Outdoor recreation - The Durango Herald

Animas City Mountain and other trails close Dec. 1

Winter wildlife closures will go into effect for popular trail systems near Durango

DATE: Nov 22, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Gravity Lab brings climbing gym back to Durango

Owners seek to create a space where climbers of any experience can thrive

DATE: Nov 21, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

4WD chairs designed to get people with disabilities deep into the Colorado forest

Track-chair program in Staunton State Park gives users a rare opportunity to experience the wilderness. Now the state park wants to push it across Colorado

DATE: Nov 18, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Telluride mourns Hilaree Nelson, its ‘Athena in Gore-Tex’

Nelson died last month on a Himalayan expedition after triggering an avalanche on Mount Manaslu

DATE: Oct 22, 2022 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Two runners have gone missing in Southwest Colorado, leading to push for more education

Fitness is not enough to stay safe in remote areas where risks are amplified

DATE: Oct 21, 2022 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Kokanee salmon will be given away at McPhee and Nighthorse lakes

Strong salmon run recorded on Dolores River; arrive early in line and bring a bucket or cooler

DATE: Oct 21, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Colorado climbers who summit buildings instead of mountains

Urban climbing, called buildering, has a rich history, especially on college campuses, dating back to the mid-1900s

DATE: Oct 20, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Photo: Colorful Ride

DATE: Oct 18, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Columbine Ranger District invites comment on proposed ecological and recreation project

Plans would involve work on a 7,100-acre area just north of Durango

DATE: Oct 12, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Blast and cast

Visiting old friends, hunting dove and fly fishing in Texas

DATE: Sep 30, 2022 | CATEGORY: Sports

Body of famed U.S. extreme skier from Telluride recovered in Nepal

KATHMANDU, Nepal – The body of a famed U.S. extreme skier who went missing this week after falling from the world’s eighth-highest mountain was recovered Wednesday and transported to Nepal's...

DATE: Sep 28, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Durango Parks and Recreation struggles to retain youth soccer players

Program gains players after COVID-19, but city officials want to go further

DATE: Sep 22, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Haunted house northeast of Durango gets bigger every yearCody Petersen’s Halloween hobby is his escape from the daily grind

Durango resident Cody Petersen said when he moved into his home at 15 Edgemont Way several years ago, his house on the corner looked lonely and spooky.Today, it’s a madhouse. Halloween decorations are splayed practically on every inch of his lawn, in the trees and up and down his home.

A group of school-aged kids stop in front of his house every day to pose with a little gothic doll in the lawn, he said. It’s the favorite attraction amongst hundreds of decorations Petersen bought locally and online as early as July in preparation for Oct. 31, Halloween.He said he doesn’t want to think about how much money he’s spent on fog machines, animatronics and Christmas lights, but the bill easily totals several thousands of dollars.

For trick-or-treaters on Halloween, whom he encourages to visit, jumpscares abound at Petersen’s home, featuring animatronic spiders, growling wolves and other monsters, he said.He’s working on his own animatronic coffin, which shakes and rattles, and a pulley system that will push and pull a ghost up and down the yard, but neither will be ready for this year’s Halloween.He said he has fond memories of his parents decorating for the holidays during his upbringing and he’s a huge horror genre fan. So he enjoys going all out on decorations for the spooky season. He justifies his hobby with the logic his kids will only be in high school a few more years, and it isn’t as cool to decorate the lawn for Halloween when one doesn’t have children living at home.But the neighbors enjoy his haunts as much as the rest of the community. He said his Halloween scene has gradually grown larger every year; at least 50 trick-or-treaters turned up at his home last year.“I'm a home inspector, so I do have a lot of tools and no fear of trying things out,” he said.

He said typical Halloween animatronics cost $400 a piece, but they only last one year or so without breaking. That’s frustrating, he said, and he believes he can do better by building his own.He said this year’s display and experience is more organic than past years thanks to his handiwork. Among his myriad decorations, trick-or-treaters can spot easter eggs referencing “Beetlejuice,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Pet Sematary.”Among the horror props are real animal bones Petersen said he’s found on hikes across the countryside.“I've got ghosts and spiders and witches and that kind of thing,” he said. “Here in Edgemont, we have giant spiders for real. ... We get these huge wolf spiders that are bigger than my hand. I mean, huge, bigger than tarantulas.”

Petersen said he was motivated to make his first decorations within the first month he and his wife moved into the home on the corner at 15 Edgemont Way.A lone pine tree, a typical Christmas tree that would be strung up with lights and ornaments in December, stood out to Petersen in the yard, he said. He just felt compelled to decorate it and light it up.He said he thoroughly decorated the tree and left it lit year-round. Within a month of moving into the house, his neighbor died. The man was old and suffering from Alzheimer's.

Months later, the man’s wife approached Petersen and told him she and her husband’s last salient moments together were spent looking out at Petersen’s lighted Christmas tree, pretending it was Christmas. In the following hours, the man succumbed to delirium. He died several days later.“I don't know why I had that tree, why I lit it, but that's why that tree, even when Halloween is over, all year round, that Christmas tree always stays lit now,” he said.Petersen is a horror movie fan, and in particular he’s always enjoyed the sinister character Michael Myers of the “Halloween” franchise.

He said every year, after thrilling trick-or-treaters at his home, he takes to downtown and East Third Avenue in his Michael Myers costume, bearing a giant bowl of candy, to continue the fun.The highlight of his yard, the creepy doll neighborhood kids like to pose and take pictures with, is Petersen’s “elf on the shelf,” he said. He likes to move the doll around the house, sometimes propping her up to hold animal bones.“I have a real busy and pretty stressful job,” he said. “I just love the fall so much. And to come home, it's just a good way to wind down and, you know, de-stress, just go out and work in the yard.”cburney@durangoherald.com

Cody Petersen’s Halloween hobby is his escape from the daily grind

Reader-submitted photos of Halloween decorationsLast week, we asked readers to submit photos of their Halloween decorations or a neighbor’s decorations. We received dozens of photo submissions. We have selected some of the most spooky, elaborate and fun photos to share in this gallery. Enjoy!

Photos: FLC volleyball returns homeFort Lewis College volleyball took on Adams State University on Tuesday

Fort Lewis College volleyball took on Adams State University on Tuesday

Photos: Expert leathercrafter and collector estate sale near IgnacioItems belonging to the late Alex Pappas were auctioned for sale on Saturday

Items belonging to the late Alex Pappas were auctioned for sale on Saturday

Photos: Pro boxing in DurangoLegends on the Animas boxing showdown took place on Saturday

Legends on the Animas boxing showdown took place on Saturday

Fort Lewis College women’s soccer loses to Colorado School of Mines 5-1

Photos: Durango Cowboy Gathering draws crowd with Horseback Social and paradeThe cowboys, cowgirls and their horses took center stage Saturday in downtown Durango

The cowboys, cowgirls and their horses took center stage Saturday in downtown Durango

Durango Cowboy Gathering hosts its first ever mechanical bull roping competition

About 1,000 sheep move along down Buck Highway during the annual event on Saturday

Animas City Mountain and other trails close Dec. 1

Gravity Lab brings climbing gym back to Durango

4WD chairs designed to get people with disabilities deep into the Colorado forest

Telluride mourns Hilaree Nelson, its ‘Athena in Gore-Tex’

Two runners have gone missing in Southwest Colorado, leading to push for more education

Kokanee salmon will be given away at McPhee and Nighthorse lakes

Colorado climbers who summit buildings instead of mountains

Photo: Colorful Ride

Columbine Ranger District invites comment on proposed ecological and recreation project

Blast and cast

Body of famed U.S. extreme skier from Telluride recovered in Nepal

Durango Parks and Recreation struggles to retain youth soccer players

Videos & Photos

Search Directory Plus

Most Popular

Most Recent

Ballantine Communications, Inc.

Contact Us

Find Us