Ouray Ice Climbing

On Saturday, the Ouray Ice Park opened. It was a very sunny and chilly day, just perfect for ice! I signed up for a clinic sponsored by Ouray Realty and Investment and San Juan Mountain Guides. For a couple of hours in the morning, I actually kicked ice. It was very exhilarating and a real thrill.

My instructor was a very mild mannered guy named Kevin. He was very nice, easy going and patient. He helped me get equipped (the San Juan Mountain Guides loaned me all the necessary gear) with crampons, boots, and the appropriate hand tools.

With great prowess, he demonstrated and explained a few things and we were off. We were on the Kids climbing wall (It isn't just for Kids anymore!) and we made a couple of climbs. Learning how to kick your feet into the ice, balance on the smallest of edges, maneuver the ice axes, and navigate the terrain were all challenges.

My hands were the sorest part of my body. I gripped the ice axes with a death grip and at the end of the day, they were very, very tired and sore. Other than that, no serious pain!

I am not going to say I am an addict at this point, but, I did sign up for more instruction next week. The 1/2 day intro to ice class is a real winner. For a little more than a downhill ski ticket, you too can experience the thrill and it includes the equipment. I highly recommend it.

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

PS Please feel free to post a comment - we love to hear from you!

Tracy Bundy, guitarist

On November 10, Colorado guitarist, Trace Bundy gave a workshop for thirteen local students called, Thinking Outside the Box - Innovative Acoustic Guitar Techniques. Offered by Weehawken Creative Arts, students commented on how many new techniques they learned and how inspiring Trace was. In the evening, following a dinner provided by the Ouray County Performing Arts Guild, Trace played to an enthusiastic audience of 80 people. A standing ovation followed.

Wright Opera House

There is considerable excitement around here about the Wright Opera House being revived. Ideas for events and uses seem to be tumbling around us, more than we can competently organize at one time... a reflection probably of the heavy-on-creativity nature of our tiny population. Mrs. Wright, the wife of a wealthy fellow during the mining days of Ouray, decided that while they were building a town, there certainly needed to be a facility devoted to culture (especially to provide the proper atmosphere for the young girls) and insisted that her husband build the Opera House. It has a long history of many uses, but apparently has never actually had an opera. I’ll bet Mrs. Wright would have loved the “Nutcracker Sweets” coming up on Dec. 1...to showcase our 60+ dance students!

And, we have “live theater returning to the Opera House” in the form of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” With that, reliably comes all of the expected (and loved) buzz associated with a theater production. Posters to be designed, tickets to be printed and distributed to the bookstores where they will be sold, the program to be designed---with great care to include all the spelled-correctly-names of actors and helpers, costumes to be secured, lighting designed and all the pieces found for it, sound effects to be devised...and a rehearsal schedule, of course, to perfect the most effective delivery of the lines!

Also, it will be really good if the new seats ordered for the Opera House arrive before this and other events planned. As the designated worrier for Ouray, I am concerned that they are not here yet. But the young folks in charge of the Opera House, Mel and Kevin, assure me all will be fine. I love young people.

Auditions were held the other night and a surprising range of talent showed up to try for a part. It’s a shame there is only one Tiny Tim because there were so many adorable children trying out.

Many there are already known for local performances (formerly in the MultiPurpose Room in the school...which has a stage), or in regional productions in other towns. But many new faces appeared. We obviously have attracted some superb new talent to our little town.

The cast has been selected and, indeed, only one could be chosen for Tiny Tim. Scrooge is, in real life, the executive vice president of one of the banks. Sounds fitting, but in real life he would not be a good Scrooge. One of the town’s attorneys wrote this adaptation, with his musical wife, and he is directing the production. Both have been active in theater regionally for many years. I am enjoying working with him on the play, and having the opportunity to chat with him without anticipating a bill for the hours or portions thereof for said conversation. (Just joking, Mike, you are worth every penny!)

Among the other cast members are a semi-retired doctor/hospital administrator/concert pianist (yes that is all one person, he may be a lawyer too as I recall), a high school sophomore who stars in school plays, the wife of one of our newest ministers (she, it turns out, has a degree in Theater Arts and would like to start theater classes for kids), and the new night manager of a local motel, just arrived from Texas a few days before the auditions... and he landed the role of Dickens ( the narrator)! When I first met him and he expressed an avid interest in being involved in the play, he clearly was “just arrived from Texas.” I asked him if he could “speak Colorado” and he said he could “speak British” if we wanted Dickens.

The lighting is being done by another new resident, who also has her degree in Theater Arts...our cup runneth over!

The play is done as an old fashioned radio show, with sound effects and music. It will have a live audience, but also will actually be broadcast live on our own radio station, one that is run by our high school students. It will also be recorded for future broadcasts during the holidays. Concerned about the recording process finally led to the “policy” that the production is “not appropriate” for children under 5. I suspect the subject matter and mode of presentation would not be of interest to such young folks anyway.

They had the first read through this week. As I sat and watched, I was reminded of “The Music Man,” envisioning something no doubt akin to Broadway, that clearly it will be a splendid performance of great pride for us all. It is all in the eyes of the beholder. Dec. 7 will be a special evening as our very own live theater is performed in our wonderful Opera House.

Scrooge couldn’t make it to the first reading because he was at a bank equipment trade show in Las Vegas.

And the Texan sounded like he was born here.

by Joyce

Marketing Seminar

The Community Development Committee of the City of Ouray sponsored a marketing seminar as part of the monthly Business Round Tables. Today, the speaker was Jim Kidd, Director of Small Business from the Development Center of West Central Colorado. He is a good speaker and very knowledgeable on the topic.

Jim presented a few interesting concepts including what he termed as the five pillars of marketing:

1) Advertising -- Print (The written word, used to inform the general public)
2) Promotion (the buzz or excitement you create about the event or product)
3) Public Relations (your standing in the community)
4) Publicity (externally generated, uncontrolled by the business owner)
5) Sales (as in markdowns or something is on sale)

He also spent a lot of time discussing how you define the customers that you have or that you want to have. We did an exercise that really opened up my mind on this subject where we tried to create three profiles of customers. It was very beneficial.

He emphasized the importance of a budget, walked through a sample budget and stressed the importance of a fully integrated marketing plan.

At least 30 people were there representing various businesses and not-for-profits in the community including:

Spare Design
Box Canyon Lodge
Ouray Chalet Inn
Cascade Falls Lodge
Ouray Riverside Inn
Ouray Comfort Inn
Weehawken Creative Arts
Ouray Gallery
Second Chance Humane Society
Khristopher's Culinaire
Rocky Mountain Treasures & Gifts
Exotic Earth Coffee Roasters
Ridgway Outdoor Experience
Ouray Trails Group
Ouray Historical Society
Columbus Hotel

During the meeting a small discussion ensued where people asked about marketing Ouray County as a region as opposed to the two little towns of Ouray and Ridgway. Mr. Kidd seemed to think that a lot more cross pollination would occur and the concept is very forward thinking and would be successful. Mr. Kidd even pointed out that the region from Grand Junction to Durango is just the "Western Slope"... No one but these little towns think of it individually, the rest of the state lumps us all together. Pursuing the question a bit further sounds like a great idea.

I am happy to be part of such a great community where continuous development and improvement are part of the lexicon and so many people are involved!

Karen
http://www.boxcanyonouray.com

Veterens Day in Ouray

Yesterday, the Ouray Elks Lodge had a fund raiser for the VA Hospital in Grand Junction and as a tribute to all the veterans that were in the area. On Saturday night, a free spaghetti dinner was available to all the Vets. It was followed up with a Turkey Bingo game. In Turkey Bingo, each game you won yielded a Turkey Dinner including all the fixings!

During the dinner, the Ouray Elks honored one of their own: Bob Wilson. He was a veteran and he also ran one of their charity events for 13 consecutive years. The Charity Ride raises money for their childrens programs including the Easter Egg Hunt, Santa Delivers and the San Juan Riding Program.

This morning, the same folks put on a Brunch with omelets, pancakes, sausages and hash browns. Again, Vets ate free and the money raised was earmarked for the VA Hospital in GJ. Manette Steele, who works for Oracle Corporation, was the organizer and she also donated the food that was used so the event yielded even more money to the cause.

The City of Ouray also had free admission to its Hot Springs for any Vet. The flags were set out along Main Street by the boy scouts. It looked very nice.

The Ouray Hot Springs Pool

This morning the Masters were swimming in the Hot Springs Pool. The Masters are pre-seniors and range in age from 40-60. It is a fun group and very competitive. My swimming has improved dramatically since I joined them, but, as I improve, so do they. I am still the weakest link. It is fun to compete with them (and this is a very competitive bunch) but I never win. Andy the Windmill is the fastest by far...

The lap lanes are opened and the water temperature is perfect! It is about 77 degrees. We started swimming at 8:00am today (we swim every Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and we didn't think we would still be able to keep up the schedule this late in the year but the folks at the pool are doing a fantastic job of keeping the water temps comfortable and the pool in great condition. They have been very accommodating and keep opening the gate for us so we can start.

Today, six members of the Masters Showed up including Sandra from North Moon Gallery, Andy from the Tisdel Law firm, and Carl from Mountain Management were all present and accounted for. A new gal was there (new to me -- Diane) but she has lived in Ouray before and is just moving back. Joe the furniture maker was also there. The Masters is such a great program. Garry Schalla (he is the associate director of the DZi Foundation and co-owner of Schalla Jewelers) is our coach. He has volunteered to do this and has been working on this all summer. We started swimming at 8:00am and by 8:30, the sun was shining on us. It was delightful! Garry has been MIA recently ... doing good deeds in the Himalayan region.

My most favorite part of swimming is that when you do your strokes (mostly freestyle), you get that long stretch and after an hour of that, your body feels worked yet not sore. It also is doing great things with my range of motion in my shoulders. Before swimming, I was having some soreness in my shoulders and now, it seems that ailment is gone! My knees are a bit of a problem and they never hurt after a really hard swim. Feeling tired and not aching is such a treat!

The Polar Bears (mostly seniors) also swim Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. They start at 10:00am and are led by Joanne Fedel. They have water aerobics and stay in the warmer water mostly in the winter. I initially swam with them and they are a fun bunch... there is a lot of socializing that goes on with that group!

Being able to swim outdoors at this time of year is a real pleasure. I highly recommend it!

Greetings from GA????

Just a quick note from Steve and Lora. We are visiting family in NE Georgia and it's 28 degrees today. What's up with that? I think it's time to head back to the beautiful "Indian Summer" Ouray is enjoying!!

Trophy House on Gold Hill

Here is the trophy house being built on Gold Hill high above Ouray. Obviously, this isn't some tiny little thing. Notice the three RVs out front and they pale in comparison to the size of this house!

This is the view of the house part way up the Silvershield trail.

Just another hike in paradise

So, here it is in the beginning of November and there are a lot of trails that are still hikeable. On Friday, I went up the Silvershield trail with my trusty companion Nala, and in the high meadow, I continued up the Twin Peaks Trail. I almost went to the top, but, I decided that it was late in the afternoon and I didn't want to be up there too late (that is the public excuse). And, I must admit, I was by myself and I was in a black forest just like Hansel & Gretal and I thought I was being watched by some crazy bear! (that was the real reason). Of course, that was me just playing some mind games and now I find it amusing that I got so wigged out.

On the way down, I did stop in the high meadow where Silvershield, Old Twin Peaks, and Oak Creek Trails intersect. This meadow is a treat in and of itself! You get fantastic views and the rocks were warm and the sun was so bright and there was absolutely no wind. I must have sat up there for 1 hour or so just enjoying the serenity. Some people find that peace on the beach. I find it up on high on the ridges or anywhere out of the trees.

When I got down and did a site inspection of where I had to have been, I was a bit perturbed that I had turned around. I was indeed almost to the top. I have turned around numerous times while hiking; it is harder to do than it seems but the mountain will always be there. Now I have another reason to try again.

On the Twin Peaks trail, there were a few very nasty icy spots where others had walked, crushed the snow, and it had turned to ice... The stretches were very few indeed and the lengths were short (15 yards or so) but they were on very steep parts and there just wasn't any great footing. When coming down, I actually sat on my butt and used both my hands and feet to scooch down. It wasn't scary or anything, I was just being cautious.

"War of the Worlds" - Halloween in Ouray

"War of the Worlds", the classic Halloween radio drama will air tonight at 7 pm on 98.9 FM KURA. The War of the Worlds was first performed as a Halloween radio special on October 30, 1938. The original broadcast made history in when it was mistaken for an actual news broadcast and panic ensued.

If you enjoy radio drama, stay tuned; KURA plans to air our own homegrown adaption of "A Christmas Carol", to be broadcast live from the Wright Opera House. More info on this event is forthcoming.

KURA broadcasts from the Ouray School. Daytime programming and community bulletin boards are managed by our students at the Ouray School. I'm working on keeping the dinner time jazz (5-7 pm) and evening Rock and Roots shows rolling and helping out some of our community DJs.

-EF

Indian Summer in Ouray

I took advantage of our Indian summer yesterday to squeeze in some Autumn season hiking. On the left is a picture of the mines on Gold Hill. This was taken from the Silvershield Trail overlook.

-EF

Ouray Film Club

With the reopening of the Wright Opera House The Ouray Movie Club (OMC) is spinning up for a new season. Not to be confused with the equally interesting Friday Night Club (a children's series also at the Opera House), OMC will present a winter long series of cutting edge movies from the independent and art house film circuit. This will include films from festivals such as Sundance and Cannes.

OMC was very active a few years ago while the theatre was still operational. At that time we also presented a Sunday Cinema in Ouray series and filled the house for films such as TransAmerica, Cache, and Heart of Gold. It is good to be back.

-EF

Best of Ouray!

So, I have stumbled across "BestStuff" and Ouray is out there. I think everyone who enjoys Ouray should vote for Ouray! Hooray for Ouray!

Top 10 Reasons Ouray is the Greatest!

10. Scenic Beauty -- Duh, that is what gets you here... These are the reasons that you stay!

9. We have the worlds first ice park
8. The Smithsonian has ranked the Ouray County Museum as one of the best small museums in the country
7. The Ouray Trail Group is second to none in creating and maintaining hiking trails in and around Ouray!
6. Weehawken Creative Arts has brought so many fun and exciting classes to the community including dance, metal smithing, photography, drawing, painting... There are so many opportunities to explore your creative side
5. The Ouray Nordic Council takes care of all the cross country trails at Ironton ... all as a volunteer effort.
4. The Ouray Movie Club is starting to take shape again!
3. Ouray has the worlds best building for creating a haunted house. Just look at this picture from this blog. It is the Elk's Lodge looking all spooky.
2. Ouray has its very own glassblower in town and we also have our own Artisan Bakery that makes the very best of the best baguettes. How cool is that?

...

And the number one reason that Ouray is the Greatest???

1. Ouray has such a great group of citizens that make each and every day such a joy. The community is tight knit and very supportive, through thick and thin...

Vote for Ouray

New Film Club

With the re-opening of the Wright Opera House, it seems like the Ouray Movie Club is starting out again. You can read their latest plans at their new blog... http://ourayfilm.blogspot.com/

I like the look of their blog and I like the opportunity to see the less popular films in a theater like setting. What a great event.

I have seen some signs around town and it looks quite promising!

Creative Writing

Over the week end, Weehawken Creative Arts had a great workshop by David Mason called Dramatic Voices in Poetry. David teaches at Colorado College and traveled to Ouray with his wife, Anne Lennox. They were both terrific people. "The ability of the instructor couldn't be better" wrote one student. Another commented that "Dave was very well prepared, great handouts, and a great presentation" That evening, Dave gave a reading at Bulow's on Mainstreet. We were sorry to see them head back to Woodland Park.

Can't Wait for Winter Skiing

I just took advantage of our recent early season snowfall and did a few ski turns off of Red Mountain Pass. There may not be any snow left in town, but there was enough on Red to manage a few turns.

Red Mountain Pass is renowned for backcountry skiing. The area is now represented by a new chapter in the Backcountry Snowsport Alliance. Work has begun on signs and kiosks to designate the non motorized areas.

If you are in the backcountry in snow season, ALWAYS carry and know how to use Avalanche safety equipment. If you haven't been trained in avalanche safety, the Silverton Avalanche School will offer an excellent Level I course this January.

-EF

Happy Halloween

We started setting up for the Haunted House today over at the Elks Building. You can't appreciate how few electrical outlets are in that building until you need more than 3 of them. The theme this year is "Harry Potter". Too bad I have no clue about this story. I was just a simple worker bee. I climbed ladders and hung black plastic and that will be my claim to fame. There is still more work to do but it will be finished long before Saturday. The Haunted House will be from 6-8pm on Saturday night (Oct 27th).

I am behind on my Veterans Day invitations and I need to get those done by Wednesday, drop dead! Beth has done the work to get some ads running in the paper. Manette and I and hopefully others will cook the dinner and the breakfast. It will be free for any veteran. I think that is the least we can do to show our appreciation. I have also had the city of ouray agree that Active Duty military can have free admission to the pool on Veterans Day. As for other vets, I think we can probably get them in 1/2 price. We have to finish with Halloween before we can think about that event. I think it will be a very nice affair. Next time, I hope we can make it nicer!

Rich was shoveling snow from 8:00am this morning and then he helped them out over at the Vic. Their International Scout has a bad transmission so he gave them a helping hand. He certainly put a couple of cents into his karmic bank!

Tomorrow I am supposed to swim in the morning... brrrrrrr..... I wish I knew how cold the water was in the lap lanes. It turns out I really like the feeling of being in the water and working to stretch out and pull. I really need to get in that water. To heck with getting cold! Worst case, I will swim laps in the warm pool :-)

Weather is supposed to be sunny ... early morning should be spectacular if the sky is clear.


Karen @BCL

Fun Times!

We went out for a great walk today along the Ice Park trail. I love that trail cuz it is so close to town, easy, fast, and no one is ever there. On the way, we ran into Clint Cook at the bridge on Camp Bird Road from San Juan Mountain Guides. He had set up a zip line across the gorge and there was a nice family from Denmark enjoying their rides. Clint was out providing them with some beginning mountaineering instruction & some fun on a zip line. The Dad admitted that he was afraid of heights but as he had two layers of security he was feeling confident to let 'er rip! It is fun to watch. They were a really nice family.

Rich spotted a pheasant-like bird on the trail. We really have no clue what kind of bird it was but rest assured that we are sure it wasn't the run of the mill robin. It was the size of a small turkey but the noise it made didn't sound that way. It could fly too! It was a pretty bird. Nala was also amused with the sighting.

As usual, I forgot my camera (I will get better at that) but have decided to upload a cute picture I actually did take last week of Rich and Nala. It could have been taken today :-)

Yesterday, I got the latest holiday schedule of events completed and it was loaded onto the Chamber website. The schedule is looking quite full of activities and the committee is doing a wonderful job of pulling it together. Two events stick in my mind as extra special... The Nutcracker Sweets (little kids doing a dance recital) and the old time radio show put on by the Ouray County Players. Both should be quite extraordinary.

Bruce from Rocky Mountain Treasures & Gifts came by this morning and is going to print out the holiday schedule so that I can get it posted around. He has a colored laser printer and bought some legal paper yesterday. It prints out on legal sized paper and I ran out. I really like the way the business community is really working well together. It says a lot about this community.

All for now,

Karen @ Box Canyon Lodge

Fall into Ouray

What a beautiful day! It was 81 degrees & sunny yesterday. The leaves are falling & there's a crispness to the air in the morning. Weather can change when it wants to, but it's always so nice up here.

The pool is open & people are having a great time soaking in the hot springs. Jeep tours are still running & it's another wonderful day in Ouray!

Steve @ Ouray Chalet Inn

great weather in Ouray!

I just came in from my deck, watching the light change with dusk. What a great evening, brisk, yes, and the cool air feels fresh and alive. I love being here in the mountains. When I went by the hot springs pool earlier this evening I wanted to stop and soak. With the steam rising from the water I could almost feel the 105 degrees aginst my skin. I thought I had too much to do this evening to allow for soak. Standing out on the deck I have changed my mind. I am grabbing a towel and going to take advantage of that hot clear water that comes from deep in the earth. See you there....

Master Plans

Another BEAUTIFUL day in Ouray!

Master Plans for the Parks were presented last night at City Council and are at the City Hall for review. We all need to review and give opinions. Remember that if you set back and don't speak up, don't complain when you don't like what happens.

Women's Club meeting today at the Community Center, you will be able to meet the new candidates for City Council, also I believe that some of the County Commissioners will be there.

Fresh Snow~!

The snow was fantastic... My favorite type... It stayed up high so no shoveling~! You can see how clear the sky is today. We had a little cub at the homestead last night. He was stumbling around and opening cans. Momma bear is nearby but we didn't see her last night.

Today is supposed to be a nice warm day, should be in the 50s. I plan to go hiking on the Portland Trail. It should be very nice today. Computer work will have to wait until tonight as the day is just to beautiful. I just love the way that you can keep hiking so late in the season.

The Holiday Committee is meeting regularly so this December should prove to be a lot of fun. The old time radio show is a go and it will be happening on December 1.