Colorado Country Life August 2021 Grand Valley

WILDFIRE MITIGATION PG 3 / THE VEGETABLE BUTCHER COOKBOOK PG 10 / VISIT OUR STATE PARKS PG 16

GRAND VALLEY POWER

Take a Spin

On the Western slope

Empowering Lives with Hometown Service

AUGUST 2021

Volume 52

Number 08

August 2021 THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE COLORADO RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

“Mt. Kreutzer Colorful View” by William Helms, a consumer-member of Sangre de Cristo Electric Association.

3 VIEWPOINT

4 LETTERS

5 YOUR CO-OP NEWS

10 RECIPES

12 COVER STORY TAKE A SPIN ON THE WESTERN SLOPE

16 FOCUS ON ADVENTURE

17 NEWS CLIPS

18 GARDENING

19 OUTDOORS

PINTEREST SNEAK PEEK

COCountryLife pinned: Is your garden overflowing with delightful produce? Try Zucchini, Sweet Corn, and Basil Penne with Pine Nuts and Mozzarella from The Vegetable Butcher by Cara Mangini.

21 CREATIVE CORNER

22 DISCOVERIES

Enter Our Contests

INSTAGRAM PIC of the month

Best of 2021 nominations are now TIME TO VOTE open. We picked the categories, BEST OF now you tell us your favorites in COLORADO 2021 Colorado. You could win one of three $100 gift cards. Visit coloradocountrylife.coop and click on the Contests tab to find out how to enter.

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

EDITORIAL Denver Corporate Office, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216 mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org | 303-455-4111 coloradocountrylife.coop | facebook.com/COCountryLife Pinterest.com/COCountryLife | Instagram.com/cocountrylife Twitter.com/COCountryLife | YouTube.com/COCountryLife1 Editorial opinions published in Colorado Country Life magazine shall pertain to issues affecting rural electric cooperatives, rural communities and citizens. The opinion of CREA is not necessarily that of any particular cooperative or individual.

POSTMASTER Send address changes to Colorado Country Life, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216

cocountrylife posted: #Daisies are blooming! #summerflowers #summerdays #flowergardens

Win a cookbook! Enter our August contest for your chance to win a copy of The Vegetable Butcher.

Visit coloradocountrylife.coop and click on the Contests tab to find out how to enter.

Vote for your 2021 favorites in the CCL Best of Colorado

ADVERTISING Kris Wendtland, Ad Representative advertising@coloradocountrylife.org | 303-902-7276 National Advertising Representative, American MainStreet Publications 611 S. Congress Street, Suite 504, Austin, TX 78704 | 800-626-1181 Advertising Standards: Publication of an advertisement in Colorado Country Life does not imply endorsement by any Colorado rural electric cooperative or the Colorado Rural Electric Association.

Colorado Country Life (USPS 469-400/ISSN 1090-2503) is published monthly by Colorado Rural Electric Association, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216-1731. Periodical postage paid at Denver, Colorado. ©Copyright 2021, Colorado Rural Electric Association. Call for reprint rights.

SUBSCRIBERS Report change of address to your local cooperative. Do not send change of address to Colorado Country Life. Cost of subscription for members of participating electric cooperatives is $4.44 per year (37 cents per month), paid from equity accruing to the member. For nonmembers, a subscription is $9 per year in-state/$15 out-of-state.

20 MARKETPLACE

COMMUNICATIONS STAFF Mona Neeley, CCC, Publisher/Editor mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org Cassi Gloe, CCC, Production Manager/Designer cgloe@coloradocountrylife.org Kylee Coleman, Editorial/Admin. Assistant kcoleman@coloradocountrylife.org

On the Take a Spin

On the Western slope

Cover AUGUST 2021

This stock photo of a bicyclist represents the adventures available on the Western Slope bike trails. Read more starting on page 12.

FACEBOOK CHATTER Colorado Rural Electric Association posted: Do you sing in the shower? If you’re harmonizing with your favorite artist on the radio, make sure that the radio is battery-operated!

Always use battery-operated equipment options when near the water. coloradocountrylife.coop

VIEWPOINT

WILDFIRE MITIGATION

Electric co-ops find ways to make systems more fireproof

BY KENT SINGER

B

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

ack in June, I provided a recap of the many pieces of legislation that CREA was involved with during the 2021 session of the Colorado General Assembly. Across a variety of issues, we worked constructively in a bipartisan manner with the legislature to achieve the legislature’s policy objectives in a way that we think will work for Colorado’s electric co-ops.

However, there was one area where the outcome was not what we had hoped for: the issue of mitigating the risks of wildfires to co-op facilities and communities. With the devastating fires of 2020 and the fires that have already occurred in 2021, we are acutely aware of the risk that wildfires pose to the consumer-members of Colorado’s electric co-ops.

Although none of the Colorado fires in 2020 were caused by power lines or other electric utility equipment, there have been instances in other states where fires have ignited as the result of trees falling into power lines or windstorms bringing down lines.

Electric co-ops do everything in their power to clear the rightsof-way under their power lines, but it’s nearly impossible to clear all the rights-of way every year over the tens of thousands of miles of lines that co-ops maintain.

During the 2021 session of the legislature that was completed in June, CREA sponsored a bill that would have given electric co-ops liability protection in exchange for proven compliance with a wildfire mitigation plan. In other words, if an electric co-op developed a comprehensive plan to clear rights-of-way and took other steps to prevent wildfires, the state would grant the co-op protection from a lawsuit in the event co-op facilities were the cause of a wildfire.

The bill, however, was killed in the first committee when the trial lawyers opposed it.

In the meantime, Colorado’s electric co-ops continue to take significant steps to reduce the risk of co-op facilities sparking a wildfire. In south-central Colorado, San Luis Valley Rural Electric is installing a new type of power line conductor that can withstand the impact of a falling tree. The new technology will improve the reliability of the system and reduce the potential of co-op facilities starting a wildfire.

According to San Luis Valley CEO Loren Howard: “One of the big drivers of this project is wildfire mitigation. We’re spending a great KENT SINGER amount of effort looking at ways that we can mitigate the risk of wildfires caused by electric lines owned

by San Luis Valley Rural Electric.”

Mountain Parks Electric, headquartered in Granby, experienced one of the worst fires in Colorado history last summer when the East Troublesome Fire burned nearly 194,000 acres in the service territory of the co-op. The fire was not caused by electric lines, but Mountain Parks is spending $1.5 million in improvements, including underground construction of some power lines, clearing of vegetation around power poles and transformers, and work with the U.S. Forest Service to deter birds from nesting atop power poles.

The improvements on the Mountain Parks system include the installation of fault interrupters known as “trip savers,” which do not spark when a fuse is blown. Don Finn, operations manager for Mountain Parks, explained how it works: “When the system detects a fault downstream from the fuse…with the trip savers, the arc is contained inside a unit so it’s not creating a fire potential or the boom from the expulsion fuse.”

Holy Cross Energy, headquartered in Glenwood Springs, continually monitors its system with visual inspections, thermal imaging and drones to mitigate fire danger related to its facilities with the goal of inspecting all 1,100 miles of the co-ops’ overhead system.

When there is a system outage, repair crews respond as soon as possible to give them the best opportunity to mitigate the damage if a line or other equipment might cause a fire.

Colorado’s electric co-ops will continue to be vigilant in monitoring their power systems and doing all they can to prevent fires.

However, we still believe liability protection is appropriate if co-ops have acted prudently, and we’ll be back at the legislature in 2022 with legislation to protect co-ops and their consumer-members.

Kent Singer is the executive director of CREA and offers a statewide perspective on issues affecting electric cooperatives. CREA is the trade association for your electric co-op, the 21 other electric co-ops in Colorado and its power supply co-op.

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Diverse Fuel Resources Needed

In 1980, I entered the solar energy era. I was a believer, supporter, user, installer and cheerleader for solar power. I just retired after 40-plus years and, yes, solar has its place. But, to depend on solar and wind as a sole energy source is a fool’s mistake. We always need backup power.

Texas is still repairing frozen pipes and ruined buildings from (the February freeze). Just like California 20 years earlier, there was not enough generation to fill the need back in February. If you shut down the coal and gas plants, I predict Tri-State Generation and Transmission and Poudre Valley REA will suffer just like Texas and California, begging for power from other states.

You need a diversity of generation sources.

Michael J. Carmon Poudre Valley REA consumer-member I remember how hard it was before we finally got electricity. And even these days when our power goes out, I am reminded of how much I appreciate dependable electricity.

With that said, in our rush to close down fossil fuel plants and use thousands of acres of land to build windmills and solar panels, we must consider what we are actually doing. The power outage this past February should give us pause to slow down and think this out. I suggest that we keep, and even build, fossil fuel plants to work along with our renewable energy.

D. Duane Esary, Yoder Southeast Colorado Power consumer-member

Magazine Lover

I want to compliment you for such interesting articles in the recent issues of your magazine.

The Empowering Possibilities article (April ’21) was inspiring. It’s one that I cut out to give to friends with children with autism. Intriguing as well were the Super Grid article and the ones on lilies and cottonwoods.

Sandra Egan, Nathrop Sangre de Cristo consumer-member CORRECTION In a News Clips article (June ’21) it was stated that the U.S. Department of Energy chose Essence cybersecurity software as one of two options to be offered to utilities in a program designed to improve security for the country’s electric industry in 100 days. This was inaccurate. The department has not selected specific technology or vendors, but welcomes all technologies working on this goal.

SEND US YOUR LETTERS 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or mneeleycoloradocountrylife.org.

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

FROM THE EDITOR

Still time to hit the trails this summer

BY MONA NEELEY

EDITOR

T

his month’s cover story on mountain biking on the Western Slope makes me want to try those trails myself.

MONA NEELEY I’ve never ridden a mountain bike on the trails around Grand Junction. I’ve never actually ridden a mountain bike in the mountains.

I’ve ridden bicycles my whole life — at least since I was 5 and got my first red, 24-inch bike with training wheels. But I grew up in a small farming community in northern Iowa and there were no mountain trails to ride. I did ride a lot of dirt and gravel roads, but that was mostly on my trusty 10-speed, which was the cool bike to have when I was in high school. It didn’t do too well on the gravel roads, but it was what I had, so it was what I rode.

More recently, I ditched the bike and rode an all-terrain vehicle on some Western Slope, red dirt trails. We were After a day on a red dirt trail. staying at Gateway Canyons Resort south of Grand Junction the last time I rode through the hills on an ATV. It was a blast and we came back tired and covered in dust.

So, what I’m saying is, whether it’s on a bicycle, an ATV or whatever, get out there and enjoy summer — it’s almost over!

Mona Neeley is the statewide editor of Colorado Country Life, which is published in coordination with your local electric cooperative. Its goal is to provide information from your local electric co-op to you, its consumer-members.

Looking for a great event to attend?

Visit the Calendar section at coloradocountrylife.coop. Look under Community Events.

YOUR CO-OP NEWS

WE’RE TAKING ACTION FOR SAFETY

BY TOM WALCH

O

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

ne year ago this month, as the Pine Gulch Fire raged west of De Beque, Grand Valley Power was staring at potentially devastating damage to its distribution system. At the time, this was the largest wildfire in Colorado’s history, although it was later eclipsed by two other conflagrations.

While the cooperative’s infrastructure was spared from significant loss, this event highlighted the prospect of future natural disasters affecting our region. Wildfires,drought, landslides and flooding are all big concerns that could bring catastrophic consequences. And this is not the first time we’ve had a largescale incident either.

In 2014, the West Salt Creek Landslide claimed the lives of three Plateau Valley residents and threatened 35 homes. The slide was three miles long and descended 2,100 feet, leaving deposits of rocks and mud more than 120 feet deep.

Drought is also something of concern

to our community. According to the Mesa County Hazard Mitigation Plan, “Our counties, respective towns and municipalities have experienced several drought periods over time. These impacts are wide-reaching economically, environmentally and societally. The most significant impacts in Mesa County and respective jurisdictions are related to wildfire protection and agriculture.” If you are following the U.S. Drought Monitor map, Mesa County is currently in extreme and exceptional drought.

For Grand Valley Power, safety is our number one foundational principle. We are committed to the safety of our workforce and the general public. To address the threat of wildfires and extreme weather conditions, we’re continually integrating new technology and expanding our maintenance programs to improve the safety and resiliency of our electric distribution grid. Our new improvements expand further on our existing preventative measures to significantly reduce the risk of

Colorado Wildfire Risk Viewer Map from Colorado State Forest Service https://co-pub.coloradoforestatlas.org

TOM WALCH

fire ignitions caused by our infrastructure.

When extended dr y conditions heighten wildfire danger, we take special measures to modify our system operations. Fire prevention mode is a modified operation of our electrical equipment that supplies our members’ power. This mode of operations reduces the risk of a wildfire being caused by cooperative power lines or equipment. These extra precautions will mean that our lines running to your property will trip and our linemen will do extra patrols to minimize the chance that a spark from contact with the power lines could start a fire. They visually put eyes on any system disruption before we reenergize any line. What this means is members could possibly experience longer outage times because of these precautions. What it also means is we’re taking our members safety seriously.

Other improvements we have made to our vegetation management include: • Replacing older lines with new lines utilizing materials and designs that reduce fire risk.

• Installing new equipment, including fault indicators, that will blink and identify overcurrent or problem areas.

• Increased routine line patrol and routine maintenance to avoid equipment failure.

• Adding additional protective equipment on lines to quickly isolate a line that is damaged.

• Regular evaluation of transformer [continued on page 8]

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

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YOUR CO-OP NEWS

How is Co-op Equipment Assisting with Wildfire Prevention?

BY DANA POGAR COMMUNICATI ONS S PECI AL I S T

Grand Valley Power continues to take preventative measures to ensure wildfires remain a low risk throughout our service territory. Along the power lines that bring electricity to your home, Grand Valley Power installs protective devices in the form of fuses and reclosers (high-voltage circuit breakers). Fuses and reclosers serve the same purpose as the fuses and circuit breakers in your home.

A fuse is a one-shot device. When a fault occurs, the fuse blows and everyone downstream from it loses power. Reclosers are multi-shot devices, meaning they can operate a certain number of times before they stay open, and a sustained outage occurs. Typically, Grand Valley Power operates on a common setting that is known as a triple-shot. Here’s how that works. A tree limb contacts the power lines and creates a fault. The recloser senses it and opens, creating the first blink.

Here’s where a recloser differs from your home circuit breaker. It waits a certain amount of a time (typically a few seconds), then recloses to try and complete the circuit. If the fault is still there, it opens again. This creates the second blink. Triple-shot settings allow the device to reclose a third time and if the fault is still there, it stays open and the members downstream experience a power outage. For example, if a tree branch were to brush a powerline it may trigger a blink or transient fault. In comparison, if that same branch were to fall on a powerline it would create a permanent fault and a sustained outage would occur. While the triple-shot system improves reliability and eliminates several extended outages, this system of operations can be modified during high-risk conditions.

During the summer, as temperatures rise, Grand Valley Power continues to monitor drought conditions and adjust system operations to prevent wildfires from occurring by switching co-op equipment into fire prevention mode.

Effective June 22, 2021, GVP operations modified service system-wide into fire prevention mode. By doing so, GVP can reduce the risk of a wildfire occurring from cooperative power lines or equipment. These extra precautions will mean that our lines running to your property will trip out sooner and our linemen will do extra patrols. In some high-risk areas, the one-shot method is also in effect. While we work to ensure power is safely restored, it’s important for our members to also know that they are the eyes and ears we rely on as well.

Please report any issues or problems you may see or hear. This vital information can help us pinpoint the causes of outages quicker. You can report this through SmartHub or by calling us at (970) 242-0040.

Did you know? Tree trimming arborists and right-of-way contractors work year-round to remove wildfire ignition sources by maintaining a minimum of 10-15 feet of clearance around power lines. In more forested areas, arborists may have to remove additional vegetation near electrical lines to assist with wildfire mitigation efforts.

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

YOUR CO-OP NEWS

Decoding The Colored Utility Flags

BY CHRIS T MAS WHART ON COMMUNI CATIONS MANAGER

At one time or another, you likely have seen those brightly colored flags placed in the grass around town or in your neighborhood. Sometimes the grass is also marked with paint. What does this mean?

It means someone in the vicinity is planning to do some digging and they called Colorado 811 to mark the areas where utilities such as gas, phone and electricity have been buried. If these lines are not marked and someone digs up a line, it could be detrimental. Prior to doing digging of any sort on your property, you must call to get "locates" of the various utilities that are underground. Failure to do this could lead to damage to an underground utility line, potential service outages, restoration costs, and physical injury or death.

Utility owners and operators follow the APWA (American Public Works Association) standard color code to mark the locations of their underground facilities. The following colors are used: RED – Electric Power Lines, Cables and Conduit YELLOW – Gas, Oil, Steam, or Petroleum ORANGE – Communication, Alarm or Signal Lines BLUE – Potable Water PURPLE – Reclaimed Water, Irrigation and Slurry GREEN – Sewers and Drain Lines WHITE – Proposed Excavation PINK – Temporary Survey Markings

AT LEAST THREE BUSINESS DAYS BEFORE YOU PLAN TO DIG, MAKE YOUR LOCATE REQUEST ONLINE AT COLORADO811.ORG OR MAKE REQUESTS BY CALLING 8-1-1 OR 800-922-1987.

If flags are in your yard, please do not remove them. Trust me – when I was young kid, I’d go pick them out of the ground and wave them vigorously around while skipping down the street. But discourage your young family members from doing this. If they’re marked with a logo and the name of the utility, feel free to give them a call to inquire about their placement, but for safety purposes, remember to leave them where they are.

811 DAY

August 11 is National Safe Digging Day: #NationalSafeDiggingDay is a great reminder to always call 8-1-1 before you dig. The service is free and utilties will mark underground services so you don't accidentally dig into them. It will keep you safe and avoid an unplanned power outage!

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

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YOUR CO-OP NEWS

We’re Taking Action for Safety loading and replacing of overloaded transformers.

• In 2021, we added an additional tree trimming and arborist crew to further enhance vegetation management efforts.

You are welcome to visit our new webpage for additional information on our efforts to reduce the risk that is posed by vegetation near power lines in our service territory.

It’s important for you to look around your property, as well and take advantage of resources that will help you reduce the risk of fire damage to your home and property.

One of those resources is the Wildfire Risk Viewer in the CO Forest Atlas, provided

[continued from page 5]

by the Colorado State Forest Service. This is a public web-mapping application that hosts numerous map layers to assess wildfire risk, such as the burn probability map pictured on page 5. The application also allows users to identify potential fire intensity within a half-mile radius of a home, or any other point of interest on the map. A risk level description and link to additional resources is provided for users wanting to know how to reduce their risk.

Visit gvp.org/Wildfire-Mitigation for this tool, GVP’s current vegetation practices, community resources and ways you can reduce fire risk to your home or business.

COMMENTS TO THE CEO

You are a member of a cooperative and your opinion does count. If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please let me know by writing to Ask the CEO, P.O. Box 190, Grand Junction, CO 81502, or send an email to me at twalch@gvp.org. Check out our website at gvp.org.

BOARD MEETING NOTICE

Grand Valley Power board meetings are open to the members, consumers and public.

Regularly scheduled board meetings are held at 9 a.m. on the third Wednesday of each month at the headquarters building located at 845 22 Road, Grand Junction, Colorado.

The monthly agenda is posted in the lobby of the headquarters building 10 days before each meeting, and posted on the GVP website.

If anyone desires to address the board of directors, please let us know in advance and you will be placed on the agenda.

GVP Awards $2,000 Electric Lineworker Scholarship

BY DANA POGAR

COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

G

rand Valley Power is proud to announce Coy Sears as this year’s recipient of the Western Colorado Community College Electric Lineworker Scholarship. This year, the co-op expanded the eligibility of the lineworker scholarship to allow any resident of Mesa County who is pursuing a career in the electric lineworker industry and attending WCCC to apply. This change caught the attention of many local students and GVP received the most applications the co-op’s scholarship program has ever seen. While there were many deserving applicants, Coy demonstrated strong leadership within the community and excelled in all scholarship grading requirements.

Coy graduated from Fruita Monument High School in December 2020. During his junior year of high school, Coy went to school full-time at WCCC where he became certified in emergency medical response. He was also an active member of the National

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

High School Rodeo Association and the Tri-County Rodeo Team for five years.

During his free time, Coy volunteered for the Grand Junction Fire Department where he learned many skills that will complement his career as an electric lineworker. Please join us in congratulating Coy on this achievement.

Since 1996, Grand Valley Power has

awarded over $230,000 to students who are continuing their education. The WCCC Electric Lineworker Scholarship is a $2,000 one-time award. For more information on Grand Valley Power’s scholarship program, visit gvp.org/scholarship-program.

WESTERN COLORADO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

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1

RECIPES

EAT YOUR VEGGIES! Pick your produce and make magic in the kitchen

BY AMY HIGGINS

WIN A COPY

Enter our August contest for your chance to win a copy of The Vegetable Butcher. Visit coloradocountrylife.coop and click on the Contests tab to find out how to enter.

| RECIPES@COLOR ADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

Your garden’s goodies are calling

B

y now, your garden is likely overflowing with delightful produce that is just waiting to be devoured.

If you need some inspiration before collecting your measuring cups, set your sights on The Vegetable Butcher by Cara Mangini. This award-winning cookbook has loads of recipes for most of the veggies in your garden and also features suggestions on how best to prepare to get the most from your harvest. This recipe is one of many that we recommend:

Marinated Basil and Garlic Peppers on Goat Cheese Tartines 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced into 1/8-inch-thick strips 1 poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced into 1/8-inch-thick strips 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves, finely sliced 6 large crostini 8 ounces fresh goat cheese or ricotta cheese Flaked sea salt 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over high heat.

Add the peppers and 1/4 teaspoon of the fine sea salt and cook, turning often, until the peppers have lost all firmness and started to blacken on the edges, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

SIMPLY PERFECT PEPPERS The peppers on these open-face sandwiches are better than anything you can pull out of a store-bought jar: Sweet and mildly spicy peppers are pan-roasted over high heat to make you think they’ve spent time on a grill.

Summertime Savories Fresh basil and a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar makes these Corn Fritters a healthy meal option that showcases tasty, ripe produce from your garden. Get this recipe and others at coloradocountrylife.coop.

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

Combine the vinegar, garlic, sugar, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and the black pepper in a large, wide-mouth jar. Add the warm peppers and stir them until they are fully coated with the vinegar mixture. Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes, then add the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil and half of the basil. Stir well, and let it stand for another 30 minutes. Serve immediately or, ideally, cover the jar and chill overnight for maximum flavor. You can store the peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Before assembling the crostini, bring the marinated peppers to room temperature. Spread the cheese atop the crostini, dividing it evenly, then top with a spoonful of peppers and the remaining basil ribbons. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt and the toasted pine nuts, if you wish.

Note: You can use another sweet pepper in place of the poblano pepper if you wish.

Excerpted from The Vegetable Butcher by Cara Mangini, photographs by Matthew Benson. Workman Publishing © 2016.

Advanced Technology Allows Macular Degeneration Patients To See Again And Allows Many Low Vision Patients To Drive Again While there is currently no cure, promising research is being done on many fronts. everything and anything possible to keep a person functioning,” says Dr. Stamm, “Even if it’s driving.”

A scene as it might be viewed by a person with age-related macular degeneration

For many patients with macular degeneration and other visionrelated conditions, the loss of central visual detail also signals the end to one of the last bastions of independence driving. Colorado optometrist, Dr. Robert Stamm is using miniaturized telescopes which are mounted in glasses to help people who have lost vision from macular degeneration and other eye conditions.

“Some of my patients consider me their last chance for people who have vision loss,” said Dr. Stamm, one of only a few doctors in the world who specializes in fitting bioptic

Same scene of rancher as viewed by a person without macular degeneration

telescopes to help those who have lost vision due to macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other eye diseases.

Imagine a pair of glasses that can improve your vision enough to change your life.

Bioptic telescopes may be the breakthrough in optical technology that will give you back your independence.

Patients with vision in the 20/200 range can many times be improved to 20/50.

Bioptic telescopes treat both dry and wet forms of macular degeneration as well as other vision limiting conditions.

bioptic telescope is that the lens automatically focuses on whatever you’re looking at,” said Dr. Stamm. “It’s like a self-focusing camera, but much more precise.”

For more information and to schedule an appointment today, call:

Robert Stamm, O.D. Low Vision Optometrist Member IALVS Offices Throughout South Dakota, Colorado and Nebraska

Toll Free:

(877) 393-0025

www.ColoradoLowVisionDoctor.com

Take a Spin On th e Western slope

BY SHAR ON SULL IVAN

BY SHARON SULLIVAN

F

ruita’s downtown historic district bustles with two thriving coffee shops, a couple of craft breweries and a popular pizzeria. Sidewalk cafes, a unique performing arts venue and an interesting independent bookstore that hosted numerous author events pre-pandemic all add to the town’s hip character, as do the large number of people on mountain bikes cruising through town on their way to or from the single- and

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

double-track trails on nearby public lands.

It’s a big change from the sleepy little western Colorado town where multiple empty storefronts were once the norm and an unpleasant odor from a now-defunct oil refinery permeated the air.

Since then, volunteer trail builders, intrepid entrepreneurs and the Fruita Fat Tire Festival have all contributed to transforming Fruita, surrounded by Grand Valley Power’s service territory, into a

mountain biking destination that rivals Moab, Utah.

Local mountain bikers were already exploring existing dirt roads on Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service property before a group of riders decided to make the trails official by adding signs and names to the unpaved roads.

Timms Fowler was a Grand Junction lawyer fresh out of college in 1986 when friends introduced him to mountain biking.

Following a ride on Moab’s renowned Slickrock and White Rim bike trails, Fowler proposed creating similar-type trails around Fruita, which was still suffering from the 1982 oil shale bust in nearby Grand Junction.

“I thought it would sure be cool to get that kind of activity here,” Fowler says.

He secured permission from the BLM and organized several like-minded volunteers to begin work in 1988 on what would become the Grand Valley’s first designated mountain bike trail. With stunning views of the Colorado River and Utah’s La Sal Mountains, the Kokopelli Trail extends 141 miles from Loma (a tiny town just west of Fruita) to Moab.

“It was a tight group of about eight people who were the spokes of the wheel that made the Kokopelli turn,” Fowler says.

The Kokopelli Trail was dedicated the following year near Moab at the historic wooden Dewey Bridge (which was destroyed in a 2008 fire). A busload of Hopi people from Arizona came to perform a dance and bestow a blessing for the new trail, named for a fertility deity revered by some Native American cultures. Fowler had told a friend of the Hopi that they chose the name because

COVER STORY it evoked the natural history and heritage of the Colorado Plateau. Approximately 100 people — mostly volunteer trail builders and BLM employees — attended the dedication.

Also, in 1989, Fowler and friends founded the nonprofit COPMOBA (Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association) to formalize the layout and planning of a system of trails throughout the Grand Valley, including through Grand Junction and Palisade.

The Tabeguache Trail — a 140-plusmile trail from Grand Junction to Montrose — was completed in 1991, starting at the Tabeguache Trail Network, also known as the “Lunch Loop” — a system of trails in the heart of Grand Junction off Monument Road near Colorado National Monument’s east entrance. While the Lunch Loop parking lot is often packed with vehicles, riders spread out comfortably on the various beginner, intermediate, and advanced trails. Though mountain bikers built the trails, 50% of the trail users are hikers, runners and dog-walkers, says Chris Muhr, who served as COPMOBA president from 1997 to 2002 and from 2005 to 2010.

Meanwhile, in Fruita, mountain bikers not wanting to ride the entire length of the Kokopelli were looping back to the trailhead via other existing dirt roads. “If you’re not going to loop the different trails, you cross the Salt Wash and head to Utah,” Fowler says.

COPMOBA volunteers decided it was time to sign and name those connecting trails, too.

Mary’s Loop, Lion’s Loop and the Troy Built Loop were all named for various supporters.

After turning several dirt roads into designated mountain bike trails, COPMOBA began building trails from scratch. In 1996, Horse Thief Bench became the first handbuilt trail that connected to Mary’s Loop and was the first to go through BLM environmental impact studies to protect paleo archaeological and biological resources, Muhr says. More trails followed, such as

“Once the North Fruita Desert became a legal riding area, Over the Edge became a sustainable business. It put Fruita on the map.”

— Rondo Buecheler Rustler’s Loop, a trail marked with 25 signs along the way giving tips on riding, trail etiquette, geology and plant life.

Fruita Fat Tire Festival All this trail construction happening around Fruita offered an incentive for Rondo Buecheler to purchase a boarded-up, run-down building at 202 E. Aspen, where he and his manager-turned-business-partner Troy Rarick opened Over the Edge Sports in 1996. The only other Fruita bike shop at the time had moved to Grand Junction a year or so earlier.

Buecheler recalls his father flying out from California to try and dissuade him from purchasing the building. Nevertheless, Buecheler, who retired in 2018 after 38 summers of guiding wooden dory river trips through the Grand Canyon, was a risk-taker, and so he bought the building.

Rarick, also an adventurer, remembers a struggling, depressed economy when he graduated from a Grand Junction high school in 1981.

“There were no opportunities for a young person but to leave,” he recalls. “So, I went away and walked the Continental Divide Trail.” When he returned to the Grand Valley after his six-month, 3,102 mile trek from Canada to Mexico, he inherited a mountain bike.

Rarick, 57, has a reputation of being a master marketer, and it was his idea to start the Fruita Fat Tire Festival to help promote the shop, the town and nearby trails. Rarick found sponsors for the event and, in May 1996 launched the first Fat Tire Festival in downtown Fruita. He says he expected perhaps 200 people would show up for that

first event, though it ended up being closer to 400. Attendance jumped to 1,500 by the second year.

The three-day festival includes demo rides on nearby trails and product expos from bike companies, food trucks and live music on blocked-off downtown city streets.

Though the 25th annual festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, Over the Edge’s current owners expect to relaunch the event in 2022.

North Fruita Desert A growing network of trails off 18 Road in an area known as the North Fruita Desert has also drawn the mountain biking crowd.

Riders associated with Over the Edge were creating unauthorized trails in the area, which caused friction with the BLM. Eventually the 18 Road riders recognized the benefits of partnering with the federal agency and COPMOBA and began developing trails and campsites that followed BLM guidelines.

“Once the North Fruita Desert became a legal riding area, Over the Edge became a sustainable business,” Buecheler says. “It put Fruita on the map.”

It didn’t take long for city officials to recognize the economic benefits that mountain bikers were bringing to the area. Fruita began partnering with COPMOBA and the BLM to help maintain trails, and the three entities collaborated on crafting a North Fruita Desert Master Plan, that calls for 30 miles of new trails, says city manager Mike Bennett.

“It’s hard to live and work in Fruita and not see the increase of visitors with bikes,” Bennett says. “Mountain bikers provide a high level of revenue to the area — money we use for core services.”

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

13

COVER STORY

Over the Edge Sports opened in 1996 and was the only bike shop in the area at the time.

Sales tax revenue soared to a new record in 2017, following a 91% decrease in revenue from the oil and gas industry between 2014 and 2016. Tax revenue increased again in 2018 and 2019. “It used to be, not that many years ago, that we’d see a jump in spring and fall in tax numbers, and now it’s steadying out — we’re staying busy all year,” Bennett says.

“Especially if we have a mild winter, people are coming all year long.”

Muhr says he talks to people all the time who want to move to the Grand Valley for the mountain biking. “When they see those trail resources — for mountain bikers, runners, hikers, dog-walkers — they realize the quality of life is a big enough draw, and they can accept less money [from an employer] than what they’d find in a larger city.”

Palisade Plunge Buecheler, 65, sold his share of Over the Edge to Rarick and opened Rapid Creek Cycles at the Grand Valley’s east end in Palisade with Scott Winans in 2007. “Scott and I shared a vision of Mesa Slopes and Grand Mesa being

LEARN MORE ONLINE

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

the next big thing, so we partnered up and created Rapid Creek Cycles,” Buecheler says.

The two men visualized the Palisade Plunge, a new, technical and grueling 32-mile mountain bike trail that begins on Grand Mesa and ends in Palisade.

In 2010, Rarick sold Over the Edge to former professional mountain bike racer Ross Schnell and the shop’s former bike mechanic, George Gatseos. While the shop continues to sell and maintain bikes, its main business is mountain bike rentals for people who want to try out the nearby trails.

The shop sells detailed maps of the area, plus employees are happy to give people advice on where and how to ride, Gatseos says.

A second Fruita bike shop, Colorado Backcountry Biker, opened in 2000, offering sales, maintenance, rentals and backcountry hut tours. And Canfield Bikes, a mountain bike manufacturer from Bellingham, Washington, moved to Fruita in 2020.

Despite arriving just before the pandemic hit Colorado, Canfield Bikes doubled its employees and experienced its busiest year ever in 2020, Bennett says.

Learn about how The Cycle Effect helps make riding available to young women who might not otherwise have access to the sport due to cost or trail access. Read the story at coloradocountrylife.coop.

The rise of mountain biking has created other spin-off businesses as well. Fruita native Dawn Cooper founded Boneshaker Adventures, a mentoring program based in Grand Junction that teaches mountain biking and other outdoor skills to kids in kindergarten through middle school.

The 37-year-old Cooper grew up on a sheep farm and says she never heard of mountain biking until she started working at Colorado Mesa University’s outdoor program. Schnell invited her to a ride on the Gunny Loop, which is part of the Lunch Loop trail system.

“I crashed so many times,” Cooper says.

Yet, two weeks later she signed up for a downhill race in New Mexico. “I loved it; I turned pro within a year.” She also joined the college cycling team. “The (Grand Valley) trails we were training and riding on are world-class,” she says. “Where we ride is incredible.”

In 2009, the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame — one of only two trail advocacy groups to ever be inducted, says Muhr, who traveled to receive the award in Las Vegas with another former COPMOBA president, Bill Harris.

Winans, who has served as COPMOBA president for the past 11 years, compares the nonprofit organization to an engine churning along in the background making things run. “It’s important to recognize that for the past 20 years COPMOBA has been moving this ball forward,” he says.

“Without COPMOBA the story of Fruita would be different.”

Freelance writer Sharon Sullivan is a fan of The Cycle Effect program for young girls that the biking community supports in Mesa, Summit and Eagle counties. Read more at coloradocountrylife.coop.

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FOCUS ON ADVENTURE

The Focus On section is a monthly spotlight on something special in our state. Have a fun suggestion for a feature?

Email info@coloradocountrylife.org.

VISIT OUR STATE PARKS

Agents of Discovery Colorado Parks & Wildlife partnered with a gaming app to make state parks more fun for kids this summer. Thirteen Colorado state parks offer kid-focused “missions” through Agents of Discovery, an educational mobile gaming platform, downloaded from the App Store or Google Play, that creates augmented reality trail missions.

Missions are free to play and, once downloaded, do not require Wi-Fi or a data connection.

State parks connected to the app: Barr Lake, Brighton Chatfield, Littleton

What kinds of “missions” are in the app?

There are a variety of things for kids to do using the Agents of Discovery app.

These include directions to follow on a prairie nature trail at Jackson Lake State Park in northeastern Colorado, lessons about wildlife at Cheyenne Mountain State Park, and tests of what you know about water at Ridgway and Mancos state parks.

There is also a scavenger hunt, information on the night sky, steps to becoming a junior ranger and more.

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado Springs Crawford, Crawford Eleven Mile, Lake George

Backpacks add to mission Colorado State Parks and local libraries also have backpacks filled with information and tools, such as binoculars, notebooks and magnifying glasses, to help young park visitors get to know the park. Libraries have waitlists for the backpacks, but the backpacks are also available at the parks.

Jackson Lake, Orchard Lake Pueblo, Pueblo Mancos, Mancos Ridgway, Ridgway St. Vrain, Firestone Staunton, Pine Steamboat Lake, Clark Trinidad Lake, Trinidad

To learn more about the “Check Out State Parks” Program, visit cpw.state.co.us/librarybackpack.

NEWS CLIPS

Love Electric Website Launches

Book Highlights Women’s Role in Electric Industry

Did you know there are more efficient and cleaner electric technologies and appliances available for heating our homes, providing hot water and cooking our food? These technologies offer improved comfort, cooking performance, health and safety and, often, reduced energy costs.

The Beneficial Electrification League of Colorado launched a new website this summer to help promote these efficient electric technologies to Colorado homeowners at loveelectric.org. The new website will educate homeowners on efficient electric heat pumps, heat pump water heaters and induction cooktops. It will also provide lists of rebates from utilities and local governments.

And it includes lists of qualified heat pump and heat pump water heater installers, all to help homeowners get better bids on their next heating or cooling and hot water system upgrades.

BEL-CO is a coalition of utility, government, environmental and energy efficiency organizations, including CREA, which represents Colorado’s electric cooperatives; Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association; the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project; the Colorado Energy Office; RMI; NTS Energy LLC; and the Energy Efficiency Business Coalition. BEL-CO’s mission is to achieve a higher level of market penetration of heat pumps, heat pump water heaters and other efficient electric technologies in homes and businesses across Colorado.

Women played an important role in electric utilities beginning in the early part of the 20th century and they are again becoming prominent leaders in today’s electric utilities. Author Steve Mitnick outlines their contributions in a new book, Women Leading Utilities: The Pioneers and Path to Today and Tomorrow, published by Public Utilities Fortnightly.

The book “dispels assumptions over the decades that women couldn’t perform rigorous mathematical or scientific analyses; lead core utility functions such as operations, engineering or corporate strategy, much less whole departments or companies,” said Mitnick, editor-in-chief at Public Utilities Fortnightly.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Jim Spiers, who worked with Mitnick on the book, said its publication is timely, given the greater attention on diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.

“By the end of my research I was writing a broad book, a history of a hundred extraordinary years, when women helped lead the utilities industry, to when they were largely forgotten, to when they emerged again as leaders alongside men,” Mitnick writes in the book’s foreword.

Women Leading Utilities is available at no charge on several formats, including PDF, Kindle, and on Public Utilities Fortnightly’s website, fortnightly.com.

Providing energy-efficient heating and cooling information, rebate guides, links to installers, answers to questions

For more information, visit loveelectric.org.

Co-ops Focus on Local Community The fourth co-op principle that guides Colorado’s electric cooperatives is “autonomy and independence.”

Every electric co-op in the country is an autonomous, democratic organization. Co-ops may work together and share information and concerns, but each co-op is controlled by its local consumers, who are also voting members. Decisions are made by the locally-elected board of directors, and those decisions affect those board members just like they affect the consumers who elected them.

Keeping things local helps each individual co-op meet the needs of its unique service territory.

Find all seven principles at crea.coop/our-mission/7-co-op-principles.

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

17

GARDENING

Fascinating Flowers in Fort Collins CSU’s Annual Flower Trial Garden is a must-see

BY VICKI SPENCER

MASTER GARDENER | GARDENING@COLOR ADOCOUNTRYLIFE .ORG

O

ver the years, I’ve learned there is a wealth of gardening resources just waiting to be discovered.

The Colorado State University Annual Flower Trial Garden is one of those gems. As children, my father told us about the university’s agricultural research as we watched acres and acres of experimental plots float by our car windows during frequent family outings. But I didn’t discover the Annual Flower Trial Garden until much later in life.

The main focus of the Annual Flower Trial Garden is annual flowers — those that live out their lives in one growing season. Annual flowers that grow well in other parts of the country may not perform well in Colorado due to our high altitude, intense sunlight, drying winds, severe hailstorms and fluctuations between day and night temperatures. The Trial Garden allows faculty and students to study how different plant cultivars perform in this environment. Each year, hundreds of different cultivars are grouped by genus, arranged by color and grown side by side.

This arrangement facilitates comparisons for researchers while providing a kaleidoscope of color for our enjoyment.

Previously, most plants were grown from seeds, but today the majority are propagated in nurseries from cuttings,

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

then are tended to in the university’s greenhouses before being moved outdoors.

Although some plant clones will grow bigger and faster than plants grown from seeds, the breeding process is still a lengthy one. It can take years for new varieties to be patented and make it to the market. Even though many trial plants aren’t immediately available to consumers, you can take photos and there are signs and brochures to help with identification for future purchases.

Last year’s Best of Show was awarded to the dahlia “Lubega Dark Velvet” from Benary+®. The strong contrast between its beautiful bicolor blooms and dark purple, velvety foliage was stunning. The Best Container winner was petunia “Bee’s Knees” with abundant two-tone yellow flowers from Ball FloraPlant®. The Best New Variety was Centaurea “Snowy Owl” from Terra Nova®. Its unique silvery foliage stands out on its own or provides interesting texture when combined with other plants.

Early this month, a team of horticulture students and faculty, representatives from private industries, public horticulturalists and advanced master gardeners will judge the plants. Judges will look for plant vigor, uniformity, floriferousness and

tolerance, as well as environmental and biotic stresses. Then a university advisory committee will re-evaluate the top-rated entries to select the 2021 winners.

Professor and extension landscape horticulturist James Klett urges everyone: “Come and visit the Colorado State University flower trials where you can observe over 1,100 varieties of annuals in bloom and about 300 new varieties of herbaceous perennials, plus over 1,000 different herbaceous perennials in the perennial demonstration garden. The gardens are open to the public free of charge during daylight hours.”

Since the Trial Garden in Fort Collins covers a large outdoor area, it is a safe place to wander during the pandemic.

Gardeners of all levels are invited to learn from professionals by registering for the Twilight Garden Series. To learn more, go to flowertrials.colostate.edu.

Gardener Vicki Spencer has an eclectic background in conservation, water, natural resources and more.

LEARN MORE ONLINE See last year’s winners at coloradocountrylife. coop. Click on Gardening under Living in Colorado.

OUTDOORS

Winning with Incessant Wind Big gusts bring a wealth of possibilities

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can remember very few times when fishing the Delaney Buttes Lakes in North Park that the boys and I haven’t been rained on, sunburnt, snowed on, hailed on or just plain blown off the water — sometimes all in the same day. Don’t even get me started on the mosquitos — clouds of them. They seem smaller than those we see down here in the flatlands, but what they lack in size they make up for in numbers, persistence and all-out blood-sucking viciousness. There must be billions of them up there. Literally.

I can deal with the blistering, high-altitude sun, the surprise snow squalls, afternoon rain showers and even the clouds of mosquitos, thanks to judicious applications of Jungle Juice and the miracle of portable mosquito repellers. But I cannot abide the wind. And North Park, lying as it does tight against the south-central border of Wyoming, is positively notorious for its winds. I’m not talking about summer zephyrs or gentle mountain breezes, either. I’m talking about the full-on, rock-your-camper, knock-you-off-your-feet kind of wind; the kind you have to lean into at a 30-degree angle just to remain erect. That kind. At times it seems like it never stops. It can be an abomination to fishermen.

Ironically, it can also be a blessing. Sagebrush lakes in the high intermountain valleys like North Park are incredibly fertile, due, in part at least, to all the nutrients leaching into them from cattle ranches in the surrounding area. An unimaginable volume of cow manure deposited over centuries of time from thousands of acres of ranch land eventually finds its way through the soil and into the lakes. All those nutrients support an enormous food factory of aquatic weeds, insects and crustaceans: chironomids, caddis flies, mayflies, damsel and dragonflies, snails, scuds, crayfish and who knows what else.

When those high winds blow across the Delaneys they force fishermen off the water but they also generate huge, crashing waves, churn the muddy bottom and agitate the insectladen weed beds, dislodging a smorgasbord of invertebrates, crustaceans and minnows.

Trout will begin to gather near the windward shore to feed on the sudden glut of food washed in by the wind and waves. You can catch some monster trout by casting your flies or lures to the outside edge of the mud line that forms. All you have to do is wait for the wind to die down. But this is North Park, where the wind almost never stops blowing, so you may have to wait a while.

Dennis Smith is a freelance outdoors writer and photographer whose work appears nationally. He lives in Loveland.

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

expressions CATEGORIES: • Hometown Pride • Awestruck • Pure Enjoyment • Nostalgia

2022 PHOTO CONTEST ENTER NOW

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READERS’ PHOTOS

WINNER: Mountain View Electric Association consumer-member Petrina Brown, SSG Ret., takes her copy of CCL to Six Flags in St. Louis, Missouri.

Take Your Photo with Your Magazine and Win! It’s easy to win with Colorado Country Life. Simply take a photo of someone (or a selfie!) with the magazine and email the photo and your name, address and your local co-op to info@coloradocountrylife. org. We’ll draw one photo to win $25 each month. The next deadline is Monday, August 16. Name, address and co-op must accompany photo. See all of the submitted photos on Facebook at facebook.com/ COCountryLife.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO

FUNNY STORIES My 7-year-old granddaughter,

Brinley, was rapidly telling me an elaborate story when I interrupted her to remark that she had a very good vocabulary. When she quizzically looked at me, I asked her if she knew what that meant. After she shook her head no, I explained to her that it meant she knew what a lot of words meant. She quickly replied, “Yeah, except vocabulary!”

Janet Heinz, Buena Vista Sangre de Cristo Electric Association consumer-member

My 5-year-old grandson, Luke, was

having a little difficulty adjusting to full-day kindergarten. I asked him, “What do you like the best about kindergarten?” Luke replied, “Leaving and going home.”

Mary Baisley, Niwot Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association consumer-member

Our grandson was learning to read

in school, so when he rode with me he tried to read the road signs. One sign said, “DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE.” He said, “My mother drinks and drives.” I asked him what she was drinking. He said, “Oh, she drinks coffee, water and pop.” I told him I thought the sign meant liquor. He sat very still and quiet for a while, then said, “Oh, yeah, those guys should never drink licorice and drive.”

Wanda Durbin, Peyton Mountain View Electric Association consumer-member

When my son was thinking of

colleges, we went to look at my alma mater.

In the campus library there was a wall of photos featuring successful alumni. I saw my son’s eyes start to glaze over as he looked at the pictures of successful alumni executives, educators and politicians until he recognized one and said, “Hey, isn’t that the guy from ‘Revenge of the Nerds?’” It was Bernie Casey, former football player turned actor who did indeed play U.N. Jefferson in “Revenge of the Nerds.”

Marty Anderson, Livermore Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association consumer-member

COLORADO’S ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES JUNIOR LIVESTOCK SALE Buyers must register in advance at coloradostatefair.com Aug. 31 at 3:30 p.m. | In person and online bidding available ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE COLORADO STATE FAIR where you’ll find endless fun, FREE things to do and something for every member of the family! The Colorado State Fair is back and happy to be your family’s favorite fair destination. Check out this year’s livestock show schedule and concert and rodeo lineup at coloradostatefair.com!

AUG 27~ SEPT 6 ColoradoStateFair.com

We pay $15 to each person who submits a funny story that’s printed in the magazine.

At the end of the year we will draw one name from those submitting funny stories and that person will receive $200. Send your 2021 stories to Colorado Country Life, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or email funnystories@coloradocountrylife.org. Don’t forget to include your mailing address, so we can send you a check.

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

21

DISCOVERIES

Ready Your Ride Colorado companies that better the biking experience Above: Photo courtesy of mountainFlow.

Go with the Flow

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If your bike needs a little lubrication, d i t c h t h a t p e t ro l e u m - b a s e d brand and get your hands on an eco-friendly option. Carbondale-based mountainFLOW makes plant-based bike products that help get your ride ready for whatever adventure you have planned. Its products are biodegradable, and the bottles are made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. Check them out at mountainflow.com. While you’re at it, be sure to check out their popular line of ski wax.

In Longmont, the folks from Polar Bottle are constructing reusable, Tri-Layer™ insulated and BPA-free sport water bottles. Polar Bottle’s roots go back to 1994, so it has an established reputation with bikers near and far.

The company’s newest editions include the Kid’s Insulated water bottle and the Breakaway® Muck Insulated water bottle with a protective valve to protect your bottle from accumulating dirt and lessen leakage. Choose from a variety of designs or customize your own look. For more information, visit polarbottle.com.

Stop the Splatter Need a handle on your beverage when biking? With its shock-absorbing properties and a sturdy clamp, the Denver-based HandleStash will hold your drink in place so you can keep your eyes on the road without worry. While the HandleStash was “designed to be the best cup holder ever for bikes,” the company reports that people are using it on all sorts of outdoor equipment including golf carts, wheelchairs, strollers and canoes.

Cost is $38. For more information, visit handlestash.com.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR AMAZING COLORADO-MADE PRODUCTS Do you know of a great Colorado-made product that others will love too?

Share it with us so we can share it with our readers on our Discoveries page.

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE AUGUST 2021

Send your product ideas to: Editor Mona Neeley, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org.

Include your name, address, electric co-op you are a member of and brief description of why you love the product.

ELECTRIFY + SAVE

UPGRADE TO ELECTRICITY AND SAVE Make the switch to cleaner electricity with more efficient household appliances and systems. From heat pumps to electric vehicles, these proven technologies can run your home cleanly, efficiently and cost-effectively.

HEATING & COOLING WITH HEAT PUMPS According to the U.S. Department of Energy, when paired with proper insulation, an electric heat pump can save over 30 percent on your heating and cooling bills compared to conventional HVAC systems.

POWER UP YOUR GARDENING TOOLS Electric garden tools can last longer and are emissions-free, meaning you’ll smell the scents of summer, not the smell of exhaust. Plus, with modern technology, they are just as effective as gas-powered alternatives. Just charge the battery and go!

SAVE WITH AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) Sales of light-duty electric vehicles rose by 43% in 2020. On average, EVs have a lower cost of operation over their lifespan, and buyers are taking notice.

VISIT US AT www.tristate.coop/BE

Tri-State is a not-for-profit power supplier to cooperatives and public power districts in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming.