Archive for October, 2011

October 27th, 2011

The DeBeque Canyon Landslide: More to Come

The DeBeque Landslide is a 36-acre mass of rocks that are breaking off 500-foot-high cliffs on the south side of the Colorado River. Occasionally, the slide moves suddenly, pinching the flow of the river and damaging roadways and even structures on the opposite side of the river. The Rubble Zone dominates the photograph. To the right, above the highway, is the West Disturbed Block. Above this is the Upper Block, visible only as the upper cliffs along the west side of the slide. At the time of this writing, construction crews were removing loose rock farther to the west along steep cliffs south of I-70. This is apparently a westward extension of the same structure that has produced the main landslide.

Story & Photo by Richard Dayvault… We are used to rocks falling from high places in Colorado. We have lots of high places and plenty of rocks hanging around up there waiting to fall. This dramatic example of gravity and transference of kinetic energy becomes a genuine nuisance when the rocks fall onto our highways [...]

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October 26th, 2011

Changes in Altitudes: A New Trail Runner in the Grand Valley

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By Stacy Schoolfield… I ’m new to Western Colorado. I’d been living at 597 feet above sea level. Still, I’ve visited here (4800 feet) a lot, and the higher altitude’s never been a problem. I’d finished a couple of marathons and used to be the fastest girl in my running group. That’s pretty exciting for somebody [...]

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October 13th, 2011

Running Over Dinosaurs: Geology of the Trails

View of the Lunch Loop Trail System area looking south. Little Park Road is on the left. Brushy Basin sediments are exposed in the middle ground. Sandstone from the Dakota Group is in the foreground and forms ledges above the Brushy Basin mudstones.

Story & Photos by Richard Dayvault… When I first moved to Grand Junction a little over 30 years ago and lived on South Camp Road in the Redlands, traveling down Monument Road to work every morning was such a pleasure. The red and green hills of the Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation were [...]

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October 13th, 2011

GV Artists’ Palate Recipes: Local Apples, Fresh From the Tree

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Recipes and photos by Mary Mansfield and Jane Wood… With a nod to Adam and Eve, Sir Isaac Newton, Johnny Appleseed, and others who encouraged this apple eating business, we are fortunately free to enjoy the flavor, snap, and bounty of fresh, locally grown apples. Try using two or three apple varieties to enhance flavors, [...]

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