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Day – Spring events provide opportunity to clean house

Janet Day/ Talk of the Valley
Grand County, Colo.

Dust to Dust. It looked like a hit-and-run. The large bear fell over onto its side in an area of heavy traffic. The bear wasn’t moving. People stopped and stared.

But this bear’s demise had nothing to do with vehicles. While it sure looked like someone backed into it, the enormous carved bear in the unpaved parking lot on the north side of Cooper Creek Square simply died of old age. More accurately, it rotted and fell off its post next to the fire hydrant.

The bear and its companion, an equally large carved wooden mountain man, protected the fire hydrant and offered some visual niceness to an otherwise ugly parking area. But rain, wet, cold and wind took their toll over the years. A look at the fallen bear’s innards showed nothing but sawdust. How long the trapper remains standing is anyone’s guess.



Keeping Things Clean. As happens every year, the melting snow reveals an astounding mess of roadside litter that fell out of pockets, was thrown out of car windows or otherwise left behind. It’s particularly annoying to see that neighboring absentee homeowners didn’t pick up the trash that bears, birds and dogs scattered months ago and it’s unlikely that they’ll clean up the soggy mess now.

While I resent having to pick up after inconsiderate neighbors, trash detail can be fun when it becomes a group activity. Base and mountain cleanup days at the resort were always entertaining. Grand Lake is hosting its town-wide cleanup tomorrow, which happens to be Earth Day. Volunteers should meet at the Heckert Pavilion at 9 a.m. to pick up supplies. All that cleaning will be followed by a barbecue.



Even our backcountry could use some help. The Friends of Berthoud Pass organization is hosting the Berthoud Pass Adopt-a-Highway litter cleanup to improve the view from U.S. 40. The June 19 cleanup starts at 8 a.m. in the summit parking lot. The Friends of Berthoud Pass will provide trash bags, safety vests, lunch and an “I (heart) Berthoud Pass” t-shirt. All you need to bring is sunscreen and work gloves.

This is the time of year to also undertake some indoor cleaning, like getting rid of all that gear you no longer use or that doesn’t fit. Find it a good home June 19 and 20 at the 2nd Annual Fraser Valley Community Gear Swap and Sale at Epic Mountain Sports in Winter Park.

Last year’s inaugural gear swap was such a success that the great people at Epic are doing it again. Bring your outdoor gear to sell and take home all the proceeds. No electronics, clothing, toys, etc. As an added bonus the Park Place merchants will donate 5 percent of their Saturday sale to Habitat for Humanity. The timing of this year’s swap means runners and walkers participating in the Habitat Hobble pass right by the store, giving them an opportunity to check out the gear and then return to buy it after the run. For details, call Epic at 970-726-2868.

Keep in Touch: What’s got your attention around the area? Let me know. I’ll try to find the answer or spread the news. Send it all to JDayQuilts@msn.com. Follow me and local tidbits at http://www.twitter.com/DayJan or friend me on Facebook.


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