Ear to the ground

“I’ve never seen so many men in hot pants in all my life.”

– Local woman commenting on the high number of men is skivvies at last Saturday’s Tour de Fat

The long boot from Silverton

For the sixth year in a row, Deke Luhmann is putting down serious miles to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s disease. On Wed., Sept. 14, Luhmann shouldered his backpack and left Silverton. Fifty miles and two days later, he is scheduled to arrive at the Four Corners Health Care Center at noon on Fri., Sept. 16.

Luhmann works as a maintenance supervisor at the Four Corners Health Care Center and sees the ravages of Alzheimer’s on a daily basis.

“I get to know the different patients who come in a minimally progressed state and go to a completely different one a year later,” he told theTelegraph last year. “It’s sad to meet these great people and learn their histories, to later see them reduced to a child-like state.”

Twenty-four hours after Deke arrives in Durango, the Alzheimer’s Association’s Memory Walk takes place at the Fort Lewis College Amphitheatre. The event is set for 8 a.m. on Sept. 17.

The Memory Walk is a nationwide event that raises money to support local programs and services for persons with Alzheimer’s disease, and their families, friends and caregivers. Proceeds from the event stay in the community and help provide education, public awareness, support services, library and a 24-hour Helpline call center.

For more information on Deke or the Memory Walk, call 259-0122.

 

Autumn has arrived

The colors are coming. Autumn has arrived in Southwest Colorado, and the Forest Service is expecting peak foliage is as few as 10 to 14 days.

Hints of the coming change have appeared at even lower elevations, and small amounts of color have been reported throughout areas like Vallecito and at higher elevations such as Wolf Creek Pass, Rico and Silverton. Currently, aspen, gamble oak and cottonwood trees are beginning to turn.

While the peak is always hard to pin down, the Forest Service and BLM expect it to be quick this year. Some areas could be in full blaze anywhere from 10 days to three weeks.