Gooning-free zone
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FREE Aug. 20, 2026 Vol. XXV, No. 32 durangotelegraph.com
inside
T H E
O R I G I N A L
I N D I E
W E E K L Y
L I N E
O N
D U R A N G O
&
B E Y O N D
Trailing off
Road(less) rules
The trip to Bountiful
Fewer folks hiked 14ers last year – and that’s just fine p8
Feds overturn protections, but Colorado safe for now p9
Despite naysayers, local actor makes name for himself p10
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telegraph
lineup
4 La Vida Local
Farewell Fruitapulp Purging the contact list and rediscovering the simple joys of an old iPod
4 Sign of the Downfall
by David Feela
4 Thumbin’ It
5
5 Writers on the Range 6-7 Soapbox
Keep ’em coming The feds want to cut the public out, but your comments still count
8-9 State News
by Will Pattiz / Writers on the Range
10 Local News
8
12-13 Stuff to Do
Breathing room
13 Ask Rachel
After record numbers, 14er traffic slows – and that’s not a bad thing
14 Free Will Astrology
by Jason Blevins / The Colorado Sun
15 Classifieds
10
15 Haiku Movie Review
Unstoppable Local actor didn’t believe the naysayers – and has the movie credits to prove it
On the cover “Iron Lung,” by local artist Matt Clark, aka lil bud designs.
by Missy Votel
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Heading up nORth
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4
RegularOccurrences
Ever wonder what happened to the Outdoor Retailer show, the annual convergence of all things hip, cool and new in the outdoors? After years of being held in Salt Lake City, the “OR” show, as it’s known, pulled up stakes and moved to Denver for friendlier political climes. But that dalliance didn’t last long, and now, the show has set up shop in the outdoors mecca of … Minneapolis? That’s right – the land of 10,000 lakes, Hamm’s beer and ice fishing is now home to the country’s premier outdoors trade show. Hundreds of outdoor gear brands and retailers, including big names like Backcountry and REI, as well as startups and up-andcomers, are meeting in Minneapolis for a gathering of the Gore-Tex tribe Aug. 20-21. Since the late 1980s, OR has been the place where new brands get discovered – Yeti and GoPro to name a few. However, in May, the show’s parent company, Emerald, was acquired by Apollo Global Management, calling the future of the conference into question. Now, OR is hoping for a fresh start in the Mini Apple, show director Matthew Mathiasen told the Minnesota Star-Tribune. That’s got the leaders of Minnesota’s $13 billion outdoor industry feeling giddy – well as giddy as a Minnesotan can get. “People outside of Minnesota kind of get that we’re an outdoorsy state, but they don’t understand how big of an outdoor state we are,” Randolph Briley, deputy director of Explore Minnesota and director of Minnesota’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Partnership, told the Strib. “It’s a huge spotlight on Minnesota.” To make the most of the opportunity, more than two dozen Minnesota brands and trade groups are hosting a Minnesota Pavilion to showcase what’s “Made in Minnesota.” But you can’t welcome thousands of outdoor entrepreneurs and execs to town without getting outside, so organizers have planned a trail run, canoeing and an orienteering race. The goal: “Establish the Twin Cities as the premier metro area in the nation for recreation,” Briley said. The outdoor industry has historically focused on consumers who specialize in one or two activities – rock climbing, kayaking – and invest heavily in gear for those sports. But since the pandemic, Briley told the Strib, the core consumer has shifted toward casual recreation: family hiking, camping, lake sports. “The Mountain West is the home of core outdoor recreation in America, but the Midwest is the home of casual outdoor recreation,” Briley said. “That’s where the industry is shifting, and that’s why we think Minnesota is the perfect place for the outdoor industry to gather.” Just don’t forget the bug spray. Aug. 20, 2026 n 3
LaVidaLocal A little digital housekeeping Once a year, I visit my contacts list. Scrolling through the alphabet, I realize how many I don’t even recognize, like who is Backcountry or Fruitapulp? How did they sneak onto my computer? A little digital housecleaning. I delete them and move on. Others I recognize and ponder like an agreeable aroma, reminding me of the place they occupy in my memory – college friends, former students, individuals who once said “Let’s keep in touch.” If I don’t remember the faces, shouldn’t I just nudge them on their way? But increasingly, like déjà vu, so many more I notice are not just absent from my life but also from the lives of everyone else who loved them. While it may make perfect sense to simply delete the dead, I can’t. I don’t. I leave them be, honoring their lives, not wanting to interfere with their digital place in eternity. They don’t take up much space. I store them in my “cloud,” which I think has a warm fuzzy poetic appeal. Gathering contacts can also be misunderstood. Followers become the fodder of business and ambition. Networking is the word; accumulating more is touted as a measure of success. If so, shouldn’t my junk mail count? Some follow me with the tenacity of stalkers. I empty my folder almost every day, but the next day, they show up like picketers on strike. Once, 128 crowded onto my digital doorstep overnight. I brushed them away only to find them again early the next morning. Cristiano Ronaldo qualifies as the most-followed person with more than 1 billion followers across social media platforms. That’s reportedly one in every eight people on the planet. Really, I had no clue who would capture such a following. A singer/songwriter like Taylor Swift? I looked the name up: a professional footballer (nicknamed CR7) who plays as a forward for two Portuguese leagues. I could go on to list the top 20 “most-followed,” but surely, you’d be gone before the end of this paragraph. BTW, I have 13 followers on Goodreads. I realize it’s not a lucky number, but there’s a difference between followers and contacts. Generally, the former are fans, the latter are friends. It’s important not to confuse the two. Melinda Gates (I’m sorry, I don’t have her contact) wrote, “Deep human connection is ... the purpose and the result of a meaningful life – and it will inspire the most amazing acts of love, generosity and humanity.” I believe she’s right, and I
suspect the world would be more cherished if people followed her advice instead of following her. Anxious to join social media sites when I was younger, I signed up for Facebook, LinkedIn, X (back then known as Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and Goodreads. You know how it goes, testing the experience of spending time in a digital community, thinking we could be good neighbors. Over the years, these platforms expanded and morphed into digital cities, like data centers proliferating across the globe. Transitioning is what they call it, not to be confused with corporate corpulence. An example of how technology conscripts followers looks like this: Likes have traditionally been seen as a kind of hello, a click that means a reader enjoyed some specific content, but now the “Like” button on Facebook no longer exists, and people only see a “Follow” button. But no worries. Current page followers will continue to be followers, like it or not. My social media phase lasted a few years, but as postings and notifications multiplied, I started feeling I couldn’t stay in front of this avalanche. The quality of a human connection that I had initially embraced became more shallow, haphazard and obligatory – not more meaningful. It pleased me to read in the news reports that Gen-Z is buying up old-school iPods, choosing a simpler experience, at least when it comes to their music. I’m a Baby Boomer, but I still use my 2005 iPod Classic along with several iPod shuffles. Truth be told, my closet contains more than a few museum-quality discontinued Apple products. On eBay, an iPod like mine is priced between $150 to $500, but reselling is not why I kept it. Free of connections with the internet, my iPod’s built-in headphone jack simplifies listening to my music. No bluetooth, no streaming, no subscriptions, no notifications, no interruptions whatsoever. I just cover my ears, close my eyes and melt like butter into the pleasure of a Boomer’s sound sanctuary. Recently, I’ve become obsessed with acquiring a 1965 Mustang just like the one I owned during my college years. Technology and auto engineering are so much different these days. What I’d love to re-experience as I’m driving down the road is opening one of those old-style pivoting wing windows or, for a change, just cranking the entire window open by hand without accidentally pushing some stupid button that locks all the doors. – David Feela
Thumbin’It Happy Birthday to our other favorite local radio station, KSUT, which celebrates 50 years of tribal and community broadcasting this Saturday with a free concert and party at Ska. Be sure to stop by and raise a glass! It seems as though the unsustainable outdoors mania of the pandemic is easing, with less traffic on Colorado’s 14ers last year. I think we can all agree a little more breathing room and fewer selfie sticks on the summit is a good thing. Signs continue that the political pendulum is swinging from the depths of dysfunctional Project 2025 despair, with progressive candidates winning in primaries this week in Florida, Alaska Wyoming and other states.
4 n Aug. 20, 2026
SignoftheDownfall: The Orange Agent of Chaos has struck again. On Tuesday, he advanced a plan to overturn the “roadless rule,” opening up about 45 million acres of unfettered national forest to road construction, logging and more. Which begs the question: has Trump ever been in a forest? Trump voted by mail in Florida’s primary, participating in a practice he has railed against and equated to cheating. Is anyone in MAGAland paying attention, or are we too busy denying that COVID was real? Move over, zebra mussel – a new invasive pest is on the horizon. The New Zealand mud snail has been found in a Front Range lake, raising alarms over its ability to quickly reproduce and eat all aquatic life, leaving fish starving and pipes clogged.
telegraph
Chester the Detester Toymaker Goliath launched its Butt Face toy line in July, but so far, there’s only one character. His name is Chester Cheeks, a fleshtoned plastic butt wearing headphones and a ponytail. When you squeeze or wiggle his ample cheeks, Chester makes a variety of farting noises. Of course, all the Karens (aka “child health experts”) threw a tantrum and labeled Chester a “nightmare,” because the original age rating was 4+, and because the “pinching” encouraged might inspire toddlers to pinch actual butts. So, Goliath caved, doubled the age rating to 8+ and removed the “stretching” feature. But it was too late, because the controversy made sales skyrocket. However, even after all that, Chester is only the second-most famous flatulent ass on the planet.
WritersontheRange
Comments still count Washington is rewriting the rules for public participation – we need to pay attention by Will Pattiz
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efore the Forest Service logs a drainage or the Bureau of Land Management leases a parcel to a driller, the agency must publish what it intends to do, allow the public to respond and answer the objections. That arrangement is 56 years old, and 640 million acres of federal land run on it. But on July 3 of last year, five federal departments filed rules in the Federal Register that gutted their own environmental review regulations. Agriculture. Interior. Energy. Transportation. Defense filed twice. All six took effect the day they were published, with public comment invited afterward, if at all. It wasn’t a secret. An executive order signed the previous January had given every federal agency 12 months to revise its environmental procedures, and July 3 was the deadline. The rules shrinking public comment didn’t themselves go out for public comment. Why would a government work this hard to stop hearing from people? In April 2024, at a dinner at Mar-aLago, an oil executive complained that his industry had spent $400 million lobbying the previous administration and rules still hadn’t been changed. Trump’s answer to the 20 or so executives in the room was that they raise him a billion dollars. He was specific about the return – more oil and gas leases auctioned on federal land. He called it a deal. The Washington Post and The New York Times reported the “deal” within a month, and two congressional committees opened inquiries, but nobody in the administration disputed it. Trump’s Forest Service chief came from a vice presidency at one of the largest lumber producers in the country. Interior’s third-ranking official holds grazing permits on a quarter-million acres managed by the BLM and got an
The BLM, which is now overseen by a former oil and gas exec, gave the public seven days to weigh in on stripping protection from the country around Chaco Canyon National Historical Park, seen here, which the Park Service describes as a “sacred and deeply personal place for many Indigenous peoples.” ethics waiver this March to work on ranching and grazing issues. The agency’s grazing overhaul covers 155 million acres while narrowing who’s allowed to object. The BLM’s director made his fortune in oil and gas. The BLM gave the public seven days to weigh in on stripping protection from the country around Chaco Canyon National Historical Park, which the Park Service describes as a “sacred and deeply personal place for many Indigenous peoples.” Comments were accepted online only and public participation was cut from 90 days to 10. The Forest Service wants to slash
comment on a timber project from 30 days to 10, delete the meeting where objections used to get worked out in a room, and hand review of your objection to the official who made the decision to which you’re objecting. The 2001 Roadless Rule protected 58 million acres of national forest land from development and took 430 public meetings and 1.6 million comments to write. The Agriculture Department recently erased the rule with 21 days of public comment and not a single public meeting. I’ve heard talk about whether it’s time for a march on Washington. Mean-
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while, here’s what works. Last summer a proposed bill in Congress would have forced the sale of 3.3 million acres and put 250 million more acres on the table, but hunters, anglers, hikers and Westerners who would sooner eat their hat than call themselves environmentalists made so much noise that Republican senators went after it in public. Backcountry Hunters and Anglers alone logged nearly 115,000 calls and emails. The bill died. Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee says he’ll be back for it – and I believe him – but it died. Comments still matter even when they lose, because they go into the administrative record, and the record is what a federal judge reads two years later. When the Agriculture Department collected 46,845 comments on dismantling the Forest Service, it found 82% opposed yet answered none of the objections. That silence became a claim in a lawsuit this January. Every comment filed and every phone call puts one more name on a list of people paying attention, and that list is the only thing that has ever stopped this internal destruction. It isn’t foolproof. Erasing the Roadless Rule drew 625,737 comments and the rescission is proceeding anyway. What the public land sell-off had that the Roadless Rule didn’t was a vote that a member of Congress had to cast with their name on it. The pendulum swings, as it always has, and when it turns, how much of the damage gets undone might come down to how many of us showed up on the day it happened. Will Pattiz is a contributor to Writers on the Range, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He is co-founder of More Than Just Parks, a public lands advocacy and media organization. ■
Aug. 20, 2026 n 5
SoapBox
D-Toon/by Rob Pudim
Choose your mentor wisely When I was just a boy, if I got out of line or performed a misdeed, my father would exclaim to me, “Jeffy! Be a mensch!” For those whose Yiddish is a bit rusty, here’s the definition: “A person of high integrity, honor and compassion.” Probably good traits to aspire to. Right? However, there were times when I didn’t live up to these high standards. In those moments, Dad would resort to the nukes: Jewish guilt. I spent the better part of my life apologizing for a hateful/hurtful remark I made to him when I was 5 years old! Trust me. It’s easier just to be a mensch than to screw up. In the present age of descent into Trumpism, I wonder, what kind of mentor would #45/47 be? Here’s a possible scenario: “All you White Christian Nationalist kids gather around Grampy Donald. I have some awesome life lessons I’ll teach you. There won’t even be any tuition charges like Trump University! “Kids! There are only two kinds of people in the world. Winners and losers. That’s it! “Now we’ll play a game to separate the winners from the weak, woke, radical left losers among you. I’ll say a human trait or a subject and you shout out winners or losers! Ready? Here goes: Honesty!” The tykes (except one) shout, “Losers!” “Generosity!”
6 n Aug. 20, 2026
telegraph
The youngsters (except one) shout, “Losers!” “Empathy!” The impressionable children (except one) shout, “Losers!” “Being Corrupt” The future generations (except one) shout, “Winners!” “Admitting to a mistake or a loss.” The majority (except one) erupt, “Losers!” Finally Trump had enough of Except One. “Who’s the radical left punk?” The Trump Youth League whirled around and pointed to the true Christian, “There he is!” “Get him outta here! Rough him up if you have to. My attorney general will defend you in court.” With that, Except One was ushered, punched and pushed out the door. When the drama was over, Trump said, “Gather around kids. I have autographed ‘Trump 2028’ hats for all of you.” If my Holocaust-surviving father witnessed America’s current state of affairs, he’d say, “Trump is a shyster, a gonif (scoundrel) and a schnorrer (moocher). He will never be a mensch.” So true. – Jeff Sambur, Durango
Korean peace effort likely to go nowhere South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung used the occasion of the country’s Liberation Day, which marks the end of Japan’s colonial rule, to propose to North Korea that the two Koreas officially end the war between them that has existed since 1950. In its place, he suggested a “multilayered security system” that would halt ongoing threats and occasional armed incidents along their border. Lee said: “Let us put down our intentions to threaten each other and begin discussions to end the long-running war as the directly involved parties.” As for the nuclear issue, Lee wants “face-toface (meetings) for peaceful coexistence and mutual growth,” adding this could serve as a forum for discussing “effective ways to halt the advancement of the North’s nuclear capabilities.” North Korea is likely to reject any attempt to limit its nuclear and missile capabilities. And since Kim Jong Un has declared that the North and South are eternally separate and in a hostile rivalry, the notion of a sit-down with Lee will probably be derided. After what Trump wrote on his social media, the North has even less incentive
to treat South Korea’s idea seriously. Trump cited his “very good relationship with Kim Jong Un” on one hand, and his unhappiness with the joint military exercises with South Korea on the other. They’re too expensive, he said, and he wants them downgraded. The exercises “send a signal (to the North) that is totally inappropriate and hostile” for a country that has been “unthreatening and respectful.” North Korea has always denounced the joint ROK-US exercises as provocative, and it has a point. But for Trump to agree with Kim at a time when North Korea is assisting Russia in the Ukraine war and carrying out missile tests doesn’t make sense. His decision, evidently taken without consultation with South Korea, can only undermine an alliance already frayed by Trump’s tariffs. Kim Jong Un must be having a good laugh. In the same posting, Trump said he asked South Korea’s president to “join us in the Denuclearization” of Iran. President Lee turned him down. But Trump’s message to the South is clear: The denuclearization of North Korea isn’t a major U.S. objective, certainly not as important as the denuclearization of Iran, which unlike North Korea doesn’t possess nuclear weapons. And all because Trump has suddenly de-
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cided again to pursue “friendship” with Kim Jong Un. Over the weekend, the New York Times reports, Trump posted a 2019 photo of himself and Kim at the interKorean border, writing, “Kim Jong Un and I get along GREAT!” That bromance seems to fit with Trump’s adoration of other dictators. That’s hardly the basis for policy, and it didn’t work the last time Trump tried to make a deal with Kim. – Mel Gurtov, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Portland State University, syndicated by PeaceVoice
‘Dead Pool’ Dusty bathtub ring Reminder of our folly Bull’s eye of hubris – Karen Carver, Durango
We’ll print damned near anything The Telegraph welcomes healthy civil discourse in 750 words or less. Writers must include their (real) name and place of residence. Personal attacks, hate speech or libelous content are not welcome. Please email your profundities to: telegraph@durango telegraph.com
Aug. 20, 2026 n 7
StateNews
Trailing off Hiker count on state’s 14ers falls to 10-year low – and that’s fine by Jason Blevins / The Colorado Sun
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8 n Aug. 20, 2026
hen Lloyd Athearn took the reins at the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative 17 years ago, the trail-building group liked to trumpet that half a million people were climbing the state’s highest peaks every year. The number, born out of the “loving our 14ers to death” trope, Athearn said, “was a totally inaccurate, wild-ass guess that didn’t pass the sniff test.” So, he started actually counting. First with handheld clickers. Then in 2014, his crew installed thermal people counters along trails leading to the top of five peaks. There are 20 of those infrared gizmos on trails now. Athearn has helped craft a modeling system that gives more precise – but far from exact – numbers of hikers on the state’s 58 highest peaks. But the numbers never hit half a million. The latest estimate from the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative shows around 256,000 people climbed that state’s fourteeners in 2025. That’s the lowest tally since the group first began crunching numbers from trailside counters in 2015. “With each passing year, we get more confidence in our locations and our counts, and we are seeing a solid number of people out on the fourteeners, and it’s all happening over essentially four months,” Athearn said. “And it’s an awful lot of people; a critical mass of people from all over the world who are out there hiking and loving these peaks.” For a couple years around the pandemic, it looked like the fourteeners were too busy. Athearn’s numbers show more than 415,000 hikers clambering up the highest Colorado peaks in 2020, a surge that triggered things like landowners closing peaks over liability fears, communities offering shuttles to trailheads, parking restrictions and lots of work managing trail traffic. The last few years have been more of a return to normal, with added obstacles, like the closure of the road up Mount Blue Sky and wildfires closing trails, pinching the flow of traffic up to the state’s highest points. Irregularity may be the overarching trend for 14er traffic, with a constant ro-
Hikers cross a wildflower meadow in the Maroon Bells Wilderness, near Aspen, which is home to two of the state’s 58 fourteeners. Traffic to the state’s fourteeners, which reached nearly half a million people in the pandemic, slowed to about 256,000 in 2025, according to counts by the Colorado Fourteener Initiative./ Telegraph file photo tation of impediments and green lights for hikers of the lofty mounts. “We need to be prepared for the erratic nature of these one-off things like fires and construction projects,” Athearn says. “It seems that one year is never really fully analogous to the next year.” Does the decline worry Athearn? “Hardly,” he says, laughing. A quarter-of-a-million hikers a year is a good number, he says. It’s not so many hikers that trailheads are overwhelmed but still enough to feed rural communities. Maybe it’s the sweet spot for sustainable trails. Athearn sees more traffic – up 40% in the Mosquito Range, up 15% in the Tenmile Range and up 65% in the Sangre de Cristos – as a sign that hikers are exploring beyond the most popular peaks. There’s a bit more balance, with 59% of the state’s fourteener traffic on 12 fourteeners closest to metro Denver. This is a smaller percentage than recent years, a sign of easing traffic on those wildly pop-
telegraph
ular hikes such as heading up Grays and Torreys Peaks, and mounts Bierstadt and Sherman. Total numbers are only a chapter in the story of Colorado fourteeners. Hikers spend more than $25 a day when they climb a fourteener, but that number is from a 15-year-old study, so it’s likely higher. And don’t forget the individual impacts of laboring up a peak for a breathless view, says Ahearn, who spends many days a year tromping up trails and chatting with his fellow hikers. “Sometimes we get caught up in the numbers and forget the stories behind every visit,” he says. “For most of us, it’s a magical moment and a great sense of accomplishment shared with family or friends. And we have more than 250,000 of those moments every year in Colorado.” The Colorado Sun is a nonprofit, awardwinning news outlet covering Colorado. Sign up for their newsletters, and follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky. ■
StateNews
The road less traveled Trump administration moves to kill ‘roadless rule,’ but Colorado has its own protections by Ishan Thakore / Colorado Public Radio
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he U.S. Forest Service filed a plan Tuesday to allow road-building and logging on around 45 million acres of previously protected national forest roadless areas. Environmental groups say the soonto-be rescinded “roadless rule” – which restricts building roads, commercial logging and other large-scale development on huge swaths of national forest land – has protected watersheds and wildlife habitat from decades of disturbance. However, two Western states, Colorado, which passed its own roadless rule in 2012 which supersedes the federal rule, and Idaho will be exempt from the change. Far from being universally adored, the roadless rule endured years of litigation after it was finalized by the Clinton administration in 2001. For years, business groups and some Western states have argued that the rule is too restrictive. United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who oversees the Forest Service, framed the proposed repeal as a way to improve wildfire prevention and give more flexibility to land managers. “For too long, outdated restrictions have kept tens of millions of forested acres off-limits to the very treatments that improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk to our communities,” Rollins said in a statement. That argument, however, has been widely panned by environmental groups, who say scrapping the rule would spoil
Arapaho National Forest, west of Denver, has numerous Colorado Roadless Area parcels, including Bard Creek, a portion of which is seen here in this photo taken from Loveland Pass looking north./ Photo by Hart Van Denburg/CPR News some national forest, lead to more fire threats from the public and be a boon to the timber industry. Last year, the Trump administration announced its intention to dramatically increase logging on public lands. Rescinding the “roadless rule” could lead to more roads that are used to access timber. “This administration is walking away from the most successful land conservation policy in modern American history,” Andrew Wetzler, Natural Resources De-
fense Council Senior Vice President, said in a statement. Environmental groups say that because humans cause most wildfires, killing the rule could lead to more ignitions if people start venturing more into previously hard-to-reach forests. “Opening our backcountry forests to more roads and development, and therefore more ignitions, is also not a wildfire solution and never will be,” Josh Hicks, Director of Conservation Campaigns at
The Wilderness Society, said in a statement. The 2012 Colorado Roadless Rule protects undeveloped areas of national forests by prohibiting new roads and other development activities. The rule conserves 4.2 million acres of backcountry in Colorado’s eight national forests, nearly 400,000 more acres than the 2001 federal Roadless Rule it replaced. In addition, the Colorado rule provides increased protection for 1.2 million acres of what is deemed “high-quality” roadless areas. In return for the protections, the Colorado Roadless Rule provides flexibility for potential ski area expansions on about 8,000 acres and for temporary road construction and placement of methane vents associated with underground coal mines on about 19,700 acres in the North Fork Coal Mining Area, near Somerset and Paonia. Rollins first announced that the Forest Service would kill the rule in June 2025; the agency has received hundreds of thousands of public comments since then, according to the environmental group Earthjustice. Tuesday’s filing means the agency is moving into the final stages of rescinding the rule. The public has until Sept. 21 to comment on the proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement. Once the administration finalizes the proposal, which may be later this year, it is likely to face litigation. This story was edited to add information about the Colorado Roadless Rule. For more from Colorado Public Radio, go to: www.cpr.org. ■
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Aug. 20, 2026 n 9
LocalNews
Local actor Brian Russell has appeared in several films and movies, including “Bountiful,” an indie Western that premiered last week in Durango./ Courtesy photo
The trip to Bountiful Once told he should give up acting, local actor Brian Russell is now landing role after role by Missy Votel
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t’s a good thing Brian Russell didn’t always listen to his teachers. As a Navajo student at Fort Lewis College in the mid-2000s, the aspiring theater minor was told by a professor to give up his dreams of acting. “It’s crazy to hear this, but I was actually discouraged by the professor there at the time. I’ll never forget, she told me I have no talent. And that Natives don’t belong on stage,” he recalled in an interview last week. In hindsight, he wonders if it was the professor’s (whose name he cannot recall) unorthodox way of motivating him. But at the time, it was devastating. “I just wanted to dig a hole and bury myself, because it was traumatizing,” he said. “Sometimes I think about it, and I’m like, ‘Man, maybe she was just trying to push me for whatever reason.’ I’ll never know.” But one thing we do know, whatever her premise for the harsh words, motivate him it did. Russell, 40, who grew up in Flagstaff and now lives in Durango, just wrapped his fifth film project of the year,
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“Sue Thunder, Johnny Lightning,” an independent film expected to be released this fall. In addition, he has had a small role in “Rez Ball” (Netflix 2024); played a larger role in “George: Rise of a Revolutionary” (Fox Nation, 2024), as Tanacharison, leader of the Iroquois Nation; and stars in an Amazon Prime film, “The Anacondas,” (in which, spoiler, he plays a bad guy.) However, perhaps his biggest role to date is in “Bountiful,” an 1800s-era Western drama that had its Colorado premiere Aug. 12 at the Gaslight Theatre. Filmed on an Old West movie set in Mescal, Ariz., the indie film also stars Eric Roberts, Patrick Kilpatrick and Paul Winters (who also directed.) In it, Russell plays “Arrow,” a Native ranch-hand, who, along with his daughter, are taken in by a homesteading family. There are also unscrupulous railroad barons, bad guys, a mysterious stranger with a dark past and, of course, lots of gunfights. “It takes place in this fictional town, Bountiful. It’s a story of redemption. All the true Western tropes are definitely in this movie,” he said. (And that’s all we’re going to give you. If you missed it in the theatre, you can
telegraph
watch it soon on flixwest.com.) Russell said it was an honor to film on the Mescal set, which has been used in countless Westerns, including “The Quick and the Dead” and “Tombstone.” “All these really classic films have been filmed out there. In the saloon, they have a wall dedicated to all the actors who’ve graced the set … Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Selleck, Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer – all these actors I’ve been a fan of for decades. To finally be on a set where all these other people have walked, it’s really incredible.” Best of both worlds It may seem like a long journey for a boy who spent his childhood between Flagstaff and the Navajo Nation. The second-oldest of four boys, he said it was precisely this upbringing in two worlds that shaped him into who he is today. “I very much had the best of both worlds,” he said. “Flagstaff, just off the reservation, kind of gave me that early foundation of being able to speak with confidence and to freely explore different facets of education and seeing how people come together in different cultures.
I’m very thankful for that.” was wearing Daniel DayHe said reservation life Lewis’ wardrobe,” he said. also played a role in makIt was about the time he ing him into a versatile was wrapping this shoot actor. “Family was a very that he got word from the predominant factor, as it “Sue Thunder” people that is in a lot of Native Amerthey wanted him. ican families,” he said. “I auditioned almost a “There’s always a very whole year prior, and I didunique bond with the n’t hear anything, and land, animals, the home then, about six months we lived in, my elders.” prior to them shooting, I Active in theater in high got an email. Their first school in Flagstaff, he said choice had dropped out,” the seeds for theater were he said. Naturally, Russell planted early. However, jumped at the change. In after the disappointment all, he auditioned five early on, they lay dormant times for the part – a gruelfor many years. Instead, he ing schedule only made worked in Durango, where easier by the fact that most he has lived since college, as auditions these days are a carpenter. That is, until self-taped at home using one day, he had an acting iPhones. However, the epiphany. “About three perseverance paid off, and years ago, I had come to a Russell said this film – crossroads. I wasn’t really which explores the crisis of happy, and I literally, one missing Indigenous day, woke up and said, ‘You women amid corruption know what? I don’t care and greed – has been one anymore. I’m going to go of his proudest moments for it. I’ve got nothing to yet. lose, everything to gain.” In it, he plays a corrupt He said although it took Native American council many years for him to member for a fictional build his confidence back tribe – however, the story up, once he did, doors is one that covers themes began opening. “It’s better that are especially relevant late than never,” said Rusin the real world today. sell. “But also, I’m a firm “It’s really a unique believer in divine timing, drama,” he said of the and not necessarily in the religious sense, but how Russell in a promotional still from his latest movie, which was shot film, the third by director everything kind of on a famous Old West Hollywood set in Mescal, Ariz./ Courtesy photo Calogero Carucci. “It’s going to hit really hard happens for a reason. The belief in oneself and the manifestation and the timing, too. It with a lot of folks.” Living the dream just opened up, and there’s no stopping me now.” As for what’s next, Russell said he’s in the early stages of exFrom stagehand to Daniel Day-Lewis Of course – much like in the movies – those dreams started ploring another project with a local director, which he’s not at liberty to discuss. He’s also working on a script, auditioning like out small and scrappy. “I started out doing background work on movie and TV sets. a mad man – oh yeah, and spending as much time as he can And that’s how it all started; just being able to be on any set and with his 3-year-old daughter. “She’s my main job and source of entertainment,” he said. watch and observe and kind of home in on these actors and how And for those rare moments when he’s not shooting, authey operate,” he said. He said his first screen credit came from a “vertical short,” a ditioning or chasing around a toddler, he likes spending time in full-length movie that is shown in three- or four-minute epi- the outdoors, hiking, camping, and visiting the area’s waterfalls sodes on an app like Real Short. From there, with his foot in the and hot springs. He also enjoys getting on the river, and a few door, he was able to audition for bigger roles, and he eventually years back took his first trip down the Grand Canyon. But for the most part, he’s just happy to be living his dream. landed his first big one, as Tanacharison in the Fox docuseries. “It’s the prime time right now. I’m so excited for the future For the shoot, he was flown to Connecticut, where filming and for whatever comes next,” he said. “I gotta keep chugging, took just a few days. “It was short and sweet, but it was – oh, man – it was just in- getting better, and I’m just so happy.” Was it all fate or destiny? Russell has some ideas. credible,” he said. One of the most memorable parts was seeing Recently, he stumbled upon a letter he had written to himself the uniforms of the British and French soldiers. His costume, however, left a little to be desired – at least as far as fabric. “Mine three years ago, before his career took off. “I found this letter; I was not necessarily a loin cloth but a very thin layer,” he said. forgot all about it,” he said. “I read it, and one of the things it However, come to find, it was actually an old costume from said was that I was destined for the big screen.” Hmmm, maybe there’s a movie in there somewhere. ■ “Last of the Mohicans,” with some royal Hollywood lineage. “I
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Aug. 20, 2026 n 11
StufftoDo
Thursday20 Cribbage, 8-10 a.m., Just the Drip Coffee Shop, 1600 Florida Rd. Elmore’s Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., 306 Florida Grange, 656 CR 172
La Plata Dems Roosevelt Dinner, 5-8 p.m., EsoTerra Arboretum, 270 CR 303
“Nature’s Tapestry in Plein Air,” juried exhibit, opening celebration, 5-7 p.m. Exhibit runs thru Oct. 10, Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
KSUT 50th Anniversary Party with Drivin N Cryin, 5-9 p.m., Ska Brewing HQ, 225 Girard St.
Farm Tour,10:30 a.m.-12 noon, Old Fort at Hesperus, 18683 Hwy 140, Hesperus
Rooftop Live Music, 5-9:30 p.m., Rooftop Lounge at River’s Edge, 1521 Main Ave.
Black Velvet plays Ska-B-Q, 5-7 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
Alison Dance Trio plays, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Kennebec Cafe, HWY 160, Hesperus
Leah Orlikowski plays, 5-8 p.m., El Rancho, 975 Main Ave. Spanish Conversation Hour, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Submit items for “Stuff to Do” by Monday at noon at: www.durangotelegraph.com/send-us-your-stuff-to-do/
Dave Osborn plays, 5 p.m., Serious Texas South, 650 S. Camino Del Rio.
Dart Tournament, 5:30-9 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave. Adam Swanson plays, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Cult Movie Night: “Best in Show,” 6 p.m., Mancos Opera House, 136 W. Grand Ave. Meet the Author: Becky Jensen “No Man’s Land: Unpacking One Woman’s Worth on the Colorado Trail,” 6 p.m., Rochester Hotel Secret Garden, 726 E. 2nd Ave. Jeff Solon Jazz plays, 6 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave. The Vanbuskirks plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.
Julian Blue plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Barons Creek Vineyards Tasting Room, 901 Main Ave. Adam Swanson plays, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. 100 Year Flood plays, 6 p.m., Balcony Bar and Grill, 600 Main Ave., Ste. 210 Matt Rupnow plays, 6-8 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave. Ben Gibson Duo plays, 6-9 p.m., Fox Fire Farms Winery, 5513 CR 321, Ignacio Reeder & Spencer play, 6-9 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave. Dustin Burley plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Petrichor with opener The Rev, 7-10 p.m., iAM Music The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave., #207
Mixed in Mancos 2025 Album Release Party featuring Carute Roma, 5:30-8 p.m., Mancos Brewing, 484 Hwy 160 E Frontage Rd. Adam Swanson plays, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. San Juan Singers Songwriters Festival Stage, 6-8 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave. Black Velvet plays, 6-9 p.m., Fox Fire Farms Winery, 5513 CR 321, Ignacio Dustin Burley plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave. Smelter Mountain Boys plays, 6-9 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave. Matt Rupnow plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Leah Orlikowski plays, 6-9 p.m., Eso Terra Arboretum, 270 CR 303 Yes, No, Maybe plays, 6-10 p.m., Balcony Bar and Grill, 600 Main Ave. Steely Dead plays, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. “The Minutes,” Durango Repertory Theater, 7:309:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Rob Webster plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Agave plays, 7-10 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.
Thursday Night Rides, 6:30 p.m., Durango Harley-Davidson, 750 S. Camino Del Rio
“The Minutes,” Durango Repertory Theater, 7:309:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Trivia Night, 6:30-8:30 p.m., The Powerhouse, 1333 Camino Del Rio
Deltaphonic plays New Orleans funk, 8 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.
Durango Flea Market, 7 a.m.-3 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds and Event Center, 2500 Main Ave.
Comedy Open Mic, 6:30-9 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave., Ste. F
Saturday22
Veterans Benefit Breakfast, 9-11 a.m., VFW Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave.
Bluegrass Jam, 6:30-9 p.m., Durango Beer and Ice, 3000 Main Ave. Pete Giuliani plays, 7-10 p.m., The Oxford, 119 W. 8th St.
Sunday23
Durango Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-12 noon, TBK parking lot, 259 W 9th St. Bayfield Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-12 noon, Pine Valley Church parking lot, 1328 CR 501
“The Minutes,” Durango Repertory Theater, 7:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
Pondering Pines Maker’s Market, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, 18044 CR 501, Vallecito
Friday21
Yarn Meetup, 1-3 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Veterans Coffee, 8-10:30 a.m., American Legion, 878 E. 2nd Ave. San Juan Nature Hike, 10 a.m.-12 noon, Andrews Lake upper parking lot
12 n Aug. 20, 2026
Adult Disco Roller Skating, 8-10 p.m., Chapman Hill
Brunch with CO Congressional District 3 candidate Dwayne Romero, 10 a.m.-12 noon, RSVP for location laplatadems.org/events Sunday Record Brunch Club, 12 noon-3 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave. “Summer’s Last Picnic,” Elmore’s Farmers Market, 12 noon-5 p.m., 306 Florida Grange, 656 CR 172
DNF Harvest Fest, 2-7 p.m., Rotary Park
Sunday Irish Jam, 12:30-3 p.m., Durango Beer and Ice, 3000 Main Ave.
Tibetan Buddhist Practice Group, 4 p.m., Dreams of Tibet, 988 Main Ave.
“The Minutes,” Durango Repertory Theater, 5 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.
telegraph
AskRachel
Shrooms, running on empty and behemoth buying Interesting fact: Wyoming, New Jersey and Utah allowed women to vote (in certain circumstances) before it was Constitutional and cool. I’ll admit, not the three states I would have guessed. Dear Rachel, I don’t really drink much anymore – it’s just not worth the pain. However, I am going to a wedding in a few weeks, where I know the booze will be flowing. Is it OK for me to take mushrooms, just to level the playing field? I want to have fun but not be remembered as the lady tripping balls. Is this appropriate – it will be a Colorado wedding. – Silly Cybin Dear Bride and Shroom, I see no way this is not OK, long as you are not the officiant or one of the people getting married. Even so, it can still be OK! Just maybe ask someone besides a rando in the newspaper? Pro tip: get a non-alcoholic sparkly beverage and stick a lime in it. It’ll make it look like you’re drinking and keep all the boozers from peer pressuring you. Bonus tip: give the barkeep $20 and tell him to make all your shots with water. – Forever holding my peace, Rachel
Dear Rachel, My most convenient gas station constantly has yellow “out of service” bags on the handles. I understand one breaking or needing service, but it’s always like half the pumps at a time. Sometimes all of them. It’s annoying to pull in and (har har) pull out again. Why are pumps so often out of service? – Running on Empty Dear Gasbag, It’s a wonder that anything works when there are hundreds of people touching it and using it every day. We’re just primates with cars, which makes us extra good at breaking things. Another thought … maybe even the gas stations can’t afford gas right now. This makes the most sense. They’re doing the filling station equivalent of “just put five bucks in the tank.” – On fumes, Rachel Dear Rachel, I really hate supporting Amazon. The problem is, I’m not a Bezos in the wealth department. I save hundreds of dollars buying work supplies from the behemoth. That adds up. What can I do to offset my
Dave Osborn plays, 5-8 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, 18044 CR 501, Vallecito
Twin Buttes Tuesday, weekly group mountain bike ride, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Twin Buttes Trailhead
Ben Gibson plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Adam Swanson plays, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Blue Moon Ramblers play, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Rotary Club of Durango with John Angst speaking on organ donation, 6 p.m., Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave.
Monday24
Coptic Stitch Bookmaking Pt. 2, 6-7:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Death Cafe, 4-5:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave. Happy Hour Yoga, 5:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St. Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:30 pm, Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave., Ste. 109 or online www.durangodharmacenter.org Adam Swanson plays, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Terry Rickard plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Jazz Church, 7:30-9:30 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.
Tuesday25 Clinic Defense, 1 p.m., Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, 46 Suttle St.
Tuesday Trivia, 6-8:30 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave. Sean O’Brien plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Adult Roller Skating, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Chapman Hill
Wednesday26 Twin Buttes Farm Stand, 3-6:30 p.m., 165 Tipple Ave. Durango Education Foundation’s Back to School Resource Fair, 4-6:30 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.
Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com regrettable purchases?
– Necessary Evil Dear Disloyal Customer, Someone pointed out to me once that Edison had to burn candles to make light bulbs, and Ford had to ride horses to make cars, and Susan B. Anthony had to talk to men to get women the right to vote. Necessary evils abound. Just use those evils to do good. And if you need to, do good while on shrooms. It helps. – In my prime, Rachel Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave., Room 24 Fundraiser & Presentation on Reproductive Rights, 5:30-7 p.m., RSVP www.indivisibledurango.org Trivia Night, 6-8 p.m., Zia Cantina, 2977 Main Ave. “On the Road” public meeting with county commissioners, 6-7:30 p.m., Vallecito Community Event Center, 17252 CR 501 Leah Orlikowski, 6-9 p.m., The Oxford, 119 W. 8th St. Adam Swanson plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Chuck Hank plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. “Following Your Passion: A Woman’s Fly-Fishing Journey,” 6:30-8 p.m., FLC Center of Southwest Studies
Upcoming Poetry Open Mic, Thurs., Aug. 27, 5:30-7 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave., Ste. F Mountain States Cup Downhill Series Finale, Fri.Sun., Aug. 28-30, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Purgatory Resort
Great Garden Series, 4:30-6 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
San Juan Brewfest Day One, Fri., Aug. 28, 5-8 p.m., Buckley Park
Sound Bath for First Responders, Healthcare Providers & Caregivers, 5:30-6:30 p.m., The Smiley
La La Bones plays, Fri., Aug. 28, 6-9 p.m., Fox Fire Farms Winery, 5513 CR 321, Ignacio
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Aug. 20, 2026 n 13
FreeWillAstrology by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): Consider this your official alert that you’re close to getting too much of a good thing. To safeguard the lovely momentum you’ve built lately, be vigilant that genuine abundance doesn’t bloat into plain old overload. Say no to becoming indentured to your own brilliant ideas. Don’t let your victories drag you into depletion. Steer clear of grand gestures of generosity that are driven mostly by the urge to dazzle onlookers. You really can keep every delicious reward you’ve earned, dear Aries, as long as you begin installing some graceful new boundaries right now. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In 1925, Taurus astronomer Cecilia PayneGaposchkin (1900-79) discovered that stars are primarily composed of hydrogen and helium. Famous astrophysicists of that era rejected her conclusions because she contradicted the prevailing theories. Nevertheless, she persisted in her claims and was eventually proved correct by other experts. Sound familiar, Taurus? If it doesn’t yet, I expect it will soon. Naysayers may insist you’re wrong when you know and I know you’re right. My advice: Be faithful to the truths you’ve directly observed even if they don’t match consensus reality. Your understandings are valid even if they’re inconvenient. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You’re ready and able to commune intimately with the hidden source of power that fuels your life. But first, you’re not entirely sure what that source is. You’ve made assumptions, of course. You’ve told yourself stories about where your vitality comes from: work, relationships, creative projects, spiritual practices. And while these do transmit energy, they’re tributaries of the ultimate spring. In coming weeks, you’ll have exciting opportunities to trace these streams back to their headwaters. Be alert for mini-breakthroughs when you feel unexpectedly energized or mysteriously restored. CANCER (June 21-July 22): The GPS system requires Einstein’s theory of relativity to work correctly. Satellites in orbit experience time slightly differently than we do on Earth’s surface. Without accounting for that time dilation, your phone would be off by 6.8 miles every day. Moral of the story: The practical requires the theoretical and the mundane needs the cosmic. I bring this to your attention as a useful metaphor, Cancerian. I suspect you’ve been trying to solve ground-level problems with ground-
14 n Aug. 20, 2026
level thinking. But your current challenges require you to factor in some relativity: to recognize that different parts of your life are operating in different timeframes, under different rules. What works in one context doesn’t necessarily work in another. In coming weeks, refrain from trying to apply universal solutions.
else. This is an excellent metaphor for you. You’re holding everything together and also being held by everything. Please accept my personal thanks for accomplishing the amazing feat of being both powerful and vulnerable! Don’t overestimate your independence or underestimate your importance.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In traditional textile making, the selvage is the strong edge that holds the fabric together and keeps it from unraveling. It’s braided more tightly than the rest so it can do its guarding work. I think that’s a helpful metaphor for your life in the coming weeks, Leo. Your main weave is pretty gorgeous, but the edges aren’t sufficiently taut. What should you do, practically speaking? For starters, create firm boundaries around your work time, your rest and your availability to others’ demands.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t reorganize your junk drawers anytime soon. Refrain from scrubbing the oven, organizing your cupboards and untangling extension cords. Believe me when I urge to allocate your energy toward the most interesting and important matters. You will be happiest and most successful if you: 1. dare to access secret wisdom you’ve been hiding from yourself; 2. immerse yourself in almost too much beauty and truth; 3. let your imagination run wild as you visualize future scenarios that thrill you even if they’re also a bit unnerving.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I am nursing a hopeful dream that you will give yourself a fun surprise or two in coming days. Not necessarily the most expensive delights, but those that would inspire your nervous system to relax and your spirit to celebrate. Possible options: a few hours of free time with no obligations, a hike where you adore the sky, a conversation you’ve been craving, a daring yes or long-overdue no. Or how about finally starting a fun project or setting down a burden? You might ask yourself: “If someone who loved me dearly were in charge of my rhythm, what would they arrange for me?” LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The first maps of Antarctica contained blank spaces labeled “unexplored.” Cartographers didn’t pretend to know what wasn’t yet revealed. This was a gift to future trailblazers, who didn’t have to overcome the confusion of false certainties. You could benefit from adopting a similar practice. Instead of explaining every mystery with confident opinions, designate a few regions of your inner world as magnificently unexplored. Your willingness to say “I don’t know yet” will be a fertile form of wisdom. The unanswered questions will be better allies than premature conclusions. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In architecture, the keystone is the central, wedge-shaped stone positioned at the top of an arch. It’s often the last piece placed, and it’s what holds everything together. If it’s removed, the entire structure collapses. But the keystone itself is held in place by the pressure of the other stones. I love the fact that it’s both the most crucial piece and yet totally dependent on everything
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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The Grand Canyon in Arizona is 277 miles long, as wide as 18 miles, and a mile deep in some places. Through persistent erosion for millions of years, the Colorado River carved it. This massive creative project happened entirely through subtraction, not addition. I suggest you regard it as one of your role models in the coming months. Your goal is to wear away resistance and eliminate what’s unnecessary. The magnificence you produce will be very gradual and incremental. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In engineering, redundancy refers to the practice of building multiple layers of support into a system so that if one part falters, others keep functioning. Airplanes and spacecraft rely on this for safety. I urge you to adopt a similar strategy in coming weeks. By creating backup plans or additional reinforcement, you can move forward with more daring and flair. Artful preparation will strengthen your ability to improvise. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The ocean has different layers. Each has its own temperature, pressure and ecosystem. Many sea creatures are adapted to one specific stratum and don’t wander far from their chosen realm. But there are transition zones where the layers meet, and they’re often rich in biodiversity. I propose that we use these areas as metaphors for your power spots, Pisces. You tend to thrive in thresholds and boundaries, where edges meet and overlap. That will be especially true in the coming weeks. To court good fortune and sweet delight, you should hang out at the borders where diverse influences mingle.
classifieds
Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon. Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $10 minimum. Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check. (Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)
Ads can be submitted by emailing: classifieds@ durangotelegraph.com
Men's Cancer Networking Group SWCO Men’s Cancer Advocacy group to inspire men to stay connected and avoid isolation during their cancer journey. Open to all Cancer Warriors and their caregivers. hope@cancersupport swco.org or call 970-403-3711.
Announcements Adult Roller Skating Check out the Chapman Hill Rink schedule. We have added adult skating on Tuesday nights 6:30-8:30pm and DJ parties one Saturday night each month. Durango Rollerskaters will be there to help you get rolling! Todd 970-799-0139
Electric Repair Roof, gutter cleaning, fence, floors,. walls, flood damage, mold, heating service
BodyWork Massage by Meg Bush 30, 60 & 90 min Meg Bush, LMT 970759-0199
Wanted Books Wanted at White Rabbit Donate/Trade/Sell 970 259-2213
ForSale Reruns Home Furnishings Time to refresh your indoor and outdoor space. Rolling wooden bar, nightstands, mirrors, lamps, cool artwork and lots more! Also looking to consign smaller furniture pieces. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.
Classes/Workshops Outdoor Batik Art Class 2 days 3 hours each day. 8/22-8/23, 9noon. Contact Peg Kimple at pegkimple@gmail.com.
Services Values Based Budgeting Personal finances, small business owners, goal support, customized to you. Alyse 910 515 9486
Engaging Volunteer Opportunity Join our team of dedicated volunteers. Alternative Horizons is looking for individuals that would like to make a difference in their community. AH has been empowering and supportive survivors of domestic violence since 1978. Become a volunteer hotline advocate. Flexible op-
HaikuMovieReview ‘Bang My Box: The Robin Byrd Story’ Documentary about safe sex, free speech, love, growing old and more
– Lainie Maxson portunity to fit your schedule, learn new skills and build new relationships. Training and ongoing support provided. Please call 970-247-4374 or visit our website at alternativehorizons.org.
Boiler Service - Water Heater Serving Durango over 30 years. Brad, 970-759-2869. Master Plbg Lic #179917
CommunityService Open Studio Tour – Call for Artists Registration for the 2026 Durango Open Studio Tour is open Aug. 6-21. The Open Studio Tour takes place Oct. 17–18 and there is an Opening Art Exhibition Oct. 2 at the Durango Creative District. The Durango Open Studio Tour is a free, annual event that invites the public into the working studios of emerging and professional artists. Whether you're an established artist or just beginning, you'll join about 25 fellow artists in a collaborative celebration of creativity while benefiting from coordinated marketing. Register at: www.durangoopenstudiotour.com Dog Fosters Needed Parker’s Animas Rescue urgently needs fosters to provide temporary homes for rescued dogs. We supply all necessary items, including crates, food, leashes, toys and behavioral support, and cover veterinary visits. You provide the love and guidance. parkersanimalrescue.com.
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For details email: missy@durangotelegraph.com Aug. 20, 2026 n 15
16 nAug. 20, 2026
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