Ear to the ground

“Do you mean the band or the creatures that swim in the sea?”

-A casual response to the statement, “Oh, she hates fish.”

Top of the world

Even at age 50, Durango’s Ned Overend is continuing to crush the competition. The local cyclist turned in a ninth place and a time of 2 hours 23 minutes in the May 27 Iron Horse Bicycle Classic. Seven days later, he was honored with an Everest Award at the Teva Mountain Games for lifetime achievement in mountain biking.

The Everest Awards recognize outstanding individual achievement in five outdoor categories: adventure racing, whitewater paddling, climbing, trail running and mountain biking. This year’s Everest Award winners were announced June 3.

“We envision the Everest Awards as the Academy Awards of the outdoor sports industry, only a whole lot more fun,” said event organizer Joel Heath, of Untraditional Marketing. “There have been some incredible achievements in the world of adventure sports over the past year, and we’re proud to be recognizing those accomplishments and individuals at the Mountain Games.”

The Everest Award finalists were chosen by a panel of editors from key outdoor sports publications, and Durango was well represented at this year’s event. In addition to Overend, local mountain biker Shonny Vanlandingham and local race organizer Will Newcomer made the cut as finalists, and Durango paddler Corey Neilson presented the awards. Last year, Durango native and mountain biking phenomenon Travis Brown was a winner.

The Cliff Palace Collection

Mesa Verde National Park has gone miniature. The park’s Cliff Palace has been included in a United States Postal Service’s commemorative stamp collection. The “Wonders of America: Land of Superlatives” stamp sheet was released May 27 and features 40 natural and cultural treasures of the United States. The 40 places, structures, plants and animals highlighted in the special collection span every region of the country. Text located on the back of the stamps will provide pertinent information about these exceptional features of our country. Artwork for the stamp was created by Lonnie Busch. Limited-editions featuring images of Cliff Palace and Balcony House are currently being sold by the USPS.