The Pole

With snow in the forecast – several feet by some predictions – locals’ minds are no doubt shifting somewhat abruptly from bikes to skis. But if the trip to the gear closet or garage found your winter kit somewhat lacking, perhaps it’s time for a little bargain-hunting road trip.

Something last visible to the Neanderthals will be visible in the night skies over the U.S. this week. No, we’re not talking woolly mammoths – but almost as good. Last visible to earthlings 80,000 years ago, Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, aka C/2023 A3 will once again come in for an extremely rare  up-close, naked eye viewing.

If it seems like a season of anniversaries, you’re not mistaken. Several longtime local institutions celebrated birthdays recently, including Durango Natural Foods, Ska Brewing, Maria’s Bookshop and yours truly. And now those flexible, grounded, soothing (and amazingly strong!) folks at YogaDurango are celebrating 18 years in the practice of making us all feel better.

The gold rush is on, but not in the way you might think. Apparently, every Coloradan and their dog(s) flocked to the mountains last weekend to gawk at Mother Nature’s autumn splendor. And while those of us in the San Juans might have experienced minor frustration over parking at the trail head, the Front Range was a whole different sort of peeping pandemonium.

Durango’s airwaves are going to the dogs. Literally. This week, Hutton Broadcasting, based in Santa Fe, announced the launch of DoggyFM KKDoG, 99.7FM. As the name would suggest, the new station is “tailored for man’s best friend” (we would assume all other people are included in that generalization as well).

Anyone who has visited the Blue Lakes between Ouray and Telluride knows: it’s crowded. But that’s about to change. The U.S. Forest Service, which oversees the 16,200-acre area, which includes Dallas Peak and Mount Sneffels, officially announced it will be going to a permit system for day hikers and campers from June-September.

Fresh on the buzz of the exciting news of Mexi Logger being available year-round, Ska has announced another new addition to its lineup: Swing Easy Peach Hard Tea.

The Denver Post just came out with its “10 picturesque (and less visited) Colorado mountain towns” list. Don’t worry, Durango’s not on it. Well, not exactly.

The list, which names 10 places that won’t “break the bank for a mountain town experience” and are “away from the ski lifts and condos … where the mountain-town spirit lives in a (relatively) affordable way” does include Durango’s friendly neighbor to the west, Mancos.