August 2020 . Issue 9.8
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Steamboat Springs Hayden Oak Creek Yampa
Photo by Matt Scharf
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August 2020
Valley Voice
Best kept secret in Steamboat Springs!
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Valley Voice
August 2020
Rants...
Contents On the Verge of Disaster
Page 4
Yampa River is a Daily Commitment
Page 5
By Brodie Farquhar
By Gary Suiter/ City Manager
A Brief History of NW Colorado: Part II Page 6 By Ellen and Paul Bonnifield
Important Plants You Don't See By Karen Vail
Page 8
Grass Page 9 By Valerie Worth
Measuring the Overall Economy
Page 10
Business Proceeds in Hayden
Page 11
By Scott L. Ford
By Brodie Farquhar
Publisher/Art Director: Matt Scharf mattscharf1@gmail.com
Wedding Day Page 12 By Aimee Kimmey
Sales:
valleyvoicesales@gmail.com
Spectrum Living Page 13
Event Calendar:
Eric Kemper ericvalleyvoice@gmail.com
Song of Silent Landscape
Page 14
Look Before You Loot
Page 14
So Many Good Intentions, So Little Joy
Page 15
Valley Voice is published monthly and distributed on the last Wednesday of each month. Please address letters, questions, comments or concerns to: Valley Voice, LLC, P.O. Box 770743 or come by and see us at 1125 Lincoln Ave, Unit 2C, Steamboat Springs, CO 80477. Or contact Matt Scharf: 970-846-3801. Website www.valleyvoicecolorado.com. Subscription rate is $40 per year (12 issues). All content © 2020 Valley Voice, L.L.C. No portion of the contents of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission from the Valley Voice.
By Wolf Bennett By Fran Conlon
By Sean Derning
By Stuart Handloff
You Are A Star Page 15 By Joan Remi
1987 Timberline Enduro
Page 16
Curating the Mind-Body Connection
Page 17
The Stress of Returning to School
Page 17
Your Monthly Message
Page 18
By Matt Scharf
By Winter Clark By Kari Pollert
Official Fine Print Advertisers assume full responsibility for the entire content and subject matter of their ads. In the event of error or omission in the advertisement, the publisher’s sole responsibility shall be to publish the advertisement at a later date. Advertisements and articles are accepted and published upon the representation that the author, agency and/or advertiser is authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The author, agency, and/ or advertiser will indemnify and save Valley Voice, LLC harmless from all claims and legal action resulting from the contents of the articles or advertisements including claims or suits resulting from libel, defamation, plagiarism, rights to privacy and copyright infringements. The views and opinions expressed reflect the views and opinions of the authors and may not necessarily reflect the views and opinion of the editor, staff or advertisers in Steamboat Springs’s Valley Voice.
By Chelsea Yepello
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Comics Page 19
Please send us your RANTS, RAVES and SAY WHATs! The Valley Voice wants to hear your thoughts as we struggle to find our center. Send to: mattscharf1@gmail.com
Destructive incompetence… Methanol, either spilled from a truck or as an ingredient in hand sanitizer… Taking up six parking spaces up front at Central Park with your trailer. If you’re extra defensive about being a jerk, it probably means you know you’re a jerk… Roundabout mania... The bicycle circus on Yampa Street... That feeling Steamboat Springs is being taken over by the “sick” states…
Raves... The life of a true American hero. R.I.P. John Lewis… Pretending things are normal for a short while… Games that count… The front line workers: The hotel front desk clerks who help enforce the mask rules for those who will not read. Reunions… Giving to the homeless… People who call you back… Hittin’ the throttle hot into a right hand berm, on the pipe, second gear, fanning the clutch to the next turn. Listening to that powerband opening up – two-stroke sweetness… The Valley Voice and all who make it happen…
Say What?... “Of COURSE you’re an idiot. Have you seen your stupid hair and face?” “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV. I love lamp?” “I would like to see Trump leave office in a cab.” “Flying a Trump flag is like saying, ‘I really don’t care about anybody but myself’.” “I’m burning a hole in the calendar with my furious eyes. Hurry up November!”
We go to press August 24th for the September 2020 Edition! Send in your submissions by August 17th!
Direct all correspondence, articles, editorials or advertisements to the address below. The author’s signature and phone number must accompany letters to the editor. Names will be withheld upon request (at the discretion of the publisher). Submission is no guarantee of publication. Subscription rate is a donation of 40 measly dollars per year. However, if you wish to send more because you know we desperately need your money, don’t be shy, send us all you can! Advertisers rates vary by size, call 970-846-3801 and we’ll come visit you. Please make checks payable to: Valley Voice, LLC P.O. Box 770743 • Steamboat Springs, CO 80487 Thank you for your support!
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August 2020
August Valley Voice By Matt Scharf I trust everybody, local and visitor alike is having a wonderful summer here in Routt County. The crowds are packed to the brim during this glorious season. With that said, I want to thank all our advertisers and contributors for their efforts, participation and love in making the Valley Voice happen month after month. It is with huge heartfelt thanks - Thank You! Please check out the website below for more details on a Selfie/ Photo Contest sponsored by Dream Pursuits. I would like to print the winning photos within the Valley Voice pages as the winners emerge. Thanks again for reading! Enjoy!
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Valley Voice
COVID Conundrum
On the Verge of Disaster By Brodie Farquhar
The COVID-19 pandemic is many things: it is killing thousands of people a day, leaving survivors with life-changing health problems and has devastated economies. It is a novel corona virus that has continually hit the public and scientists with extremely unpleasant surprises. The pandemic is also something of an IQ test, and frankly, from top to bottom, a lot of people are failing. Comparatively speaking, the Yampa Valley communities are in a fairly cool or mellow spot, with few deaths and few hospitalizations compared to the Front Range and especially the hot spot states like Arizona, Texas, Florida, California and Georgia. That doesn’t mean we're out of the woods. The number of visitors we receive from pandemic hotspots is one big risk. Any SUV from Texas or jet from California or Florida could be positively crawling with the COVID-19 virus, in the persons of people who are infected but not showing symptoms. It could be a cute kid, a charming mom or dad, or a grandparent that loves the area and comes back year after year. We have people arriving every day from hotspots that the European Union, and much of the rest of the world, would reject or insist on a two week quarantine before allowing free movement. Banning visitors or insisting on two week quarantines would be a severe blow to a local economy that has suffered from the initial lockdown and is coming back to life. And yet, strictly speaking from a prudent epidemiology stance, they should be in place right now. It's not going to happen—at least not soon.
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879.5929
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That’s where things get very dicey. We deserve a pat on the back for doing a very good job with the initial outbreak: washing hands frequently and well, avoiding crowds, wearing masks and keeping a safe distance from one another. Collectively, we’ve denied the virus thousands to millions of opportunities to jump from one person to the next. That’s why we’re a “cool” spot, instead of a hot spot. Last month, Gov. Polis read some pandemic trend data in Colorado that scared him enough to mandate the wearing of masks, with escalating penalties for non-compliance. The information was developed by a team of experts from Colorado universities, and reported July 21 by the Colorado Sun (coloradosun.com). The team created projections for the pandemic and mapped out various scenarios. Optimistically, the team said if Coloradans could maintain 65 percent social distancing through the summer – meaning 65 percent fewer social interactions than normal – then the worst of the pandemic would be over. Those same experts recently found social distancing in Colorado, on average, has dropped -to 40 percent. That means the virus has more opportunities to spread, which the team now projects can translate into 6,200 people needing critical care beds in hospitals by mid-October. That’s 4,400 more cases than the state can handle now. The rate of reproduction in Colorado is now about 1.7 for the rate the average infected person infects. That’s up from 0.5 during the lockdown. A reproduction rate of 1.0 means slow growth that is manageable. Below 1.0 and the virus dwindles until it disappears. A rate of 1.7 means that within a month, one infected person can trigger exponential growth up to 280 new cases.
Go Old School!
What are the rates here in Yampa Valley? Dunno. It could be better, but from what I’ve observed, could be worse.
Never Miss an Issue!
If you want to avoid another lockdown and the hotspot label affixed to Steamboat and the Valley, we need to do a better job. Be more consistent in the discipline it takes. You know the drill: wash hands, wear a mask, avoid gatherings and use social distancing. Your job, your future, your life depends on it.
Get the Valley Voice magazine delivered to your door! It’s something you can hold in your hand! And it’s real paper!
for a yearly Include your address and we subscription will send you a copy every month. Send payment to: Valley Voice, llc P.O. Box 770743 Steamboat Springs, Colorado 80477
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So what about the environment these visitors are entering and so enjoy, bringing vitality and money?
Contact: valleyvoicesubscriptions@gmail.com
Brodie Farquhar is a semi-retired journalist and Scripps Fellow with a master of science degree from the University of Michigan and BA in journalism from the University of Northern Colorado.
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R C B
Valley Voice
August 2020
City of Steamboat Springs
Respecting the Yampa is a Daily Commitment By Gary Suiter/ City Manager This wasn’t more evident than when Parks & Recreation staff combed the banks through town after a popular weekend. The sheer amount of discarded tubes overflowed the confines of the large dumpster and was eye popping to all of us. With simple action, say by taking your tube home (yes, even if popped) and all your belongings, we can see a significant impact immediately. RESPECTING THE YAMPA requires following basic rules and river etiquette while enjoying appropriate uses on the Yampa River. The basic principles we should all strive to follow are:
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• Do not bring: flip flops, alcohol and glass, Styrofoam or coolers
So many of us bike, walk and run along this tributary that flows west. Others jump in the waves and ripples, playing in kayaks, body boards, tubes and rafts or wade waist deep to tempt trout to take that tasty fly. While still more gather along the banks and in various swimming holes throughout town, especially during these social distancing times.
• RESPECT other users and private property
With a spectrum of water users, it’s only natural that the river experiences ebbs and flows resulting in impacts along its banks, riverbed and treed canopy. From popped tubes to lost equipment to picnic remnants including leftover food and trash, please clean up and pack out all items you brought with you. It might not seem like a big deal, but these items can accumulate quickly.
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• Secure everything to your tube – Rig to Flip
• Life jackets are encouraged for all river floaters
With that said, as we float into the middle of summer and head toward the end of tubing season in the weeks ahead, it’s a good time to remind everyone to RESPECT THE YAMPA. It’s never been more important that we all recreate responsibly on the river and minimize the impacts to the health of the river and other recreationalists.
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• Do not bring loose items on the river – it becomes TRASH downstream
Like the life sustaining liquid that flows through each of us, the Yampa River acts similarly as the lifeblood of our community. It would be difficult to imagine our town without this magnificent meandering waterway.
We would be a different town without the mighty waterway that we use daily for recreation, agriculture, irrigation, work and life. In numerous surveys, the Yampa River continually rates as the top asset for the community and one that everyone is interested in protecting.
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• Use one of the approved commercial companies for the best experience
• Put in at Fetcher Park or lower to comply with management plans In addition, sharing the reasons we treasure this tributary and setting an example with out of town guests, visiting family and other river users goes a long way in helping them understand the value of the river. The Yampa River is one of Steamboat Springs’ popular recreation locations and one that we all must work daily to protect. As flows start to wane over the coming weeks, it’s even more important to pay attention to the queues of the river, its aquatic life and the environment around us. Thank you to everyone that continues to tackle river issues. Learn more from organizations and agencies dedicated to our waterways as well as the city’s website, steamboatsprings.net/river. Acting together can multiply our efforts and ensure that this vital free-flowing river continues to be healthy, sustainable and here for generations to come. So, the next time you dip a toe into the Yampa River, please remember the impacts you have, be safe and always be responsible.
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August 2020
Valley Voice
Bonnifield Files
A Brief History of Northwestern Colorado: Part II of VI By Ellen and Paul Bonnifield
Often in history what is seen on the surface covers deeper, complex, and intriguing currents and counter currents of events. This series attempts to measure the unknown undercurrents that helped shape Northwestern Colorado as we now know it. As a quick review, Part I introduced the importance of railroads, the Berthoud Survey for a railroad route, the discovery of the Yampa Coalfield, and early efforts to remove the Ute from the railroad-right-of-way. By the Treaty of 1868, the Ute ceded to the United States the Yampa Valley, Little Snake River, Middle Park, and North Park and moved to the White River Agency. The Grand River Ute rejected the treaty. The end of the Civil War released all the nation's pent up energy to move west. Congress passed the Pacific Railroad Act that subsidized railroad construction. In Colorado, excitement ran high with expectation of the Union Pacific building a line directly west from Denver to Salt Lake City. After all, ex-Governor John Evans sat on the railroad's board of directors. In 1866, Union Pacific survey crews seriously looked at Berthoud and Boulder passes B an early blizzard on Boulder Pass came close to taking the
lives of the crew. In the end, the Union Pacific constructed the main line through Wyoming. At the same time, floundering about, the Kansas Pacific moved west by fits and starts. In 1868, the same year the Ute ceded all the land north and east of Rio Blanca County, a sizeable party of railroad investors, Denver promoters, Speaker of the US House Schuyler Colfax, newspaper giant Samuel Bowles, and master Republican Party leader William Bross along with several ladies of position, summered at Hot Sulphur. Nearby was a large Ute encampment. The unsuspecting Ute were unaware of the real danger the visitors represented. The railroad men and promoters were also practical men. Having removed the Ute from the proposed railroad rightof-way by the Treaty of 1868, investors wanted to know what natural resources were deposited in Middle Park and the Yampa Valley. Bowles commissioned his personal friend, John Wesley Powell, to investigate the resources of Middle Park. Powell's team spent two seasons poking about Middle Park before moving to Powell Park on the White River. There he did extensive research that included the coal deposits in the Danforth Hills.
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To assist the Union Pacific, in 1871-72 Clarence R. King headed the Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel. His team, while working in North Park examined and named the Zirkel peaks after a famous German scientist; the study also exposed the infamous diamond hoax. (Con men claimed they discovered a rich diamond deposit in Browns Park and fleeced vast amounts from suckers before being exposed.) Colorado's territorial delegate to Congress, George M. Chilcott and Vice President Colfax, pressured the national government into funding an intense study of western Colorado. F. V. Hayden's, The Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territory, Embracing Colorado and Parts of Adjacent Territories, published in 1874, remains a masterpiece of scientific work. Archibald Marvine's team's extensive report had a profound impact on the future of the Yampa Valley. The study named and recorded the Devil's Causeway, Mount Orno, and most of the landmarks in the valley. It mapped and measured stream flow and identified areas for future irrigation and grazing. The prospects for logging and lumber mills were also examined. Marvine's survey mapped the Yampa Coalfield and suggested possible oil development. Although gold was discovered earlier, 1860 and again in 1866, at Hahns Peak, little excitement occurred until F. M. Endlick's team examined and mapped the mineral district. Endlick's report stimulated excitement resulting in a rush of prospectors. Although unclear how the connections were made, based on Endlick's report, the wealthy Chicago merchant John V. Farwell purchased several claims and invested heavily in the district. He opened the first road in Routt County, running from Laramie, Wyoming, to the town site of Hahns Peak. He invested in miles of flumes intended to move water to his holdings at Stringtown. The previously mentioned 1868 meeting of bigwigs at Hot Sulphur Springs and the geological surveys of Powell and Hayden were connected to the desperate effort of the Kansas Pacific Railroad, the city of Denver, and the state to escape the imperial grasp of the Union Pacific. The late 1860s were crucial years for Denver. Following the announcement in 1866 that the Union Pacific planned to bypass Denver in favor of the Wyoming route, many residents and businessmen moved to Cheyenne. Clearly, Denver must have a railroad to survive. Meanwhile, the Kansas Pacific reached the Colorado-Kansas line and could go no farther. By less-than-honest means, Jefferson County made a Acontribution [that] hastened the issue. The County financed the railroad and in 1870 the Kansas Pacific reached Denver. To build from Denver to Cheyenne, leading figures again called upon the credit of Jefferson County to underwrite the Denver Pacific. The Evans-Carr Construction Company contracted to construct the railroad. Through federal grants, Evans-Carr received six million dollars and a million acres in land grants for work costing two million B a sizable profit. The railroad operated at a loss and Jefferson County, unable to pay its debt, turned the line over to the creditors B Robert Carr, John Evans, David H. Moffat, and others. Big money was in railroads Beven bad ones.
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The Union Pacific was putting the squeeze on the KP and the DP, so Carr, Evans, Moffat, John D. Perry, R. R. McCormick, and others decided to build a railroad over Berthoud Pass into Utah. The Union Pacific controlled the Colorado
Valley Voice
Central that ran up Clear Creek from Golden to Idaho Springs. Evans and Carr surveyed a route up Bear Creek, crossed the divide to Georgetown, and, in 1872, organized the Denver Georgetown and Utah Railroad. To attract settlers, Porter Smart and a group of Georgetown businessmen organized the Western Colorado Improvement Company. On September 26, 1874, Porter, his son Albert and wife Lou, and two children in three wagons, driving livestock, headed for the Yampa Valley where they claimed the town of Hayden. After constructing some cabins, although late in the season, Porter started for Georgetown. On Gore Pass, he met Peter Shirts and his rag tag colony.
August 2020
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James Crawford, his wife, and three children were wintering at Hot Sulphur before moving to the Yampa Valley. They assisted Shirts' followers. Lulita Crawford later told of Peter Shirts intention to get beyond the snow line where, in the spring, they would plant wheat. The next year, 1875, a thousand settlers would follow and establish a string of settlements to Salt Lake City. A few determined souls followed Shirts up Gore Pass where Porter Smart found them and led them to Hayden. At Hayden, colonizers built a few cabins and a small group remained until spring. Others found their way to Rawlins, Wyoming, and back home.
Although the information is fragmented, apparently General John A. Logan, with connections to John Evans, financed the Shirts Colony that intended to settle on Bear River (Yampa). Shirts was also involved in efforts to settle along the San Juan River in Utah. In 1874, he assembled one hundred men, women, and children in Chicago. The Burlington railroad provided passage to the end of the line in Nebraska. (The Burlington was building toward Denver and in the early 1880s did extensive construction work over the Front Range. Two decades later Moffat used Burlington construction for sections of his railroad.)
In the spring and summer of 1875, the Shirts Colony melted into history. Smart reorganized the Western Colorado Improvement Company into the Bear River Colonizing and Improvement Company and eighteen families (60 - 70 people) moved to Hayden. Porter and his son Gordon joined Daniel Whiting in incorporating the Bear River Wagon Road. It intended to connect the stagecoach road at Hot Sulphur to the White River Indian Agency road near present day Craig. Although some work was accomplished B William Byers bridged Grand River (Colorado) and the wagon road over both Berthoud Pass and Rollins Pass was passable B little else was accomplished.
The colony arrived in Denver in November and precious time was lost organizing teams, wagons, equipment, and supplies. Making a very late start, they assembled at Empire where most of the settlers chose to remain. A depleted party headed over Berthoud Pass and was caught in winter storms. After much hardship, they arrived at Hot Sulphur Springs where more of the party chose to remain.
Dame fortune turned its back on the Smarts and Hayden. The Colorado Central won the race to Georgetown and collected the $200,000 prize offered by Georgetown. The Denver, Georgetown, and Utah vanished into the graveyard of incomplete railroads. In 1877, Hayden consisted of two families: Albert and Lou Smart, Major J. B. Thompson and his wife Elza, and eight children combined. Out of space, see you next month.
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August 2020
Valley Voice
'Boat Almanac
The Most Important Plants You Don't See By Karen Vail Photos by Karen Vail
Plant communities dominated by grasses account for about twenty four percent of Earth’s vegetation. (Encyclopedia Britannica; Poaceae). Here in our corner of the world we do not find the vast short grass or long grass prairies, or the huge savannahs. But grasses are critical habitat in mountain meadows, sagebrush shrublands, Gambel’s oak, aspen, Lodgepole, alpine and aquatic ecosystems. Imagine Rabbit Ears or Buffalo Pass without those incredibly diverse and colorful meadows! I can’t!
Strawberry Park hayfield This is the time of summer when grasses shine…and sway and glimmer! We do not notice their green stems until the flower heads unfurl in feathery golden plumes. These unassuming plants belong to the family Poaceae, the Grass Family; the world’s most important food source. Grasses rank among the top five families of flowering plants in terms of the number of species, but they are the most abundant and important family of Earth’s flora.
It was first theorized that grasses evolved due to the rising number of herbivores after the Cretaceous period when the dinosaurs were no longer in the picture. Researchers now realize that grasses came first, moving from lush forest to the drying steppes, and the herbivores adapted to their new food source. This was the Age of the Mammals, but maybe we should call it the Age of Grasses. According to Earth Archives (The Evolution of Plants Part 5; The Grassland Empire, Vasika Udurawane), fossils from Chile show the first grassland communities starting to spread about 30 million years ago. The first herbivores in these new communities were numerous rodents. Soon larger grazing mammals emerged. Then things cooled down and dried up, and CO2 in the atmosphere decreased around 21 million years ago and the grasses still spread due to their ability to dominate arid areas and thrive in the lower CO2 environment. Many grasses developed a more efficient method of photosynthesis using less water
and a different carbon pathway (for the lessening CO2). 6 million years later the climate changed yet again with large ice sheets growing from the Antarctic and a global temperature drop. Grasses continued to spread, as did the herbivores. But the grasses evolved methods of defense. They covered their leaves with small hairs, increasing their water proofing and making them less tempting to hungry grazers. They also developed phytoliths through their tissues, bits of silica taken up from the soil. Of course, silica is rock, and you would think animals would then avoid eating the grasses. Evolution prevailed and the next generations of grazers evolved tall teeth with thick enamel and a high number of tightly packed ridges across them. Other physiological traits enabled the grasses to flourish under this constant grazing. Most plants have their growing points at the tips of their stems, but the grasses growing points are closer to the bottom of the pants. Grazing (and mowing) actually stimulate more growth. They also developed extensive fibrous roots well adapted for the drought conditions they grew in, that also would withstand trampling and grazing safe and sound underground. Humans started cultivating cereal grains around 10,000 years ago, with true domestication staring around 7,000 BC with domesticated barley in the Middle East. Many civilizations have domesticated grass crops since then, from bread wheat, oats, rye, sorghum, rice and corn. In
Windy Ridge natural meadow
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Windy Ridge Meadow with Mariposa lily and impending storm today's food production, four of the best-known crops are members of the grass family; sugarcane, wheat, rice and corn. Hard to believe that big ear of corn came from a little grass spike! At home here in the Southern Rocky Mountains, grasses are the foundation for many habitats. These areas dominated by herbaceous plants rather than woody shrubs and trees range from the foothills to the alpine tundra. These thrive where tree growth is inhibited (maybe by lack of moisture, high winds, consistent fires, or other conditions) and can be quite small (such as the many small meadows on Rabbit Ears) or as vast as the tundra plateaus of the Flat Tops. Audrey Delella Benedict (from her incredible book “The Naturalist’s Guide to the Southern Rockies,” my naturalist go-to book for everything!!) discusses two main grassland ecosystems; mountain grasslands and dry meadows, and moist meadows. Alpine tundra, with its extensive grasses, is considered part of the alpine ecosystem. Mountain grasslands are typically found in the large “parks” of the mountains; North Park, Middle Park, etc. have extensive mountain grasslands. We could possibly define California Park as a mountain grassland. In the Park Range we tend to have smaller dry or moist meadows. Both types of meadows are highly diverse, but the moist meadows really shine for their show-stopping color. Yes, this is Rabbit Ears Pass and many of the stunning meadows in the Flat Tops. All righty, what are grasses role in those ecosystems then if they don’t have those big showy flowers? Because they thrive in areas where nothing else seems to be able to, they offer many services. Their extensive fibrous roots hold the soil, high organic content from their decomposing
August 2020
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August is Vaccine Awareness Month! leaves and roots increases water retention and nutrition for all the soil users, the plants sequester carbon and nitrogen, dense cover reduces moisture loss and soil temperatures and provides protection for vast communities of soil surface life (including cryptobiotic crusts (virtually living soil) in drier meadows). And, oh yeah, they are food for elk and deer and pocket gophers and…it is a long list. I love grass, but not all grasses are good guys. We have cheat grass (Bromus tectorum) that is advancing through the state at a slow steady pace. This nonnative outcompetes native species, reducing plant diversity and wildlife habitat. It also poses a fire risk as it germinates early and dries quickly early in the season. Then there are the “revegetation” grass mixes that are used to cover recently disturbed roadsides, trail, construction sites, etc. These mixes typically contain aggressive nonnative grasses that will outcompete any native vegetation. I have watched over the years as the thoughtless seeding of areas with these grass mixes has slowly displaced the penstemon, lupine, goldeneye, showy daisy, etc. with a monoculture of grass that has no value to wildlife, pollinators or the soil biome. It breaks my heart to know that native grass mixes are just as effective (more so) but a little more expensive, so are not considered a viable option. I will not even pretend to understand grass morphology. Grass flowers are not your usual flower with petals and such. They have their own unique vocabulary and can be painful to identify. Here is some basic grass terminology. The inflorescence (the whole set of flowers) is made up of smaller spikelets, with a whole bunch of crazy bracts (the lemma, palea, and glume..fun, huh?!) covering the flower parts. The stems are typically hollow and the leaves (technically called blades) have a sheath which enclose the main stem (also used in identification). The flowers are adapted for wind pollination with a lot of lightweight pollen and feathery stigmas able to catch the pollen. Grass fruits are called grains, but you knew that!
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Poetry
Grass
Smoking Acecessories & Other Curiosities
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By Valerie Worth
Grass on the lawn says nothing: Clipped, empty, Quiet. Grass in the fields whistles, slides, casts up a foam of seeds, Tangles itself With leaves: hides Whole rustling schools Of mice.
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10
August 2020
Valley Voice
H
Go Figure
Measuring the Overall Economy By Scott L. Ford Here is a great conversation generating experiment you can do at home. Ask someone to describe the economy in Routt County. This is a question I often ask, and can assure you that no two answers will be the same. I can also assure you that a lot of hot air will be created as folks respond. If collectively we cannot agree on a reasonably coherent answer to this question, it makes it really difficult to meaningfully measure how the local economy is doing. In the absence of meaningful economic measurements, the tendency is to focus on those things that are often tangential to the actual economy.
What is the best way to gauge the relative health of the economy? Most economist agree that Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a measurement that calculates the value of all goods and services produced, has long been a good way to take the financial temperature of the economy at the national, state and county level. Like all good economic measurements, GDP is routinely measured on a consistent basis and it allows for comparison to other economies. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) calculates an annual GDP for Routt County. Using
One of the measurements locally that we spend an inordinate time talking about is City of Steamboat Springs sales tax collections. I have often heard the local economy described as a “Sales-Tax Based Economy.� I am not even sure what that is.
Of the seven comparable Colorado mountain resort communities, Routt County in 2018 had the 5th largest economy with a GPD of about $1.7 billion. With an average annual growth in GDP (2016-2018) of 1.7%, Routt County again ranked 5th. Next month I will delve into the question of how to measure economic diversity and how Routt County again measures up.
Real Gross Domestic Product 2015-2018 ($000) Inflation Adjusted Dollars County Eagle Gunnison La Plata Pitkin Routt San Miguel Summit
Without question, sales tax collections are an important source of government revenue, but that is all that it is. Sales tax receipts are not the economy. At best, sales tax collections imperfectly measures some of the economic activity in a limited number of industry sectors. For example, sales tax collections will provide a fuzzy picture of what is going on in the Food Services and Accommodations industry sector, but it does not measure activity in the Health Care/Social Services industry sector.
2015 3,136,360 923,743 3,499,160 1,810,200 1,606,787 612,657 1,954,242
2016 3,216,484 943,497 3,674,622 1,864,163 1,596,244 607,530 1,997,326
2017 3,308,719 1,012,690 3,650,188 1,871,595 1,648,606 607,756 2,100,690
2018 3,375,460 1,028,922 3,515,882 1,900,883 1,676,236 630,972 2,144,107
Annual Percentage Change In GDP County Eagle Gunnison La Plata Pitkin Routt San Miguel Summit
There is a textbook definition of an economy that may be a good place to start.
An economy encompasses all activity related to production, consumption, and trade of goods and services in an area. An economy applies to everyone from individuals to entities such as corporations and governments. The economy of a particular region or country is governed by its culture, laws, history, and geography, among other factors, and it evolves due to necessity. For this reason, no two economies are identical.
Next-Level Functionality
GDP, how does Routt measure up?
2016 2.6% 2.1% 5.0% 3.0% -0.7% -0.8% 2.2%
2017 2.9% 7.3% -0.7% 0.4% 3.3% 0.0% 5.2%
2018 2.0% 1.6% -3.7% 1.6% 1.7% 3.8% 2.1%
Statewide Ranking as of 2018 15 24 14 17 19 34 16 Average Annual Growth in GDP 2.5% 3.8% 0.2% 1.7% 1.4% 1.0% 3.2%
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis
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Valley Voice
August 2020
11
Hayden Roundup
Business Developements Proceed in Hayden By Brodie Farquhar
The outlines for Dry Creek North mixed residential development are becoming clearer.
Dr. Christy Sinner, district superintendent, said the tentative plan is to move into the new complex in late October, with school starting there on November 2.
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Meanwhile, Sinner and the school board are working on Steamboat & plans and protocols for using the Springs current middle/high school to open school operations this fall.in Sinner explained hand crafted the that a great deal depends on state and county authorities responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Depending on the spread, presence or absence of the virus in the community, county and state, Hayden School District has developed a menu or set of phases in operations.
in the World
The first choice is to have students, teachers and staff all physically present in school, similar to a city... normal school in our sister operation, said Sinner. That would only happen if there is beautiful Jalisco! very low spread of the virusTequila, in the district. The current middle/high school has about a fourth of the space that will be available in the new complex. Last year, and beginning this upcoming school year, that limited space was and will be used by the entire population of students, k-12. The district is looking at ways to get that population density or crowding down in the middle/high school. Staggered schedules, bussing, meals in the lunchroom and even passage in the hallways will all be used to lessen the number of contacts.
Hayden town government officials note that the development is right across the street from Dry Creek South, just south of the Valley View Business Park.
Contingency-wise, added Sinner, a single, active case detected in the school will result in closure for a short time to see if any more cases develop. If nothing more occurs, kids and teachers go back to school.
Dry Creek North, as currently planned, will have 102 units. Most will be twin or duplex units, but there will also be triple and quadruple units. There will also be a senior living unit, with a total of 16 bedrooms.
If more cases develop, then remote learning kicks in, said Sinner. Students would learn from home, like they did in the spring when the pandemic took off.
Town planner Mary Alice Page – Allen said there are several more projects underway within the business park Mountain Dog Care, a dog kennel, is planned she said. The Merc wants a lumber yard in the business park to complement the Ace Hardware store. Finally, Yampa Valley Ice Cream is renting the commercial kitchen in Dry Creek Park, developing frozen dessert products for distribution via other businesses in the valley.
School construction on track for October move date. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the construction of the new Hayden District school complex by a couple months, the project is on track for completion in October.
Mask use was going to br required it of all adults, and encouraged among students. That changed mid-July when Gov. Polis issued an emergency executive order, requiring masks in all public spaces for adults and children down to the age of 10. The executive mandate is good for 30 days, and can be renewed. As of press deadline, plans, schedules and protocols for opening school were in rough draft status. Sinner said the district is exploring various grants to supply face masks to students.
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12
August 2020
Valley Voice
Tales from the Front Desk
Wedding Day
The clerk rolled her eyes. This woman was so charming, she could've asked for the moon, "Don't be silly, what do you need?"
By Aimee Kimmey
"Well, I want to surprise them on their wedding night. I've got some presents, flowers, and chocolates coming your way, can you sneak them into the honeymoon suite?"
The story your are about to read is true... more or less. Saturday. Parking lot. 4:00 pm.
The clerk smiled deviously, "Of course, I have a universal key!"
One summer a few years back, the clerk had heard a dog barking from the park next door. She'd glanced over to see a story book picnic; checkered blanket, wicker basket, champagne, the works. Honestly, it seemed a bit over the top for a park that was barely a strip of trees and grass between pavement.
Aunt Edna giggled, "Excellent. There's just one more thing..." "Name it!" "Well, every wedding should have champagne, and your liquor stores out there won't deliver..."
But as she took in the whole scene, she understood: a young man was on one knee in front of a stunned young woman, an old chocolate lab, wagging his body, woofed deeply at them. When the young woman said "Yes," the clerk had cheered with everybody else in the park. The young couple, it turned out, were guests of the hotel. The young man told the clerk the ring had been burning a hole in his pocket for nearly a month. He hoped for a mountain top picnic, but he quickly realized that their old dog wasn't going to make it to the top of any mountains. He'd had improvised. The dog had to be there, he'd explained, because rescuing him had been the first thing they'd done as a couple. The look the young woman had given him warmed the clerk's heart to this day. Now, the young couple had come back to the hotel for their wedding. With the pandemic, venues had canceled on them one after another. It had been a long journey to figure out a safe and sat-isfying solution. Finally they decided to bring it full circle, back to the park where they had gotten engaged. They had kept it small. Just the wedding party, their immediate family, and a videographer to broadcast the event for those back home. Last year their old dog passed on, now they had a gangly puppy. Of course, he was the ring bearer. They'd found him a tuxedo to match the groom's, with a clip to carry the rings. It was ridiculously adorable! When the couple made their reservations, the hotel staff had all jumped to help. Even the owner had brought in an old arch he'd had in his barn. They had taken turns refur-
The clerk saw where she was going, "I'll pick it up on my way in to work. It will be chilled and waiting for them." "Oh bless you child!" The clerk grinned...
bishing it and covering it with silk flowers until it looked like a fairy tale. A week before the wedding party arrived, the clerk had picked up the phone to hear the sweet southern drawl of Great Aunt Edna. She was the bride's oldest living relative, "...They come out to Sunday dinner every month, I simply adore them both." Aunt Edna was in her nineties. Even if there wasn't a pandemic, she wouldn't have made the journey. But she wanted to make the day special for her favorite couple. After a half hour on the phone, the clerk felt like Great Aunt Edna was her own kin. The woman was surprisingly computer literate for a person born in the 1930's. She had shipped several items to the hotel. With a little sweet talking, she'd easily convinced the clerk and her co-workers to assemble welcome baskets for the wedding party. A few days later, Aunt Edna called again, asking for the clerk by name, "Honey, I know I've already asked a lot from you..."
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Hayden
Steamboat Springs Walden
Meeker
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Finally the big day was here. The groom had toddled off to the best man's room while the bride was dressing in her maid of honor's room. The clerk and her partner had ample time to fill the honeymoon suite with Aunt Edna's flowers, gifts, and chocolates. The champagne was in the fridge, with a note from Aunt Edna. The hotel owner closed the lobby for the ceremony. The entire staff stood at the edge of the park lot. Even those who had the day off showed up. The groom waited nervously in front of the arch with the priest, framed in bright flowers. His groomsman wrangled the puppy. Family surrounded them. The scene was perfect, it was easy to forget the parking lot or the busy streets nearby. The other park goers stopped to watch with hushed awe. The maid of honor led the bride and her father out of the hotel, everyone caught their breath. She was glowing, you couldn't help but stare. She smiled radiantly at the hotel staff as if they were her own family. The clerk caught a tear bulging in her eye. The puppy yipped excitedly as she approached. The ceremony was brief, but heartfelt. For a moment, family, friends, and complete strangers all paused to revel in the simple power of love. Afterwards the staff slowly went back to work; the clerk wasn't the only one dabbing their eyes. The wedding party moved off to the conference room for the official celebration. A few days later, as the newlyweds were checking out, the clerk asked about Aunt Edna. "She watched it with her Bridge club, they loved it!" The groom reported. The bride thought a moment, "It wasn't what she expected, or what we originally hoped for... But honestly, it could not have been more perfect."
Valley Voice
August 2020
Mensan Musings
Brewery of the Month:
Odell
Spectrum Living By Wolf Bennett
Have you seen “The Princess Bride?” A delightful story filled with many concepts, twists and silliness. Do you recall the scene where the hero, Wesley, has taken a small bit of poison many times that then renders him immune to its effects and yet is still quite toxic to others. Many things in life can be viewed as a spectrum. Most things are not harmful in very small quantities but in larger doses can become quite lethal. Consistently add a little bit more and you will discover a point where things become quite toxic. Beyond that point you will find some sort of death spiral. This can apply to most things. Over eating, codependency, drugs, alcohol, domestic abuse, exercise, ego, conspiracy theories, environmental pollution all can be measured and will increase to toxicity. There are wake up calls all along the way. Things affect each of us a little differently and denial is a powerful tool, so some confusion is inevitable. Remember that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. For instance, a little codependency is normal and often quite helpful. A couple who share chores or roles in a household or business is a good example of a healthy codependency. Things get more intense when one person or both start thinking they know what the other is feeling or thinking. They stop checking and begin assuming. This can be a very subtle change and simply increases previous levels. It grows further when one person makes decisions based on what they think the other is going to want or feel and eventually enter severe enmeshment of complete co-dependence and the relationship becomes a horrible experience. So what happened to the lovely times? The many small wake up calls approaching toxicity went unheeded. Life is always dynamic and changing. We may really like where we are at any given time and really want to stay there, but it just cannot happen. We cannot hang on to when our children were young or our own past lives. Trying to live there will always limit us. Stopping and becoming stagnant is a form of toxicity. My girls, while wonderful when little, have simply gotten better, and better and while the memories are sweet, I am more impressed every day. My 97 year old mother says, “I can’t do many of the things I used to do, but life just keeps getting better and better.”
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We approach most toxic levels with ever increasing alarms (we keep hitting the snooze button). That little voice says, “perhaps this is a bad idea.” Direction towards a new course would benefit us, and yet we forge ahead. The voice gets louder yet. The alarms and red flags flying fail to get our attention. The relationship that has now become ever more abusive, the loss of our livelihood, families, friends and freedoms. Simply changing beliefs will not change reality.
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Much like climbing 8000 meter peaks, as we get higher and higher, the air gets thinner and less able to sustain us. At about 7000 meters we pass into “the death zone,” where the air cannot sustain us and bodies begin to die. To remain at that altitude would be certain death. Many behaviors enter that metaphoric toxic level. A relationship that has become ever more abusive results in hospital visits. The Jim Jones cult following went toxic and they had mass suicide. Too many skipped classes result in failing grades. Ever increasing stress, poor nutrition, physical inactivity and smoking result in strokes and heart attacks. When our worlds go toxic we’re in that death zone. People have developed religions, cultural mores, sports, philosophies and counseling to combat that process. The trick here is learning to see the spectrum and where you are in it. How do you recognize that something isn’t right? Is it hate speech, blaming, anger, lies, emotional discomfort, pain, mental stress, confusion? Oh yes, like the hero Wesley, you can become somewhat desensitized but be careful as that can be even more destructive. Your tools are many. Learning new ones and discarding ineffective ones will make your life richer. Uncomfortable honesty, truth telling, listening with your whole being, loving enough to step back, deep counseling, meditation, new hobbies, acceptance of change, learning classical logic, habit breaking and scientific methods will make things less toxic. There is wisdom in humor. Awareness, mindfulness and happiness are your friends.
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14
August 2020
Valley Voice
The Modern Consumer
Poetry
Look Before You Loot
Song of Silent Landscape
By Sean Derning
By Fran Conlon Main street traffic again has a steady blast, I'm accustomed to that background noise, And, mountains' sounds are hard to grasp, Silence can cause a loss of poise. Kids seem to have the outdoor knack, Camp cookies give a tremendous taste, Hot dogs and beans are the culinary tact, Fresh air insures little goes to waste.
Setting the steaks down, I would scan the shelves and filter out the ones which had the most appeal. Which one to choose? Something with roasted garlic, smoked chipotle peppers or corn? Picante (hot) or salsa (mild)? Organic or made by local artisans? What is the nutritional value and what is the cost per ounce? The final choice would probably be a mild mango salsa, whose fruitiness pairs well with the burning sensation of the pepper spray used to subdue me.
The aged let the senses dull, Old men plant trees they won't see grow, Silence lurks in nature's lull, To nourish the soul, an inward show. I await sunrise with mountains o'er a million years, Life is not tallied and is not in arrears. (These hills have seen many a sunrise affair, No problem seen in this brief time to share.)
1
12/5/19
I could never be a looter because I don’t possess the mental skillset required to make snap decisions like an efficient looter does. Aside from the obvious reason that it’s wrong (stealing, right?), does it make sense to take something you can’t use or won’t like? Like the man looting a pharmacy and walking away with birth control pills. Where’s the satisfaction in that? And how embarrassing would it be to explain your take in the heist? To further illustrate, let’s say the store being looted is a grocery store. I would go to the meat department at the back of the store and grab as many steaks as possible. And then I would go down the aisle heading out of the store and would see the salsa section. OCD would take over and I would be staring at the several dozen different varieties. The dizzying amount of choices would stop me in my tracks and comparison shopping would then take over.
My child, inside, seeks nature so near, Gifts come without an average, Beauty transcends without the fear, At heart this is the noble savage.
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As we watch with sadness at the reports of social unrest and police brutality across the nation, I’m particularly fascinated by the people who are looting stores. Criminals and hooligans? Yes, of course. But they’re so good and fast at what they do that it is remarkable to see their efficiency.
What about an electronics store? Our living room wall is 52 inches wide, so a flat screen TV could be no larger than 48 inches. Entering the store, I would march to the TV section and again start my analysis process. What features does it offer, like picture in picture? Surround sound compatible? What was its rating in Consumer Reports? Wouldn’t it be ironic to be tazed in an electronics store? Or a jewelry store. I wouldn’t break the display case glass for concern of cutting myself and the shattered pieces could injure others. And this concern for others would translate over into getting something for my wife, but she doesn’t wear earrings or necklaces. What’s her birthstone again? Maybe just for a watch for me. Dress or sport? Digital or conventional? Gold or silver? I’d choose silver as gold would clash with the nickel plated handcuffs they’d slap on me.
As a modern consumer inundated with so many choices in this country, it’s important to strive for information before making a purchase, with the logic that an educated consumer is a powerful consumer. This thirst for product knowledge would lead to my downfall, as an educated looter does not make an efficient looter. If forced to choose, I would picture myself as more of a discerning looter. At least that’s what I would tell the judge before he sentenced me to prison, where I would then turn into an equally inept prisoner. “Pardon me, your honor. Which prison am I going to? How’s the food? Can I pick a cellmate or is one assigned for me? Would you say the gangs are more inclusive or exclusive?,” as the bailiff escorted me away.
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Valley Voice
August 2020
15
Piknik Theatre
So Many Good Intentions, So Little Joy By Stuart Handloff
So reads the headline of a recent article by Jon Pareles, entertainment writer for the New York Times. Pareles states that “art isn’t just the documentation of a physical feat. Artists construct their own unreal worlds: strange, gorgeous, eccentric, sometimes overwhelming illusions. Too many live-streams are strictly earthbound. Live,streaming lone performers at home adds up to claustrophobia instead of intimacy. This act of public performance, which once conveyed sharing and emotional communion, projects isolation and limitation instead.”
“Theatre exists in the coming together to share air, the ritual of real life, ephemeral and transitory, with the very real possibility that something totally transforming will reveal itself.” So says Christian Penny, former head of the New Zealand National Drama School who was the head of the directing program while I attended graduate school at this institution. This has been the mantra of Piknik Theatre since its inception in 2008 and I think it applies to live performance of every stripe. “We’re all in the room and the same air molecules are vibrating,” is how Pareles describes this vital element of live performance. We can come up with arcane and technological wizardry to allow performers in various locations to bring something approximating live performances to the virtual environment but without an audience sharing the same air, feeling the same vibrating molecules with performers, it's just like watching the new baseball season on television that’s taking place in empty stadiums. It’s a bleak time for audiences and an even bleaker time for the artists themselves. When unemployment and payroll protection benefits run out, these folks will be out of income for the foreseeable future. Some may be able to teach (although why anyone would want to prepare for a career in the performing arts at this time is cause to question their sanity; might as well major in Latin). But most will be looking for new careers. Professional theatres will not be opening until 2021 at the earliest. If the American COVID response has taught us anything, it’s that no one has all the answers. The best scientists practice humility about expectations for treatments, long and short term symptoms, effective preventative measures and the ability of a vaccine to create some sort of protection. The best options today are wearing face coverings and avoiding people indoors.
broadcast is disputed) and this production of War of the Worlds by Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre is considered a benchmark of the impact that the medium of radio could have upon a willing audience. All theatre depends upon the willing suspension of disbelief by an audience (do we really think Romeo poisons himself or that Juliet takes his dagger and ends her own life?), and radio or audio performances can play upon our imaginations as powerfully as any other medium. Most importantly, it is a medium that works in the age of pandemic. We’re not able to share air, or experience the vibration air molecules on any other part of our bodies except our ears. But oh how powerful our audio imagination can be when we have little other stimulation from our other senses.
Just another empty stage. That pretty much rules out most of the performing arts that have been scheduled in the last few hundred years. There’s resignation in the binary thinking that theatre and the performing arts are either the same old, same old; or nothing. It relieves us of the responsibility to find new and unique ways to communicate and create the imaginative illusions that inspire (“breathe in”) us all. But time has demonstrated that artists are driven if nothing else. There is a once-fringe-now-mainstream theatre company called Complicite that has begun exploring, according to their website, “visually rich stage language, which layers physically beautiful performances and tightly choreographed ensemble work with innovative lighting, sound and video design.” I was fortunate to stumble onto a production they did for a National Theatre (UK) fundraiser: The Encounter. Here is a piece of work - years in the development - that takes sound design in performance to a new level. The story behind the production is nothing extraordinary: man goes into the remote jungles of the Amazon to connect and photograph a tribe that had little or no contact with the outside world. But the way Simon McBurney (Complicite Artistic Director and sole performer in the piece) uses sound and technology to bring the listener, the audience, into the story is spellbinding. We feel and hear the jungle in a very visceral way. We connect to the protagonist and the members of the tribe he encounters at a really primal level. Just by the sounds created. We don’t need a stage to create sounds. Or a live audience; the audience for this production was all equipped with headphones so each person was lost in their own world of sound and experience. You could be visually impaired and still find yourself immersed in the experience of the story. Before the age of television, audiences would glue themselves to the radio in the evening. One Sunday evening, October 30, 1938, millions of Americans tuned in to a seemingly bland broadcast of dance music when the radio announcer interrupted with the news that large explosions on the planet Mars were shortly followed by the landings of alien spacecraft across the country who were inflicting poisonous gas attacks on unsuspecting innocent victims. Listeners went ballistic and panicked by the thousands (although how many thousands actually believed the fake
There is still no COVID vaccine, and every close personal encounter is a risk — particularly indoors, where breath is expended on acting, singing, and playing instruments. Curiously, the invading Martians in Welles’ radio broadcast were all overwhelmed by an earthborne virus for which they had no immunity. Piknik Theatre will be attempting to recreate the impact of War of the Worlds or The Encounter in the upcoming months with the premiere of an original audio work based upon Steamboat’s frontier beginnings. You’ll be able to strap on your headphones and hopefully find yourself in a new world of overwhelming illusion that is so critical to the art of performance. Because we are artists, after all, and we are driven to create.
Poetry
You ByAre A Star Joan Remy What does famous mean It’s your expression of reality In a human body Doesn’t matter about race, color or creed How do I love Under a starry sky The fire sparkling As we look into each other’s eyes Sweet and smoky Being spooky Laughing endlessly We’re creators Searching for ecstasy Don’t be afraid Dance and sing Let tears soak your beautiful face Amidst the craziness
16
August 2020
Valley Voice
Moto Memories/ Rocky Mountain Enduro Circuit
1987 Timberline Enduro By Matt Scharf Matt
My row taking off 9:28am at the 1987 Timberline Enduro “Enduro means riding or racing dirt bikes over challenging long-distance terrain. Enduro derives its name from “endurance” because the races are typically long and span difficult and varying types of terrain. Enduro used to refer more to a cross-country dirt bike race, but now is pretty much used any time someone is riding on rough off-road paths. “Hard enduro” blurs the lines between enduro and trails dirt biking. Enduro sometimes refers to the race, or the type of bike used for this sport, or just to describe difficult trail riding” – Jim Harmer – Dirt Bike Planet.com Most people that know me know that I am an off-road fanatic. I have been riding dirt bikes for over 40 years, and I have enjoyed every mile. I don't know what it is about the sport that is so addicting – but it is. Ask anyone serious about riding and they will confirm it. When we are not riding, we sit around and “bench-race,” or as I call it “moto-chat.” I am writing this story to reminisce about the first enduro I rode here in Routt County in 1987. This event always happened in August. I was only 26 years old. The last Timberline Enduro was held in 1992. In that event, I tore my ACL and did not finish (DNF). It was a huge bummer because I was doing well that year in the points. As far as class, I was never an “A” rider, but a fast “B.”
I raced for 13 years and escaped without any serious injury. As you would probably guess, it’s an extremely dangerous endeavor if you’re not careful. But with some skill, it is the most fun thing you can do on two wheels. A friend once said, “Dirt biking has ruined my life!” I replied “Why?” He said, “Everything else is boring compared.” Agreed. It’s a blast! How I personally explain motorcycle enduros that I have participated in is that it’s usually a 100+ mile race through, in Colorado’s case, the woods. There are four riders per row and take off every minute. They had a 500 rider limit in those days. The first riders start out at 8 am. So If your number was 43A, you left 43 minutes after 8am, and “A,B,C orD” was the designation in your row. The race is anywhere from 4 to 7 hours long, all in the saddle, with a few gas stops in between. I’ll explain “monkey butt” in another story. An enduro is a timed event that requires some mental math as you twist that grip all day long. When I was racing in the 80s and 90s, time keeping was a little different than it is today. All you needed was a watch, odometer and a route sheet. You would need to keep time by matching your time to the miles, as you manually scroll the route sheet mounted on the bars. And if you can stay on your “minute,” you could possibly win, but that was never the case.
My row 88, trying to stay on our minute. It’s impossible to “zero” every checkpoint. Some people joked that all you need for time-keeping was some duct tape on your handle bars that reads “FASTER!” On average, an enduro consisted of 8-10 checkpoints throughout the course, where race workers would jot down your time on a scorecard taped to your front fender. The difference in your time to when you were supposed to be there determines your score. Then off you go to the next challenge. It really is the hardest thing I’ve done on a motorcycle physically exhausting. This event was held up north of Clark every year, which we all call “Big Red Park.” I didn’t know what to expect. I hadn’t moved here yet, and didn’t know the area that well, but I was ready – I thought. The Timberline Enduro was always the last race on a 10 race schedule. It was also the most difficult. It was always dusty, rocky, long and brutal. Back in the day, I rode the big bore bikes – the 500 cc’s. These bikes were serious to handle at speed through the woods. I now prefer the 250cc and 300cc displacement machines. Now I’d entered in the 1987 Timberline Enduro. My number was assigned as 88C, which is pretty far back in the field of riders. So off I went – hoping to just finish it. You can “hour out” which means not making it to a checkpoint in the time allotted. Not good. Among many mistakes that day, the biggest was not bringing a coat or shell because it ended up hailing on us midway. My belly froze! Ouch! The race continued as I hit every checkpoint and every obstacle. It was a great race as always. I don’t remember my results that day, but I certainly returned every year until 1992.
Getting a little wet.
Thanking my 1986 KTM 500 for getting me to the finish.
For those who live here and for those who wish they did.
My only serious injury that weekend was falling down the stairs at the hotel while loading the truck to head home. I houred out after that.
Valley Voice
Energy Healing
August 2020
17
Wellness Corner
Curating the The Stress of Returning Mind-Body to School By Kari Pollert Connection By Winter Clark/ Source & Stone We’ve all heard the term mind-body connection, but have you ever paused to think about what it means? I began to reflect on this while hermiting during the Coronavirus social distancing we’ve all been experiencing. Having a daily meditation practice for the past five years, I know through experience that I have a deeper connection with my body through my mind, but I’ve only managed to create that through the stilling of the mind. Stillness and quiet of the mind are the keys to hearing the subtle messages that our bodies are telling us. Let’s look at how the mind and body work together. Usually we think of the mind being in charge and the body follows its orders. As a society we tend to value logic and fact over intuition and sensing, yet we truly need both in order to navigate the world effectively. Many people are used to operating with just one aspect of themselves. However the world is evolving rapidly and those who are accustomed to just using logic, facts and reason are finding themselves with questions they can’t quite answer or how to even approach finding the answers. We always have the answers within us but the thing is, we don’t always think we have the means to access them. This is where the mind-body thing comes in. Last month I was talking about the chakras and this is very much connected to how we not only relate to our bodies but to our environment and others as well. Our heart space is where our truth lives, our authenticity flows through and the courage to stand up for our beliefs comes from. Connecting to this space within can be done in many ways; through meditation, walks in nature, enjoying a quiet cup of tea while journaling or having a hot bath with sea salt, essential oils and candles. As individuals we’re all unique in how we connect with our bodies and with our minds, but the one constant is that we all have a higher Self and this is the energy of our higher consciousness. So with this period of quiet and isolation that the current state of affairs has brought us to, how are you using the sacred space that is being created? Are you focusing on your dreams and goals? Are you getting inspired and creating new things? Or are you resting and regaining your strength? This is the perfect time for developing a meditation practice, becoming better acquainted with the places of nature around you and finding your inner strength. Start slowly, with a minute or two a day and eventually you’ll find yourself able to do it for longer periods of time. I started with guided angel meditations, then chakra seed meditations (both can be found on YouTube) and then finally I found that I preferred silence. Sometimes I find it through movement, like with hiking or yoga. Everyone has a different access point in how they find their calm. Experiment and play with it to find yours!
The start of school this fall with COVID-19 will be a new and uncertain experience in our lives. No matter how you slice it, there are questions that we have no way of answering right now. How will the kids and the teachers fare wearing a mask all day? What will the school social environment look like? Will my child be able to learn properly with the new restrictions? What about sports and clubs? Could my child bring the virus home with them from school? What happens if a family member gets sick? And what happens when flu season comes around? We are all asking these questions now. What I want to address in this article is the stress associated with back to school this year, as well as the need to have a strong immune system. Many families need the “return to normal” that regular school time brings, even though this year will look different. This past spring and summer have been tough on families that have young kids who require supervision, because that has meant that one parent could not work as much outside the home. For single parents, it has been even more challenging. The battle with anxiety, irritability, hopelessness, and then financial stress on top of all that is a very present thing in people’s lives. For some, this can lead to depression, fear, insomnia, anger, panic attacks, and increased alcohol and drug use. It is important to remember that when you think you are the only one suffering and feeling anxious, know that other people are feeling the same way. People often don’t talk about how they’re really feeling because they don’t want to feel vulnerable in front of others. Just know that we are all in this together and it’s not easy for anyone. You are not alone! The switch from summer to fall is a good time to focus on tools for relieving anxiety and stress, and for building a stronger immune system, especially in the COVID-19 environment. Herbal and nutritional supplements are worth adding to your daily routine for the whole family. This can provide a layer of security and relief going into an uncertain school year. For adults and kids who are particularly vulnerable to stress, here are some drug-less options. My favorite de-stressor is Shao Yao San. This is a classical Oriental formula that relaxes and decongests the liver. I call this the Chill Pill. For myself, if I feel stress for any reason and feel that it could escalate, I take this, and feel much more relaxed just 30 minutes later. It is truly my go-to herbal formula. Also for stress and the myriad of mental conditions that come with it, there is: EZ Mag (herbal magnesium supplement), Kava Forte, Nevaton Forte (herbal relaxers), Tuna Omega 3 Oil (benefits the brain and cell membranes), Organically Bound Minerals (plant-based potassium supplement), and Minchex (mineral relaxer). These products are made by Standard Process and MediHerb. Both companies are at the top of the list for quality. Building a strong immune system is paramount right now. Just knowing that you are strengthening your body can help reduce the stress of living with a pandemic. You will be providing your body with the extra nutritional components it needs to keep pathogens at bay. If you do get sick,
the severity will likely be reduced. Here are my top choices to build your immune system: Calcium Lactate (easily assimilated calcium), Cataplex F (helps to absorb calcium better), Cataplex C (for tissue repair and strength), Trace Minerals B12, Tuna Omega 3 Oil, and Immuplex (natural immune builder). Especially for young children who can’t yet swallow pills is the Children’s Triad. This includes Chewable Catalyn (multi-vitamin), Chewable Congaplex (helps clear lymph and congestion), and Chewable Tuna Omega Oil (strengthens cell membranes). There are also some diet changes you may want to consider for reducing stress and for building a strong immune system. One is cutting out sugar and refined carbohydrates, or at least greatly reducing them. Sweet drinks are a particularly sly source of sugar, including sweet teas and coffees, juices, sodas, alcoholic drinks, and sports drinks. Then of course there are candy bars, granola bars, desserts, cookies, donuts, etc. Also, these lesser talked-about foods that we rely on can also be a path to increased blood sugar and lowered immunity: wheat pasta, bagels, pizza, bread, macaroni, wheat tortillas, boxed breakfast cereals, and crackers. When you reduce these foods, you will naturally substitute in more protein foods, meats, fish, eggs, fruits, and vegetables. Your efforts will pay off in benefits. So get started now to manage stress in healthy ways and to build your immune system. The school year is just around the corner. You can have these extra tools on hand to feel stronger in uncertain times. Know that you can call or email me, and we will come up with a plan that suits you and your family’s needs.
Kari Pollert is a licensed acupuncturist with extensive training in nutrition and herbal medicine, with office location at 1560 Pine Grove Road. If you want to talk or schedule an appointment, please contact Kari at 970-8468985, or email at info@lifelinehn.com. Please check out the website at Lifelinehealthandnutrition.com.
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August 2020
Valley Voice
Yepelloscopes
Your Monthly Message By Chelsea Yepello Aries
March 21 - April 19
Pasty, flabby, bored, useless movie quotes, random hobbies, this is the natural habitat of the dorks and nerds of the world. You once mocked them and refused to understand their ways of life, now you’re “Safer at Home” and just a lost, scared tourist in their world, craving the leadership from their antisocial genius.
Taurus
April 20 - May 20
Gemini
May 20 - June 20
You propose the question: What exactly was your intention with the rubber mallet and shark costume? You will have mixed feelings when you crack open a fortune cookie that reads “Corn Chowder Sucks” on the paper. What really threw you off about the message wasn’t the open hatred of a certain type of creamed soup but that there were no lucky numbers.
Cancer
ONLINE ORDERING NOW AVAILABLE!
June 21 - July 22
Though your decision to take a break from social media was admirable, sneaking into grocery stores in the middle of the night to glue your picture and personal information to the back of milk cartons may not be an appropriate way to stay connected.
Leo
July 23 - August 23
All your questions will soon be answered, including that noise coming from your bathroom, who has been eating all the canned soup and why it always feels like your foot is being licked when you are sleeping.
Virgo
August 23 - September 22
It’s time for you to stop referring to your gastrointestinal flatulence as a “barking spider.” Even if a spider made an audible noise, it would most likely not bark and even if it did, a bark does not sound wet or last sixteen seconds.
Deep Creek Cemetery on RCR 56
OPEN DAILY Recreational & Medical
1755 Lincoln Avenue Steamboat Springs, CO On the Free Bus Route
970-870-2941
www.GoldenLeaf.co For those who live here and for those who wish they did.
Libra
September 23 - October 23
A wise man once said that your eyes are the window to your soul; then again, the wise man was arrested recently for being a peeping tom.
Scorpio
October 24 - November 21
People that pick up their dog’s poo, put it into plastic bags and abandon the newly decomposable crap on the side of trails are the same type of people that buy plastic cups filled with water, pour the water into their reusable water bottle and throw the plastic cups away.
Sagittarius
November 22 - December 21
CChildren are our future and the greatest resource for our earth. For this reason, it’s advisable to collect as many of them as you can from wherever you can, in case of an emergency.
Capricorn
December 22 - January 19
At some point you are going to have to realize that drawing inappropriate things on your friends’ faces is only funny when they are asleep.
Aquarius
January 20 - February 18
You realize that that your walls are no longer covered with posters of your favorite band, you do not wear old tour t-shirts and you do not know all the current band trivia. Yes, you’re growing up, but the good news is you can grow up and still be the Hanson Brothers biggest fan. Didn’t you know they make beer now? Beer’s for grownups, right?
Pisces
February 19 - March 20
Although you may think so, mothers do not mean to give birth to morons and they don’t do it just to piss you off. Sometimes it just happens. Raising the morons to be bigger morons is totally on them though.
Valley Voice
By Matt Scharf
Virtual Classroom Education
August 2020
19
20
August 2020
For those who live here and for those who wish they did.
Valley Voice