Ear to the ground

“You need to sedate yourself for any trip through Kansas.”
– A Durango man explaining why he was bringing a “jug of gin” on an upcoming road trip

Saddle sore
Think you’ve done serious time in the saddle? Think again. The Colorado Trail Race rolled into the finish line in Durango last week. When they arrived at the Junction Creek trailhead, mountain bike racers had covered nearly 500 miles from Denver to Durango, reached elevations as high as 13,200 feet and carried all of their own food, water and camping gear. As an added bonus, the race offered only one prize – bragging rights.

Kevin Thomas, a contractor from Salida, won this year’s installment on Saturday after completing the long pedal in four days, 11 hours and 39 minutes. It was his second year riding the mega-race, and ironically he swore he’d never do it again after year one. There’s no telling how he’s feeling this year – he left on a Salmon River trip immediately after the finish.

Jesse Jakomait, a Colorado Springs rider, did have strong opinions about the race, however. The 34-year-old was one of 60 riders who started the race Aug. 1. Although he finished second last year, he was unable to pull through in this installment and abandoned last Thursday.
“I had to face the music that unfortunately I wasn’t going to be able to revive myself enough and based on how much time I was spending out there and how much food I had, it was going to be hard just to make it to the next resupply, and I felt the best thing was for me to descend down the mountain and go back into civilization,” Jakomait told the Sault Star, his hometown newspaper.

However, Jakomait has not sworn off of the Colorado Trail Race and is already planning for next year’s edition. “I think I do have some unfinished business,” he told the paper.

Just like a New Mexican
Hollywood is again setting up shop in the Land of Enchantment. “Just Like a Woman,” an independent feature starring Sienna Miller and Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, is currently being shot at several New Mexico locations. Production began this month in and around Santa Fe, Jemez Springs and the Zia and Nambe pueblos.

Not to be confused with a film by the same name (where a divorced British housewife falls for an American banker who happens to be a transvestite), “Just Like a Woman” tells the story of a Chicago housewife (Miller) who leaves suburbia for Las Vegas to take part in a belly dancing competition. The film is being directed by Oscar-nominated Rachid Bouchareb.