phase to increase your clout, boost your influence and express your leadership. Be as kind you can be, of course, but also be rousingly mighty and fervent.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In his poem “The Something,” Charles Simic writes, “Here come my night thoughts on crutches, returning from studying the heavens. What they thought about stayed the same. Stayed immense and incomprehensible.” According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you Leos will have much the same experience in the coming weeks. So there’s no use in even hoping or trying to expand your vision. APRIL FOOL! I lied. The truth is, you will not have Simic’s experience. Just the opposite. When your night thoughts return from studying the heavens, they will be full of exuberant, inspiring energy.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): If there will ever come a time when you will find a gold bullion bar on the ground while strolling around town, it will be soon. Similarly, if you are destined to buy a winning $10 million lottery ticket or inherit a diamond mine in Botswana, that blessing will arrive soon. APRIL FOOL! I was exaggerating a bit. The truth is, I suspect you are now extra likely to attract new resources and benefits, though not on the scale of gold bullion, lottery winnings and diamond mines.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Do you have a muse, Libra? In my opinion, all of us need and deserve at least one muse, even if we’re not creative artists. A muse can be a spirit or hero or ally who inspires us, no matter what work and play we do. A muse may call our attention to important truths we are ignoring or point us in the direction of exciting future possibilities. According to my astrological analysis, you are now due for a muse upgrade. If you don’t have one, get one – or even more. If you already have a relationship with a muse, ask more from it. Nurture it. Take it to the next level.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Dear Valued Employee: Our records show you haven’t used any vacation time over the past 100 years. As you know, workers get three weeks of paid leave per year or else receive pay in lieu of time off. One added week is granted for every five years of service. So please, sometime soon, either take 9,400 days off work or notify our office, and your next paycheck will reflect payment of $8,277,432, including pay and interest for the past 1,200 months. APRIL FOOL! Everything I just said was an exaggeration. But there is a grain of truth in it. The coming weeks should bring you a nice surprise or two concerning your job.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian poet and artist William Blake (1757–1827) was a hard-working visionary prophet with an extravagant imagination. His contemporaries considered him a freaky eccentric, though today we regard him as a genius. I invite you to enjoy your own personal version of a Blake-like phase in the coming weeks. It’s a perfect time to dynamically explore your idiosyncratic inclinations and creative potentials. But you don’t necessarily need to be a freaky eccentric to honor your deepest, most authentic truths and longings.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Some of my friends disapprove of cosmetic surgery. I remind them that many cultures throughout history have engaged in body modification. In parts of Africa and Borneo, for example, people stretch their ears. Anyway, Capricorn, this is my way of letting you know that the coming weeks would be a favorable time to change your body. APRIL FOOL! It’s not my place to advise you about whether and how to reshape your body. Instead, my job is to encourage you to deepen and refine how your mind understands and treats your body.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I invite you to make a big change. I believe it’s crucial if you hope to place yourself in maximum alignment with current cosmic rhythms. Here’s my idea: Start calling yourself by the name “Genius.” You could even use it instead of the first name you have used all these years. Tell everyone that from now on, they should address you as “Genius.” APRIL FOOL! I don’t really think you should make the switch to Genius. But I do believe you will be extra smart and ultra-wise in the coming weeks, so it wouldn’t be totally outrageous to refer to yourself as “Genius.”
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Your body comprises 30 trillion human cells and 39 trillion microbial cells, including the bacteria that live within you. And in my astrological estimation, those 69 trillion life forms are vibrating in sweet harmony with all the money in the world. Amazing! Because of this remarkable alignment, you now have the potential to get richer quicker. APRIL FOOL! I was exaggerating a bit. But I do believe you now have extra ability to prime your cash flow.
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.
(Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.) Ads can be submitted via:
n www.durangotelegraph.com
n classifieds@durango telegraph.com
n 970-259-0133
n 679 E. 2nd Ave., #E2
Approximate office hours:
Mon-Wed: 9ish - 5ish
Thurs: On delivery
Fri: Gone fishing; call first
KDUR is Celebrating 50 years of broadcasting in 2025. With that anniversary fast approaching, staff is on the hunt for past DJs. Maybe you did a show for one year, maybe you did a show for 10. However long that was, hopefully you have a fond memory, a story or maybe even some recorded material! If you do, please email station manager Bryant Liggett, Liggett_b@fort lewis.edu or call 970.247.7261
Found Oakley sunglasses at dog park. Describe model and color/lens. 970-570-7593
Lost Size 7 New OR Glove Black and brown, insulated. Call or text 970-570-7593.
Improve Your Handwriting!
Visit www.LetsLetterTogether.com or take in-person classes at The ArtRoom at the Smiley Building, Studio #11, 1309 E. Third Avenue, Durango
West Coast Swing Dance
6-week class starts April 12. Learn the basics of West Coast Swing. Registration is required at www.westslope westies.com
Bookseller - Maria’s Bookshop
Now hiring avid readers for FT & PT bookselling positions. Must enjoy some
evening & weekend shifts. Applications available in-store and at mariasbook shop.com. Open until filled.
Lecturer, Department of Mathematics
sought by Fort Lewis College located in Durango, CO to teach college courses in mathematics. Teaching load is 24 credits per academic year (6 to 8 courses per year); courses taught may include College Algebra, Precalculus, Calculus, & Statistics. For further job details, rqmts & application info refer to: http://jobpost.works/ba8126/
Lecturer for Mathematics
sought by Fort Lewis College located in Durango, CO to teach college courses in mathematics. Teaching load is 6 to 8 courses per year; courses taught may include college algebra, precalculus, calculus, & statistics. For further job details, rqmts & application info refer to: http://jobpost.works/an8126/
Now Hiring Downtown Ambassadors
Do you love Durango? The Durango Business Improvement District is looking for friendly, outgoing and knowledgeable people who love our community to be Downtown Ambassadors. We are looking for candidates that have great interpersonal skills and are familiar with our community. Must have strong communication skills, enjoy talking to people and be self-motivated. This is a seasonal, part-time position. $15-$17per hour. To apply visit: www.downtowndurango.org/jobs. Application deadline is April 10.
FT County Coordinator Wanted
Wildfire Adapted Partnership (nonprofit) seeks one full-time County Coordinator to manage wildfire education and mitigation programs in eastern La Plata County. Visit wildfireadapted. org/join-team to view full job announcement.
Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970-2593494.
ForRent
Furnished Studio in Town $900/mo. specula1@gmail.com
ForSale
Venture Split Snowboard 8 yo splitboard, backcountry ready, skins and bindings. Used $375. Tyler 970.247.1233
‘Nothing Compares’ Whether you agree with her politics, or not her voice is epic
– Lainie MaxsonReiki Practitioner, Postpartum Doula and Reflexologist
In-office energy work sessions and reflexology by appointment, and inhome postpartum doula services and support. Energy medicine sessions held in office at the Sun Building, 755 E. 2nd Ave., Durango. 970-946-9352
30% Off Body Work, Tuesdays
Stop Smoking/Break Bad Habits
Effortless! Relaxing! Get the results you want! Professional hypnosis with Susan Urban, (CHT, HA, TH). Use your own brain to make the positive changes you want in your life. Free phone consultation. 970-247-9617.
Harmony Cleaning and Organizing
Residential, offices, commercial and vacation rentals, 970-403-6192.
Lowest Prices on Storage!
Inside/outside storage near Durango and Bayfield. 10-x-20, $130. Outside spots: $65, with discounts available. RJ Mini Storage. 970-259-3494.
Therapeutic deep tissue, cupping, and TENS treatment options. Located at the Community Wellness Center, 160 E. 12th St., Suite 1, Durango. Call to schedule w/ Dennis 970.403.5451
In-Home Fitness Training
Convenient. Private. All ages. Diane Brady NSCA-CPT. 970-903-2421
Lotus Path Healing Arts
Now accepting new clients. Offering a unique, intuitive fusion of Esalen massage, deep tissue & Acutonics, 24 years of experience. To schedule call Kathryn, 970-201-3373.
Massage by Meg Bush LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-7590199.
