Savor the Moment

Fall in Full Swing
Oct05

Fall in Full Swing

Across southwest Colorado, fall is settling in. The ever shortening days, paired with fresh winter storm systems created prime conditions for the fall color change this last weekend. The color change is a spectacular event only offered for a 2-3 week window in late September and early October in which the deciduous trees in the area (mostly Gamble Oak and Aspens) put on a massive display of color.  An all time favorite route is to...

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Lunar Eclipse Visits Durango
Oct01

Lunar Eclipse Visits Durango

A gathering of astronomic proportions took place this last Sunday throughout Colorado. Starting at about 8 pm a lunar eclipse was visible in the early evening sky. Folk of all kinds gathered to witness the stellar event from backyards, porches and trail-heads. In Durango, The Lion’s Den picnic shelter near Fort Lewis College, was a favored viewing location and parking in the area was scarce. Viewers excitedly talked as the...

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Preventing Skin Cancer
Sep22

Preventing Skin Cancer

Tips for not Getting Burned in the Colorado Sunshine Summertime in Durango is an epic time of year. Hiking, biking, rafting, boating, climbing, and the list continues make for many hours spent in the outdoors. One of the greatest things about living and playing in the Southwest is all of the sunshine, but there is a darker side. Exposure to UV Rays is a known carcinogen that may lead to various types of skin cancer. Furthermore, skin...

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Due Northwest – Part 3
Sep01

Due Northwest – Part 3

Life is a swinging pendulum. The more you push, the more it pushes back. The last branch of our trip consisted of very contrasting experiences. Late in the game, we were tired, sore and pushed to our limits in many ways. Covering 5,000 miles in five weeks while working has taxed us both… spending all of your time with one person (no matter who it is) comes with its own challenges. In the end we persevered and absolutely...

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Modern Herbalism in the Southwest
Aug27

Modern Herbalism in the Southwest

  It’s been five years since I interned with Deb Buck. At the time I was an ambitious college student looking for some practical knowledge about the ecosystems of the Southwest. I bought a few guide books about native edible and medicinal plants and very quickly realized how hard it was to learn about plant identification from books.  After explaining my challenges to a good friend, who recommended I talk with Deb, I got...

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The Legacy and Future of Mining in the San Juan Mountains
Aug26

The Legacy and Future of Mining in the San Juan Mountains

The residents of La Plata County mourned the tangerine-colored river two weeks ago, and are now digesting the water quality data that the EPA and third party research institutions, like Mountain Studies Institute (MSI), have put forth to try and understand what this means for us and the future of the Animas River. Unfortunately, the events of early August were not a singular incident. They were a harsh reminder of a truth that exists...

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Due Northwest – Part 2
Aug16

Due Northwest – Part 2

The sea is a mysterious force to me. In the evenings, I sat and listened to her murmured secrets, hushed whispers, and thundering crashes along the shoreline. I was content with the salty breeze and the sunsets to wash me clean. This was not water I felt inclined to swim in. The rocky shores of the Washington coast, the frigid water and the unpredictable nature of the grey swells left me satisfied to watch her from the polished stone...

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Due Northwest – Part 1
Aug02

Due Northwest – Part 1

I’ve been sleeping out of the truck now for 12 days. The hours consisting of lonely sunrises on the beach and sunsets in the rainforest.   After many miles of driving on mostly two-lane highways, I have come at last to where the tall trees meet the tireless sea. “Why am I here?… For a job”, I keep telling myself. “A job… and grand adventure…” My plans to visit the coastal Northwest began...

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A Spark in the Distance – Part 3
May14

A Spark in the Distance – Part 3

Just as I started to feel familiar amidst the narrow streets and terracotta roofs of Marseille, my departure  approached… Just as “comfortable” began to set in, it was time to leave the South of France and this alluring woman I so quickly grew fond of… Although I was acclimating to the aesthetics of French lifestyle, the whirling traffic and busy markets of Marseille failed to let my heart rate slow down. Every corner revealed a...

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A Spark in the Distance – Part 2
Apr28

A Spark in the Distance – Part 2

A week in France has already gone by, and as I walk down the wooden stairs into the kitchen, I catch her smile. It smells like breakfast and can see in her face, that she’s still enthralled by the idea that she landed this American guy… got him to fly across the globe to meet her. Each morning I’ve woken up, the first thought that goes through my own head is, “I’m in France… I’m actually here after dreaming about this for...

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A Spark in the Distance – Part 1
Apr19

A Spark in the Distance – Part 1

  Adventure is a brilliant word. Growing up believing in fairytales, I have always been mystified by the twists and turns of life.  I’ve heard stories of treasure, and I think I may have found some. Or more precisely, it may have found me. The journey in its entirety, has yet to be told… What I do have, is a pile of letters, drawings, and poems from a woman in France… and a plane ticket. A digital romance was not something I had...

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The Canyons of Cedar Mesa
Apr12

The Canyons of Cedar Mesa

Sunday afternoon I drove out La Posta Road to my good buddies house. I’d been marinating in both passion and frustration for days. I knew I needed to get out of town. Like others here in Durango, the desert was screaming my name. I needed to feel the sun on my skin, breath in a deep blue sky and get lost in the red rock. The day prior, I called a half dozen friends asking around to find someone to go camping with. No success,...

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The Great Sand Hill Cranes
Mar18

The Great Sand Hill Cranes

This was the first time I’ve seen the cranes moving through the San Luis Valley. Since the last ice age, the Great Sand Hill Cranes have been making an epic mass migration between summer and winter nesting grounds. The wetlands, large grain fields and wildlife refuges in the San Luis Valley offer them a safe haven. Their trajectory…  northward to the marshlands of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. I’m in the midst of...

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