Colorado Country Life November 2022 Mountain Parks

ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR BETTER BUILDINGS

Whether your home or business, the buildings you enter daily consist of several layers that create one building envelope, or shell. The envelope begins with the foundation in the ground and ends with the roof, and includes everything in between such as walls, windows and doors. To save energy and maintain comfort, an envelope should limit the transfer of heat in or out of the building. Improve your building envelope by applying weatherization best practices.

+ AIR SEAL CRACKS AND HOLES

Caulking and weatherstripping are cost-efficient air-sealing techniques that help maintain a comfortable temperature in your space. Air-seal gaps around windows, doors, electrical outlets, and other wall or ceiling penetrations to reduce drafts. Weatherstripping around the interior of door frames and window sashes will also limit drafts in these areas and improve the energy efficiency of your home.

+ ENSURE ADEQUATE INSULATION

One of the best ways to reduce your energy bills and increase the comfort of your home is by ensuring adequate and effective insulation in your home. The Department of Energy recommends that a home have 12 to 16 inches of attic insulation. However, not all insulation has the same effectiveness for energy efficiency, and as insulation ages that effectiveness declines. There are also several methods for insulation depending on where you live and the part of your home you are insulating (walls, crawlspace, attic, etc.) so it’s best to contact a local certified contractor. Check your local building codes for requirements.

+ RESEARCH INCOME-QUALIFED PROGRAMS

Some income-qualified programs provide air sealing and insulation, along with making sure your home is safe, if you have combustion appliances like a gas furnace or water heater. Certain programs even cover up to 80% of the median area income and provide these improvements at no cost to the homeowner and in many cases renters as well.

To learn more about income-qualified programs, rebates, and incentives for energy-efficient upgrades, contact your local co-op or  public power district. Visit us at www.tristate.coop/BE

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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 2022, Colorado Rural Electric Association. Call for reprint rights.

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.

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Colorado Rural Electric Assoc. posted: Thanks to former #FERC chairman Neil Chatterjee for sitting down with Colorado Rural Electric Assn. Executive Kent Singer to talk about the electricity industry and Neil’s time at FERC.

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posted: In honor of the

star Loretta Lynn, who passed away [this October], here’s a look back at her fan club

its Colorado roots in Wild Horse on the eastern

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“Mt. Garfield Under the First Snow” by Amanda Bizer, a Grand Valley Power consumer-member.

IRA Provides Direct Pay

Government provisions benefit co-op consumer-members

BY KENT SINGER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Colorado’s electric cooperatives are primarily distribution utilities that purchase electricity from whole sale providers and then resell the power to their end-use consumer-members. In other words, for the most part, your local electric cooperative does not own the large power plants and transmission lines needed to supply power. Instead, it purchases the majority of its bulk power from wholesalers and then distributes that electricity to indi vidual homes and businesses via its local co-op-owned distribution system.

In Colorado, with one exception, the electric co-ops either purchase power at wholesale rates from Tri-State G&T (also a co-op) or Public Service Company of Colorado (an investor-owned utility). The one exception is Delta-Montrose Electric Association, which buys power from a power marketing company.

This model of providing electricity services, sometimes referred to as “central station” power, has enabled Colorado elec tricity consumers to enjoy reliable and affordable electricity for decades. However, this traditional model is rapidly changing in Colorado and around the country.

With the recent emphasis on gener ating electricity from carbon-free resources, many co-ops are adding renewable energy from resources such as wind and solar. While the co-ops produce some of this renewable energy locally on their distribu tion systems, they primarily rely on their wholesale suppliers to acquire the large amounts of renewable energy needed to serve their consumer-members.

To that end, wholesale suppliers that are not for profit, such as Tri-State G&T, have usually relied on private developers to build the wind and solar facilities that are needed to provide the power. The private developers then own the wind and solar farms and sell the output of those facilities to the wholesale suppliers through power purchase agree ments or PPAs.

Since the developers are for-profit businesses, they have been able to take advantage of federal tax credits to help the business case for their projects. (By “busi ness case,” I mean profits.) Through federal laws intended to incentivize the develop ment of renewable energy projects, private developers have had an advantage over nonprofit utilities including generation and transmission associations.

However, with the recent enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), this is changing. One of the key provisions of the IRA is a so-called “direct pay” program that provides incentives to nonprofit compa nies (such as electric co-ops) to develop renewable energy facilities. Through the work of our national trade association, NRECA, a provision was included in the IRA that authorizes direct payments to electric co-ops that deploy non-carbon emitting power sources such as nuclear and renewable energy. It also authorizes these payments for battery storage and other new energy technologies.

With the adoption of the IRA, electric co-ops can now take advantage of financial incentives to own and operate renewable energy facilities instead of purchasing the output of those facilities from other entities.

Under the direct pay provisions of the IRA, electric co-ops are eligible for reim bursement of up to 25% of the total costs of any project. This is a true game-changer for electric co-ops that may have been on the fence about whether and when to move forward with a battery storage or other new energy technology project. Since co-ops are always looking out for their consum er-members’ interests, they only pursue projects that further their goal of providing reliable and affordable power.

While some may argue that the IRA is not good public policy and question whether it will in fact reduce inflation, it nevertheless provides support to elec tric co-ops and enables them to pursue advanced energy solutions in a way that limits the impacts on consumer-members. Since Colorado policymakers have already determined that significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector are necessary, this federal legislation will help Colorado’s electric co-ops more affordably make this energy transition.

Colorado’s electric co-ops are rapidly deploying new technologies and infrastruc ture that will enable the energy transition that will take place over the next eight years. The direct pay provisions of the IRA will help co-ops do this important work.

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

KENT SINGER

BY MONA NEELEY EDITOR

Thank you to all the readers who shared their pumpkin pie recipes with us for this month’s Recipes page. We enjoyed every one of them and selecting a winner was a challenge.

MONA NEELEY

It should be noted that I did NOT participate in baking any of the submitted recipes. I don’t have a good track record with pumpkin pies (well, with the one pumpkin pie I tried).

My mom made pumpkin pies when I was growing up. We grew pumpkins, so her pies were made from scratch, not from canned puree. And they were always delicious.

So, my first year off at college, I decided I would make a pumpkin pie with a small jack o’ lantern left over from Halloween. I cut it up, peeled it and cooked the pumpkin down to create a puree. I stirred in the eggs, spices and other ingredients and poured it into the pie shell I’d already baked.

In the oven it went to bake…and bake…and bake. It never set up. It never got past pumpkin soup. I’m not sure what I did wrong, but I learned that baking pumpkin pies is not my thing.

I’m thinking my luck may change with the recipe on page 12.

Know Your Noxious Weeds

It was interesting to see “common mullein” in the photo of the Gardens of Spring Creek in Fort Collins. (Gardening August ’22) They are a List C species on the Colorado Noxious Weed List. They can produce over 250,000 seeds per plant.

Donn Hume, Monument Mountain View Electric consumer-member

EDITOR’S NOTE: According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture, local governments may decide whether to require management of List C weed species. The goal with List C weeds is not to stop the continued spread, but to provide additional education, research and biological control resources to those jurisdictions that do choose to require management.

Problems with EVs

Two full pages in the last issue praising electric vehicles. There’s not enough infrastructure nor generating capabilities to charge Gov. Jared Polis’ EVs and supply people’s daily needs. People are realizing it takes three plus hours to charge an EV. Think of every community plugging in their EVs every evening. It would take a completely new grid of electric transmission to handle that along with new service panels in every home.

Our entire supply system is by semi-truck that cannot be replaced with electric vehi cles for long hauls.

Vincent Mautina, Black Forest Mountain View Electric consumer-member

Working with Wind Power

Regarding wind turbines and their blades, I read that in Europe they paint one of the three blades black. Then birds can “see” the blades and avoid them, reducing injuries and worse. Wind power is important; it would be good to pursue ways for them to co-exist within our ecosystems.

Rebecca Yarbrough, Walsenburg San Isabel Electric consumer-member

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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.

HOLIDAY EFFICIENCY TIPS

Reducing the financial burden of a festive holiday season

BY MIRANDA BOUTELLE

The holidays are a magical time, but it’s also the most expensive time of year for many of us. Along with the expense of gifts, meals, and travel comes

and darker nights that lead to more electricity use and higher bills.

You can reduce the financial burden of the most wonderful time of the year by implementing efficiency tips to use less energy at home and lower your monthly bills.

Cooking efficiency

Whether you are making holiday treats or a feast, here are a few tips to help lower energy use in the kitchen:

Use the oven light to check food. Every time the oven door is opened, the tempera ture inside is reduced by up to 25 degrees, according to the Department of Energy. When possible, make use of a slow cooker, microwave oven, toaster oven or warming plate, which use less energy than a conven tional oven and stovetop. According to the DOE, a toaster oven can use up to half the energy of the average electric stove over the same cooking time.

Let hot food cool to room temperature before placing it inside the refrigerator. This ensures that you don’t increase the temperature inside your refrigerator and cause it to use more energy to cool down. You can also take some of the stress and expense out of your holiday cooking by asking guests to bring a dish.

Most gatherings happen in the center of the home, so save energy by turning the ther mostat down in areas you are not using.

Holiday lighting

This year, make the switch to LEDs for all your holiday lighting:

• LED holiday lights consume 70% less energy than conventional incan descent light strands. For example, it costs 27 cents to light a 6-foot tree for 12 hours a day for 40 days with LEDs compared to $10 for incandes cent lights.

• Pick up a few light timers so you don’t have to remember to unplug your lights every evening. You can also choose to upgrade to smart holiday lights that offer a wide range of app-controlled options, including time, colors, music and modes.

Lower your energy bills this holiday season with these simple efficiency tips.

Happy Holidays!

Miranda Boutelle, the director of operations and customer engagement at Efficiency Services Group in Oregon, writes on energy-efficiency topics for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

LEARN MORE ONLINE

For tips for more holiday efficiency tips, visit coloradocountrylife.coop and click on Energy Tips under the Energy Efficiency tab.

THE DAY OUR COMMUNITIES CAME TOGETHER

BY MARK JOHNSTON GENERAL MANAGER

November 30 marks the two-year anniversary of the “official” end of the East Troublesome Fire. It ignited on October 14, 2020, and destroyed more than 193,000 acres in the 47 days the fire burned. Government officials may have declared the fire over, but the work for communities, businesses and homeowners is still ongoing even now, two years later. The work continues for those rebuilding their lives and homes. The quote above is from a Mountain Parks Electric employee’s personal experience. For more reflections on the ongoing aftermath of the fire, read the article on the next page.

This tragic natural disaster caused damage, but it also brought out the best in us. While the fire was still burning, many opened their homes to provide a safe place for relatives, friends and strangers. Others donated clothing to those who lost every thing and were forced to flee their homes at a moment’s notice. Many also reached into their pockets giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide temporary housing, basic necessities and food. It would be understandable if outside support dwindled in the days and weeks that followed, but it did not. Why? Because our communities know and care about each other.

Wouldn’t it be great if this were the only disaster? We all know it was not. Several other Colorado communities experienced similar fires, such as the Marshall Fire. And unfortunately, natural disasters are not just a Colorado thing. In 2021, the United States experienced 21 hurricanes, and 2022 looks to be close behind with 18 estimated to make landfall. With each natural disaster, electric cooperatives like MPE mobilize to help communities affected by these storms. It is all about people helping people get the lights back on. That is what happened with the East Troublesome Fire. Eleven coop eratives from across Colorado pledged assistance with equipment and lineworkers to help restore power locally.

The problem with recent hurricanes, like Ian, is that current global supply chain issues increase the cost of everything. And lead times of equipment has also increased; it is more difficult to reestablish a basic service like electricity to those affected. Of course, these rising costs are not just related to electricity. Shannon Holzwarth, ACCT 947010784

Rising costs and supply chain shortages are hitting rural, low-income households hard. On average, families across the country are paying $350 to $400 more per

month for the same items they bought this time last year. According to the Associated Press, inflation has increased at the fastest pace in more than 40 years. Low-income households that were already struggling are beyond treading water trying to maintain their quality of life. Food pantry visits have increased 40% when comparing 2021 and 2022, while housing assistance (rent and utilities) registered increases of 30%.

Rural America is about providing a helping hand to our neighbors. This holiday season, if you want to give back, two organizations are doing valuable work: Granby-based Mountain Family Center or the Red Cross.

To help those struggling in Grand and Jackson counties, visit mountainfamily center.org/donate/. To help those affected by Hurricane Ian, visit redcross.org/donate/ donation.html/.

This season isn’t all about natural disas ters. It is about neighbors helping neighbors.

We wish you and your family a safe, peaceful and happy Thanksgiving.

MARK JOHNSTON

“To this day, our daughter is still nervous about fireworks and bonfires, regardless of location — from the beach in Oregon to our fire pit in the yard. She wants nothing to do with them.”

—Grand Lake resident

YEARS AFTER THE FIRE

Each quarter, Mountain Parks Electric posts a new online survey (mpei.com/online-survey) where you can ask questions, leave feedback and be automatically entered into a drawing for a $100 bill credit. Chris Michalowski, MPE’s power use advisor, follows up on a few survey questions below:

“Glad you have peak and non-peak billing. We have an electric car we charge after 10 p.m.”

MPE’s whole house time-of-use rate is ideal for those who want greater control over their energy costs. When members shift their energy usage outside the hours of 5-10 p.m., MPE saves money on wholesale power costs and passes those savings on to members. It makes driving an EV even more affordable because you are fueling with discounted energy. If you’re interested in switching to the time-of-use rate, please call our customer service department at 970-887-3378.

“Offer grants or assist with solar.”

MPE’s Clean Power Program offers a rebate of $1,000 for memberowned renewable systems. The money for the program comes from voluntary contributions from MPE members. For a minimum of $1 a month added to your electric bill, you can contribute to the program that has supported more than 1 megawatt worth of local renewable energy. Rene Bollier, ACCT 1030412

“Support the development and installation of EV charging stations in Grand County as well as support for personal residence installations.” By taking advantage of MPE’s Electrify Everything program, the towns of Grand Lake and Fraser installed publicly available DC fast chargers. The Electrify Everything program provides financial assistance for commercial EV charging stations. MPE also offers rebates of up to $500 for residential EV chargers and installation. Terms and conditions apply. Byron Fry, ACCT 502490200

Got more questions? Email cmichalowski@mpei.com.

BY LINDSAY MCCANN MEMBER SERVICE SPECIALIST

• For quicker stovetop cooking (and to use less energy), keep a lid on your pots and pans.

• For oven use, glass or ceramic pans heat faster than metal pans. Glass pans also tend to bake things more evenly than metal pans.

• For small meals or when re-heating leftovers, use toaster ovens, slow cookers and microwave ovens.

1. Cut butter into small cubes before adding it to your flour.

2. Mix butter and flour until a fine, sand-like consistency is achieved. Over-mixing will make a tough crust.

3. Add one tablespoon of water at a time and mix only until all ingredients begin sticking together to form a ball.

4. Chill dough in the refrigerator prior to rolling it out.

5. Place a ring of tin foil over the edge of your crust. This helps prevent it from being overdone. Remove the tin foil when there’s 10 to 12 minutes left to bake.

Summer Hours: June–November,

Winter Hours: December–May,

7 a.m.–3 p.m.

Pumpkin Pie Squares

For the crust:

1 cup flour, sifted

1 / 2 cup brown sugar

1 / 2 cup quick oatmeal

1 / 2 cup butter

For the filling:

2 cups pumpkin

1 ( 12 ounce) can evaporated milk

2 eggs

3 /4 cup sugar

1 /8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 / 2 teaspoon ginger

1 /4 teaspoon cloves

For the topping:

1 / 2 cup chopped pecans

1 / 2 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

Instructions:

To make the crust:

Mix all crust ingredients with fork until crumbly. Press mixture into buttered 13-by-9-inch cake pan and bake in 350-degree oven for 15 minutes.

To make the filling:

Combine filling ingredients and beat well. Pour on top of crust and bake in 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.

To make the topping:

Mix together topping ingredients with fork until crumbly. Sprinkle topping mixture over pumpkin and bake in 325-degree oven for 20 minutes, making sure middle is set. Serve with whipped cream.

PRIZE-WINNING PUMPKIN PIE

Introducing our favorite contest recipe submission

BY AMY HIGGINS | RECIPES@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

People have preferences when it comes to pumpkin pie — many crave creamy, some want a little crunch, and others would rather slide their slice to the side. (If you’re the latter, don’t fret. There are loads of various pie recipes at coloradocountrylife.coop/recipes. Just search for “pie.”) Colorado Country Life invited readers to submit their best pumpkin pie recipes and received some stellar submissions, but Ramona Phipps of Sterling gets the crown. The Highline

FREE RECIPES

Download for free! To get more pumpkin pie recipes submitted by CCL readers, visit coloradocountrylife.coop/ pumpkinrecipes.

Electric Association consumer-member presented CCL with her Pumpkin Pie Squares recipe and we gobbled them up. These gems offer a heavenly combination of crunchy and creamy and are sure to be a showstopper at your Thanksgiving feast.

If you’re looking for another great dessert to enjoy this Thanksgiving, try Kristie Salvador’s Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust Get the recipe at coloradocountrylife.coop.

Learn About Innovations in Energy

What’s ahead for the electric industry as it transitions from traditional fuels to generate electricity? What’s going to replace coal and gas? How is the grid going to change? What’s happening with electric vehicles? Is hydrogen a possible future fuel source?

The day-long CREA Energy Innovations Summit focuses on the challenges facing today’s electric industry and possible solu tions. From 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, November 7, Summit attendees will listen to myriad speakers and panels talk through the future of the electric industry at the Westin Westminster Hotel.

Registration is open at crea.coop to anyone interested in today’s electric industry.

Among the many professionals who will share their expertise is Rob Chapman,

senior vice president of energy delivery and customer solutions at the Electric Power Research Institute. He will discuss what is needed to enable reliability and resiliency in a net-zero energy economy during the lunch hour.

Experts from General Atomics, Forge Nano, Think Microgrid, the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, the Geothermal Exchange Organization and several electric co-ops and other utilities will share technologies, research and more. During the morning and afternoon sessions, others will discuss electric vehicle develop ments, microgrids, hydrogen, battery storage, geothermal energy, small modular reactors and more.

A variety of vendors will also share inno vative products between sessions.

Co-op Leader Appointed to DOE Advisory Group

Louis Finkel, senior vice president of government relations for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, was appointed to the Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee by Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm in September.

The committee “will provide significant value to the DOE in helping define a strategy on long-range planning and priorities for the modernization of the nation’s electricity delivery infrastructure,” Granholm said.

Electric co-ops will have a part in defining that strategy through Finkel and NRECA. NRECA is the national trade association for 900 electric distribution and transmission cooperatives across the country.

REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT TODAY!

Summer’s Heat Drives Up Electricity Use

A scorching summer and more economic activity caused a big jump in electricity consumption across the U.S., according to the Energy Information Administration. And that was before the late August heat wave pushed consumption even higher.

In its August 2022 Short-Term Energy Outlook, EIA predicted electricity consumption to rise by 2.4% this year over 2021. However, sales are expected to decline by 0.3% in 2023, according to the forecast.

Higher consumption of natural gas is helping meet this year’s higher demand for electricity. The U.S. consumed more natural gas this summer than the previous five-year average, the report said.

Colorado Adds EV Corridors

An eight-state collective made up of Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico is working to build electric-vehicle-friendly corri dors through the idyllic landscapes of the Mountain West.

The plan for electric vehicle corridors throughout the Mountain West, known as ChargeWest, was put in motion around seven years ago when politicians and envi ronmental activists came together with a vision of working together to ensure charging capabilities for residents and visitors traveling through states.

“The Intermountain West is becoming one of the most visited places in the United States,” said Tammie Bostick, ChargeWest project lead. “We want the modern traveler to experience the same highways and byways of our Western heritage with today's new elec tric fuel horsepower.”

The ChargeWest project is only adding to what is already a growing network of electric vehicle corridors throughout the U.S. According to the ChargeWest website, there are currently 1,559 charging stations in Colorado.

Sign Up for Newsletter on Co-op Innovation

Interested in what new projects, studies and products Colorado’s electric co-ops are working on as they transition with today’s evolving energy industry? Visit crea.coop/ newsletter-signup/ to sign up for CREA’s Energy Innovations Newsletter.

Each month, you’ll receive a digital newsletter focused on the various programs and products being utilized and developed at local electric co-ops. You’ll learn about the latest solar farms, new EV charging stations, what’s happening with battery storage, how co-ops are becoming more efficient and how co-ops in Colorado are moving to using more renewable energy.

Co-op Works Together

When Hurricane Ian Hits

Thousands of electric co-op consum er-members in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, as well as co-op employees, were affected by Hurricane Ian, which wreaked havoc in the southeast in late September.

Crews from electric co-ops in other states were already on standby before the storm hit. They immediately went to work restoring elec tricity as soon as Ian passed. While the areas hit by the hurricane still have a long way to go before life returns to normal, 1,300 co-op line workers and support personnel from 11 states were part of the initial restoration efforts.

Within a week of the devastation, one co-op that had 50,000 consumer-members without power had 90% of its meters back up.

WORRIED ABOUT RISING ENERGY COSTS?

Energy Outreach Colorado has programs to help pay past due energy bills and lower your yearly energy costs. Visit energyoutreach.org/programs or call 1-8 866-432-8435 to get help today.

The co-op in the hard-hit Fort Myers, Florida, area lost power to 99% of its 219,000 members. Over 40% of that power was restored within five days, thanks to personnel from other co-ops.

The Florida Electric Cooperative Association, which represents 17 of the state’s co-ops, has established a fund to help co-op employees who are among those who must replace and repair their homes and prop erty after the storm. Many of these co-op employees worked 16-hour days to help their co-ops restore service while having no homes to go home to themselves.

Donations can be sent to FECA Disaster Relief Fund, 2916 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee, FL 32301, attention Jeff Banka.

STORIES OF SURVIVAL & Other Colorado Books

BOOK REVIEWS

REVIEWED BY JENNIFER NELSON

Amazing stories of survival, grit and determination lead this year’s list of favorite books reviewed for you by Colorado Country Life.

Books featured include true stories of fleeing Vietnam as a refugee, the

determination to have a child way before in vitro fertilization was common, the grit to work through PTSD using martial arts and a journey to find mental and spiritual wellbeing for a family. And there’s more.

The list also includes light-hearted, easy

stories, historical novels, dark mysteries, an apocalyptic fantasy, biographies and more — all with a Colorado connection. You’ll also find expanded reviews of the books on these pages and reviews of additional books online at coloradocountrylife.coop.

Soles of a Survivor

By Nhi Aronheim

This true story by Nhi Aronheim is one of survival, pure determination and grit. At age 5, she went into the Vietnamese markets to sell goods so her family could have a little food. Her small home featured a hole in the floor over a river as the toilet, and her family was in constant fear of the frequent raids by government officials who took what little Nhi’s family had accumulated.

In desperation for a better life, Nhi’s mother sent 12-year-old Nhi with a group of adults she did not know through a treacherous jungle to escape Vietnam. Her harrowing journey continued in Thailand, before she eventually made it to the United States as a refugee. Each step of the way was fraught with trials.

Once in the U.S., life was better but still not what Nhi’s mother had hoped for her child. Nhi wondered if she would ever have the life she dreamed.

Now, many years later, Nhi, a Mountain Parks Electric consumer-member with a home in Winter Park, chronicles her incred ible story and how she is finally in a place she only imagined in her dreams so long ago. She shares the depths of her soul as she recounts her life, her loves, her losses and the many lessons she learned along the way.

Unstoppable

By Ellen Weir Casey

The mother of Colorado’s first test tube baby had no idea her agonizing fouryear infertility journey would lead to such a momentous result. She was determined that she and her husband would have a child. But Ellen Weir Casey never imagined that her daughter would be born after in vitro fertilization.

In 1982, she had only heard of three other women in the world who had given birth following IVF. The new technology was virtually unpublished, and it was also still a time when infertility was a silent burden.

Unstoppable is the story of a young woman who finds herself in unprece dented territory but who is unwilling to stop at the roadblocks she encounters. Both about science and unbending courage, this memoir is a must read for those expe riencing infertility (and their extended families) but also for anyone interested in the incredible scientific advances and the bravery of a woman in crisis.

The Reluctant Ninja

By Cheryl L. Ilov

By her mid-40s, Cheryl L. Ilovis a seasoned athlete, well-versed in ballet dance, and a capable physical ther apist. But aspects of her personal life are a struggle after a traumatic event triggers PTSD and threatens to ruin her life.

Her longtime acupuncturist keeps mentioning martial arts and how it has transformed his life and many others. But Cheryl ignores his pleas to give it a try — why would she ever want to learn how to fight someone? She prefers the strong but graceful movements of ballet.

But as her PTSD worsens and her attempts to combat it fail, Cheryl gives in and views a class. She is horrified but she returns.

In this remarkable true story, Cheryl offers an incredible look into the world of martial arts, from her first moments on the mat at her Colorado dojo, through struggle and triumph, fear and perseverance, to her retirement from her formal training at age 61.

Uphill Both Ways: Hiking Toward Happiness on the Colorado Trail

By Andrea Lani

Andrea Lani’s life in Maine started to feel unbearable. She wakes every morning hurrying to get the kids off to school, rushing to her uninspiring job, coming home to wrangle the kids to do homework, go to activities and get to bed—then she does it all over again while living in a locale that was far from her beloved Rockies.

Her mantra becomes “I hate my life,” and she knows something needs to change. So, she does what all mothers in her situa tion would do, right? She decides to take her family on a nearly 500-mile backpacking trip through the Colorado wilderness.

In Uphill Both Ways, Andrea uses her memoir to bring the reader on a nearly day-by-day journey of not only the phys ical aspect of her family’s trip, but also her emotional, mental and spiritual journey. Andrea weaves the experience with her memories of her and her husband’s first journey down the trail 20 years prior as well as interesting history of the area, trail information and the practicalities of how one hikes with teenage boys having only the items on their backs.

MYSTERIES Angels in the Wind

By Manuel Ramos

When 17-year-old Matias Montoya goes missing from his eastern Colorado hometown, private inves tigator Gus Corral knows he needs to help look for his cousin. Mat has disappeared temporarily in the past when he needed to get out of town, but he was never gone this long. So, ignoring the lingering effects of his own recent head injury from a private investi gator case gone wrong, Gus leaves Denver

in hopes of not only finding Mat but also resetting his own life. But Gus’ troubled past and the small-town preference for privacy leave Gus wondering if he’ll ever find Mat.

Could the disappearance be connected with a disagreement with his own father, a run-in with the local con man, racial divides in the town or even a devastating breakup with a girlfriend? Or perhaps something even more troubling?

Become immersed in Gus’ detective work woven into an intriguing mystery by award-winning Denverite Manuel Ramos, who keeps the Mile High Noir series alive in this newest installment, Angels in the Wind

Canyonlands Carnage

By Scott Graham

Archaeologist Chuck Bender never imag ined he’d have to deal with a possible murderer when he signed up for a white water rafting expedi tion. It had been years since he traversed any rapids — and he hated to leave his new family — but the pull of the water and excitement of the ride convinced him. Plus, he and his brother-in-law, Clarence Ortega, hope to further talks among politicians, business people and field experts regarding the use of the ever-dwindling water in the Southwest.

The group in eight boats enjoy the scenery and adventures of the river until things began to go wrong only three days into the trip when there is a murder.

With six previous national park mysteries under his belt, Durango author Scott Graham knocks another one out of the park with this captivating tale that weaves a fictional plot with the real conflicts over water allocation.

Red Rabbit on the Run

By Jodi Bowersox

Tiffany Morrow knew what was real and what was only a hideous figment of her imag ination — at least she thought she could decipher that now. After what was an unimaginably terrifying expe rience in the Amazon jungle when she was not on her medications, Tiffany found a way to cope with the glowing demon horses in her mind. Just as important, though, she also managed to remember significant information she had discovered before she was kidnapped for sex trafficking. Now the problem is knowing who to trust — if anyone.

From one moment to the next, Red Rabbit on the Run is full of nonstop action, a good dose of romance, and unforesee able plot twists. This is the third book in the Anonymous Series by Colorado Springs author Jodi Bowersox.

Death Can Be Habit-Forming

By Sheri Cobb South

John Pickett’s adver tisement for his private inquiry business has gone unanswered for many weeks now, so he accepts the best work he can at the only place that will hire him: an importing firm where he is a junior clerk. But when his wife Julia shows up with a potential client, John quits on the spot.

The client wants John to investigate an opium rehab center and extract a young woman who is supposedly being held against her will. But that’s just the beginning.

The John Pickett Mystery series, which is set in the Regency era in England, is an edge-of-your-seat who-done-it written by Loveland resident Sheri Cobb South.

Murder at Buckskin Joe

By J.v.L Bell

Life in 1865 Colorado Territory is certainly not easy but Millie would surely choose her simple, quiet cabin over the crude and rambunctious mining town known as Buckskin Joe. It seems ever since she and her family left Idaho Springs to help her husband’s supposedly innocent uncle clear his name, trouble has followed them.

This engaging story has everything — mystery, suspense, humor, romance, duels to the death, a trained bear who plays tricks on locals, plenty of well-researched Colorado mining history — to keep the pages turning.

FICTION The Mark

By Leah Lee

Taking the mark on the back of the hand seemed like a no-brainer for most people in order to receive protection and provisions from the new global leader and his government. Yet a group of people felt the mark is not right, demonic in fact, and refuse the symbol and, with it, the security of the government and leader. Labeled the “unmarked,” they become outcasts and, as tensions grow, begin to be hunted by the one the group called the AntiChrist.

A dramatic apocalyptic fantasy, Leah Lee’s The Mark is a must-read for those fasci nated by end-times theories. Woven around a small remnant of unmarked Christians, this novel by a Colorado-based author brings to life characters and the dilemmas that occur when faced with such life-threat ening situations.

Little Souls

By Sandra Dallas

The setting of Colorado in 1918 seems eerily similar to 2020.

Churches and restau rants are closed, public gatherings are prohibited and people are dying from a deadly epidemic — the Spanish influenza. In Colorado author Sandra Dallas’ latest work of fiction, she creates a touching story of two sisters struggling to survive during such a difficult period in history.

Lutie is an advertising designer at a Denver women’s store whose fiancé has gone overseas to serve in WWI. Helen is a nurse who encounters the worst of the flu victims every day. The sisters support each other during such a fearful time, but it becomes increasingly difficult as the epidemic continues and people literally drop dead on their neighborhood streets.

This heart-wrenching tale is a saga not to be missed and lives up to Dallas’ previous award-winning works. She was recently inducted into the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame, and lives in Denver and Georgetown.

Love You, Love Your Hair, Hope You Win

By Valerie Abney

The fictional West Highland Place is the kind of street that is not just a place to live but a true community of people who care about each other. “A funky old neighborhood just northwest of downtown Denver,” writes the larger-than-life central character Harry, who moved there in the late 1970s and has cherished every moment.

Written as a collection of his memories, the stories tell Harry’s and his neighbor’s stories, describing the special time and place and the people. Through the good, the bad,

the ugly, the differences, the similarities — it all is woven together to create a one-of-akind place.

A surprising piece of fiction that works itself into your heart, Love You, Love Your Hair, Hope You Win walks a beautiful line between the imaginative and the historical.

Author Valerie Abney acknowledges that “there was a neighborhood; there was an amazing man…the names, careers, back grounds have been changed but not the love.”

Denver Noir

Edited by Cynthia Swanson

In the newest edition of a long-standing, award-winning anthology series, editor Cynthia Swanson oversees a collection of Mile High tales written in the traditional dark, bleak style of the noir genre. Each short story is set within Denver and provides a unique contrast of shady crime with its mature themes and language imposed against such an incredible backdrop.

The collection is divided into three parts, beginning with The Longest, Wickedest Street, a nod to Playboy’s description of Colfax Avenue and its 26 latitudinal miles that stretch from Aurora to Golden. Part two, titled 5,280’, delves deeper into the underside of the city and part three — Things to Do in Denver When You’re Young — ventures into coming-of-age noir.

Woman of Light

By Kali Fajardo-Anstine

Luz “Little Light” Lopez appears to be a typical Chicano woman struggling to make her way in a harsh 1930s Denver, which is not particularly sympathetic to women or anyone other than the Anglo elite. While Luz works as a common laundress with her cousin Lizette and lives with her brother

Diego and aunt Maria Josie, she also has an incredible and unique gift as a tea reader, using her visions to show others their path.

When Luz’s brother Diego — a snake charmer — is injured and further threatened by a white mob, he is forced to leave town, making his fami ly’s day-to-day existence even more dire. Amidst this chaos, Luz’s visions grow more personal, unearthing stories of her Indigenous family’s past, all the way back to the Lost Territory. Struggling with her own drama of love, secrets, finances and even hunger, she wrestles with a way to under stand the treasured story of her ancestors that seems to be taking shape.

Originally from Denver, author Kali Fajardo-Anstine has been honored with the Denver Mayor’s Global Impact Award for Excellence in Arts & Culture.

Upgrade

By Blake Crouch

Logan Ramsay’s day began like so many others: He kisses his wife and daughter goodbye and hops on the hyper loop to travel from D.C. to his next assign ment. Today, he is in Denver with the Gene Protection Agency, apprehending a suspect and carrying out a raid on another unautho rized and therefore illegal biogenetics lab. It all seemed routine, until it isn’t.

In a thrilling, tense tale that is part sci-fi and part dystopian future, New York Times bestselling author Blake Crouch offers another fast-paced novel that delves into what makes the heart of humanity tick.

Any Other Family

By Eleanor Brown

The explanation of how this family came to be is not simple. It’s unique, it’s complex and it’s beautiful — and full of challenges. Especially when you bring the three adoptive families — linked forever through their children’s biological parents — together in Aspen for their first, two-week family vacation.

Planned by the ever-organized and Pinterest-perfect mom Tabitha, the trip is meant as a way for the family to create that large, close-knit group she has always longed for. Of course, single-mom Ginger, who appreciates her own space, is skep tical that anything good will come from two weeks together. And Elizabeth, mom of baby Violet, is simply exhausted and so weary of feeling less-than in nearly every way possible. But the women know their children need this time with their biological siblings, so reluctantly they arrive in Aspen to a beautiful vacation home and brace for the time together.

New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Brown, a Coloradan and adoptive mother, weaves this heartwarming tale that can speak to all families as it approaches issues that are common regardless of a fami ly’s origin.

Wookie Is Not His Real Name

By Laura Lieff

When Brian Fleming, known as Wookie by most people, had his season pass taken away by Vail Resorts in March 2014 for organizing an unauthorized event on Forest Service Land, the community rallied around him and sent him lift tickets so he could continue to snowboard. This

outpouring of love spurred Wookie’s part ner-in-everything, Laura Lieff, to begin writing his biography with much help from family and friends who knew the various aspects of the real Wookie.

Follow Wookie’s life journey, his ups and downs, his good moments and bad, his perseverance and his love for others in this unique look at his life. It is a wonderful story of a local kid who became a legend and who continues to impact everyone he meets.

NONFICTION Rise

By Lindsey Vonn

The dream of a 9-year-old girl may often seem lofty and just that — a dream. But when Lindsey Vonn told her dad she wanted to ski in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, he didn’t brush her off or laugh. Instead he saw her sincerity, believed in her talent and created a strategic plan for the next eight years of her skiing career.

Although it wasn’t always an easy path, she became a legend and impacted the sport in myriad ways. In her fascinating memoir, Lindsey chronicles her strategies, her triumphs and her inner life from its beginnings in Minnesota to her 2019 retirement with the title of Most Decorated Female Skier of all Time.

Tell Me Everything

By Erika Krouse

In 2007, a landmark sexual assault case concerning a college football program in Colorado was settled for millions of dollars, paving the way for additional future rulings. Erika Krouse was the key private investi gator behind the case, breaking it open with her uncanny ability to get people to volun tarily open up to her.

In Tell Me Everything, Erika shares her experience with the case, which quickly becomes all-consuming, as she embarks on a personal mission for acknowledgment and justice for sexual assaults. As Erika struggles with her own haunting past, she is driven to success for herself and these women, especially as the case gains nation wide attention and takes on historic civic rights issues.

Inspiring Words for Sky and Space Women: Advice from Historic and Contemporary Trailblazers

by Penny Rafferty Hamilton

Nominated for the National Indie Excellence Awards, this powerful book by Mountain Parks Electric consumer-member Penny Hamilton, is filled with amazing stories of brave women aviators and crew members.

Some famous, some not, many of these women have Colorado ties. They were groundbreaking leaders in an industry that did not readily welcome them. Their stories have been collected in easy-to-read vignettes that include practical career and life tips as well as a look back at what it was like for women in the aviation industry not that long ago.

It is a good read for those who are inter ested in these early aviation pioneers as well as the next generation of girls ready to start careers in air and space.

Jennifer Nelson, once the editorial assistant at CCL, loves nothing more than curling up with a good book. She treasures sharing her love of reading with her children in their Texas home.

Planting Solace During Hopelessness

WWII Japanese internees garden for culture and comfort

BY VICKI SPENCER MASTER GARDENER |

Imagine being uprooted suddenly from your home and relocated to an unfa miliar, distant location without any idea of what the future may hold. How would you react? Where would you find comfort?

Author Bonnie J. Clark suggests that archaeological research can contribute to our understanding of how people of Japanese ancestry, forced to leave their homes for the Amache incarceration camp during World War II, found solace in gardening.

At its peak, Amache housed over 7,000 people — two-thirds were American citi zens — in a barracks-style camp surrounded by barbed-wire fencing and guard towers. Located on a square mile of sandy, livestock grazing land near Granada, Colorado, it was an inhospitable environment for most of the inmates who came from productive agricultural areas along the West Coast. Consequently, these internees immediately used their varied skills to build a town.

Since blowing sand was a pervasive annoyance, barracks were uninviting as residences and wartime meals were short on fresh vegetables customary to the Japanese diet, it is no surprise that internees were enthusiastic about planting gardens. Most impressive is how the people joined together to transform forced incarceration into a tolerable situation.

In her recent book, Finding Solace in the Soil, Clark explains how she used historical records, interviews and pedestrian surveys to map locations of Amache’s gardens. Then she used other archaeological techniques to provide insight into the transformation of the land.

Soil samples revealed visible pieces of plants and stems, and chemical analysis in the laboratory revealed that eroded soil was amended by bringing rich soil from the Arkansas River. Although people dug up trees and shrubs from along the riverbed, other trees were purchased from local nurs eries. Shade trees lined the barrack streets to break up the intense summer heat, and vegetable gardens were planted outside barrack doors for protection and easy access.

Entryways and public gardens were designed according to traditional Japanese principles honoring the natural world. One strolling garden beautified the bleak military barracks with an artificial hill and figure-eight-shaped lake adorned with rounded stones from the Arkansas River. These features were joined by a curved wooden bridge. Concrete from pouring the barrack foundations was used to create “standing stones” that were placed in the lake with plants to create islands.

Photographs reveal creative use of mate rials available during wartime rationing. Homemade birdhouses were attached to hand-carved wood posts with scraps of tin cans. Other yard art provided a bit of whimsy (just as they do today).

You can learn more about the gardens by visiting the Amache National Historic Site, also known as the Granada Relocation Center, which is stewarded and maintained by the Amache Preservation Society. The site consists of a cemetery, a monument, building foundations, landscaping and interpretive panels. No reservations are necessary for this open site.

Since southeastern Colorado’s high plains are subject to extreme summer heat, fall or early winter might be a good time to visit as long as there isn’t any snow. Check the website for current conditions as rattlesnakes may be present and require precautions.

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

MORE

Read previous gardening columns at coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Gardening under Living in Colorado.

The Hirano family in their Block 8F garden. Photo cartesy of George Hirano.

BY KYLEE COLEMAN

Supply and demand. It’s not a new concept. It’s our collective way as a society of finding balance for goods and services, such as that piping hot cup of joe from your favorite java drive-thru on a subzero Colorado morning. They supply the steaming paper cup full of roasted, ground, filtered and brewed beans. And most morn ings, let’s face it: we demand (and sometimes need) the caffeination.

Finding equilibrium is always a goal when it comes to supply and demand. The larger coffee chains presumably work to source just the right amount of beans to keep the coffee flowing. If they receive an abundance of beans for seasonal pumpkin spice lattes, the company’s supply gets out of whack; the beans may perish before they get used or there’s a risk of not having adequate storage space for the supply.

Through a network of landowners, growers, vendors, importers-exporters, roasters and more, coffee chains source coffee beans to fulfill their supply and meet their demand — the strategy for future needs and sales is likely on point. But if just one of these links in the supply chain breaks, it could throw off the whole operation and then the opposite happens: not enough beans. What then? You can forget that Friday date with your standing order of a grande,

of Adequate Resources

hot Americano with cream.

What’s assumed in this example, is that your coffee chain has the adequate resources — beans — to maintain its role in our caffeine cravings.

SUPPLY, DEMAND AND THE GRID

This coffee supply-demand example is admittedly elementary. Is it that straightfor ward when it comes to our electricity supply and the grid of the future? Short answer: No. So what does “supply and demand” have to do with your electric cooperative?

Clearly, the electric grid and electricity distribution are much more complex and important than a fondness for a Friday cup of coffee. “At every moment, electric utili ties and grid operators match the supply of power to the load demands of consumers, but there are many other dynamics to consider,” Tri-State G&T CEO Duane Highley said. “Utilities need to be flexible with generation resources so that they can reliably serve loads.”

Electricity is seemingly simple and predictable at this point, right? We flip a switch and hit a button on the remote — the lights turn on and the TV powers up. That’s the reliability we’ve come to expect and depend on.

We don’t give it much thought because, even with significant changes to the grid and

technological advancements over the last 70 to 80 years, Colorado’s electric cooperatives have done a remarkable job at keeping our time in the dark at a minimum.

But there is so much more behind-thescenes action that powers your life.

DEMANDS OF EVOLVING ENERGY ALTERNATIVES

Colorado is in the midst of a clean energy transition. In 2019, the state legislature passed laws that set Colorado’s decarbon ization goals. The state is moving away from coal-generated electricity and there is a major shift happening both in Colorado and across the country.

What may not be readily apparent to many consumers is, with these decarbon ization efforts and the shift from fossil fuel energy sources, demand for electricity will grow — and continue to do so.

Consider, for example, charging your electric vehicle at home, using an air-source heat pump for home heating, or cooking on an electric induction cooktop. This surge of electricity use has led to increased consumer concern about the adequacy of electric resources to meet demand. Consumers are using more electricity, yet coal power plants are closing and being replaced with variable energy resources, such as wind and solar.

Even with these changes, outstanding

reliability remains a core competency and primary goal of Colorado’s electric cooper atives and Tri-State G&T, the power supplier that serves the majority of the state’s electric cooperatives.

“The first job for Colorado’s electric co-ops is to keep power flowing to co-op consumer-members day and night, in good weather and bad,” CREA Executive Director Kent Singer wrote in a June 2022 column in Colorado Country Life magazine. “The energy transition that’s happening in Colorado adds yet another layer of complexity to the task of providing reliable, affordable electric service.”

The question your electric co-op is asking itself is: How will we maintain the reliability we are so good at providing if there’s a less-consistent supply from poten tially variable generation resources such as wind and solar?

RESOURCE ADEQUACY EXPLAINED

“Resource adequacy” is defined as the ability to provide reliable electric service at times of high demand or having enough capacity to meet customer needs under any scenario.

This means not only having sufficient supply to meet expected energy require ments, but also a reserve margin to account for potential situations that might impact the availability of resources. For example, more power might be needed when a long cold spell requires more heat for homes and businesses.

Situations like this not only affect our ability to light our kitchen, cook a meal and run the dishwasher at the end of the day, they also have the potential to impact the overall resiliency of the grid. That said, “resource adequacy” is closely tied to “grid resilience.”

“Grid resilience is not a new term for the utility industry as it’s what we strive for at Tri-State every day,” Highley stated. “But the way we approach grid resilience is changing.

“As we transition to cleaner energy,” Highley continued, “Tri-State recognizes the

importance of establishing a regional trans mission organization (RTO) in the West to access a larger pool of generation resources that enhances system resiliency. And we’ve been promoting timely participation in RTOs for years in order to meet the state’s and our members’ clean energy goals.”

The resource mix that utilities rely on to serve customer load includes increasing amounts of variable generation, such as wind, solar and emerging technologies.

“Maintaining and enhancing the resilience of the grid requires continuous forecasting, planning, monitoring, testing and coordi nation,” Tri-State’s Vice President Planning and Analytics Lisa Tiffin said. “A changing resource mix, with increased renewable energy resources, adds new complexities that utilities are demonstrating can be well-man aged to ensure reliability.”

With the increased use of wind and solar resources, emerging battery storage tech nology also has a role in resource adequacy. “When the output of renewable resources exceeds the immediate need for power, excess energy can be saved in batteries to provide power during periods of high demand or when there is decreased output from renewable resources,” Tiffin explained.

“Battery storage has limitations due to effi ciency, storage and charging hours and is not a single solution to resource adequacy and a resilient grid but is part of the overall solution in a transitioning grid.”

RELIABLY POWERING THE CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION

“Electric co-ops understand that electricity is the lifeblood of the West, and that elec tric system reliability is our first priority,” Highley said. “As a cooperative power

supplier, Tri-State has risen to meet the challenges of resource adequacy and grid resiliency for decades, delivering reliable power to our members.

“As we move through our clean energy transition, our commitment to reliability is unwavering,” he continued. “Ensuring proper resource adequacy and grid resiliency helps ensure reliability, and we are working with our member co-ops, grid operators, stakeholders and regulators so that we can always keep the lights on.”

Just as our favorite coffee drive-thru needs the right amount of beans to keep its business booming and to keep us energized, Colorado’s electric distribution network needs the right amount and the right resources of power generation to produce the supply consumers have come to rely on and trust.

Through innovation, employing forward-thinking leaders, and setting and exceeding their own clean energy goals, Colorado’s electric co-ops are finding ways to keep resource adequacy, reliability and resiliency at the forefront of the conversation regarding Colorado’s clean energy transition. Not only that, your electric co-op is doing a remarkable job powering your way of life.

As Singer said, “Electric co-ops are confi dent that they can meet this challenge like they have met every other challenge for the past 80 years.”

Kylee Coleman researches and writes about topics affecting Colorado’s electric cooperatives and how your electric co-op innovatively approaches a rapidly changing industry.

THE REPORT

For a deeper look into resource adequacy in Colorado and an analysis of potential legislation, visit crea.coop/crea-whitepapers.

The “Simple” Life

BY DENNIS SMITH | OUTDOORS@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

A couple of years ago, I spent a weekend camping with my oldest son and one of his army buddies in the Zirkel Wilderness Area outside the little town of Clark, Colorado, a wee bit north of Steamboat Springs. They were bowhunting for elk; I was tagging along as an associate campfire philosopher and part-time camp cook.

Anyway, Dave and his buddy, Hal, are both former army avia tors who hadn’t seen each other since they’d flown combat missions in Somalia after that ugly 1993 helicopter incident in Mogadishu. I naturally thought they’d be talking about their African experiences around the campfire at night. But they didn’t.

Instead, our conversations centered on camping and how it has changed over the years. You could probably attribute that topic to the pair of Basque shepherds who had set up camp nearby. They pitched a large, well-traveled, canvas wall tent outfitted with a wood burning stove, folding cots and a small table. A couple of camp coolers and a clothesline strung between two trees completed their setup. Two horses were hobbled in a pocket meadow close by.

Each morning after coffee, they’d round up their horses, saddle them and, with one of their Great Pyrenees guard dogs, leave camp to drive the flocks to the next pasture. (We learned later two others stayed with the flock at night to fend off predators.) Late in the day, they’d return, hobble the horses, rustle up dinner and sit by the fire petting the dogs, drinking a beer and chatting away in Portuguese or

whatever language Basques speak. It seemed a hard but simple and solid life with just the necessities — and none of the frills and their attendant burdens.

We, on the other hand, were staying in an air-conditioned, aluminum-bodied camper furnished with big comfy beds, a thermo statically-controlled propane heating system, hot and cold running water, and the same electrical appliances you’d find in a modern home: refrigerator, gas range, flush toilet and color TV. Comfortable and convenient, no doubt, but it all cost a bunch of money to purchase, license, insure, maintain and power, and a big fancy truck to tow.

I remember waking early one morning and seeing their camp in the little clearing across the way. Soft, pinkish rays of sun sifted through the mist while puffs of gray smoke drifted lazily from their tent chimney. It seemed so simple, almost primitive, and yet so cozy. The weird thing is… I felt kind of jealous.

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

About the Pageant

Miss Rodeo America dates back to 1955 in Casper, Wyoming. Today the pageant is held in Las Vegas in conjunction with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s annual convention and the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Contestants are judged on personality, appearance and horsemanship. “They’re looking for a girl who will represent this industry as a whole,” Hailey says. “They’re looking for that unique individual — someone to be themselves and be genuinely passionate about what they represent.”

More Than Meets the Eye

In 2009, 12-year-old Hailey won her first rodeo queen title, and that’s when she “got bit by the rodeo queen bug and never turned back.” Aspiring rodeo pageant queens should know that just being the “prettiest” pageant contestant won’t earn the coveted crown. “Simply be yourself,” Hailey advises. “That was the biggest feedback that I received when I tried out for Colorado my first year and didn’t win because they didn’t know who I (really) was.”

LEARN MORE ONLINE

Crowning Achievements

On December 5, 2021, Hailey Frederiksen of Wellington representing the Centennial State as Miss Rodeo Colorado, was crowned Miss Rodeo America 2022. The daughter of Trevin and Megan Frederiksen grew up on her family’s ranch, in Poudre Valley REA’s territory, where she loved riding horses.

While Hailey is a beauty, there’s more to her than what’s on the surface. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in animal sciences with a minor in agricultural business and plans to earn her a masters in agricultural communications. A skilled horseback rider who is sharpening her skills in barrel racing, breakaway roping and team roping, she’s an #agvocate who embraces our country’s rich agriculture and rodeo communities.

A Constant #agvocate

During her time as Miss Rodeo America, Hailey has traveled all over the United States promoting the Western way of life at rodeos, schools and civic group meetings. After she welcomes the newest Miss Rodeo America winner in December, Hailey will start a new chapter in her life: working for The Cowboy Channel.

Ashley Baller will represent Colorado at the 2023 Miss Rodeo Pageant, November 27 – December 4. Learn more at missrodeoamerica.com.

Have you ever dreamed of holding a $100,000 bill in your hand? How about a group of bills that includes $100,000, $10,000, $1,000 and $100 bills? Now you can, with these gold currency reproductions from the O cially Licensed Smithsonian® Series-1934 100 mg 24-Karat Gold Certi cates, which includes all four of the above Notes!

99.9% Pure Gold History In Your Hands

The actual Series-1934 Gold Certificates were legal tender, but were not intended for circulation—in fact private ownership was banned. Rather, these Notes were intended for transferring funds between Federal Reserve banks. The Certificates legally represented their worth in gold, and didn’t require a forklift to move!

By 1960, the Notes had served their purpose, and most were destroyed. Only a small number still exist, including those held by the Smithsonian.

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READER POETRY

Heart Massage

Awe …

To massage another’s heart

Requires trust and time Tender loving care And gentle hands If you plan to go there

It is not to be treated lightly The massage of the heart But with privilege and respect

Not knowing where it’s been It could be rather tender and bruised deep within

Are you a poet?

Do you write poetry?

Submit your best works to our Reader Engagement page at coloradocountrylife.coop or send via email to info@coloradocountrylife.org.

SCAN THE QR CODE NOW

in the sun. The road had to go somewhere and they owned the remainder of the day.

Maps at this point—pointless. The need to know without the patience to find out.

David Feela, Cortez

Empire Electric Association consumer-member

When the proper attention Is given to the heart It will blossom with love And the ability to impart

That is the benefit and beauty Of massaging another one’s heart

We

Visit our READER ENGAGEMENT

to

and send a

to the

Renee Budde, Lakewood

and Win!

It’s easy to win with Colorado Country Life. Simply take a photo of someone (or a selfie!) with the magazine and submit it on our Reader Engagement page at coloradocountrylife. coop. We’ll draw one photo to win $25 each month. The next deadline is Tuesday, November 15. Name, address and co-op must accompany photo. See all of the submitted photos on Facebook at facebook.com/COCountryLife.

The little girl put down her copy of Snow White. She asked, “Mommy, do all fairy tales start with ‘once upon a time?’”

Her mother replied, “No, some are writ ten by politicians which start with ‘once I am elected.’”

Penny Hamilton, Granby Mountain Parks Electric consumer-member

It was dark and cold when I met my 4-year-old son at the barn door after his riding lesson last week. He was so excited to tell me they practiced “emergency discounts” at his lesson. (It was dismounts.) Just in time for holiday shopping!

Rebecca Sundhagen, Falcon Mountain View Electric Association consumer-member

Our daughter was about 4 years old and we were shopping in a furniture store. Suddenly she was on her hands and knees looking beneath pieces of furniture. When we asked what she was looking for, she said, “I smell bunnies!” We laughed, realizing the room displayed cedar chests and we used cedar chips to line our lop-eared rabbit cages.

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 the published funny stories, and that person will receive $200. Go to our Reader Engagement page at coloradocountrylife. coop to submit your funny story.

Jill Wilson, Trinidad San Isabel Electric Association consumer-member

Randy Marks at the summit of Medicine Bow Peak, September 2022, with his wife Paula (photographer).

Daughters of Vicki Tussey, Delta-Montrose Electric Association consumer-members, pose with their copy of Colorado Country Life while visiting Greenland.

Don and Marge Tracy, consumer-members of Mountain View Electric Association, take their copy of CCL on a 10-day cruise to Canada and New England to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

Tracy Loftsgard and Nan Austin, along with Mountain Park Electric consumer-members Jenny Krieg and Toni Leuthold hold their CCL while hiking on the 155-mile Great Southwest Walk passing through Cape Nelson State Park near Portland, Australia.

Dorothy and Charles Turner of Pueblo, stand in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria.

They are consumer-members of San Isabel Electric.

WINNER: Daryl and Annette Bowin, consumermembers of Y-W Electric Association, pose with their copy of CCL in Passau, Germany. The magazine traveled through the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary on a Viking River Cruise.

Books for Kids

Find entertaining Colorado stories in these pages

Bats, Bandits & Buggies

By Nancy Oswald

In Bats, Bandits & Buggies, 13-year-old Ruby is quite unimpressed with her new life in the big town of Colorado Springs in 1898 after moving from her home in Cripple Creek. While making the most of her new home, she quickly encounters all kinds of roadblocks and mischief as she attempts to train her donkey, Maude, and begin her summer business of driving the townspeople through town in a donkey-pulled buggy.

Author Nancy Oswald weaves her sixth Ruby and Maude Adventure into a fun, enchanting and suspenseful tale, perfect for young and old readers alike. Keep up with Ruby’s escapades by finding this book at nancyoswald.com or at local retailers.

Half a Saddle Off

By Susan Carpenter Noble

Meghan Callahan had been riding Western with her cherished horse, Freckles, for almost a year and a half, so when her trainer recommended training on an English saddle too, Meghan was very skeptical.

Half a Saddle Off is a lovely tale of a young girl and her friends as they navigate finding their way and maturing into young women. The story is a fictional compilation of author Susan Carpenter Noble’s own riding experiences along with those of her students. Woven throughout is her beautiful love and knowledge of horsemanship and the lessons learned in training that coincide with important life skills. Readers of all ages will want to pick up this book either at susancarpenternoble.com or at a local bookstore.

6 Lucy the Duct Tape Warrior

By Katy McQuaid

Don’t

By Megan E. Freeman

She

By Claudia S. West

A

By Jenny Goebel

Grace

By Virginia K. White

A

By Samantha K. Riggi Illustrated by Todd Myzia

Lucy finds out her school is changing its dress

How can she follow the rules without changing her rambunctious ways? samanthakriggi.com

7 Nana the Great Comes to Visit

By Lisa Tawn Bergren

Nana the Great is sensationally spunky, and the

How awesome is she?

love it when

out! lisatawnbergren.com