#Between Buena Vista & Salida

[dopescissorscashwagon]

By Lars Leber Photography : Four photos taken on Lars drive back home to Salida, Colorado after visiting the Maroon Bells Scenic Area near Aspen yesterday. 1 pic: Twin Lakes 2 pic: Twin Lakes 3 pic: Leadville Area 4 pic: Between Buena Vista & Salida

[cakirk2]

Day 44, Monday, October 11. 140 miles. Highlands Ranch to Salida, CO.

41 degrees as I rode out of the driveway to meet friend Dave at First Watch restaurant in Highlands Ranch. I haven't seen or talked to Dave in four years. We worked together for a dozen years and always enjoyed each other's company. Was like the time lapse didn't exist. Nice to catch up! What a great breakfast with a very unique menu. Thanks for breakfast Dave!

Colorado is beautiful - todays ride south to Salida confirmed it. Dave hooked me up with a few great roads, then onto 285 south, which was a nice ride as well. Spent a fair amount of time between 8-10,000', 42-52 degrees most of the way. I wasn't really cold - my cold weather gear did their job. Not sure if that will hold true much below 40 though. Hope I don't find out. :)

To the west of cool small town Buena Vista is a mountain range of 14,000 plus peaks. Mt Princeton is pictured as is Mt Ouray. Finally some tree color! Colorado is just beautiful - did I already say that.

Got to Salida around 3, couldn't check in till 4. Not sure how it happened but I found a very cool little brewery in town. Had a couple and chatted it up with several different folks there. Nice time. My hostel room is really a very nice boutique hotel room with a private bath. Great room, great day. Further south thru Taos, NM tomorrow!

[jaymarievacationrentals]

Explore The Scenic Drives of Colorado

Colorado has some of the best colorful views in the country. The drives of Colorado take you to some of the best historic sites and colorful cliffs around the country. Colorado is the best place to explore via roads. In other words, Colorado is the perfect destination for a road trip. These scenic drives of Colorado are connecting the dots between National Parks, State Parks, historical towns, and diverse landscapes. Regarding accommodation, Luxury Vacation Rentals in Colorado are available with modern amenities.

Scenic Drives of Colorado!

Colorado shares some of the highest roads in the United States. Below are the best drives and byways of Colorado:

Peak to Peak Byway: The Peak to Peak Byway runs along Colorado’s Front Range and the eastern edge of Rocky Mountain National Park, connecting the dots between Estes Park and the central city. To enjoy it to the fullest, book one of a Mountain-Side Condo Rentals in Colorado an amazing cost.

Cache la Poudre­–North Park: Travel close by one of America's couple of Wild and Scenic Rivers and watch for touching moose, rock gorge dividers, and notable milestones. Front Range locale: Between the noteworthy towns of Fort Collins and Walden.

Dinosaur Diamond: Chase the fossils and impressions made by gigantic dinosaurs and rock craftsmanship abandoned by Fremont Indians along sandstone ravines and plateaus. Northwest District: Grand Junction to Rangely over Douglas Pass, through Dinosaur into Utah.

Frontier Pathways: Impression relics of wilderness life along a course that climbs upward, with plants, creatures, and geography that change every 1,000 feet. Southeast locale: Between the city of Pueblo and the towns of Westcliffe and Colorado City.

Collegiate Peaks: Take this old stagecoach course through a gorge cut by the Arkansas River and North America's densest grouping of 14,000-foot tops. South-focal locale: Connecting the towns of Granite, Buena Vista, Salida, and Poncha Springs.

Colorado River Headwaters: Follow the upper ranges of the Colorado River and gain knowledge of the mountain men, farmers, and daredevils of the state's past. Northwest area: Between Rocky Mountain National Park and State Bridge through Granby and Kremmling.

Flat Tops Trail: Drench yourself in the sloping excellence that enlivened the U.S. government to save its wild territories in their crude states. Northwest district: Connects the towns of Yampa and Meeker.

[rvanihilism]

between Salida and Buena Vista, CO, with Gorm at the tiller and views of the very tall Collegiate Peaks

[wasabislide]

Chip Bag Assassins and Kiddie Pool Beer

Hey folks,

It seems like it’s been ages since I’ve seen you and also like I just saw you.

Most of you I’ve just seen in the parking lot. Talking, laughing, taking pictures of friends and their awesome cars. Some have been rushing off to dinner. Some, like me are rushing to our rooms to decompress and somehow sleep.

It also feels like it’s been ages because I haven’t been writing as much. Writing is a muscle that needs to be flexed to get stronger, just like any other muscle. It’s hard work and I’ve been avoiding hard work.

Writing is still the way that I feel most open and most articulate.

And after a couple of (Three) beers at tonight’s Beer Swap, articulate comes at a premium.

For all that Meyers Briggs says, I have to be one of the most introverted extraverts out there. I like my groups small, I like my conversation to have texture and gravitas.

So exactly the opposite of how I like my beer. Fruity, light and simple.

Beer...Yeah, where was I?

Oh yeah, Welcome to Day One of Minis in the Mountains - 2019 edition!

Tonight we find ourselves in the town of Salida, Colorado. It’s a beautiful town ringed by tall mountains at the mouth of a canyon. The Exit of the canyon, hence the Spanish name, Salida (Exit).

My journey started at home in Aurora, Colorado, so my trip was a single day, but I’ve seen Minis from East and West Coasts in my short trip around our motel.

This town will be our base of operations for this rally. I traveled south from Denver with the rest of the 5280Mini club to get set up as a volunteer.

Tomorrow will be a working vacation as I have some fun planned and I have some work to do.

But today was all fun. I got my staff shirt and enjoyed some tasty beers and settled in for the night.

All that’s left is to do some mental housecleaning so that the brainsquirrels will settle down after my day of too much food, almost too much beer and waaaaaayyy too much caffeine.

I started this morning with coffee and chatting with my wife, saying goodbye which I always drag out too long and finally getting in the car with assurances that I had packed enough stuff-yes, I have my wallet and my phone and I’m a grownup with a credit card-I can figure it out or borrow one from someone.

Heather just looks on as I talk to myself with my keys in my hand. Her look is somewhere between quiet reassurance and “Just leave, Hudson. Jeeze...”

Meeting up with the club at The Fort in Morrison, the route is discussed and reviewed as construction has closed a section of the road. Our President Rhonda calmly reassures folks that the detour will be ok and won’t impact our trip significantly.

Her look is very similar to Heather’s as I stood mumbling to myself I realize now.

The only incident on the trip was when my bag of road snacks succumbed to the high altitude of Conifer. It exploded in my passenger seat inside its grocery bag.

I couldn’t place the noise at first and immediately suspected that I was being shot at.

This is normal for me. I immediately jump from the mundane to the fantastic faster than I can shift from first to second gear.

Needless to say, there was no assassin. They don’t normally smell of nacho cheese.

Three hours later, we have arrived at Salida and we scatter throughout the town. Lunch is eaten at various locations. I picked the Patio Pancake Place. It’s famous for a quirky alliterative name, great breakfasts and strangely enough a hangout for the high school teens and old folks.

My sandwich was huge. It lasted me for lunch and dinner.

We lounged at the motel until check-in and then collected all our varieties of beer and snack foods to share at the Beer Swap.

A kiddie pool and ice allowed everyone to sample the many beers brought with plenty left to be squirreled away for later.

This brings my chapter to a close, but for others, the night is young. Folks headed to the bars and restaurants for a late dinner.

I had my club, listened to some music and now get ready for bed.

Happy trails, Miniacs. We’ll see you tomorrow after a trip to Royal Gorge and a drive-in movie in Buena Vista.

[captainofthefallen]

Multiples of 10!

All right I didn’t see this until just now and am having to make an educated guess at which list it’s referring to but I’m guessing it’s the ‘ask me anything list’ so here goes 

10. Zodiac sign: Virgo 

20. Do you dance in the car? A little, I guess, mostly I just sing if I’m by myself but there may be occasionally some dancing involved. Also sometimes drumming on the steering wheel but only for ELO

30. Do you study better with or without music? Depends, honestly. If there’s stuff going on around me it helps to have something to block it out. If I’m pulling an all nighter it helps to have something on. There’s a classical music radio station that my mom always listened to when I was growing up that I usually will pull up in either of those situations

40. Do you have any obsessions right now? Sort of a three-way tie at the moment–the Choices mobile app, my current D&D campaign, and my Pillars of Eternity obsession is making a comeback. 

50. Do you fear thunder/lightning? Not at all, I love them. I was outside (in a covered area) during a hailstorm with thunder and lightning and everything and it was freaking amazing. Also there was the time that a tree near my window got struck by lightning which was pretty dang cool if a bit alarming. 

60. Do you have any homework right now? If so, what is it about? NONE! I GRADUATED and I have NO HOMEWORK although now I need to get a job :/ But if this ask is from long enough ago the answer would’ve been my cosmochemistry paper on theories of lunar formation, specifically the recent concept that perhaps at one point the Earth-Moon system was a planetary body researchers have decided to call a synestia, which was essentially a lot of molten and vaporized rock in the shape of a filled-in donut. Ask me about it sometime, it’s pretty cool 

70. Are both of your blood parents still in your life? Yep! Both my parents are pretty awesome and I’m lucky to have them. 

80. Stalked someone on a social network? …that depends on your definition of stalking. Back in my high school days when I was a mere teenage forkwit and had a crush on the same guy for six years before I figured out he was pretty much an idiot anyway I definitely went through his photos and stuff on facebook; don’t really remember the extent of it, but as I said I was a young fool 

90. Favorite soda drink? Between root beer and ginger ale. Ginger ale is my go-to airplane drink. With the root beer it really depends what kind, but root beer from Moonlight Pizza in Salida, CO is my favorite. (They’ve got pretty good cream soda too) 

100. Favorite place to relax? …is it lame if I say my bedroom? Honestly though if I could teleport anywhere when I wanted to relax it would probably be by the Arkansas River, downstream a little from the Buena Vista boat ramp. That or this one spot by the pond at my summer camp we call ‘the lake’, where there’s this tree, and the roots by the water are a little bit above the ground and they make this little alcove. It’s well-hidden from the path, and the tree provides a certain amount of shelter from rain, so it’s a perfect place to be alone with your thoughts for a while. 

[marcdouglasberardo]

Along the highway trail in the San Isabel Forest, between Buena Vista and Salida on the way to the show in Del Norte, I saw sights so beautiful and humbling. #colorado #delnorte #rockymountains #saguache #wildwoodconcertseries #pikenationalforest #sanisabelnationalforest (at Buena Vista, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/BweYLkbAC7b/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=j8a4hjq7xrd4

[usacurrentnews-blog]

Bustang to launch new long-haul bus service this weekend between Grand Junction, Durango

Bustang to launch new long-haul bus service this weekend between Grand Junction, Durango

Statewide bus service continues to expand in Colorado, with the opening this weekend of a new Bustang route between Grand Junction and Durango that will provide residents of the state’s southwest corner a connection to the Front Range.

A new route connecting Gunnison to Denver, with service to Salida, Buena Vista, Fairplay and Pine Junction, will also launch this weekend. And on Friday, Bustang…

[marcoshassanlevy]

Una nutrida charla con una de las grandes leyendas del metal a propósito de 'Machine Messiah'.

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En lo que se refiere a fans de la música, muy pocos se le acercan a los metaleros en términos de lealtad. Pocos siguen por tanto tiempo y con tanta reverencia a sus grupos favoritos como esta tribu. Cuando se trata del lanzamiento de un disco o una presentación en vivo, puedes contar con que la mayoría estarán ahí desde horas tempranas para escuchar antes que nadie, comprar los primeros boletos o acceder al recinto. Dicho esto, este mismo fervor es un arma de doble filo, ya que de igual manera la fidelidad se puede poner a prueba y tomarse bandos casi de forma permanente si es que hay una ruptura o rivalidad.

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Uno de los casos en la que se ha dado este tipo de respuesta ha sido con una de las bandas más queridas del metal internacional en la historia de género. En 1996, Max Cavalera dejó Sepultura, la banda de la cual estuvo al frente desde 1985 al tomar el mando de la voz; este suceso fue casi extraordinario porque la voz y guitarra rítmica de Max eran tan esenciales para el sonido de la banda de Belo Horizonte como lo eran las baterías tribales y frenéticas de su hermano Igor, los solos clásicos y veloces del guitarrista Andreas Kisser y el groove del bajo de Paulo Jr. Que Max dejara Sepultura para muchos significó que la banda jamás volvería a ser igual o valdría la pena.

Desde el primer lanzamiento que hicieron fuera de Brasil (tras dos discos y un EP), el mítico Beneath The Remains de 1988, Sepultura se convirtieron en uno de los grupos más celebrados del metal extremo en todo el mundo. Este álbum y el subsecuente Arise alzaron la barra muy alto en lo que se refería a thrash metal, con fans y críticos comparando estos trabajos con los más inspirados de Slayer, a la vez que se consideraban como un puente al naciente movimiento del death metal. Para 1993, la banda bajó la velocidad e implementó austeridad a su ataque al igual que habían hecho Metallica con el disco negro, (así como Pantera y Helmet), para lanzar Chaos A.D. uno de los mejores discos de los noventa. Para 1996, la banda lanzó Roots, cuyo material promocional anunciaba que era un disco que iba "del tribalismo a la tecnología" gracias a colaboraciones con la tribu Xavante del Amazonas, invitados como Carlinhos Brown, Mike Patton y Jonathan Davis de Korn, además de experimentación con sonidos entonces nuevos como el nu metal, dando como resultado su canción mejor conocida, "Roots Bloody Roots". Estaban en su mera cumbre.

En 1997 Max formó Soulfly, continuando con lo que la banda había iniciado enRoots y ganándose a muchos jóvenes fans al contar con colaboraciones de Fred Durst de Limp Bizkit y Chino Moreno de Deftones. El siguiente año, Sepultura regresó a las andadas con un nuevo vocalista, Derrick Green de Estados Unidos; el álbum que los vio volver, Against, tuvo pocas ventas comparado con los álbumes que le precedían. Poco a poco, Sepultura pasaron a un segundo plano para muchos fans; para ellos, la banda pasó a ser irrelevante, algo remarcado aún más por la salida de Igor Cavalera en 2007 tras la salida del disco Dante XXI.

Sin embargo, Sepultura se ha convertido en una de las bandas más trabajadoras en las últimas tres décadas del metal. Han sido constantes con sus discos así como girado por todo el mundo, literalmente tocando en territorios que pocos consideran en sus agendas, como Emiratos Árabes, Turquía, Armenia, India y otros lugares. Han colaborado con gente que va desde el ex baterista de Slayer, Dave Lombardo, hasta el ícono de la música popular brasileña Zé Ramalho y el ensamble de percusionistas francés Les Tambours Du Bronx. Si existiera una foto en el diccionario bajo la definición de "bandas de culto", vendría una foto actual de Sepultura.

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2016 los vio lanzando lo que probablemente es su mejor disco desde su época clásica. Una revisión casual a la opinión de Sepultura de la época de Derrick Green indica que cada uno de sus discos se considera como el regreso a la época clásica o "tan bueno como lo que hacían antes". Sin temor a exagerar,Machine Messiah es un disco tan genial como Beneath The Remains o Chaos A.D., explorando caminos sonoros diferentes. Green maneja un sentir melódico poco escuchado mientras proyecta poder cada que es necesario, mientras que la banda crea mundos sonoros difíciles de categorizar inclusive dentro de su mismo catálogo. El tema que le da título al disco es lento y épico, con gran oscuridad con pequeños rayos de sol que se asoman por toda la canción; otras canciones como "I Am The Enemy" son tan frenéticas y pesadas como cualquiera de su temprana carrera, mientras que otros momentos dan un híbrido entre groove y poliritmos muy impresionantes. Para todos aquellos que son Team Cavalera, Machine Messiah es una buena excusa para darles una nueva oportunidad.

Platicamos con Andreas Kisser sobre este disco y su temática actual, la tecnología y el sentimiento global ante los migrantes y el papel de la música ante todo.

Noisey: ¿Cómo va todo, Andreas? Andreas Kisser: Todo excelente, la respuesta de la gente con el disco ha sido muy positiva. Hemos estado de gira con Kreator, Soilwork y Aborted por dos semanas y hemos estado tocando muchos temas nuevos en la gira. Estamos muy contentos con los resultados. El sonido, la portada, el arte y la respuesta de los fanáticos que ya han escuchado el disco.

Les interesa seguir adelante siempre. Sin duda. Claro que hay espacio para tocar los temas viejos, pero lo más importante es tocar los temas nuevos. El disco está muy fuerte.

Escuchándolo lo que más me resaltó del disco es el sonido. Tiene muchas cosas que suceden en las canciones, todas tienen un punto en el que se basan, aunque algunas son largas pero tienen poder y un solo eje. Retiene lo que ha caracterizado a Sepultura. Es un disco muy fuerte y me gustaría saber su inspiración. Hicimos una gira de tres año con el lanzamiento de The Mediator Between The Head and Hands Must Be The Heart, al final del 2013 y tuvimos también la celebración de 30 años y el sencillo "Under My Skin", un homenaje a todos los fans que tienen tatuado a Sepultura y giramos por todos lados, tocamos primera vez en Armenia, Georgia y muchas ciudades en Rusia. La gira de 30 años de Sepultura nos dio un sentimiento de cerrar un ciclo, una etapa de la historia que comenzó en 1984 y ahora con Machine Messiah es como un nuevo inicio a una nueva fase en la historia de Sepultura. En este disco estamos buscando cosas nuevas con productores diferentes. Ross Robinson es un gran productor y un muy buen amigo nuestro, hicimos un gran trabajo juntos en The Mediator pero ahora buscamos un productor completamente diferente, con influencias diferentes y cabeza diferente y puntos de vista distintos en cuanto a la música de Sepultura. Queríamos hacer un disco como este, trabajar más la música, quebrar nuestros límites como músicos. Eloy [Casagrande, baterista] nos ha traído muchas nuevas posibilidades para la música. Fue un trabajo en conjunto hecho en Brasil muy detallado. Queremos hacer un disco que cada uno de los temas tuviera una característica fuerte y distinta de las otras. "Machine Messiah" es un tema muy diferente de "I Am The Enemy" o "Phantom Self". El formato de vinilo ayudó mucho a componer este disco, también; porque por ejemplo, el tema "Sworn Oath" fue escrito justamente para abrir el lado B. Nos ayudó a componer esta historia, es un disco que puedes escuchar de principio a fin y la idea fue esa. También la portada, muy colorida con un artista diferente de Filipinas que también nos ayudó a hacer la música, influenciar a hacer la música. Todos estos factores fueron muy positivos para nosotros para hacer un disco como este.

La portada se me hace como un lado opuesto a la de Arise. Es un concepto parecido pero Arise es muy oscura y Machine Messiah es colorida. Yo no sé si fue algo consciente, le tengo que preguntar a Camille [Dela Rosa] si hay una conexión con el arte de Michael Whelan que creó el arte de Arise, también de Beneath The Remains y Roots y todo. Si tienen conexión o no, no importa; es una portada muy intensa, interesante y nos conecta mucho con el tema del disco, con la robotización de la sociedad, lo que vemos hoy en el mundo, en la sociedad. Los smartphones, las computadoras, la tecnología que está siendo parte de nuestro día a día. La portada fue algo hecha en 2010 no está conectada con el disco pero quedó perfecta por la temática.

Machine Messiah habla de cómo estamos conectados hoy en día con la tecnología ¿Cómo definirías lo que pasa en sus letras? Hablamos de lo que miramos hoy, no es ciencia ficción futurista o del futuro lejano. Tenemos el privilegio de conocer países muy avanzados en los temas tecnológicos y visitar otros más tradicionales sin mucha tecnología. Estamos tratando de buscar un punto de equilibrio, porque parece que los robots no están ayudando al desarrollo del cerebro o del intelecto; por el contrario, están haciendo todo por nosotros y nos volvemos más parecidos y más idiotas. Entonces creo que estamos buscando un equilibrio, porque los robots están ahí, son una realidad, pero necesitamos mantener nuestra condición humana. No sólo recibir una idea y estar de acuerdo. Hablamos de religión de política, de problemas climáticos del planeta, refugiados y en todo está la temática robótica. Las cámaras, aplicaciones para comida, mujeres, GPS. Hablamos no poner todo nuestras aspiraciones en los robots y desarrollarnos más como seres humanos y tener una conexión más directa con la naturaleza. Hay muchas frecuencias y energías que no podemos explicar de una manera muy clara y creo que tenemos posibilidades nuevas de conectarnos con la naturaleza un poco más directamente.

Foto: Gorka Photography

Mencionaste que la temática de la robótica tiene que ver con aspectos de política y refugiados, cosas que han sido muy tensas en últimos tiempos. Sin duda. Creo que la misión del arte, ya sea música pintura poesía, teatro, etc. Tiene la misión de proponer nuevas posibilidades para la sociedad y para el hombre. Imagínate un mundo actual sin Pablo Picasso o sin Stravinsky o sin The Beatles, artistas que cambiaron las cabezas de la gente con nuevas posibilidades y nuevas maneras de mirar las sociendad de nosotros. ES importante por que creo que no todas son reglas políticas y religiosas, creo que el arte rompe las barreras, los muros. Tenemos la conciencia y la responsabilidad de hablar de las cosas con mucha honestidad y poner nuestro punto de vista a travé sde la música y de las letras. Viajar en el mundo y escuchar a la gente, escuchar otras ideas y así hacer un planeta mejor para todos.

El problema con los robots también es un problema de internet que hay mucha mentira. Casi la mitad de lo que leemos en internet es mentira. Hay que tener mucha preocupación y mucho cuidado para buscar la información y tener cosas que son verdaderas para construir algo bien. Ahí está el punto de buscar un equilibrio con nuestra propia inteligencia y hacerla funcionar.

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Hay muchas mentiras de lo que hay en internet, es un arma de doble filo. Ustedes tienen una sensibilidad diferente al conocer los conflictos sociales que se ven tanto en el mundo. Lo digo porque son una banda que ha tocado en rincones que muchas otras no han tocado, pero también siendo una banda de Brasil. Es una sensibilidad que tal vez no tendrían si fueran una banda de EUA o Europa. ¿Cómo ven este quiebre entre tecnología y humanismo? El internet tenía la idea de unir a las personas pero estamos viviendo en tiempos de mucha intolerancia. Si piensas A no puedes pensar Z [ríe], las ideas son muy polarizadas. Creo que tenemos que buscar soluciones, ayudar a la gente. Brasil es un país construido por inmigrantes: japoneses, italianos, sirios, libios, libaneses y como tenemos tantas mezclas de culturas, música y gastronomía, es un país increíble por esa mezcla de gente y de ideas. Y están creando muchas fobias y es una cancha difícil de jugar. La gente no está abriendo los oídos para escuchar, ellos solo quieren escuchar lo que quieren. Los fans y la gente que escucha música tienen una cabeza un poco más abierta, escuchan estilos diferentes de música. Cuando van a un festival pueden escuchar de Coldplay a Metallica e intentar conocer diferentes maneras de vivir y respetarlas, que es lo más importante.

[creeksidechalets-blog]

8 Best Rafting Companies in Salida and Buena Vista, CO | Creekside Chalets from Creekside Chalets and Cabins on Vimeo.

Looking for the best rafting companies in Salida and Buena Vista? This video gives a quick overview of the top eight rafting companies in the area. It’s designed for visitors to the area who want to take a whitewater rafting trip but are having a difficult time deciding between rafting outfitters. The area is home to the Arkansas River and many of the whitewater rafting companies offer similar river excursions. Four of the most popular sections on the river are Browns Canyon, Bighorn Sheep Canyon, the Royal Gorge, and The Numbers. Brown and Bighorn Sheep Canyons are ideal for all types of rafters. They're exciting but not technically challenging. The Royal Gorge and The Numbers sections of the river are best suited for experienced rafters who are in good physical shape. While you'd be hard-pressed to find a whitewater rafting company in Salida or Buena Vista that isn't awesome, each one has something that makes it unique. At the Adventure Company, they only hire guides with four or more years of professional guiding experience. American Adventure Expeditions' customers continually rave about their fun and knowledgeable guides. Independent Whitewater boasts an on-site food truck, which is great before or after a trip, and they also offer two more rapids in Browns Canyon than other outfitters. Noah's Ark Whitewater Rafting offers packages that allow you to enjoy half a day on the river and half a day playing in their aerial adventure park. Performance Tours has been a staple of the Arkansas River Valley since 1986 and they offer trips down the Blue River, too. At Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center, you can fully customize a full-day rafting trip so that it includes exactly what you want.Families with young children who are 3 and up should check out River Runners' family float trips. Wilderness Aware Rafting offers a dinner float trip. For more information on rafting companies in the area, check out our full article at creeksidechalets.com/top-8-raf.... If you need lodging for your Salida, Colorado vacation, learn more about our one- to three-bedroom cabins at creeksidechalets.com/cabins/ or give us a call at (719) 539-6953.

Visit Us At: Creekside Chalets 16724 West US Hwy 50 Salida, Colorado 81201 (719) 539-6953

#bestraftingcompaniesinsalida #bestraftingcompaniesinbuenavista #salidarafting #buenavistarafting #rafting #salida #buenavista

[alpinetowing-blog]

Tow Truck Wheel Lift

Probably the simplest towing method ever devised is the tow truck Wheel Lift also known as “lift and tow.”  Pickup and larger trucks can be mounted with a lifting device that easily attaches to the front or back of the vehicle near the wheels and raises one end of the vehicle hydraulically. The tow truck driver further secures the vehicle to the wheel lift and can immediately drive away with the vehicle in tow.

There are some variations of these devices, but the process can be used to move disabled vehicles from crowded parking lots and busy streets within minutes, generally when the towing distance may be short.

Wheel lifts are often used for repossessions since the process takes very little time, and the vehicle can be pulled from tight spots easily.

How It Works

Tow trucks equipped with Wheel Lift capability utilize an attachment know as a “yoke.” The tow truck backs up to the front or back of the vehicle placing the yoke flush with the wheels. With one version, the front portion of the yoke is then secured to an attachment point on the vehicle and hoisted by the hydraulic equipment mounted on the truck. The tow truck driver the drives away without needing to secure the vehicle further.

Another version of the Wheel Lift operates somewhat differently. After the yoke is placed in front of the wheels, horizontal attachments can be swung around to become flush with the rear of the same wheels. These are tightly secured to the wheels with straps. When the hoist is raised, the yoke is actually “cradling” the raised wheels as the tow truck drives away. This method eliminates any metal-to-metal contact between the yoke and the vehicle.

Alpine Towing and Recovery

Alpine specializes in protecting drivers and recovering their vehicles. No matter what the circumstances are, Alpine is fully equipped to address any emergency. From their three locations in Buena Vista, Salida, and Woodland Park, Alpine offers 24/7 service thoughout the Front Range of the Rockies.

Alpine Towing and Recovery operates equipment for every purpose. They utilize SnoCat equipement for backcountry recovery and heavy-duty vehicles for recovering large trucks and campers that experience difficulties.

Safety and protection are Alpine’s key missions. Once the personal safety of the drivers and passengers is secured, Alpine’s trained and experienced drivers turn their attention to securing the scene and carefully recovering the vehicles.

For more information and for future reference, phone Alpine Towing and Recovery at 1.800.869.2869.

[lawrencedienerthings]

Trains could return to Colorado’s Tennessee Pass, rumble through Leadville under pair of proposals

#newyork👩‍💻 🍞 🌃 🎫 📈

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It’s been 24 years since trains rumbled through the tunnel atop Tennessee Pass. 

That could change as interest in the dormant Tennessee Pass Line between Cañon City and Dotsero grows. A fledgling railway project in Utah’s Uinta Basin and a billionaire New York City developer with thousands of acres of wheat and an existing rail operation in southeastern Colorado are circling the tracks, hoping to revive the state’s 208-mile transmountain railway. 

If either get their wish, trains carrying freight, crude oil and, possibly, passengers, could be rolling through the Royal Gorge, Salida, Browns Canyon, Buena Vista, Leadville, Minturn, Avon, Eagle and Gypsum. 

The Surface Transportation Board that safeguards the nation’s rail network has spent the last three months working with the Tennessee Pass Line owner Union Pacific as the longtime rail operator negotiates with suitors for the stretch of railroad it idled in 1996. While few of the players are talking, the filings with the transportation board are telling. 

It began in February, when Colorado Pacific Railroad filed an application with the Surface Transportation Board, asking it to force Union Pacific to sell the Tennessee Pass Line for $8.8 million. Union Pacific last year declined Colorado Pacific’s offer of $10 million. 

Colorado Pacific Railroad is owned by KCVN, which is owned by New York City high-rise developer Sheldon Solow and his son, Stefan Soloviev, who reclaimed the original spelling of his family’s name. Soloviev runs Crossroads Agriculture, a variety of agricultural businesses on KVCN’s vast acreage in Kansas and Colorado. 

The company estimated in its Feb. 14 application with the transportation board that it would need $278 million to rehabilitate more than 208 miles of track between the Royal Gorge and Dostero. 

KCVN’s attorney in that filing noted that when Crossroads wants to move Colorado grain west to flour mills in Utah or Southern California, it needs to ship it east 250 miles to reach a Union Pacific westbound rail line in Hutchinson, Kansas, and then it rolls 250 miles back into Colorado, “having traveled 500 miles without any net westward progress,” reads the filing. 

Rafters float the Arkansas River through Browns Canyon National Monument, where two companies are hoping to revive the Tennessee Pass Line railroad that has been dormant since 1996. (Jason Blevins, The Colorado Sun)

KCVN has forced the sale of a rail line before. The Surface Transportation Board approved KCVN’s application to force V and S Railway to sell southeast Colorado’s Towner Line in 2017.

Colorado Pacific Railroad in 2016 announced a $6 million plan to buy and rehabilitate the 122-mile Towner Line, which stretches through Otero, Kiowa, Crowley and Pueblo counties in southeast Colorado. The company’s application noted that KCVN owns 69,000 acres of Colorado wheat farmland worth about $50 million near the Towner Line and the company has “wealthy principals” who could afford additional costs related to the acquisition of the railway. The Surface Transportation Board in 2017 approved Colorado Pacific’s call for a forced sale by  V and S Railway, which acquired the troubled rail line from the Colorado Department of Transportation in 2005 and officially abandoned the line in 2011. 

When Union Pacific and Southern Pacific merged in 1998, Union Pacific gave up on attempts to utilize the Tennessee Pass line and continued to rely solely on routing its coal-train traffic through the Moffat Tunnel, while promising to revive traffic on Tennessee Pass should Moffat Tunnel become clogged with trains. The Surface Transportation Board, in its approval of the merger, said if Union Pacific ever decides to sell the Tennessee Pass route, it should sell to an entity that will use it in the transportation system.

“We will be vigilant as to this issue,” the STB wrote. 

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Union Pacific on March 9 urged the Surface Transportation Board to reject KCVN’s request for a forced sale, saying that it has been negotiating a sale of the Tennessee Pass Line with another party since last fall. That filing, until it was redacted, included the name of the other party, which was caught by an intrepid reporter for the trains.com news wire who identified the suitor as Rio Grande Pacific Corp., which operates short lines in six states. 

Rio Grande Pacific is the planned operator of a $1.5 billion proposal for a new railroad connecting crude oil from Utah’s Uinta Basin with the national railway network. If the Uinta Basin Railway is built and Rio Grande Pacific acquires Tennessee Pass, three to 10 trains hauling crude oil could travel south through Utah to Grand Junction to Minturn, over Tennessee Pass and through the Upper Arkansas River Valley en route to refineries on the Gulf Coast. The federal government is conducting an Environmental Impact Statement studying the impacts of the roughly 85-mile Uinta Basin Railway project.

“Specifically, RGPC had expressed interest in purchasing from Union Pacific the portion of the Line from Parkdale to Gypsum, Colorado, and implementing both passenger and freight service. We told KCVN we intended to see those discussions through before exploring other options,” reads the unredacted document filed by Union Pacific that briefly appeared on the Surface Transportation Board’s website on March 9, according to trains.com. 

Pavement over the tracks in Leadville indicates how long it’s been — since 1996 — that trains rumbled on the Tennessee Pass Line. (Jason Blevins, The Colorado Sun)

In 1998, Mark Greksa’s Royal Gorge Express acquired 11.75 miles of Union Pacific track between Cañon City and Parkdale for his tourist trains. He shares use of the track with freight hauler Rock & Rail Railroad. The 1998 deal left Union Pacific with permanent “overhead trackage rights” to the rails through the gorge, “so as to preserve the integrity of the Tennessee Pass through route.”

Rock & Rail on March 9 also urged the transportation board to reject KCVN’s application for a forced sale. Rock & Rail argued the Tennessee Pass Line consists of “numerous” owners and Union Pacific doesn’t qualify as the single owner of the entire stretch of railroad under the board’s rules for forced sales of feeder lines. 

Greksa has been watching the flurry of filings and interest on Tennessee Pass. He’s also been busy opening his Royal Gorge tourist train in a pandemic, so he hasn’t weighed in. 

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“We’ve heard all the rumblings. Here’s the thing: they have to come to us for permission to run through the gorge and we are not going to give it to them,” Greksa said in an interview. “There has been talk about Tennessee Pass forever. But no one has ever talked to us. But it doesn’t matter. They are going to have trouble getting through the gorge without our permission.”

The Surface Transportation Board on March 13 sided with Union Pacific and rejected Colorado Pacfic’s request to force the sale of the Tennessee Pass Line. (Federal law allows the Surface Transportation Board to approve forced sales as a way to keep trains rolling on rail lines slated for abandonment when parties cannot agree on a deal to sell.)

But the board’s dismissal of the deal “without prejudice” means KCVN and Colorado Pacific could refile the application.

The talk of rail traffic in the Upper Arkansas River Valley has locals on edge. The valley’s Stage & Rail plan calls for a hiking and biking path along a former narrow-gauge railroad grade in the valley and rail service on the existing tracks could impact those plans. 

Rafters float the Arkansas River into Browns Canyon National Monument below the idled train tracks of the Tennessee Pass Line on July 4, 2020. (Jason Blevins, The Colorado Sun)

“I think a bigger concern with this project would be the impact to local communities, access and experience in Brown’s Canyon National Monument, and wildlife impacts along the river corridor, which is already impacted by Highway 50 and 24 through much of the valley,” said Julie Mach, the conservation director for Colorado Mountain Club who is helping with the Stage & Rail trail plans. “There has always been interest in a true ‘rails-to-trails’ route along the existing rail line, but UP has never been responsive to those discussions. An ideal situation would be for the state to purchase the line in order to facilitate a rails-to-trails project.”

A 2017 report by CDOT that studied abandoned rail lines and possible line acquisitions in the state identified the Tennessee Pass Line as significant for its potential to carry both passengers and freight. It also noted the Tennessee Pass route as the only existing transmountain alternative to the Moffat Tunnel, which often runs near capacity.

“The Tennessee Pass Line may be able to be used as an alternate route as transmountain rail demand grows due to increased development on the Western Slope or if the Moffat Tunnel were damaged or closed for any reason,” reads CDOT’s 2017 report. “Such an event would have a significant impact on Colorado, particularly on the Western Slope, since the railroads would be forced to move freight through Wyoming.”

CDOT is studying passenger rail service on 173 miles of the Front Range between Fort Collins and Pueblo. The agency is gathering public input for its Front Range passenger rail plan via a series of online meetings throughout July. CDOT’s preferred alternative for passenger service between Fort Collins and Denver no longer includes Union Pacific’s idled Fort Collins Branch, which was identified as an option in 2000 rail studies but disregarded in the 2011 North I-25 Environmental Impact Statement studying passenger rail service north of metro Denver. 

So does the renewed interest in potentially shipping crude and grain over Tennessee Pass in any way alter CDOT’s plans or perspective on the state’s dormant but critical trans-mountain railroad? 

“CDOT is monitoring the status of these lines but has no specific plans at this time for development or acquisition along the corridors,” CDOT spokesman Tim Hoover said. 

Entrepreneur Christof Stork spent most of 2016 trying to foster support for passenger rail service over Tennessee Pass. While stirring the interest of residents eager to relieve traffic on Interstate 70 and a housing shortage in the Eagle River Valley by connecting it with the Upper Arkansas River Valley, Stork didn’t get too far with local leaders. 

Stork estimates the cost of repairing the line for serious passenger service between Gypsum and Leadville would cost $50 million to $100 million. He’s not talking about seasonal tourist trains. 

“I don’t want to think small. I’m talking about a commuter rail system. Something like the airport train in Denver,” Stork said. 

He sees a train along the Eagle River connecting upvalley resorts with downvalley communities could shift housing patterns by creating dense housing near train stations for workers who are struggling to find affordable housing in the valley between Vail and Gypsum. 

But he figures the only way to convince Union Pacific to either sell or partner with a passenger rail service is for the state of Colorado to start pushing. The state owns the Moffat Tunnel and the Moffat Tunnel Improvement District’s long term lease with Union Pacific to use the tunnel — the only other transmountain railroad in Colorado besides Tennessee Pass — expires in 2025. 

“That gives Colorado leverage to get UP to play ball and be friendly with the Tennessee Pass line,” Stork said.  

“Maybe it does. Who knows?” he added. “I do know this, though: Things are only going to get worse in 20 years. If we don’t plan now we might lose this option. In 20 years, people may be saying ‘What were they thinking? Why didn’t they plan for this when they had the chance?’”

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Rafting season is ready to launch, but coronavirus worries are running high in Colorado

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With warming temperatures in Colorado’s mountains and spring runoff in full swing, the whitewater boating season should be off to a roaring start.

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But Colorado’s stringent COVID-19 travel and recreation restrictions are forcing commercial rafting companies to create social distance on unruly rivers and face the potential for smaller crowds.

“The snowpack’s in good shape,” John Kreski, rafting coordinator for Colorado Parks and Wildlife’ Arkansas River Headwaters Area, said earlier this month. “But the phones aren’t ringing. This is very frustrating.”

But by Wednesday afternoon, the trend was “changing rapidly,” said Kevin Meadows, owner of River Runners Browns Canyon in Buena Vista. Though Chaffee County has not yet heard whether its request for a variance from Gov. Jared Polis’ “Safer at Home” order has been granted and outfitters can begin floating down the Arkansas before the order lifts on June 1, rafters have begun booking trips.

“Our calls are increasing exponentially on a daily basis,” Meadows said. “Two weeks ago we had no bookings. But now we are booking 20% of our historical volume. So we have a ways to go to get where we want to be. But these are optimistic signs.”

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Colorado’s highest flows, as of mid-May, are in the northern part of the state, with the Poudre and North Platte at 100% to 120% of normal, according to Aldis Strautins, a hydrologist for the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.

Patrick Robinson and Bekah Munnikhuysen float their yellow raft in the Browns Canyon section of the Arkansas River near Salida. (Hugh Carey, Special to The Colorado Sun)

The upper Colorado, Gunnison, Green and lower Colorado rivers are all flowing at between 70% to 80% of normal, while the Arkansas River, from Buena Vista to the Royal Gorge, is flowing at 80% of normal.

But because of an unusually warm and dry April, flows are trending downward in the central and southern mountains.

The South Platte River and Clear Creek are running at 64% to 70% of normal, while the Rio Grande and San Juan River are just 45% of normal.

Northern Colorado rivers, such as the Poudre, will have enough snowmelt to extend flows for boating into late summer. Elsewhere in the state, the best floating will occur from May into early July. “Get down into that 70 to 75% and you’re looking at a reduced season,” Strautins said. “There’s just not enough snow to extend it.”

Hoping to maximize the early season flows, outfitters are anxiously waiting to see how many visitors will show, according to Bob Hamel, executive director of the Arkansas River Outfitters Association, a trade group.

Boaters float the Browns Canyon section of the Arkansas River, Tuesday, May 19, 2020, near Salida. (Hugh Carey, Special to The Colorado Sun)

“Who’s going to travel? Who’s got money? Will we even be traveling or flying to destinations?” he asked.

Still, Hamel is hopeful that the state’s waterways can be opened for commercial use by early June, bringing some much-needed economic activity to the state.

Colorado’s rafting industry is the No. 2 contributor to the state’s recreation economy, behind skiing. Centered on the Colorado, Rio Grande, Arkansas and North and South Platte rivers, it contributed nearly $188 million to the state’s economy, according to a report of the Colorado Outfitters Association. Visitors spent an average of $135 on a river adventure, including food, lodging, gas and souvenirs.

These numbers don’t include hundreds of homegrown rafters and kayakers who recreate on Colorado’s rivers or the large numbers of boaters from out of state that bring their own gear to the hallmark waterways.

How COVID-19 will impact the industry this summer isn’t clear yet, though major changes are underway.

“Every river floating company will have to adapt their own safety procedures to the kind of trips that they offer,” Hamal said. “A half-day trip down the Taylor River can’t be handled the same as a multi-day trip down the Gunnison Gorge. Some rafts are bigger. Some are smaller. The rafting industry can’t do a one-size-fits-all.”

A river surfer puts in on the Gunnison River near Gunnison, taking advantage of what’s shaping up to be a short season in some areas as Colorado’s snowpack is melting faster than usual. (Dean Krakel, Special to Fresh Water News)

One set of COVID-19 rafting guidelines developed by Mark Schumacher, owner of Three Rivers Resort in Almont, includes daily screening of employees, no-touch guest check-in, and hand sanitizer in all office and retail areas.

In addition, directional signs will guide visitors to wherever they need to go, with group size monitored by employees. The number of people on a raft will be reduced to maintain proper social distancing, with spaced seating and open windows on vans and shuttles, disinfection of equipment after each use, and instructions to clients to bring their own water bottles and food.

Andy Neinas, a river running veteran with Echo Canyon Outfitters’ in Cañon City, said the rafting industry is well-equipped to handle the COVID-19 restrictions.

“All of us are juggling things to make it all work,” he said. “We’re going to be doing it differently, but nobody does it better than Colorado.”

Freelance photographer and writer Dean Krakel reported this story for Fresh Water News, where it was published on May 20, 2020.  Fresh Water News is an independent, nonpartisan news initiative of Water Education Colorado.

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