Tips for planning your own
COLORADO ADVENTURE
DARK SKIES A STARGAZER’S DREAM
BACK TO BASICS HOW FARM TO TABLE IS REINVENTING THE WAY WE EAT
NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND WESTERN SLOPE CAVING SPRING/SUMMER 2017
FREE
Adve e ture awa en aits... . There is a college in the northwest mo ountains of Colorad do where adven e ture is a part of life e, where insttructors know your name, and a you can ge et more than just j a degree.... A college g tha t t’s home to much more than t just acade emic excellencce...Colorado Nor N thwestern has one of o the best Park Ranger programs in the country, y, a nationallly-recognized Avviation pr p ogram, and more. CNC CC has what you need to set yo ourse elf apart. Yo ou should d call today.
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Whittle the Wood June 14~17, 2017
Join us for the 18th annual Whittle the Wood Rendezvous in Craig at Loudy-Simpson Park
Alex Plumb Associate Broker
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alexplumb.westernexposures@gmail.com
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1033 W Market St. • Meeker, CO 81641 • 970-878-5877 www.westernexposures.com
Open Daily from 9am to Dusk to watch the carvers’ progress
Friday June 16th: FREE admission All Day - Free Arts & Crafts Fair, Food Vendors, Beer Garden & Silent Auction 4:30-6:00 p.m. - Black Mountain Riot 6:30-8:00 p.m. - Buckstein Saturday June 17th: $5 admission 8 a.m. - Wake Up the Whittler 5K Fun Run All Day - Free Arts & Crafts Fair, Food Vendors, Beer Garden & Silent Auction 1:00-2:00 p.m. - Quick Carve Competition 10 a.m.-3 p.m. - Car Show Downtown - Bear River Younglife 1:30-3:00 p.m. - Four 2 Play Band 3:00-4:30 p.m. - The Jeffery Alan Band 5:00-5:30 p.m. - Whittle the Wood 2017 winners announced 5:30-7:00 p.m. - The Samples
RESERVATIONS
whittlethewood.com 970-826-2029
No dogs or bikes inside the event. Coolers are welcome, but please leave your alcohol at home. Coolers may be subject to search.
970.878.0777
www.bluesprucemeeker.com
Wireless Internet | Exercise Room Guest Laundry | Hot Tub Now serving full hot breakfast, with pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy and more. OHV & Trailer Parking Available
488 Market St. • Meeker, Colorado • bluespruceinn@gmail.com
EMERG GENCY CARE
t sattiisfactiion coc omees down too how atte too t he peo pplle we caarre foor – too ng t heir trustt. O urr sttaffff is pr oud too pourr its hearartt inttoo deell iverr ingg qual ityy, coommpassionatte caare.”
When facing a crisis, you can c count on Pioneer’s r’s ER Team to provide highly skilled, seamless medical m intervention. As a Level IV Trauma Centerr, we ar a e prepared to mana age traumatic injuriess and life-threatening situations, wa ay y beyond y jjust addressing e g the fevers, cuts and broken bones of daily activity y. Rest assured that the Pioneers Emergency y Department is here 24/7, prepared fo or whatever life may bring. b
Pionee ersHospital.org
peo ple, plaace, carere
in this issue ... 9 Summer Calendar Festivals and events in our neck of the woods
10 Notes from the Underground Caving in Western Colorado
16 Back to Basics How farm-to-table has reinvented the way we eat
18 Colorado on the Cheap More fun, less money
20 Dark Skies Keeping Colorado’s starry nights bright and beautiful
26 Taking Flight Hang gliding championship descends this summer
30 Let’s Ride Rio Blanco’s trail system is an OHV enthusiast’s dream
32 Wranglers, Rustlers & Renegades The colorful characters of Browns Park
38 How to Plan a Colorado Adventure Tips & tricks from an adventuring expert
42 The TANK’s Summer Solstice New sights and sounds are coming to Rangely
We’re online, too! adventurecolorado.us or find us on
http://bit.ly/2pAXMwj
T WO GR REA ATT EVEN NTS IN ONE E WEEKEND D – MEEKER R, COLORADO –
Activities fo or the wh hole family! • Yog o a on the Courthouse Lawn • Leave No Trace Hike at San derson n Hills Park • Moun ntain Bike Clinics (Set fe fee ffo or this clinic. Register at
970-878-3403.)
• Pool F Fun/Obstacle Course at the DĞĞŬĞƌ ZĞĐƌĞĂƟ ŽŶ ĞŶƚĞƌ W ŽŽů • Meeker Adventure Dash
(Meek r’’ version of The Amaz ing Race!)
Dow D wnt n ow wn Plaza | Meeker, Colorado
& Wine Garden Trucks • Evenin ng Concerts featuring the ůƵĞŐƌĂƐƐ Kī ĞŶĚĞƌƐ Θ >ĞǀĞƌ ĐƟ ŽŶ
Suggested d donation of $5/event.. 100% of the t proceeds go to the Pioneers He H althcare Foundation.
Full schedule and more ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟ ŽŶ Ăƚ www.M MeekerRecDistrict.com.
a note from the editor... Adventure is defined by Merriam-Webster as “an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks.” That’s a pretty broad definition. Every person defines danger and risk differently, depending on age, personality type, experience and any number of other of variables. For some of us, a day hike in our own backyard qualifies as an adventure. For others, dangling off the edge of a cliff from one arm while taking a selfie with the other is the bare minimum requirement for an adventure. Adventuring is wildly subjective, and that’s OK. Adventure Colorado seeks to address all of these different types of adventurers: the history-seeker, the survivalist, the extreme sports enthusiast and the weekend outdoorsperson. Your adventure belongs to YOU, and you should own it and be proud of it, whether it’s digging around in a ghost town or flying down a trail on a fat tire bike. As a lifelong resident of Western
Colorado, and a third generation Colorado native, I know my home state is overflowing with possibilities for adventure. You can do just about anything in Colorado: hang gliding, hiking, ghost town exploring, sailing, paddleboarding, agritourism, rock climbing, heritage tours, fourwheeling, minimalist camping—the list goes on. You may, or may not, find inspiration for your own adventure in this premier edition of Adventure Colorado, but I encourage you to take hold of the concept, however you define it, and go have one. In the words of Amelia Earhart, “Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” Have you had yours today?
8 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
PUBLISHER Solas Publications, Inc. EDITOR IN CHIEF Niki Turner PRODUCTION/DESIGN Caitlin Walker SALES/CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Pat Turner All rights reserved. ©Solas Publications, Inc. 2017 Vol. I, Iss. 1 www.adventurecolorado.us
Niki Turner Editor-In-Chief niki@theheraldtimes.com
JUMP INTO AN
>adventure< 2017 SUMMER EVENTS CALENDAR
Grand Olde West Days May 26-29, 2017 Craig, Colo. grandoldewestdays.com Meekerpalooza June 2-3, 2017 Meeker, Colo. meekerpalooza.com
Strawberry Days June 16-18, 2017 Glenwood Springs, Colo. strawberrydays.com Whittle the Wood June 14-17, 2017 Craig, Colo. http://bit.ly/2qa161b
Dinosaur Open Hang Gliding Spectacular June 18-24, 2017 Dinosaur, Colorado rangelychamber.com/dinosaur17-hang-gliding-event
Range Call Celebration July 1-4, 2017 Meeker, Colo. meekerrangecall.com
Colorado Lavender Festival Palisade, CO July 7-9, 2017 coloradolavender.org
Wagon Wheel OHV Rendezvous and Meeker Days July 13-15, 2017 Meeker, Colo. wagonwheeltrails.org
Mountain Fair July 28-30, 2017 Carbondale, Colo. carbondalearts.com/mountain-fair/ Colorado Scottish Festival Snowmass, Colo. August 4-6, 2017 scottishgames.org/
Rangely OHV Adventure Rally Aug. 10-13, 2017 Rangely, Colo. http://bit.ly/2pB2El3 Trailtaker Adventures Aug. 17-20, 2017 Meeker, Colo. trailtaker.com/events/10
Septemberfest Sept. 2-4, 2017 Rangely, Colo. rangelychamber.com/sep temberfest
SEPTEMBERFEST 2017
Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials Sept. 6-10, 2017 Meeker, Colo. meekersheepdog.com
Colorado Mountain Winefest September 14-17, 2017 Palisade, Colo. coloradowinefest.com
prp ADVENTURE COLORADO â&#x20AC;˘ 9
Notes from the Underground Caving in Western Colorado BY WILL GRANDBOIS SOPRIS SUN STAFF WRITER
Are you afraid of the dark? How about small spaces? Bats? No? You might make a caver yet. Micah Ball, chairman of the National Speleological Society’s Rocky Mountain Region, certainly never minded any of that stuff. “It was natural for me. I’ve been going underground ever since I could crawl, pretty much,” he recalled. “It’s an extreme sport that doesn’t require you to be a natural athlete and there’s always something around the next corner.” Lorie Sheader, by contrast, worried about all those things. “I needed to face my fears,” she said. Now, she’s about as knowledgeable as anyone you could find on the hot spring caves near Glenwood Springs, including the original vapor cave that contains “the hottest lead in Colorado.” While a certain amount of caution is rational and some fears are primal, Ball thinks our culture added another layer that, for novice cavers, can be difficult to overcome. “We see the underground as Hades, as hell,” he
explained. “There’s a sociologically induced fear that’s beyond claustrophobia.” It’s a dramatic pronouncement in a voice his professional website describes as “mellifluous … ominous, sexy, strong, rich …” and becomes even more resonant underground. It’s borne out, though, by the sheer number of people with a caving interest who never make it past a lighted tour. That’s been true since Ken Headrick, president of the Colorado Western Slope Grotto cave club in Rifle got his start decades ago. “A lot of people were afraid to do it,” he recalled. “They talked about it but didn’t.” Get Headrick off the trail in the Glenwood Caverns, however, and you’ll hear his cave-themed mashups of classic tunes echoing from the nearest passage before you’ve finished switching on your head lamp.
With mostly single-age lime-
10 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
stone and relatively little moisture, caves in Colorado are generally more cramped than their counterparts back east or down south, leading to the nickname “Crawlorado.” When Colorado cavers adventure out of state, they bring an ethic of looking for new passage in every nook and cranny. Back home, there’s a good balance of extreme challenge and places to get your cave legs—though some fairly dangerous
destinations have become increasingly accessible. “Typically, you didn’t go to a hard passage or cave until you’ve gained experience, so by the time you get there there’s less risk,” said Ken Newton, founder of Timberline Grotto cave club in Glenwood Springs. “It’s too easy now. You get the GPS coordi-
nates and you’re out adventuring way beyond your skill level.” That can have serious consequences for both the caver and the cave. “You turn an ankle and it could turn into a major rescue,” Ball observed. Added Newton, “inexperience is devastating to cave passage,”— a point well illustrated by Colorado destinations like Spring Cave near Meeker, Fulford Cave near Eagle and Hubbard Cave near Glenwood Springs. Just ask Phil Nyland, cave-bat-monitoring
creates a management challenge for federal agencies. “White River Forest is blessed with having by far the largest number of caves known on F o r e s t Service lands in t h e
Rocky
coordinator for the White River National Forest. “In a cave that’s been not protected or managed well, a lot of things are broken or stolen, defaced—you could even find bits of trash,” he said. “They’re almost a nonrenewable resource. Once a cave is damaged we’re talking about recovery that takes geological time. Nobody’s ever seen a stalactite grow; it takes eons.” It’s a contrast to caving back east, where the predominance of private land makes the main hurdle getting permission rather than getting there. The fact that most local caves are on public land also
Mountain Region,” Nyland observed. The only halfway comparable concentration of caves in the state is Williams Canyon near Colorado Springs. There’s a tremendous ecological value there that Nyland has to weigh against the recreational potential. Karst—the type of geology that forms limestone caves—tends to filter and store water and support all manner of rare life forms. Chief among them are bats, many species of which eat mosquitoes and other insects. As such, there are some major practical benefits to preserving underground environments, though Nyland sees a deeper need for protection, too. “What’s the value of the Liberty Bell? It’s cracked, we’re never going to ring it again, but it’s unique,” he said. These days, the biggest threat to North American caves is White-nose syndrome, a disease that has proven almost universally fatal for bat colonies since it was discovered in New York state in 2006. Its rapid spread prompt-
ed t h e F o r e s t Service to shutter caves across the Rocky Mountain Region for several years, with fears that cavers may play a role in spreading the fungus, either by direct transmission or by disruption of sleep cycles and making bats vulnerable to disease. “The concern for White Nose Syndrome is that the pattern of spread is dynamic and erratic,” Nyland said. “There’s no cure for it. Once it establishes into populations, back East at least, there’s been a greater than 95 percent mortality.” When most area caves reopened in 2013, an array of restrictions were put into place to protect bats. Registration (tinyurl.com/cavereg) is now required to visit caves on public land, with a prohibition against gear from white-nose affected states and decontamination required in between local caves. That means fully disinfecting all clothes, gear and anything they come into contact with using federal standards (tinyurl.com/whitenoseprotocol) —submersion in hot water that maintains of at least 131º F for 20 minutes or application of concentrated alcohol, bleach or hydrogen peroxide. Several local caves—including Hubbard—remain entirely off limits, while others have seasonal closures. Spring Cave, for instance, is open to the public April 16 through Aug. 14, while
continued on page 12
ADVENTURE COLORADO • 11
Fulford is accessible April 16 through Oct. 14. Meanwhile, hopes that the relatively karst-free high plains would halt the spread have recently been dashed with a confirmed case in Washington state and a suspected occurrence in Texas. “If monitoring shows that white-nose syndrome is within 250 miles of the White River National Forest, that triggers additional closures and additional actions,” Nyland noted. “It’s not here yet, but we’re managing to control its spread.” That includes the construction of a gate on Spring Cave last year
and stationing a pair of GeoCorps volunteers to educate visitors and enforce registration. Next up is a gate on Hubbard Cave, which is in the final stages of analysis and authorization with work slated to begin this summer. Not everyone is pleased with the gates, and there are still hard feelings about the blanket closure of public caves. “Many people haven’t come back yet because they felt betrayed,” said Richard Rhinehart, author of Colorado Caves. “The Forest Service and BLM really have to look at us as their partner. How they treat the caving community in the future will play an
important role in how caves are protected.” Nyland certainly sees value in what the caving community has to offer an agency with minimal funding and staff for cave management. “If it’s pretty clear from talking to someone that they’re looking for direction on where to go caving, we generally send them to their local grotto,” he said. “They can show them where the caves are but also ensure that they’re doing things in an ethical manner with cave conservation in mind.” A grotto is a local chapter of the National Speleological Society, with a complete list avail-
GET INVOLVED WITH A GROTTO Find your local caving club at nssio.org
12 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
able online at www.nssio.org. Along with the Colorado Cave Survey (coloradocavesurvey.org) and private partners, local grottos have installed ladders in frequently visited caves and helped with maintenance and monitoring. Most recently, they have been part of a push for a Wild and Scenic designation on Deep Creek drainage near Dotsero, which is home to several of the state’s longest caves. Most of all, though, grottos are a place where people can go to learn about caves and caving. “You’re plugged into this national network,” Rhinehart observed. They’re the kind of folks who bring three sources of light, never cave alone and bring a map, as opposed to those who don’t know or don’t care about the rules and have tainted the term “spelunker” in the view of organized cavers. There are some relatively safe ways to get acquainted with caving on your own—Rifle Mountain Park, for instance—but as Ball asserted, “don’t go past the twilight zone if you don’t know what you’re doing.” A better approach, as laid out by Rhinehart, is to go to a show cave like the Glenwood Caverns and “take a lit tour, then take the wild tour.” “If you still like it, seek a grotto,” he said. After that, there’s plenty of opportunity to find your niche in a diverse and funky community. Take photos, survey and map explored caves, dig for undiscovered passages or just admire the geology. In the end, despite challenges and restrictions, the cavers in this article all agreed that caving is a whole lot of fun. r Will Grandbois is the editor of the Sopris Sun, Carbondale’s hometown newspaper. He can be reached at 5103003 or will@soprissun.com.
ADVENTURE COLORADO • 13
l
l
l l
Seems like all I do lately is research all the new latest and greatest technological advancements. My mind is cluttered with the burning desire to buy, buy, buy! This app will help me contact more buyers, this one will remind me to drink water, this one will make my work day so much smoother… I am the poster child for today’s ultimate American consumer. Yet if I just sit back and remember my childhood, the importance of all these silly gadgets fades away. I grew up in a generation of sim-
hey siri, how do you build a fort? BY SUZAN PELLONI SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
plicity, just fresh air and the desire to spend as much time as possible in the woods. I’m sure I voiced some complaints to my parents about being an only child, living 30 miles from the small town of Meeker, Colo., but all I recall now is pure bliss. My absolute favorite part of growing up was building forts. These forts weren’t just a blanket over some chairs in the garden. I would spend endless hours digging, chopping and lugging materials to the fort site, all for the pure joy of it. I can count at least six
14 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
forts that I maintained and upgraded frequently, of those six, the memories of two make me smile the most. My waterfront fort was nestled in a willow patch along Marvine Creek. I actually found this location in the winter, when the willows were bent over from the heavy snow. An elaborate tunnel system under the willows deterred any visitors and made for such a cool kid retreat. That old kitchen cabinet door was a welcome site after a long crawl, followed by the ability to take off my shoes and
relax on comfortable gunny sacks I stole from the chicken house. A state of the art kitchen sink dug along the side of the river was lined with rocks and featuring a broken piece of PVC pipe and valve I rustled up in the plumbing shop. I was pretty convinced that the sink could function as a Coy pond for trout if I chose to expand it and take the time to gather fish. Then there was the fort in the pines, just past the barn. That fort nearly killed me, seriously! Keep in mind I was about 8-years-old when I was in my fort building prime, my construction learning curve was pretty intense. I had learned from a previous treehouse disaster that nails were best left alone, balancing and anchoring were a safer approach. I found the perfect roof, a broken wooden panel used to keep the elk out of the haystack. It was so heavy and took all my might to drag that darned thing into the woods. Once onsite, I decided that I would shimmy under the panel and lift it on my back by standing up, until the front was resting on a broken tree stump. I fell countless times, covered with sweat and dirt, full of splinters, I finally got that ridiculously heavy panel in place. I covered it with an old orange tattered irrigation tarp so I could add soil and decorative moss on top. I spent a lot of time in the pine fort, adding features and keeping it immaculate. I worried that wild animals would find it just as phenomenal as I did, so I made sure to leave some sticks at the bottom of the hill to smack together to give them notice I was arriving (just like Hailey Mills in the Parent Trap). I dug a secret box to my keep valuables in, chopped out stairs leading up to it and even came across a lovely Venetian blind that provided complete privacy (something necessary when out in the woods completely alone, ha!) I rolled logs from the woodpile for furnishings and adorned the kitchen with bark plates and stick forks. I’d sure like to go back and see what’s left of my creations. Of course, I would take a picture with my iPhone and post it on Facebook for you all to “Like”, but perhaps just the memory lingering in my mind is enough. I honestly believe that my childhood fort building shaped who I am today as a real estate agent. Those forts were hard work, I wouldn’t stop until the job was done and done well. It was a precursor to the level of dedication I give my clients now. I love showing homes, explaining the intricacies of each property and helping buyers vision it as their own modern day fort. Suzan Pelloni was a competitive downhill skier in her youth, when she wasn’t out designing forts. Today she devotes her time to helping people in her Meeker hometown and surrounding areas find the homes of their dreams, where they can build their own forts. She can be reached by phone at 970-623-2900 or by email at YourMeekerExpert@gmail.com
Suzan Pelloni Realtor Certified Residential Specialist
Local Roots, Global Reach
970.623.2900 YourMeekerExpert@gmail.com Each office is independently owned and operated.
Adventure Colorado was paid to publish this content.
ADVENTURE COLORADO • 15
Back BASICS T O
How the farm-to-table movement has reinvented the way we eat. BY CAITLIN WALKER ADVENTURE CORRESPONDENT
At the turn of the 20th century, most food traveled less than 50 miles before making it onto someone’s plate. Even weirder? That plate wasn’t staged, photographed, filtered, hash tagged, captioned and instantaneously viewable in China. We get pretty up close and personal with our grub these days, but most of us never even think about something our grandparents and great-grandparents saw as a fact of life—where food comes from. “Agriculture” may feel like an oldfashioned word in today’s acronymed and abbreviated vocabulary, but humans have harnessed the magic of nature to feed themselves for centuries. The step that’s changed dramatically during the past 100 years is how that food makes its way to the consumer. As we’ve evolved from hunter-gatherer societies to today’s world of sedentary convenience, our food is poked, prodded, processed, preserved and very well-traveled before we pick it up at our local grocery store. There’s an uncomfortable number of blanks to fill in when you take
a hard look at the process, which is part of the reason a movement known as “farm-to-table” took off about 15 years ago. People want to know where their food comes from, what’s in it, how it’s produced, and how it’s transported to them. In other words, it’s all about that agriculture, baby. The farm-to-table movement has done a lot to educate consumers on where and how their food is made, and it has also dramatically boosted the “street cred” of thousands of privately-owned farms and ranches, allowing them to garner the spotlight for sustainable, healthy, locallysourced products. One such outfit, situated about 10 miles outside the town of Meeker, Colo., is 5280 Land & Cattle Company. After becoming frustrated with the lack of information available while searching for quality meat, Ty and Rachel Gates started raising and processing their own animals using Ty’s experience as a sixth-generation rancher. In 2012, they started an online shop to “fill the void in the marketplace,” making their hormone-free, antibiotic-free, humanely-sourced meats available to anyone.
“We love knowing where our food comes from,” Rachel said in an email interview. Another benefactor of farm-totable? Farmer’s markets, which have exploded in popularity alongside sustainable agriculture. Local markets provide a community hub to connect consumers and producers, make in-season produce readily available, boost the local economy, and support both environmentallyresponsible practices and the humane treatment of animals. The average apple travels about 1,500 miles before someone picks it up at the supermarket, but farmer’s markets are able to “cut out the middleman.” Friends and neighbors are also facilitating this change. Wendll’s, a small storefront business on Meeker’s main drag, stocks farmfresh locally sourced eggs in their vintage aqua refrigerator. “WE GOT LAID!” their Facebook page proclaims to announce the arrival of the latest batch. It’s another perfect example of sustainable agriculture on a smaller scale. Neighbor to neighbor, backyard to aqua fridge, and farm-totable, indeed. r
> USDA National Farmer’s Market Directory: bit.ly/228MqcH > Local Harvest: www.localharvest.org/ > EatWild: bit.ly/2ps33Tv
Find a Farmer’s Market near you:
> Farm Flavor - Colorado Agriculture News: bit.ly/2oCnL2U > Colorado Farm Fresh Directory (PDF file): bit.ly/2oCkcda > Colorado Department of Agriculture - Colorado Proud program: bit.ly/1DHQRkp
Learn more about Colorado agriculture:
16 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
Page 1
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1/2 or 1 hour flights over the White River National Forest, golfing, and a variety of other attractions in beautiful Meeker, including hiking and biking trails, local parks, White River Museum, Smoking River Arts Studio and the Meeker Recreation Center
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ADVENTURE COLORADO â&#x20AC;˘ 17
COLORADO ON THE
CHEAP BY ETHAN TURNER ADVENTURE CORRESPONDENT
What does Colorado have to offer for folks who are on a budget? Not everyone can spring for two weeks in Vail or Aspen. Not to worry, Colorado really does have something for everyone, even those of us with a slim pocketbook.
1 Scenic drives are a great way to start exploring Colorado on a budget. Grab some friends and some snacks and head to Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado River headwaters, Flat Tops trail, or any of the other 25 scenic byways in Colorado. You can find a list of scenic byways at colorado.com/articles/quickguide-colorados-scenic-historicbyways, or just get in your car and start exploring. Almost every route in Colorado qualifies as “scenic.” Take a mini road trip for the price of a tank of gas. Get your friends to pitch in $5 and you’re good to go!
2
Maybe sitting in a car all day
admiring the Rocky Mountains sounds a little too static for you. Many Coloradans agree, so for a bit more active Colorado adventure, go on a day-hike. There are extensive trail networks in Colorado that range from easy strolls to month long thru-hikes. Hiking is a stereotypical activity associated with Colorado for good reason: it’s beautiful here. Hiking also happens to be super cheap, as most trails do not charge to park at the trailhead. Maybe add a hike into your mini road trip to get twice the bang for your buck.
3 While we’re on the topic of consolidating expenses for multiple adventures, both road trips and hiking can share expenses with another fun, cheap Colorado adventure. You guessed it, camping! Campsites with fire pits and bathrooms can be rented very cheap, only $10 to $20 a night at the more expensive sites. What if you don’t have a tent? No worries. Just sleep in your car. Compared to even a cheap motel, this is a steal. Plus, you get to be out in nature. If you drive past the campsites there are many more
18 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
remote places you can camp for free, they just lack some of the amenities. But hey, if we were looking for amenities, we wouldn’t be looking for cheap.
4
Let’s say it’s too hot to go hiking and you don’t want to sit in the car all day. For a fun, relaxing, refreshing experience, visit one of Colorado’s lakes! Some have a small fee to park
your car but the pass is valid all day and it’s much cheaper than a swimming pool. You can lounge on the shore, swim, or grab something inflatable and float around. For just a few bucks you can get pool noodles or inflatable inner tubes from a local hardware stores. Air mattresses also make great rafts.
5 While you’re in Colorado going on adventures and having fun, you’re going to need to fuel yourself. Though Colorado has plenty of fine dining and delicious cuisine, there’s tons of ways to eat on the cheap. If you want to find an affordable restaurant, ask the locals. Chances are they have a favorite spot where the food prices are reasonable. Another good option for feeding yourself on
t h e cheap is the same one you probably use every day: cooking. If you buy simple foods like pasta and vegetables at the grocery store, it’s easy enough to heat things up in a motel room, on a grill at a park, or over your campfire at night. Hot deli meals from local grocery stores are also a cheap and affordable option.
campsite and enjoy a cold one at the end of your day of adventure. If you’re into the bar scene but still on a budget, find the local watering holes. Just ask around, the locals should be more than happy to tell you where they like to grab brews. Make sure you have a designated driver, you could even pay one of your friends to do it, likely for much cheaper than a taxi or an Uber. This is an essential step, because a DUI is even more expensive. Another fun, free way to drink in Colorado is to go on brewery tours. Colorado has more than 140 breweries and many of them offer free tours, with free drinks included! All in all, Colorado has a lot to offer no matter how much you’re able to spend. The key to exploring Colorado on the cheap is to think like a local. Be creative, shop at grocery stores, and go camping! There are expensive and cheap options for almost everything someone would want to do in Colorado. So whether you’re on a budget or you’re just thrifty, come to Colorado and have some fun on the cheap! r
6
One thing that naturally comes with eating is drinking. I’m not talking about water here. There are plenty of fancy bars and clubs in Colorado where you can get a nice buzz for a hefty price. There are also ways to drink on the cheap! The simplest, cheapest way is to visit any one of the local liquor stores and buy what you like. This is the same way you probably save money at home. Then, head over to your motel, hostel, or
Ethan Turner is a Colorado native living the good life. When not cheapskating his way around his home state, he can be found camping in his car, swallowing swords, adding knickknacks to his dreads, and looking for his sunglasses.
ADVENTURE COLORADO • 19
Dark
BY ROBERT D. AMICK
“Half the people on earth have never seen a starry night sky...” according to Harun Mehmedinovic and Gavin Heffernan, authors and photographers of “Skyglow” a portfolio of strikingly beautiful photographs and videos taken of night skyscapes at locations around the globe. An excerpt from “Skyglow” emphasizes the severity of the light pollution issue: “...In 1994, North America had just experienced its strongest-ever instrumentally recorded earthquake in an urban area: magnitude of 6.7. (With electricity totally out, and all lighting off) Millions of residents ran onto the streets, away from crumbling structures, then came to a grinding halt, staring at the skies above. Strange phone calls flooded the 911 emergency centers, overwhelming the operators. They were told of shimmering lights above, a velvety “cloud” stretching across the sky. Coming of the aliens, or perhaps the long-awaited apocalypse?...” “...The explanation turned out to
be much simpler. The electromagnetic curtain of endless photons [light pollution] had been lifted, and what had been there for billions of years was revealed. For some, it was the first time seeing this in their lives, and for others, in decades. With all the artificial lights extinguished in a 200-mile diameter, the Milky Way shone brightly from horizon to horizon. Constellations and star clusters covered every inch of the sky. Meteors streaked as they burned up in the atmosphere. The Northridge Earthquake, an event that only lasted about 20 seconds, had exposed one of the world’s most light-polluted cities to the true night sky...” Those who are fortunate to live in sparsely populated rural areas still enjoy good “dark-sky” views of the night sky which includes celestial bodies such as stars, planets, galaxies, comets and the moon, and may even see satellites and aircraft traversing the night sky. This is not the case, especially in more urban areas that utilize extensive outdoor lighting for streets, parking lots, buildings, sports stadiums, residences
20 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
and more. The International Dark Sky Association (IDA) in cooperation with the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) has created strong initiatives to educate the public, government and lighting manufacturers to provide and use only “dark sky-friendly” lighting technology with great success. The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s renowned Lighting Research Center contributes stateof-the-art lighting research useful to lighting manufacturers, designers, engineers and consumers. However, much work remains to be done to expand public awareness. The light pollution caused by obsolete, badly designed and wasteful lighting fixtures can be dramatically reduced with appropriate and efficient modern lighting technology upgrades. Moreover, the gigawatts of energy used to power these obsolete technologies could be saved by using well-designed and very efficient low power light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures that are “dark-sky friendly.” An allied benefit of lowered energy consumption is reduced atmospheric air pollution
Skies
(e.g., 750 million tons of carbon dioxide annually) contributing to global warming and health risks from hydrocarbon-burning power plants. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that ”...in 2016, about 279 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity were used for lighting by the residential sector and the commercial sector in the United States. This was about 10 percent of the total electricity consumed by both of these sectors and about 7 percent of total U.S. electricity consumption.” IDA estimates the overall cost for lighting is $110 billion. Urban areas of developed nations are highly visible, with a yellow-white glow caused by outdoor lighting directed upward into the night sky, creating sky glow. Other local impacts of bad lighting include light trespass, adaptive vision disability glare, color distortion, et al. Moreover, recent research has indicated that poorly designed and unshielded outdoor and indoor artificial lighting is attributed to various health disorders.
When energy-efficient LED outdoor lighting technology evolved there was a massive effort to replace orange high pressure sodium outdoor lighting with blue-white (daylight) LED technology and billions were spent by cities and states to do so. Then, in 2007 researchers discovered that excessively bluewhite LED outdoor lighting created far worse light pollution and sky glow than the older HPS lighting. Moreover, the American Medical Association AMA endorsed studies that showed that blue-white LED outdoor and indoor lighting adversely affected the health and sleep patterns of humans, animals and plants (e.g., sea turtles are declining in areas where adverse lighting impacts reproduction and navigation.) A solution has been implemented to ultimately replace all blue-white LED and other outdoor lighting with warm white LED lamps and full cutoff luminaires. Indoor lighting should also be same warm white coordinated color temperature. When selecting LED or fluorescent lamps, look for the “coordinated
color temperature“ rating on the package of the lamp. Meanwhile, head out to the rural areas of Colorado one evening this summer and look up. It’s the ultimate light show. For more information on dark skies and how to preserve them, the effects of light pollution and ways to mitigate the problem, visit darksky.org. To learn more about the Skyglow project, visit skyglowproject.com. r Robert D. Amick is a fourth-generation Rio Blanco County native and a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder with background in illuminating engineering and a minor in technical theatre lighting design and applications. He has been an Associate Member of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) and coordinated technical design and installation for lighting projects and grants for the Rio Blanco County Historical Society’s White River Museum and for the Meeker High School auditorium. Appreciation from the author is expressed to the International Dark Sky Association Technical Director Pete Strasser for review and contributions as well as The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s renowned Lighting Research Center, and to the “Skyglow Project”.
ADVENTURE COLORADO • 21
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What began as an impromptu purchase and gift on a date night six years ago set in motion a love for paddle boarding that Sunshine Paddle Board Company founder Trina Zagar-Brown hopes to share with others. Paddle boarding has become so popular because it’s easy. Stand-up paddle boarding creates access to the pristine waters of Northwest Colorado for adventures of all skill and interest levels. While Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) is amazing on the waves of oceans and rivers around the world there is nothing like paddle boarding here in the White River Valley. Whether it is Lake Avery, Rio Blanco Lake, Kenny Reservoir, private water or the White River, getting out on the water with friends and family is an amazing way to spend the day. “My husband and I wandered into the kayak store in Glenwood Springs on our way to dinner and before we knew it, Erik bought me this amazing used stand-up paddle board,” said Brown. “Six years later and lots of great time on the water, we came home from Meeker’s downtown Halloween event with plans to buy our friend Sarah Conrado Printz’s paddle board business. Sarah and her family
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22 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
did an amazing job bringing SUP rental, sales, classes and SUP yoga to Meeker. I was thrilled to carry on their momentum and combine that with my paddle board experience. Paddle boarding simply makes me smile. It is serene, athleticism, mountain air, pristine water, fun, laughter and joy all rolled into one. Whether it is a quiet morning on the board paddling or doing yoga, kids playing on the boards, folks fishing off the board or dogs sitting atop your board as you navigate Lake Avery, it is one of Colorado’s great recreational adventures,” Brown said. The Sunshine Paddle Board Company offers daily, half-day, weekly and weekend rentals featuring Colorado’s own Shaboomee stand-up paddle boards. The boards are inflatable and are ready to pick up in oversized backpacks which include the SUP, paddle and quick hand pump. The Sunshine Paddle Board Company also features the Nelumbo Bloom Pod which is a paddle board docking station used to anchor and connect a series of paddle boards together for SUP yoga. Check out Sunshine Paddle Board Company at 685 Main St., Suite 2A, Meeker, Colo., locate rentals in area stores at 970-683-1875, and follow on Facebook. Adventure Colorado was paid to publish this content.
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970.878.5031
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ADVENTURE COLORADO â&#x20AC;¢ 23
WELCOME TO
Super-fast broadband at up to one gigabit per second is a part of the future of commerce, education, healthcare, and entertainment. In Rio Blanco County, that future is here. Whether you are exploring Azeroth or fighting off a Zerg swarm, Colorado’s adventure doesn’t end when you come indoors; rather it continues at the speed of light over the County’s high-speed broadband networks. Colorado is home to traditional broadband services like CenturyLink’s telephone wire system and Comcast’s broadband over cable. However, in keeping with the state’s long-standing tradition of rugged independence, many Colorado communities are exerting their own local selfdetermination and choosing to build new state-of-the-art fiber optic networks. There are four basic ways fiber is reaching out into Coloradan’s businesses and homes and hotel rooms. In some areas, small telephone companies have chosen to replace their old networks with ultra-fast fiber networks. In other areas, towns – like Centennial – have chosen to build municipal fiber rings from which they allow private companies to build networks and expand broadband service. Other towns – like Longmont – and some rural power cooperatives, have chosen to build new fiber networks all the way to every house and business and to offer services themselves. Each of these fiber deployment methods is doing a great job bringing ultra-fast speed of lit fiber broadband to Colorado. The fourth method is one of the most revolutionary and exciting models used to get fiber deployed and it is happening in Rio Blanco County. Historically, the County
has experienced the boom and bust economic cycle of the oil and gas industry. In 2014, the County decided broadband was a critical tool to help lay a foundation to position itself as a modern, world class destination for tourism; business growth; safe, healthy, happy living; and as an ideal place to raise, educate, and retain a family. While the County sees broadband as a critical foundational element to its future, it isn’t interested in selling service like Longmont or depending on private providers to expand off of a public fiber ring. Rather, Rio Blanco County decided that fiber and wireless infrastructure (that is, the actual fiber cables and towers and other pieces you can actually touch) is a lot like a road. Just like the County builds roads to help visitors have better access to the County’s rugged beauty and businesses to have better transportation services for their goods and ways for packages to be delivered, the County should build the digital roads of the future to help visitors upload their videos of the area and to ensure businesses – both traditional and home based – have access to the same or better digital transportation as is found in more metropolitan areas. Just like the County doesn’t deliver packages over their roads – they let the Post Office and private carriers deliver the packages – they also didn’t want to deliver the digital packets. Rather, Rio Blanco County elected to let private service providers take on the packet delivery service. This decision not only helped the County avoid having to build broadband customer service capabilities but it had the added bonus of creating an open marketplace for inter-
net service providers. Two great local service providers, Cimarron Telecommunications and Local Access Internet, chose to partner on this revolutionary business model and to offer services tied with the fastest internet speeds in the state, over the county’s fiber optic roads. Cimarron Telecommunications (cimarrontelecommunications.com ) started out as a wireless provider for rigs in the oil and gas fields. In 2013 the company expanded service to homes and businesses in Rangely via their own wireless infrastructure. When the County started rolling out Rio Blanco Broadband, Cimarron chose to offer services as fast as one gigabit per second over the shared fiber infrastructure. Local Access Internet (localaccessinternet.com), or LAI was founded by a retired CenturyLink technician. He was frustrated with the service offered in Meeker and took it upon himself to do something about it. LAI started building a wireless network and when Rio Blanco Broadband began rolling out, they jumped to the fiber to offer up to 1 gigabit per second. The final piece of the Rio Blanco Broadband puzzle is the organization that bridges the County’s infrastructure capabilities and the service provider’s retail sales and customer service. This bridge is provided by the network operator, a company called Colorado Fiber Community. Colorado Fiber Community knits together the public sector’s infrastructure and the private sector’s entrepreneurial broadband providers. .
Adventure Colorado was paid to publish this content.
RIO BLANCO
THE FUTURE POWERED BY
970-878-4421 cimarrontelecommunications.com
801-599-4866 rbc.fibercommunity.net
970-878-9474 rbc.us
970-878-5344 townofmeeker.org
970-675-8476 colorado.gov/townofrangely
Work and play at the speed of light.
broadband
taking
flight (which, of course it is), but having done it for 26 years now, I find it to be incredibly peaceful and relaxing much of the time. In addition to being able to fly like a bird, it is very satisfying to be able to do something that takes a great deal of skill and focus that not many people do,” Sheldon said. In this national championship competition, hang gliders from all over the United States and the world will launch near Dinosaur,
Sheldon says, “The area around the Dinosaur flying site is so beautiful and wild and from up in the air, Every kid fantasizes about what it the landscape is incredible. We might be like to simply jump off his don’t have many mountain competiroof with an umbrella and fly. tions in the U.S. anymore because Hang gliders live that dream, perthere are wonderful flatland areas fecting an art once thought impossifor flying that have become very ble, staying aloft for hours and travel popular during the last 10 years or ing hundreds of miles. so. So, this is the only opportunity With its wide-open vistas, for U.S. and international pilots to Northwestern Colorado is a fabulous compete in a big mountain area in place to fly high. the U.S. Foreign pilots (particularly Starting June 18, the area Europeans) love the area hosts a week-long event—the because it is surrounded by Dinosaur Open Spectacular— wide-open space and plentiful My parents thought the pilots were places centered around hang gliding for easy landings. Also, and other area attractions. absolutely crazy and I thought to myself, Dinosaur is one part of the This year’s organizer is country where pilots can get Jamie Shelden, a veteran ‘Someday, I’m going to do that.’ extremely high (often right up hang glider herself, who has Jamie Shelden, USHPA Coordinator to the 18,000 feet ceiling for competed on both the hang gliders) and fly very long German and United States Colo., and land in five area commu- distances—so these are both things national teams. nities: Craig, Hayden, Maybell, that draw many pilots.” “I saw hang gliders for the first Meeker and Rangely. The event is Each day around noon the comtime when I was about 10 years old, sponsored by Colorado petitors will launch. Depending on out on a Sunday hike with my parNorthwestern Community College which way the wind blows they’ll ents and I was amazed by it then. My (CNCC) and Moffat and Rio Blanco land in one of five designated landparents thought the pilots were counties. Hang gliders will compete ing areas throughout this corner of ‘absolutely crazy’ and I thought to in Class 1, Class 5 and the Sport the state. Because they never know myself, ‘someday, I’m going to do Class for national titles. how long or precisely where the that. The roster will include Jonny hang gliders will land, the launch site “The draw of hang gliding for Durand, current No. 1 world-ranked is an ideal spot for spectators. Keep me—and I would guess most pilots— pilot from Australia, Christian Ciech current by checking their website at is that there is nothing closer to flyfrom Italy, reigning world champion dinosaur17.com. ing like a bird than hang gliding. Most and top-ranked pilots from Mexico, Adventure Colorado was paid to publish this content people see it as an extreme sport Brazil and the U.S. national team. BY JULIE NOYES ADVENTURE CORRESPONDENT
“
26 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
2017 Dinosaur Open
SPECTACULAR AR
USHPA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HANGGLIDING! Primary Goals - Craig, Hayden, Maybell, Meeker, Rangely
Schedule of Events: June 16-25, 2017
r a n g e l y
JUNE 16: Sound Circle, 5pm, Rangely Junior/Senior High School
Women’s a capella ensemble; soundcirclesings.org
June 17: Open Saturdays at the TANK,
9am-1pm & Open Mic at the TANK, 7pm Bring your instrument, your voice, & your friends!
June 17: Meet the Pilots, Rangely Auto-
motive Museum, 8pm June 18: BBQ and Concert by Frank Westcott & Aerial Sculptures by George Peters & Melanie Walker at The TANK, 5:30pm Ring the Bells That Still Can Ring, 8pm June 19: Ropes Course @ CNCC, 9am12pm Limit 12, ages 12+, $40 each, 970-986-
Junior/Senior High School June 21: Roomful mful of Teeth Solstice Concert at The TANK, 8pm See tanksounds.org for more information
June 24: Family Day @ Dinosaur
“Cathedrals”, Oil & Gas, Last Native American Battle, questions call 970-629-5317
Dig, Ages 12+, leaves at 7:30am from CNCC,
Pilot Glamping at Dinosaur Rangely Automotive Museum Tours
$55/person, cost includes travel to and from, curriculum, snacks and beverages. Call Angie Miller at 970-675-3227 or Liz Johnson at 970824-1119.
970-675-8233 for hours and info.
June 24: Rio Blanco Cup @ Cedar
Ridges Golf Course, 970-675-5920 for info
June 18-25 Events
Rangely Town Fair - Downtown
Food, beverage, craft & extreme sports, details at rangelychamber.com
History OHV Tours, Rangely Outdoor June 20: Movie Night, 7:30pm, Rangely Museum, Schoolhouses, Moon Canyon, Petro9857
June 18-25 Events June 15-July 4: Plein Air Meeker
glyphs, Civilian Conservation Corps Tour, The
M Open Air Painting Contest E Paint Out June 15-29 Entry Deadline June 29, 5pm E Artist & Patron Night June 30, 5-7pm Display & Public Auction, July 1-4 June K 23: Youth Fishing Day & Movie Under the Stars, ERBM Recreation & Park District E Call 970-878-3403 for info. For more events, contact the Meeker Chamber of ComR merce at 970-878-5510 or visit meeker-chamber.com
WRBM Recreation Center
Indoor pool, game room, weights & cardio rooms, racquetball, tennis & basketball courts
June 20, 21 & 23: CNCC Lake Days @
Kenney Reservoir, 1-5pm
Paddleboards, kayaks and canoes $5/two hours, tubes $2/afternoon, 970-986-9857
June 20, 21 & 23: Climbing Gym Open @ CNCC, 9-11am $3/kids, $5/adults
June 14-17: Whittle the Wood, Craig City Park
Competition, Concerts, Car & Motorcycle Show, Triple C Carving Crown Baseball Tournament and more! 5pm June 16, free R Buckstein, Carving Finals, 10 am June 17, $5 admission 5:30pm June 17 A seeThemoreSamples, details on page , Pool & Wave Pool, 605 Washington St. I Craig M-F, 1-7 p.m., Sat-Sun 1-6 p.m. $4.50/adults, $3.75/students, $3.50/kids, no refunds given for inclement weather G For more events, contact the Craig Chamber of Com-
merce at 970-824-5689 or visit craig-chamber.com
Funding Sponsors: Moffat & Rio Blanco Counties with Dinosaur & Rangely (host)
Contact: Lisa Hatch, Coordinator, 970.620.5751 | USHPA Meet Organizers: Jamie Shelden & Mitch Shipley
ADVENTURE COLORADO • 27
Meeker Days has something for everyone
Come visit Meeker, an easy day drive from anywhere in northwest Colorado or a great weekend get away from the Front Range chaos. On July 14-15, Meeker will be offering concerts, OHV runs, horseback trips, yoga on the lawn, mountain bike events, guided hikes and kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; events for all ages. Start Friday evening off right with a yoga class on the courthouse lawn starting at 5:30 p.m. Instructors Katie and Antina will melt away the stress of the week. Is hiking your thing? Join us on a fun, family adventure hike and explore trails around Meeker. Learn about the principles of Leave No Trace as you hike an easy two-mile loop guided by a BLM staff member. The hike starts at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Sanderson Hills Park pavilion. Want some competition? Try
the Meeker Adventure Dash. This is Meekerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Amazing Race!â&#x20AC;? Meet at the Downtown Plaza pavilion at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 15 for your first clue.
T w o hours will be allotted to complete the race, which features clues within walking distance of downtown Meeker. After the dash, stay downtown and enjoy the musical talents of the Blue Grass Offenders and
Lever Action. Grab a bite to eat at the food booths or a cold beverage at the beer/wine garden while the kids play a variety of games. There is no admission fee or charge for many of these events however, donations will be accepted to assist Pioneers Medical Center in the purchase of a 3D mammography machine. Donation buckets will be on display at each event. You will receive a Meeker Days T-shirt for donations of $15 or more. Meeker Days is sponsored by Pioneers Healthcare Foundation, Eastern Rio Blanco Metropolitan (ERBM) Recreation & Park District and the Meeker Chamber of Commerce. For more info., please call 970-8783403 or 970-878-5510. Full schedule and more details available at MeekerRecDistrict.com.
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TRAPPERS LAKE LODGE & RESORT 7700 Trappers Lake Road â&#x20AC;˘ Meeker â&#x20AC;˘ CO 81641 (970) 878-3336 â&#x20AC;˘ (970) 878-5288 www.trapperslake.com â&#x20AC;˘ e-mail: info@trapperslake.com
Coloradoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2nd Largest Natural Lake Natural Spawning Ground for Cut Throat Trout Largest Elk Herds in North America Over 30 Alpine Lakes NNN
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Experience the remote, rustic and spectacular scenery of Trappers Lake Lodge located in the White River National Forest and Flat Tops Wilderness area. Take a quick five minute walk to Trappers Lake from your cabin.
Established 1890s
28 â&#x20AC;˘ ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
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daring adventure or nothing.
~Helen Keller
Come along with us! Adventure Colorado advertising, advertorial & product placement: pat@theheraldtimes.com
LET’S RIDE.
RIO BLANCO’S TRAIL SYSTEM IS AN OHV ENTHUSIAST’S DREAM. Photo by Cathie Dolan
BY JEN HILL ADVENTURE CORRESPONDENT
Sometimes the best way to enjoy the beauty of nature is with your thumb on the throttle, the wind in your face and the hum of an engine. For those who prefer wheels to walking, the many off highway vehicle opportunities in northwest Colorado are not to be missed. Off road enthusiasts will find that
Rio Blanco County offers many exciting opportunities and boasts more miles of OHV trails than anywhere else in the state. OHVs have become so popular in the area that there are multiple group riding events available for those who enjoy hitting the trails in a group. The Wagon Wheel OHV Rendezvous in Meeker is a popular rally for enthusiasts. The event runs
30 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
July 13-15 and covers more than 250 miles of trails throughout the scenic White River National Forest. Both open and guided rides are part of the event. New this year is the addition of the Meeker Days celebration, concurrent with the Rendezvous.. Thursday kicks off with a duskto-dark ride complete with s’mores over a campfire. Friday and Saturday offer 14 different trail rides to chose
from including a Meeker history tour, which takes a lunch break at the historic Meeker Café. Saturday also includes the popular poker run where participants collect their hand of cards along the route, hoping for the best hand and prizes. After riders are done hitting the trails for the day they can kick back with happy hour and live music in historic downtown Meeker. Rangely, located on the western end of Rio Blanco County near the Colorado/Utah border, will hold their annual OHV rally Aug. 10-12. Thursday starts with a night ride to nearby Kenney Reservoir for a bonfire. Friday and Saturday will include an OHV rodeo, Rangely’s version of the popular show “The Amazing Race” and a poker run. Saturday ends with an outdoor concert. More information for both events, including registration and the trail guide book, can be found at wagonwheeltrails.org. If you can’t make one of the area OHV events or just prefer a quieter atmosphere. explore the trails on your own. The best maps of available trails and roads in the area can be purchased for $4 at BLM offices in Meeker, Craig, Silt and Grand Junction. Information can also be found on the White River BLM webpage. The White River BLM has only one rule for OHVs in the area: all riders must stay on existing roads and trails. It is up to the rider to know if they are on an official existing road. It’s also important that riders know where private property boundaries are to prevent trespassing. The area is extremely remote and known for fast changing weather patterns so preparation is key. Packing the essentials will help keep riders safe. Helmets and protective clothing such as boots, goggles, long pants and long sleeved shirts will help protect the body. Ensuring you have enough food, water and extra gas is vital. Should you have trouble on the trail, having the right tools could save you a very long walk to town.
While most OHVs come with a manufacturer-provided tool kit, it’s a good idea to add some basic items: vice grips, a few zip ties, a roll of duct tape, a flashlight, fire starting tools, a pocketknife and a compass could prove essential. Additionally, packing tire plugs and a small air pump just might buy a flat tire enough time to limp home.
While cell phone signals will be spotty in the area bringing along your cell phone is a good idea. Even if you never need to make a call you will certainly want to take photos of the trip. Just about any type of OHV will have somewhere to play in the area. Finding an OHV you’re comfortable with will increase your enjoyment. Families will likely prefer the pro-
portions of a side-by-side. The luxurious Can-Am’s will seat four to six passengers. The Honda Pioneer family doesn’t come with the bells and whistles the Can-Am offers, but it’s certainly capable of success on the trails. On some of the rugged roads found in the area, the smaller CanAm Commander and all three versions of the Honda Pioneer are easier to maneuver than the large CanAm Defender, as the length and width of the Defender will likely make it unable to clear some roads. In addition to a more preferable size, the Commander offers a more comfortable ride and the Honda Pioneer boasts a great suspension system. One benefit of a side-by-side is the ability to add sides and a roof to shield riders from the western sun, road dust and inclement weather. For individuals the maneuverability of a four-wheeler can’t be beat. And if you want to find a way to sit back and enjoy the ride while someone else drives, the Can-Am Outlander balances comfortable seating for two while retaining the benefits of four-wheeler mobility. The Honda Rincon is built for power and speed. For those on a budget, the Honda Rancher is great for multiuse. Either four-wheeler will prove its value on the trail. A couple optional accessories could prove advantageous. The benefits of a windshield are obvious: reducing wind burn and bug splatter. Getting a winch mounted on the front of the vehicle is also worth considering. Besides giving you the ability to pull yourself out of jams, they can also be just the needed tool when you find a tree or other debris blocking the trail. No matter what OHV you land on you will find trails to enjoy in the northwest corner of the state. Whether riding in an organized event or kicking up dust on your own, the wide open spaces, charming high desert views and extensive trail systems will leave you glad you came. r
ADVENTURE COLORADO • 31
Wranglers, Rustlers & BY JEN HILL ADVENTURE CORRESPONDENT
Hidden away in the remote sage and pinyon hills of Northwest Colorado lies a historical gem. Cut off by mountains and distance, people are notably scarce. It was because of that remote vastness that many notorious outlaws of the American West hid themselves, and perhaps their treasure, in the canyons and plateaus of Brown’s Park. Brown’s Park—originally called Brown’s Hole—is thought to be named for French trapper Baptiste Brown. However, it was the gun slinging outlaws known as the “Wild The Wild Bunch Bunch” that made the isolated park infamous. The most notorious outlaw to take up residence in the Hole went by several names: Bob Parker, George, and his most recognized moniker, Butch Cassidy. Cassidy came to Brown’s Hole in 1896, after being released from the Wyoming Penitentiary where he served time for livestock theft. He found shelter with an old acquaintance, Matt Warner. Warner’s cabin on the north side of Diamond Mountain had become an outlaw haven where rustlers were welcome and drunken poker games were a nightly routine. It was from the regulars at this cabin that Cassidy pulled together the Wild Bunch. In their early days the Wild Bunch spent much of their time tormenting
saloon owners in Vernal, Utah, stealing horses and the occasional bovine. When Matt Warner was arrested after killing a man and maiming another, the Wild Bunch responded. According to the book “Last of the Bandit Riders” by Murray King, Warner got a note to Cassidy from jail which read, “Butch, we’re goners if we don’t get money quick to hire lawyers.” The Wild Bunch responded as any good outlaws would and robbed more t h a n $16,000 from a bank i n Montpelier, Idaho. The lawyer they hired was able to get Warner convicted of the l e s s e r charge of manslaughter. As the y e a r s passed, the Wild Bunch swapped out some members and added more hideouts, including Hole-in-the-Wall in Wyoming. Some of the gang’s notable outlaws included Harry Longabaugh (The Sundance Kid), Harvey Logan (Kid Curry), Ben Kilpatrick (Tall Texan), and Elzy Lays. The Wild Bunch is now credited with the longest sequence of successful train and bank robberies in American history. In Brown’s Hole it wasn’t always easy to tell the outlaw from the lawman. Tom Horn spent his younger years working as a prospector, ranch hand and even rodeo contestant. However, it was his role as “range detective” that brought him to notoriety in northwest Colorado. In 1900 Horn was hired by the Swan Land and Cattle Company to
32 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
investigate cattle rustling in the Brown’s Hole area. Horn, using the name James Hicks, found employment on a Isom Dart ranch owned by Matt Rash. During his undercover stint he overheard an argument that confirmed Rash and neighbor Isom Dart’s involvement in cattle rustling. The next morning Horn was gone and within days both Rash and Dart found notes tacked to their doors rebuking them as rustlers and demanding they exit the area within 30 days. Rash and Dart refused to abandon their ranches and within a short period of time both were killed. While their murders were never officially solved, many adamantly believed that Horn had been paid to kill the rustlers. Horn continued to traverse northwest Colorado threatening rustlers. A number of them fled the area rather than face Horn. One night Horn found himself in a fight at the Bull Dog Saloon in Baggs, Wyo., which ended with a knife in Horn’s ribs. He never returned to Colorado, instead continuing his sporadic cow hand employment and questionable tactics in Wyoming. Eventually his tendency for gunfire caught up with him and in 1903 Horn was hanged for murder. Tom Horn Brown’s Park outlaws were not limited to men. Ann Bassett, known as Queen Ann, grew up on the Bassett Ranch,
established in 1854. Ann—who was the first white baby born in the area—and her sister Josie found themselves quite popular with the local cowboys when they came of age. Josie became involved with Bob Parker (Butch Cassidy), while Ann got engaged to her neighbor, Matt Rash. After Rash was shot and killed Ann threw herself headlong into her fiance’s business. Within a month of Rash’s death Ann filed documents with the Routt County Court alleging that Rash had left a will in Ann’s possession. While she was unable to locate the will, she conveniently remembered Rash had designated her as his sole heir. The will, as Ann remembered it, was contested by Rash’s relatives and the bank Rash had used to mortgage his cattle. In the end Rash’s brother paid Ann $250 to drop her claim. When the sherriff came to round up the 600 head of cattle for the bank only 485 were able to be located. Here Ann’s story collides with Ora Haley and the Two Bar Ranch. In 1878 Haley, a well known cattleman from Laramie, Wyo., expanded his operation, the Two Bar Ranch, into the Brown’s Park area. The Two Bar was a large cattle operation which Ann termed “bloated behemoths of the cattle industry.” Much of the Brown’s Park area was already public lands and open to grazing. Bassett and other smaller ranchers were personally and financially affronted when large cattle operations moved thousands of cattle into the area. Whether the influx of corporate cattle or the murder of her fiance, set Ann on vengeful tirade, we cannot know. However, according to the book “Where the Old West Stayed Young” by John Burroughs, Ann spent most of 1902 and 1903 on a personal mission to relieve the Two
Bar of as many cattle as possible. Ann In 1913 the state tried again. When a was said to run cattle into the river on witness for the defense was murswift currents, off high cliffs and even dered and Ora Haley was accused of flip them with her lariat, breaktax evasion the trial turned in ing their necks. Ann’s favor. Her ability to In a sudden change escape punishment led of tactics Ann married to her new nickname Two Bar Ranch man“Queen of Rustlers.” ager Hi Bernard in While the 1904. Ann’s marrustling and gun riage to her sworn slinging days of enemy came as a Brown’s Park may shock to everyone be long gone, today and Bernard, who visitors can enjoy was 20 years her this remote wildersenior, was promptly ness in Brown’s Park fired from the Two Bar. Wildlife Refuge, estabThe short-lived marriage lished in 1963; Dinosaur ended in 1910 and Ann National Monument, Ann Bassett quickly resumed her previestablished in 1915; and on ous attacks on the Two Bar, this time Bureau of Land Management lands. restricting access to a common Wherever your Brown’s Park watering hole. adventure takes you, the natural and This time the authorities got historical treasures found in the area involved and Ann was brought up on are sure to impress. r charges of livestock theft. Her trial in All photos courtesy of Uintah County Regional Craig, Colo., ended in a hung jury. History Center
Explore the stomping grounds of colorado’s early adventurers!
hTake a guided boating tour down the Green River hWatch for wildlife, including moose, deer, birds, and more! hVisit the Two Bar Ranch hHike one of the area’s numerous trails hVisit Vermillion Falls hFish the Green River and Beaver Creek hTravel across the “Swinging Bridge” over the Green River Don’t forget to keep an eye out for loot! Rumors abound that outlaws left behind stashes in Brown’s Park.
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Part of this operation is conducted on public lands under special use permit from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management & U.S. Forest Service.
Powersport enthusiasts agree that off highway vehicles (OHVs) are one of the best ways to get “off the beaten path” to enjoy Colorado’s vast landscapes and abundant wildlife viewing opportunities. But how do you get started if you don’t already own an OHV and don’t know where to go? What if physical limitations have hindered your ability to get out and enjoy the great outdoors? Villa Ranch near Meeker, Colo., offers the ideal solution: book a guided OHV tour and let a knowledgeable, experienced guide lead the way through some of northwest Colorado’s rugged and breathtaking country. When you arrive at Villa Ranch for your tour, you’ll receive a safety introduction and equipment orientation before heading out to the trailhead. After your tour you’re welcome
to stay at the Villa Ranch, a 100-plus year old working cattle ranch. Hosts Mary K. and Dr. Albert Krueger, along with a very experienced staff, have hosted hundreds of hunters during the last 10 years, providing unforgettable hunts, three meals a day and comfortable, cozy, private rooms. Your safety and comfort is important to Villa Ranch. Guides are trained in first aid and have satellitebased communication devices to contact EMS or law enforcement if needed. The equipment provided is well-maintained. Emergency equipment is carried to assure safety in the event of mechanical problems or weather-related issues. Staff is also trained to be aware of guests who might be at risk for altitude-sickness and will help to avoid those problems. Villa Ranch is also committed to protecting the environment, no mat-
36 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
ter what property they are on. Damage to the roadway will be avoided or kept to a minimum, trash is packed out and all the machines use mufflers to minimize noise. Guests will need to bring a current driver’s license and be able to demonstrate safe and competent operation of the equipment. Tours will be booked by appointment only. Villa Ranch reserves the right to cancel or alter a planned trip due to weather or other circumstances. By getting off the highway, guests can witness vast stretches of untouched landscape. Rio Blanco County now allows OHV travel on many country roads, and with the routes on the White River National Forest and through Bureau of Land Management areas, the potential vistas are endless. Come try this experience with us! Adventure Colorado was paid to publish this content.
Photos: Villa Ranch
How to COLORADO By Jill Dunbar HLAW Ambassador
Earlier this year, my husband Dale, and I were hanging out in the front room, watching television and talking about the upcoming summer. We usually plan a few weekend trips and a couple of overnight hikes. He came up with the brilliant idea of going on a major backpacking trip this summer. By major, I mean, packing up everything you own to keep yourself alive for 5-6 days in the unforgiving Colorado wilderness, strapping it to your back and wandering down a trail to parts unknown. A couple of summers ago, we backpacked three segments (42 miles) of the 28 segment, 500-plus mile Colorado Trail. One life goal of mine has been to complete Colorado’s premier trail—not as a thru-hiker, but as a segment hiker. Many hikers complete the trail as thru-hikers in about a month to a month and a half. I have no desire to pound out the heavy mileage day after day, with my head down, my earbuds blasting trail music, not interacting with anyone for fear of being thrown off schedule. I want to
38 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
enjoy my adventure. I want to soak in my surroundings. I want to remember every single moment. For me, work gets in the way of completing more than a few segments at a time. Plus, I really don’t think my body or my mind could handle more than six days on a trail at any given time. When Dale brought up the CT hike, I jumped on it like a rat on a Cheeto! First of all, we have something fun to look forward to this summer and second, we get to plan for more segments on Colorado’s premier trail. Which, in turn, means we get to drag out all our CT books that are gathering dust so we can figure out which segments we are going to tackle. Mileage is very important. We live hours from the trailheads and need to factor in our traveling time to and from the TH. Then we need to figure out who gets to drop us off and pick us up 5-6 days later. (Important formula to remember: More highway travel time equals less time on the trail.) Note to self: Need to put in for vacation time... a lot of it.... Next, we plan how long we can be on the trail. One doesn’t just throw some gear in a pack and head down a trail. Many things need to be taken into consideration. Given the terrain, how many miles per day can we hike? Where are the water sources? Where are the best campsites? Will there be a lot of exposure? Will we be susceptible to thunderstorms?
Plan a ADVENTURE Snow fields to traverse? What are the weather patterns looking like? When will the largest elevation gains and losses occur? Given the amount of snowpack, which month should we go? So many questions to be answered. Our guidebooks and maps will help to answer some of the questions. Our experience and intuition will help with the rest. I will make a list of contacts and remember to activate our subscription to our DeLorme InReach Global Satellite Communicator. Our communicator is peace of mind for us, our family and our friends. They can follow our path and know where we are at any given moment. I always tell them, if we are stationary for more than one day, that means something isn’t right. I know people who don’t want others to know where they are... not me, man! Stuff can happen. We could be bear bait. Or trampled by a moose. Or slip on a snowfield and end up wadded in a heap on a pile of rocks (almost happened to me!). I get to plan the menu for each day and then start dehydrating food. I’ll pack our meals neatly into gallon size baggies with the order in which we’ll eat them written on each bag. Menu preparation takes a long time, but is very rewarding— our survival depends on it. Lastly, I get to go through our hiking box and start separating out all our gear. That’s my favorite part. When I open the lids of our hiking boxes, I swear I hear angels singing. I love to go through our gear, touching every piece like it’s the holy grail. We have
stoves of every size and shape. Water bladders that fit in our packs, those that hang from trees and water filtration systems for the dirtiest of puddles. We have four tents, five sleeping bags, three backpacks, four sets of hiking poles, a dozen pairs of hiking socks per person. We have pretty forks and spoons with collapsible plates and cups. We have two one-gallon sized bags of every kind of hiking protein bars and snacks imaginable, plus free trade coffee singles. We have clothing for all types of weather (heat, cold, rain, snow)— and we pack it all! It’s Colorado, after all. The weather patterns change every five minutes! Better get out my notebook and start planning. I will fill my notebook with notes on menus, schedules, lists and maps. My eyes are glazing over and I’m already dreaming of our time on the trail... summer in Colorado is already starting to look good! r Jill Dunbar is a Meeker resident and an ambassador for the online group Hike Like a Woman. She blogs about her adventures at www.lollygaggersblog.com
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Sound Circle Friday June 16, 5 p.m. Rangely Jr./Sr. High School
The TANK’s Summer Solstice brings new sights & sounds to Rangely BY JULIE NOYES ADVENTURE CORRESPONDENT
You may have driven by similar water tanks. They dot the landscape throughout the American West. But they weren’t like this one. “A 60-foot-tall, 30-foot-across, rusted and abandoned steel water TANK, was discovered in Rangely, Colo., by sound artist and sonic thinker Bruce Odland in 1976. An acoustical marvel, with a 40-seconds-long, shifting, swirling reverberation, The TANK was saved, restored and repurposed by Friends of The TANK, and is now home to The TANK Center for Sonic Arts.” Mary-Ann Greanier, executive director of the TANK, wants to foster a culture “of thinking about sound in a different way. We’re an economic and cultural partner to Rangely. We want to offer access to this really amazing spot.” The TANK is pulling out all the stops for their second annual Summer Solstice celebration with a variety of events and performances scheduled to bring new sights and sounds to Western Colorado.
42 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
“I had heard of ‘the TANK’ for years as an offthe-grid, slightly mysterious place where people went to make music and to record, and I’d heard people speak in rhapsodic terms about the TANK’s life-altering impact on their musicianselves,” said Sue Coffee, founding artistic director of Sound Circle, a women’s a cappella group from Boulder, Colo.. “Within two seconds of walking into the TANK—and I am not exaggerating about the immediacy of the impact—I thought these two things: ‘This has already exceeded my expectations,’ and ‘I want to stay here forever.’ The sound of the TANK is gorgeous.” soundcirclesings.org
Open Saturdays @ The TANK, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
The TANK is open Saturday mornings throughout the summer and fall. Bring your voice, instruments and friends.
Open Mic Night June 17, 7 p.m. $5 admission F.C. Westcott & Kim Deschamps Saturday June 18, 4 p.m. The TANK
The TANK welcomes Coloradoborn singer/songwriter F.C. Westcott. His website describes his music as “Rocky Mountain Red Dirt,” an eclectic combination of country, americana and folk/rock. Westcott spent his first year of college in Rangely years ago. Kim Deschamps, a multi-instrumentalist from Ontario, Canada, who now lives in Austin, Tx., joins Westcott. Deschamps describes his music as “Blues Americana” and finds “inspiration in the quiet moments of guitar practice.” fcwestcott.com
Summer Solstice Barbecue Saturday, June 18 The TANK
F.C. Westcott and Kim Deschamps will perform at the Summer Solstice Barbecue beginning at 4 p.m. Guests can purchase food from vendors or bring a picnic.
Roomful of Teeth Wednesday, June 21, 7:30 & 9 p.m. The TANK Tickets: inside the TANK $75, outside $15/adults & $12/kids, locals (with ID) free, available at Rangely Chamber of Commerce, proceeds benefit the TANK Our dusty corner of the state welcomes Grammy-award winning ensemble Roomful of Teeth, a vocal project started by Brad Wells in 2009. Drawing influences from Tuvan throat singing, yodeling, belting, Inuit throat singing, Korean P’ansori, Georgian singing, Sardinian cantu a tenore, Hindustani music and Persian classical singing, A Roomful of Teeth has studied with some of the world’s top performers and teachers. With their eight voices they “create new music whose aim is to explore the widest range of expressiveness for the human voice. The singers in the group are all classically-trained, extraordinary singers in their own right, and we have studied many styles from around the world to expand the capacity of the group,” says Wells. roomfulofteeth.org
Airworks Studio
Ring the Bells That Still Can Ring
All week long The TANK
Saturday, June 18, 8 p.m. The TANK
Two Colorado artists internationally known for their sound and aerial art will be working at the TANK all week during the Summer Solstice celebration. You could call George Peters and Melanie Walker “professional creators of whimsy.” While their work has taken them across the globe, this summer is the first time they’ve created with a space like the TANK. “A really big rusty tin can and sound art chamber is a challenging visual,” reports Peters. “(We might) expand the sound-making possibilities outside of the TANK or (use) the TANK itself as a sound amplifier and resonator.”
Bruce Odland, one of the founding members of the TANK, will conduct a bell-ringing concert tribute to the late Leonard Cohen’s piece, “Anthem.” Guests are encouraged to bring their own bells for this unique experience.
Christina Ivanna
Stay up-to-date with The TANK at TANKsounds.org
July 9-19 The TANK Harp Healer Christina Ivanna from Rochester, N.Y. will record music this summer for a forthcoming album in the TANK. “My harp came to meet people, and they are enchanted by her.” Ivanna was astounded by “the unique, personal sounds of each person” as they play. Because she believes in the “relaxing, comforting music of the harp, that it brings joy and kindness” to those who hear and play it, Ivanna hopes to make her harp available to local children in Rangely.
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Events in Jualryk
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r voir Derby K t the Rese a g g n i n i h p s i m F d and ca boating n - 4 L AR & free PECTACU S 7 1 0 2 n Ope rafts th inosaur Vendors, C , d t h -24 D o o F , liding 18 oor Museum Hang G ngely Outd a R s r u o ry T th HV Histo lcome BBQ t h -24 O ncer t & We o C e c 18 i t s l K’s So itorium th he TAN gely HS Aud n a R @ t 18 T h ig e Movie N t h Extrem 0 2 th
ks P 1st A Day in El lor Run InÀatables, Co Rib Cook-off cer t Dinner & Con t a s d k 3r Firewor oir Kenney Reser v
Events in August
t (Labor Day s e F r e b m te p Se
th 10th - 13 R O A R & ride an OHV rally
Weekend)
4th - Monday ast y a d n u S 3 ancake Breakf P e th t a l nd - Saturday how, 2 Cream Socia Crafts, Car S m arathon Ice u M se ½ u & M r n o u o R td 5K Ou & BBQ in Wheel Wheel Ride n o g a OHV Wagon W V H Elks Park Ride O ff o ko o C hili Duck Race ONV 3DUN C ( LQ r) a V w OH f E (o WD g ÀD ,Q Mud Tu Concert in lly Dip-n-Dash y Kid’s Bike Ra d d u Elks Park M Contest e vi o M & r e Bench Press n in D odeo Rock-n-Bull R rd
ties in the and other opportuni e es th on n io at rm For more info t the Chamber: Rangely area contac RU YLVLW WKH RI¿FH DW 90 52 , Suite A 5970-67 255 W. Main Street om l.c ai gm r@ be m rangelycha Rangely, CO 81648 om RangelyChamber.c
ADVENTURE COLORADO • 47
MEEKER RECREATION CENTER
Espresso is where we begin...
GIFTS BREAKFAST LUNCH
Specializing in the unique, the unusual, and the pretty darn outrageous.
www.MeekerRecDistrict.com
Open 7 days a week!
Authorized Fedex Shipper & Authorized Union Wireless agent for Rio Blanco County
206 Market Street Meeker, Colorado 970-878-3688 www.wendlls.com
48 • ADVENTURECOLORADO.US
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271 E. Market St. â&#x20AC;¢ Meeker, Colorado â&#x20AC;¢ Mon-Sat 7am-8pm â&#x20AC;¢ Sunday am-6pm
Produce
Bakery
Deli
Meat Dept.
Friendly Service
Family Owned and Operated â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Since 1955 â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
Life is better when you’re golfing. GOLF
RIDGES
Open to the Public Open 7 Days A Week 502 RBC Road 108 • Rangely Contact Pro Shop for more info.
970.675.8403 NNN
9-Hole Course • Par 36 • Full Bar Putting Green • Driving Range Pro Shop • Snack Bar
MEEKER
GOLF
9-Hole Course • Rental Clubs Driving Range • Pro Shop Open 7 Days A Week Open to the Public • 8am-8pm 903 RB County Rd. 13 • Meeker
970.878.5642 NNN
JB Golf
BAR & GRILL
NNN
Full Bar/Snack Bar | Patio Seating Coolers Available | Private Parties Open Seven Days a Week
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Bernie’s Tourney . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 27 Summit/Midstream Employee . . . June 3 Elks 3 Person Scramble . . . . . . June 17 Rio Blanco Cup. . . . . . . . . . . June 24-25 27-Hole Scramble . . . . . . . . . . . July 15 Rangely Open Stroke Play . . . . . July 22 27-Hole 2-Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . July 29 Couples Classic . . . . . . . . . . August 5-6 Dotson Memorial Scramble. . . . . Sept. 2 CNCC Baseball Scramble . . . . . Sept. 23
The 9-hole Cedar Ridges Golf Course in Rangely, CO, is one of western Colorado’s best kept secrets. Always in great shape, and always a challenge, this par 36 course features 5 sets of tees and plays 3,433 yards from the tips. Cedar Ridges opened in 1985 and just keeps getting better with time. Chris Hejl ~ General Manager
2-Man Scramble . . . . . . . . . . . May 13 Ladies Deerfly . . . . . . . . . . . . June 10 Two-Man Best Ball . . . . . . June 17-18 Rio Blanco Cup . . . . . . . . . June 24-25 Lischke Memorial . . . . . . . July 22-23 Meeker Junior . . . . . . . . . . . . . July 25 Meeker Couples. . . . . . . August 12-13 Cowboy Classic. . . . . . . . . . August 19 O.F.I.C. Seniors . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sept. 9 The 9-hole course at the Meeker Golf Course facility in Meeker, CO, features 2,744 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 68. The course rating is 33.4 and it has a slope rating of 111. Meeker Golf Course opened in 1971. Bud & Becky Ridings ~ General Managers