Ear to the ground
“I know some people who actually convulse when they listen to it.”

“Maybe they’re just bad dancers.”
– Discussion on some common symptoms of bluegrass overdose

Mr. Rogers hangs it up
After 29½ years of keeping the city’s pipes greased, Durango’s Public Works Director Otha “Jack” Rogers will be hanging up his hard hat for good March 1. Rogers has been active in keeping things flowing smoothly in such areas as wastewater treatment, securing city water rights, sidewalk improvement and snow removal.“Jack has witnessed the modernization of the City, from slide rules to GPS,” commented City Manager Ron LeBlanc. “His knowledge of the City’s infrastructure is unparalleled and will be difficult to replace. We wish him the very best in his retirement.”

No word on a going-away party, but rumor has it there is an effort afoot to rename the brown mound of snow behind 4 Corners River Sports “Roger’s Peak” in his honor.

Doubling down
Local runners rejoice: the Durango Double is back, and bigger and better than ever. Slated for Oct. 6-7, Animas Surgical Hospital’s Durango Double offers options for both road and trail enthusiasts. Billed as a “festival for runners,” the two-day running event features 25k and 50k trail races on Saturday followed by a half or full road marathon on Sunday. Runners not doubled over by the first day’s feat can opt to “Do the Double” by competing Sunday as well.

Stay tuned for more information or go to www.DurangoDouble.com

Getting plowed
Parking at the popular Vallecito Nordic trails is going to get a little tighter come Friday. Starting Feb. 10, public parking at the trail head will be limited to the west side of Forest Road 603 (that’s the lake side for the directionally challenged) in an effort to keep the roadway clear for homeowners. Up until now, vehicles were allowed to park on both sides of the tight road. But lately that has been causing problems by blocking the snowplow that keeps the road open for homeowners and potentially blocking emergency access to the area. The homeowners hold a special use permit from the Forest Service to plow the road to allow them winter access to their homes.

Starting Friday, the east side of the road will be posted with “No Parking” signs. Skiers will be able to turn around and park on the west side of the road in a manner that will not block the flow of traffic. For more information, contact the Columbine Ranger District at 884-2512.