Outdoors – The Durango Herald

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Ride of the Ancients returns to Dolores June 26

New gravel grinder route is through San Juan National Forest

DATE: Mar 16, 2021 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Pandemic forces route change, other precautions for Iditarod

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Traveling across the rugged, unforgiving and roadless Alaska terrain is already hard enough, but whatever comforts mushers previously had in the world’s most famous sled ...

DATE: Mar 6, 2021 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

A place to call your own

The pandemic, lots of snow and the San Juan River and Southern Ute Reservation closures may have inspired you to start tying your own flies. I know the local fly shops, and probably the non-...

DATE: Mar 5, 2021 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Livi on the Lift: Frog ponds and reunions on the slopes

My 10-year high school reunion at a brewery didn’t sound like a lot of fun. But a reunion at a ski area? Now that I could get into. February provided some great skiing and snowboa...

DATE: Mar 5, 2021 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Repeatable delight: Upper Muley Twist Canyon in Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef hike offers contrasting scenery

DATE: Feb 27, 2021 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Hunters and trappers disregard Wisconsin’s wolf kill target

MADISON, Wis. — Hunters and trappers blew past Wisconsin’s wolf kill target in less than 72 hours, forcing a premature end to a hunt that initially wasn’t supposed to happen for another nine...

DATE: Feb 25, 2021 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Livi on the Lift: Everyone deserves a chance to play in the snow

Everyone deserves a chance to play in the snow. Thanks to the Adaptive Sports Association in Durango, everyone can. Skiing and snowboarding conditions have been oh-so-good at Sout...

DATE: Feb 12, 2021 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Iditarod drops ceremonial start over crowd-size concerns

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — There has been another dramatic change to the world’s most famous sled dog race this year because of the pandemic, with officials announcing Friday that the ceremonial st...

DATE: Feb 5, 2021 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Livi on the Lift: Life’s questions fade on a powder day

There’s a time for reflecting and deep inner thought. Then there is a time for powder skiing and snowboarding. During a long dryspell to start January, it was time for the former. For the la...

DATE: Jan 30, 2021 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Picking the correct fly

Not long ago, a friend asked me how I knew to use a San Juan Worm one day, while fly fishing the Animas River. I thought about giving her some technical reason, but then I decided the truth ...

DATE: Jan 29, 2021 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Nepal team that scaled K2 receives hero’s welcome

KATHMANDU, Nepal — A team of 10 Nepalese climbers who became the first to scale the world’s second-highest peak during the harsh winter season received a hero’s welcome on return home to Nep...

DATE: Jan 27, 2021 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Longest running skibike festival returns to Purgatory Resort

Durango the ‘epicenter’ of sport’s revival

DATE: Jan 21, 2021 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Fort Lewis College football takes on Arizona ChristianFLC drops first game of 2022, 52-12

FLC drops first game of 2022, 52-12

Pride parade and festival

Photos: Family fun at the La Plata County Fair

La Plata County Fair is off and running

La Plata County Fair schedule of eventsThursday8:30 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA breeding swine, market swine. 9 a.m.-8 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public.9 a.m.: Judging open class home economics, horticulture, floriculture, creative arts.9 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA and open class fleeces.9 a.m.: 4-H poultry judging followed by open class.1 p.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA goat show, all classes followed by open class goat.5 p.m.: Fair Royalty speeches and modeling.7 p.m.: Talent contest, patio.7 p.m.: Livestock verification swine, poultry, goat, general project cards due.

Friday9 a.m.-8 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public.9 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA rabbits.10 a.m.: 4-H/FFA breeding beef, beef showmanship.1 p.m.: 4-H/FFA market beef, grand champion and reserve grand champion market beef, champion selection.2 p.m.: Dairy cattle, all classes.3:15 p.m.: Pee wee showmanship.4 p.m.: 4-H/FFA livestock round robin, all-around showmanship.7 p.m.: Asleep at the Wheel concert.7 p.m.: Livestock sale verification rabbit and beef cards due.

Saturday9 a.m.-6:30 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public. 9 a.m.: 4-H dog show.9 a.m.: Judging open class beef all classes.10 a.m.: Rooster crowing contest.10 a.m.: FFA showmanship.11 a.m.: Open class dairy cattle, all classes.12 p.m.: Demolition Derby.12-4 p.m.: Community 4-H barbecue cook off (senior center lawn).2 p.m.: Rabbit costume contest.2 p.m.: Poultry costume contest.5 p.m.: Silver steaks, silver loin and silver chop award presentation.5:45 p.m.: Fair Royalty crowning.6 p.m.: Junior livestock sale pavilion.9 p.m.-midnight: Fair family dance.

Sunday8 a.m.: Cowboy church. 8 a.m.: Carcass animals loaded.9 a.m.- 2 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public.1:30 p.m.: 4-H/FFA Catch-It contest.2-3 p.m.: Payment of premiums. 2-3 p.m.: Exhibits released in all departments. 2-5 p.m.: Booths taken down.2-5 p.m.: Poultry and rabbit exhibits released.2 p.m.: Animals released.Beer garden is open Thursday through Saturday.

La Plata County Fair schedule of events Thursday 8:30 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA breeding s...

Patriotic drone show unfolds above Durango’s night skyAbout 1,200 people watched production from city Transit Center

One hundred forty drones took to the skies above Greenmount Cemetery at 10 p.m. sharp Saturday in a glowing and patriotic spectacle featuring vibrant images colored red, white and blue against the black backdrop of night.About 1,200 people gathered Saturday at the Durango Transit Center to watch the city’s premiere drone show produced by Verge Aero after a street dance and band performance by McCurry Trio and Desert Child for Independence Day celebrations.Spectators were treated to drone depictions of the American flag, star patterns, a soaring bald eagle and a homage to the city with drones flying in formation to spell out “Durango” to close out the street dance that started at 6 p.m. Across the valley from Greenmount Cemetery, the headlights of cars shined from Rim Drive near Fort Lewis College where more spectators watched.

Ellen Babers, Durango community events administrator, said the show went well. She heard “Ooh’s” and “ah’s” from the crowd when the drones transitioned from one image to another.She said a segment that consisted of stars rotating at various intervals, shrinking into smaller stars before expanding into the shape of a larger star, appeared to be a crowd favorite.“People really liked the Durango part,” she said. “When it spelled out Durango, people seemed surprised. Like, ‘Oh, this isn’t just a generic show, this is about us.’”Other images included an outline of the continental United States, the letters “USA,” and a spinning globe shape that gave the drone show a 3D feel.

The drones were laid out earlier in the evening in a square grid, with each drone placed 4 feet apart. Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer of the drone show, worked with a crew of about six people, including volunteers. Saturday evening at Greenmount Cemetery where the drones launched and landed, Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer with Verge Aero, and his crew of about six people, including volunteers, had laid all the drones out on the grass in a square grid. Each drone was placed four feet apart. Smiatek synced the drones to a GPS and radio tower in preparation for the evening’s show. Six minutes before takeoff, a deer wandered straight past the drone grid, narrowly avoiding stepping on them.“That could have been a disaster,” Smiatek said as his crew scanned the nearby area with flashlights. No other deer were visible.Two minutes before takeoff, the crew’s portable generator shut off – out of gas.

“We have double secure power,” he said. “The generator fell off two minutes before the show started. It’s like Murphy’s law, anything that could happen will happen. So it’s best to be prepared.”During prep, the crew ran several tests with the drones. The drones shot up 3 to 4 meters, hovered for about one second and then dropped back to their designated grid space on the grass.

Smiatek worked from a makeshift command station where his laptop and transmission tower were perched.“The base station is the heart of the show,” he said. “It’s a computer and it’s a distribution system connected to radios and an antenna. And that’s it, basically. Very flexible and a good system.”Chris Lutts, vice president of sales at Verge Aero, said he thinks Durangoans enjoyed the performance. From Greenmount Cemetery, he could hear the cheers and whistles of the audience at the Durango Transit Center.“The people we’ve been working with have been great,” he said. “Clearly, the city enjoyed it, so that’s awesome. That’s why we do this. It’s no different than any other entertainment, man. You love that feedback. It’s validation that what you’re doing is something that people really like.”cburney@durangoherald.com