Thursday evening, 7 p.m., Telluride's Wilkinson Public Library, enjoy a recap of the Mudd Butts' April trip to Wondo Genet, Ethiopia. Local trip participants and staffers Wendy Brooks and Luke Brown host a narrated slide show of the trip, and play excerpts from the...
Astronaut John Grunsfeld has been to Telluride Mountainfilm twice, the first time in 2000, and the second in 2006.
IN 2006, John spoke on the subject was ET, NASA's search for planets with "life signatures." His objective: to help reframe people's thinking about life in the universe. He also addressed "Man, Moon, and Beyond," how NASA was planning its next push towards manned missions. Finally, John provided an astronaut’s eye view of the mountain ranges of our blue planet, not from the Hubble – which Grunsfeld has been in charge of repairing – but from his own Hasselblad. But the Hubble has been one of the astronaut's pet project for years.
The consensus is that Telluride is a place " to die for." But the phrase is simply a figure of speech to describe the physical beauty of our surroundings.
Last week in New York, on April 30, friends invited us to attend the Sixth Annual Foreign Policy Lecture and Benefit given by the nonprofit Network 20/20.
Former U.S. Senator/Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle was the evening's guest speaker on the subject of "America's Role in Global Security." During his lecture the senator observed, "People with nothing to live for, find something to die for;" there was no mistaking the cold reality surrounding the genesis of terrorist impulses. His point: "civility and decency" towards our global neighbors are "strategic imperatives." We need to stop regarding people on the other side of the world as The Other.
The last weekend in April is a wild time to go visit neighboring Utah – Moab, Utah that is. Every year at that time hundreds of motor heads, bikers, kids, teenagers, moms, dads, hot shots, hot rods, antique, vintage and classic cars descend upon this...
After a brief stop at home in Telluride after our visits to West Coast family, Sus and I left on the next phase of our Spring travels on Friday, 17 April. For those of you who were watching Colorado weather during that time, you know it probably wasn't the most auspicious departure date. But, ever optimistic, we left anyway.
The webcams on Monarch Pass looked nasty, so we chose to go on I-70. That looked like a good decision until just short of Vail. With an electronic sign showing that Vail Pass was closed, we turned off at Minturn, drove in rain/snow mix for a few miles, then in heavy snow. At Leadville, we found that Fremont Pass was closed, and learned that Denver was getting hammered. We had planned to spend the night with friends in Denver- oops!, change in plan. A welcome beer (or two) and a burger at Rosie's in Leadville, then a little time to make a new plan, and time for bed.
[click "Play" button to hear Susan's conversation with Kent Tompkins]
Tompkins uses words/images to go "Beyond Shamanic Visions" April 22 at Wilkinson Library in Telluride
Telluriders may be exceptions to the rule. We tend to march to our own drum. However, in this Piscean Age, the rest of the world has made like sheep, relying on bellwethers for guidance to the Promised Land. According to healer/counseler/documentary photographer Kent Tompkins that mindset is about to become toast. Just as the flower children of "Hair" sang: "It is the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius," when each individual becomes capable of spiritual awareness without the intercession of religious authority.
To date, the way of the seeker has been littered with metaphysical possibilities, rituals, prayers and lessons entirely from ancient cultures, largely from the East. Yoga, Sufis, I Ching, Kaballah are on a long list of examples.
As promised a photo of Ralph Dinosaur performing at Telluride end of ski season festivities from 22 years ago. It's just a teaser - the daffodils are calling for a bicycle tour around the Skagit Valley. Incriminating photos to follow. In the meantime, can...
[click "Play" button to hear Susan's interview with Elisabeth Gick]
![Fear-emai[1]](https://www.tellurideinside.com///images/old/6a00e553ed7fe18833011168cf511c970c-800wi.jpg)
As part of Telluride's week-long "Phenomenal Woman" Celebrations" Telluride Inside...and Out honors longtime local Elisabeth Gick and her crusade for Tibet.
Elisabeth is bit like Alice of Wonderland fame: her native curiosity always gets the better of her. She falls down holes and meets amazing people in exotic places. She also tries to make a difference.
For several years now, Elisabeth has been traveling in Asia, particularly in Tibet, where she has made friends and made a difference. For example, she is doing what she can for 82 young girls, all orphans, whom she met with daughter Lesley in October 2008, while visiting the town of Ganzi in upper Kham. Thanks to her efforts and the generosity of family and friends such as the Lifton-Zolines, the girls now have two solar hot water showers and will soon have a library. A third initiative involves raising funds for traditional outfits. Elisabeth is $800 short of that goal.
Stargazers and sky watchers take note: Venus will be leaving the night sky in March, when it disappears behind the Sun. Although this magnificent planet will reappear as a “morning star” in April, we are experiencing the last weeks of its shimmering magic as...
Feb. 24, 2009
Comet Lulin
There's a weird, double-tailed comet in the night sky this week and it can be spotted with a pair of good binoculars, even through low-level light pollution. And in the beautifully clear, high-altitude atmosphere of the San Juan Mountains, even naked eye viewing is possible. But, you'll have to know exactly where to look. The chart at right should get you there - it shows the starry scene about 9 p.m. - but the viewing will actually get better later, after 10p.m., when the comet and its background rise higher.
The comet, formally known as "C/2007 N3 (Lulin)", was discovered at Lulin Observatory in Taiwan in July 2007. In telescopes and low-light images, it's showing both a dim gas tail and a dust-spike antitail pointing in nearly the opposite direction. Its current brightness is about magnitude 5.2.
How to Find It:
To locate the planet Saturn, watch the eastern horizon at twilight and early evening. Eventually, you will see two distinct points of light shining in the east-southeast sky. Regulus, the "heart star" of the Leo the Lion, rises first, followed shortly thereafter by a larger, brighter Saturn. The comet Lulin can be seen traveling close-by and in front of these two celestial objects. Sometime between midnight or 1:00 a.m., this cosmic trio will reach zenith - the highest point of their ascension - in the southern night sky. For those with telescopes, Saturn rings are just 2º from "edge on." Good luck and happy viewing!
