Travel and commuting - The Durango Herald

A closer look can expose a travel deal too good to be true

When Brian Greenberg booked a Spirit Airlines flight from Phoenix to San Juan, Puerto Rico, last year, he thought he was getting a great deal. Greenberg, who owns an insurance age...

DATE: Dec 20, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

$1.5M agreement permanently keeps Utah trail open to hikers

SALT LAKE CITY – A Utah farming family has reached an agreement with land officials allowing permanent access to a portion of private land along a trail bordering Zion National Park. ...

DATE: Dec 18, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

33 genius travel hacks to upgrade your holiday trips

So it begins: The holidays are upon us, and with them, the crush of holiday travel. Here, the best pearls of wisdom from Travel Genius, Bloomberg’s original podcast that delivers ...

DATE: Dec 16, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

Travelers plant trees to reforest the world

Organizations allow you to put planting on your itinerary

DATE: Dec 15, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

As passenger dissatisfaction soars, airline fines hit a historic low

This year, the government is on track to issue the lowest number of airline fines in history. Federal regulators insist they’re just doing their job and that the numbers represen...

DATE: Dec 12, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Palestinians in Bethlehem look beyond religious tourism

BETHLEHEM, West Bank – For decades, the people of Bethlehem have watched tour buses drive up to the Church of the Nativity, disgorge their passengers for a few hours at the traditional birth...

DATE: Dec 10, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

8 unexpected and delightful ways to pass time at airports

Between holiday trips, extra crowds and winter weather delays, chances are good travelers will spend more time at airports than they’d like over the next month. But some airports across the ...

DATE: Dec 8, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

There are ways to make your trips eco-friendlier

Whether you’re feeling flight-shamed, hotel-shamed or just plain shamed for being a traveler, chances are you’re probably wondering how to reduce your carbon footprint when you travel. Even ...

DATE: Dec 7, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Scientists race to document Puerto Rico’s coastal heritage

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A group of U.S.-based scientists is rushing to document indigenous sites along Puerto Rico’s coast dating back a couple of thousand years before rising sea levels lin...

DATE: Dec 6, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

Failing ice cellars signal changes in Alaska whaling towns

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – For generations, people in Alaska’s far-north villages have relied on hand-built ice cellars dug deep into the permafrost to age their whale and walrus meat to perfection...

DATE: Dec 3, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

Montana mountain’s epic powder exceeded only by its friendly vibe

Long before they were covered in luxury condos, boutique outdoor clothing stores and latte-spinning coffee shops, good ski hills needed two things: a lift and a lodge. While many ...

DATE: Dec 1, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

Blinded by the price: How to avoid making travel deal mistakes

Beware the high cost of a travel deal mistake. “It is not just about the dollars saved,” says Michal Strahilevitz, an associate professor of marketing at St. Mary’s College of Cal...

DATE: Nov 30, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

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

A closer look can expose a travel deal too good to be true

$1.5M agreement permanently keeps Utah trail open to hikers

33 genius travel hacks to upgrade your holiday trips

Travelers plant trees to reforest the world

As passenger dissatisfaction soars, airline fines hit a historic low

Palestinians in Bethlehem look beyond religious tourism

8 unexpected and delightful ways to pass time at airports

There are ways to make your trips eco-friendlier

Scientists race to document Puerto Rico’s coastal heritage

Failing ice cellars signal changes in Alaska whaling towns

Montana mountain’s epic powder exceeded only by its friendly vibe

Blinded by the price: How to avoid making travel deal mistakes

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