My Colorado


© MaryAnne Nelson.

Congratulations MaryAnne Nelson of Durango, this issue’s Photo Contest winner. MaryAnne photographed this couple snowshoeing on a bright, sunny winter day at the end of LaPlata Canyon Road, just west of Durango, Colo., with her Nikon D90 camera.

Canine country
By Colin Carman

Colorado in March is much too cold for clotheslines.

This occurred to me as I began to adjust to life in the Rocky Mountains after eight warm years in California. The 7-year-old dog who made the move with us was the slowest to adapt to life in the mountains. He was reticent at first to even walk on fresh snow and he would shiver so hard that I suspected him of exaggeration. The sound of a sudden hailstorm one afternoon sent him running, ears pinned back, for safety under the bed. Clearly, the chocolate lab we called “Wes” was a California canine through and through: born in the desert, he grew up by the seashore where he swam avidly and dug trenches six-feet deep in the sand.

With our first winter behind us, the snow finally began to thaw, and so too did Wes. That he finally accepted, even loved, his new surroundings at 9,000 feet above sea level became clear one day in May during a hike to hot springs just beside the Colorado River. He sat patiently on the bank, but when objects began to appear on the water’s surface, his Labrador Retriever instincts awakened. Upstream, a boat carrying some fisherman capsized. Out Wes paddled, first to the men’s cooler, then to their camping-gear and tackle-box, all of which he returned to dry land. Once all of the canoe’s contents were safely on shore, Wes stood atop a high rock, wagging his tail triumphantly. His winter coat, now sopping wet, had finally grown in, and the excitement in his eyes seemed to say: “Looks like home to me.”

SUBMIT A STORY:My Colorado features original work by our readers that captures the uniqueness of our state. Entries must be approx. 200 words. Send to editor@colorado.aaa.com. If we use your story, we’ll send you $60. Please include a daytime phone number and mailing address.

SUBMIT A PHOTO: My Colorado photography is intended to reflect AAA Colorado members’ travel experiences. Photos must be horizontal and taken in Colorado by an amateur photographer. No professionals please (including photographers who sell their work to the public online, in galleries, or by other means). One entry per person, per edition, will be selected by the EnCompass editorial staff. If we pick your entry, we’ll send you $60. Because we receive so many entries, we only accept them by email. Please send your high-resolution photo (300 dpi min.) as a .jpg attachment to editor@colorado.aaa.com. Don’t forget to include details of where and when you took it!

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