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Outdoors

[click "Play" to hear Deidra Krois on the Festival]

RF09_poster Ridgway, Colorado, is much more than a bedroom community for Telluride.

The town is famous – or infamous – as the location for several movies, including "How the West Was Won," and one of actor John Wayne's late great movies, "True Grit," (1969), in which Wayne stars as Rooster Cogburn. The True Grit Cafe is filled with John Wayne memorabilia, but as far as we know, no drunken, one-eyed federal marshals.

Ridgway boasts an abundance of wildlife: mountain lions, badgers, deer, elk, bears, coyotes, and bald eagles are indigenous to the area. And a river runs through it.

The Uncompaghre is a great source for trout fishing and this weekend, the focus of Ridgway's second annual River Festival. The Mosaic Community Project, a local nonprofit dedicated to sustainable living practices, environmental awareness, and the arts, organized the FREE watershed celebration,11 a.m – 9 p.m., downtown, in and around Rollans Park.

26 June, 2009 /

It's been a stormy several days in Telluride, but that hasn't stopped a contingent of wounded vets from enjoying a busy schedule of activities with TASP. Participants from all over the country did some rock climbing, biking, jeeping, horseback riding, rafting and generally digging...

10 June, 2009 /

My quick morning bike ride in Telluride is a grunt up Mill Creek Road then a fast downhill home, with a short stop at the creek at the bottom so Gina the dog can cool out. ...

04 June, 2009 /

[click "Play" button to hear Eileen Burns' conversation with Balloonmeister, Peter Procopio]

by Eileen Burns

photo credit: Steve Cieciuch

BalloonFest_0652 BalloonFest_0657 Up, up and away:  The 26th annual Telluride Balloon Festival flies this weekend, June 6th and 7th, with daily launches from Telluride's Town Park.  Balloonmeister Peter Procopio and 15 of his colleagues will begin inflating their multi-colored hot air balloons at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  Weather permitting, balloon pilots will launch around 7 a.m. and fly towards the Valley Floor, or wherever the wind may take them. “We’ve all had dreams of drifting along with the breeze,” stated Procopio.  Although staying within the valley and keeping below 12,000 feet is challenging for the crew, Procopio admits that flying in Telluride is worth the effort.  “The people are so inviting and the town is so beautiful, we look forward to coming back each year,” he explained.
 
A highlight of the festival is the main street Telluride Balloon Glo.  To get a closer look at the beautiful designs of the participating balloons, you’ll want to gather with the locals on Colorado Avenue, Saturday evening, around 8:45 p.m.  When the burners are lit, not only do the balloons light up the street, they also light up the beautiful historic buildings.  It’s a sight to remember.

04 June, 2009 /

On Monday, May 18, staff and volunteers from TASP met the crew from San Juan Outdoor School at the Bilk Creek Wall for some climbing instruction. TASP is adding climbing to its Summer schedule for people with disabilities. Monday's session included training in safe belaying...

24 May, 2009 /

Sus and I were away from Telluride for quite a while this Spring, and hit the ground running last week when we got home. Getting through accumulated mail, writing, editing and publishing our regular stories, along with the excitement of covering Mountainfilm for the...

23 May, 2009 /

Spring may be my favorite time of the year in Telluride, though you may want to check with me on this in late September. In any case, this morning was Sus' and my first hike with Gina the Dog since we returned from our off-season...

13 May, 2009 /

That April, 22 years ago, I hadn't yet moved away from Seattle. In fact, having taken a year between transitioning from flight school to University of Washington to work as a flight instructor, I wasn't quite finished with my degree in Atmospheric Sciences and...

06 April, 2009 /

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...

04 April, 2009 /

James Colt had two goals this season skiing in Telluride: He wanted to ski at the top of the mountain and he wanted to ski 50 days.I had the pleasure of starting James on the Magic Carpet, spent a number of days skiing on...

04 April, 2009 /