Dear Action Line: Why is the time on the sign at the old Racket Ball Club one hour ahead? Also the temp on the clock down there by Sonic is always 10 degrees higher than at the Racket Ball Club. More temperate zone in south Durango? Different time zone? Getting a head start on time change? Does anybody really care what time it is? Or is that only a Chicago thing? P.S.: The Racket Ball Club may be a dated name. We’ve been here a while. – Don’t Drink the Water
Dear Don’t Drink: Racket Ball Club. Ha, that’s a good one. It hasn’t been called that since … wait, was it ever called that? Not officially, right? Maybe in the ’80s? Of course, we all know it today as the venerable Durango Sports Club.
Hang on. Breaking news bulletin. … Whoa! You serious? It’s not the Sports Club anymore?
How about that? As of Nov. 1, 2022, sources say, it’s been called Durango Fitness Club. (The source was The Durango Herald, so it’s up to you to judge the veracity of this report.)
The renamed club sits proudly there at 1600 Florida Road, bought in 2022 by Cameron Winters, who, the Herald story tells us, is making some renovations to spruce it up a bit.
On a totally unrelated note, Action Line, on a whim, seeing that famous address number, Googled 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW and learned from Zillow that, “The 55,000 Square Feet single family home is a 16 beds, 35 baths property.” And that it is “currently not for sale.” The “Zestimate” is $471 million. The “Rent Zestimate” is $1.94 million, if you want to look into that possibility. It has a finished basement, so that’s a plus.
Back to our regularly scheduled answer.
Action Line once or twice swatted a small rubber ball around a tall-ceilinged, boxed room at the Sports Club. It’s not possible to play racquetball there now, at least at the moment. There are, however, plenty of other things to do.
Part of your workout will come from running quickly between your car and the front door because it’s always so cold there, right? Or maybe it’s just really warm at the Sonic Drive-In over on East Eighth Avenue. (That temperature display is on the building at 799 E. Third St., by the way.)
For a possible answer on the temperature discrepancy – it can’t really be 10 degrees’ difference, can it? – we contacted a pro.
As in much of the mountain west, gathering accurate temperature data in Durango is complicated, said Lucas Boyer, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction. Even for a meteorologist.
“It gets messy,” Boyer said. “We deal with a lot of fluctuation. … (Temperatures) frustrate and vex all of us.”
Cold air sinks into valleys, making them very cool while hillside temps can stay warmer. And if there’s not much wind, pockets of cool or warm air can form. Durango’s terrain is complex, and it’s hard to pinpoint the “correct” temperature. Silverton, he said, is “really temperamental.” Valley temperatures can be extremely cold, and up on a hillside much warmer.
Another factor is that businesses don’t always calibrate their equipment. And placement of temperature sensors is another wild card. A sensor should be shaded from direct sunlight, yet not be overly sheltered to prevent air movement. In climatology, Boyer said, “you’re trying to get a sample of the best pool of air.” Stagnant air isn’t good for an accurate reading.
Now, as far as the time issue, let’s begin by saying that if you’re reading this after 2 a.m. Sunday, March 10, stop and consider: “Did I remember to move my clock(s) forward an hour?” And, for extra credit, ask yourself: “Why do we even need clocks when we carry our phones with us all the time?”
Yep, the Durango Fitness Club beat us all to the punch on daylight saving time. They already spring-ed forward a while back. (An attempt to contact club management was unsuccessful.)
And as far as the Chicago thing, and whether anybody really cares (about time), Action Line is contemplating this while sitting cross-legged on the floor, and believes it might be 25 or 6 to 4.
Yes, there were once flights between Durango and Albuquerque. This came up in a recent column, when a reader wondered why this flight link does not exist in 2024. The answer is that it would almost certainly lose money.
Reader Rob Milofsky recalled making that Durango-to-Albuquerque flight as recently as the 1990s. And he pointed out that, amazingly, Wikipedia has a lot of history about Durango commercial airlines. Service to Albuquerque began way back in 1947 via Monarch Air Lines. It was an on-again off-again thing.
Perhaps most recently – although Action Line does not remember this, but Wikipedia is always right and it says so – Mesa Airlines flew to ABQ “on and off through 2005.”
It also says that on New Year’s Eve, 1981, a Sun West Airlines flight from Albuquerque crashed in Durango “while executing a missed approach in marginal weather.” Four onboard were killed. So we’ll end there.
Email questions and suggestions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. The unforgettable David Farmer, longtime owner of Durango Sports Club, died in 2020 of prostate cancer. Rest In Peace, David.
