by Mike Rosso
We’re back, and just in time for the big news about the new national monument designation for the Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area.
At the urging of U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Gov. John Hickenlooper, President Obama signed a proclamation on Feb. 19 designating 21,000 acres of remote wilderness in central Chaffee County as a national monument.
I’ve made no secret of my support for this designation, having rafted the Arkansas River through Browns and hiked among its remote canyons, rock formations and meadows. I’ve even flown ovcaer it with members of former Rep. Joel Hefley’s staff to shoot aerial photos. I felt the arguments against the designation were weak and full of misinformation, designed only to muddy the waters and create fear. Back in November 2009, I wrote an extended piece for this magazine on the lengthy efforts to achieve some sort of protected status for the area.
Will the news be followed by a surge of tourists, eager to explore Browns? I doubt it. There is no easy access to the remote area, with no plans in the works to change that. The rafting industry will likely see a bump in traffic due to the publicity, but I believe the area itself won’t see much overall impact in the long run.
During my time off, I did a bunch of hiking, a little traveling and some skiing. I even got to do a bit of skijoring with the help of my friend Ken Vargo’s dog, Buster.
One of the highlights was a short trip down to Santa Fe, one of my favorite cities in the U.S. I went to the website airbandb.com to find accommodations – my first experience with the new “sharing economy.” My friend Beth Roberts and I found a cozy, private bungalow just on the outskirts of town for half of what a cheap motel room on the strip would have cost. Since it was after the Christmas holidays, the galleries and restaurants were pretty empty, and a fresh coat of snow rendered the historic plaza area with a warm glow, assisted by the wonderful quality of light found only in northern New Mexico.
The return trip found us stopping to visit my lone subscriber in Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico, Eric Sampson. Several years back he bought a farm on the banks of the Rio Grande, and is living his dream as a gentleman farmer.
In early February, I visited Tubac, Arizona, about 20 miles north of Nogales, Mexico, where an annual art show was taking place. Among the vendors were Salidans Ralph Parker and Susan Spohn, showing their wares to the multitudes of snowbirds who reside in that neck of the woods, and reminding me of how small a world it really is.
