This time of year, I am deep in preparation for the approaching summer season and reflecting on the lack of snow and how we must prepare. However, one incident comes to mind that I have to share.

We did have our one and only snow that was about 8 to 10 inches deep. Using all the skill and finesse that I have learned from driving in the snow of Miami over 30 years, I managed to get to the end of my driveway and slid precariously to the edge of a 4-foot-deep irrigation ditch.

No matter what I did, I put the car into a near-rollover position. Being right along the highway, two different fellows in pickups stopped to help. One man got out to divert traffic, and the other hooked up a cable and pulled me to safety in minutes. Both men were extremely friendly, never even volunteered their names and would not accept any money for their time and assistance. The gentleman with the cable said he could not take any money. He said that, “In Durango, we all are here to help each other when there is a need. That’s what people in Durango do!”

I have thought about those words often. “That’s what people in Durango do!” As I travel around the country, I always tell people how much I love calling Durango my hometown. Then I add Durango is the example of how all communities should be in America. Thank you to these two men and to all of you who live this Durango philosophy.

Al Harper

Durango