Ear to the ground:

“There’s a real live girl here – we can ask her questions.”
– Three bachelors capitalizing on the presence of a female participant at a recent brodeo

Trip or treat

Take one of Durango’s most debaucherous holidays, put it on a hangover-friendly Friday night and throw in some newly available retail party favors, and you just may have the fixings for the perfectly scary storm.

As such, the folks at the Healthy Communities Coalition are reminding folks to keep tabs on which goodies go into which goody bag this Halloween. With a bevy of marijuana-infused confections now available that bear a spooky resemblance to their kid-friendly counterparts – such as “Keef Kats,” “Buddahfingers” and “3 Rastateers” – it’s easy to see how one might get confused. Even without prior imbibing.

As such, adults are urged to keep all marijuana-infused imposters out of little candy-hoarders’ reach – or better yet, stash ’em somewhere where they’ll never look, like the vegetable crisper.

For those over 21 who are entertaining thoughts of adding a few treats to their bag of tricks – especially the marijuanabes – remember to start slow. The standardized serving contains 10 milligrams THC – but many candy bars and edibles contain several times that amount. Over-serve yourself, and you just may wind up starring in your own “Nightmare on Main Street.” (If you don’t believe us, take it from New York Times columnist Maureen O’Dowd, who’s first foray into edibles is now internet legend.)

And when the late-night zombie apocalypse hits, catch a safe ride home (or wherever you end up). The City of Durango will be running Buzz Busses from 10 p.m. - 2 a.m. Cost is $8 – much cheaper than a DUI.

Rabid rapids

If you're thinking about camping at the Grand Canyon, you may want to bring a tent. Grand Canyon National Park officials are warning of rabid bats, which attacked a member of a river trip earlier this month.

Local river runner Stacy Falk was lucky enough to be on the trip that was just ahead of the ill-fated trip, which was from Idaho. She said the Idaho trip caught up with her group at Havasu Creek, about halfway down. Word was they were hightailing it out after one member was bitten by a bat and two others had come in contact with it. "One guy was sleeping on his cot and got attacked. It swooped down and bit him on the lip. He grabbed it and smashed it on a rock," recounted Falk.

The victim was airlifted out, along with the bat, and fellow party members were advised to stay close to the sat phone. A day later, it was confirmed the bat had rabies, and the party was advised to make its way to the nearest takeout. But all was not lost – word is the Idahoans went out in style. "They musta been brewers, they had like 10 pony kegs," recalled Falk.