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I remember clearly the word that came to mind upon seeing a downhill mountain bike for the first time: Burly. New to the mountains, I was intrigued by the suspension-laden forks attached to beefed up frames slung over the backs of trucks. How did “downhilling” come into being? When did it arrive in Winter Park? And why? According to the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in Crested Butte, mountain biking came to fruition in the early 1970’s on an old dirt road in Marin County, Calif. Adventure-seekers and limit-pushers would haul ballooners (think clunky, 60-plus pound, few-to-no-geared, back-pedal braking balloon …

Eyewitness of moose attack sets record straight To the Editor: I am the only eyewitness to the attack, on my friend, by the moose in Grand Lake. Here are the true facts: She was never within 10 feet of the moose. When she was beside my car it was 42 feet to the moose and my car was between her and where the moose and calf were laying. When Colorado Parks and Wildlife interviewed me at the hospital in Granby, I told them it was about 10 feet from my steps to my car. Actually we measured that and it …

Woman of moose incident a victim of false report To the Editor: The outrage over the recent euthanizing of a moose and her calf is partially misplaced. The real outrage should come from the inaccurate reporting of the incident that has in turn caused some people to harshly judge a long-time resident of that neighborhood. The woman was not 10 - 15 feet from the moose, but was in fact, never less than 40 feet from the animals. The articles make it sound as if she was interested in coming close and gawking at the moose. She has seen hundreds …

Volunteers, donors, helped improve trail on National Lands Day To the Editor: If you are one of the many users of the Givelo Trail off C.R. 73 you may have noticed some improvements lately, including the level surface, new turnpike, and new dog bag dispenser. Spearheaded by Fraser Valley Partnership for Trails and funded by Wells Fargo Bank as well as many local donations: Lil Dirt Works, Sani King, Crooked Creek Saloon, Mountain Grind, Subway, Frito Lay and Safeway, the project was a stellar way to celebrate National Trails Day. Over 40 volunteers showed up to dig in the dirt …

Both quarterly lodging and sales tax numbers are up, which might indicate the beginning of the end for Grand County’s recession. County finance director Scott Berger presented tax numbers at a commissioners meeting on Tuesday, June 11. Sales tax revenue grew by 3 percent since last year, and lodging tax revenue increased by 9 percent since last year. Lodging tax increased by the same amount in 2012. “We have been seeing increases in sales and lodging taxes for the last four years,” Berger said when asked if the numbers indicated economic recovery. “In my opinion we are beginning to recover …

The Trails Night held in May offered opportunities for people to sign up to help with projects all summer. People had the opportunity to meet with the U.S. Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Headwaters Trails Alliance, and Fraser Valley Partnership for Trails to explore the various possibilities to volunteer on Trails in Grand County this summer. USFS Andy Borek, who heads up Adopt-A-Trail program, still has many trails that need adopting. Andy will be out in the field assisting Adopt-A-Trail groups so please call Vicky Burton at 970-887-4121 or email vjburton@fs.fed.us to see if your favorite …

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With warm temperatures and windy conditions across northwest Colorado, vegetation is drying out rapidly and fire danger is on the upswing. Grand County’s fire danger is high. Caution with any outdoor fire use is necessary as fire ignition in fine vegetative fuels such as grass and shrubs will spread quickly. Always check weather reports for current weather conditions before you strike a match to start an outdoor fire. Do not burn or use spark inducing equipment on windy days. …

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My wife called me on a landline and said, “You didn’t take your cellphone.” I patted my pocket, “Right you are. Keep an eye on the slippery little thing and I’ll be home soon.” “I washed it.” “You washed it. You mean you cleaned the screen?” “No, I mean I washed it like a pair of underwear. Then it banged around like a rock in the dryer for a few minutes before I fished it out.” Guys know that the wrong response could be costly. For instance, upon hearing this news, you could roar like a pirate, “Aaarrgh, wench, how …

“Dang! It’s dangerous over there. Moose humpings and maulings … Wow!” It’s an email I received recently from an out-of-town colleague. Of course, he’s referring to the recent statue incident involving a bull moose, the video of which I am told has gone viral, and an even more recent incident of a cow moose charging a 60-year old Grand Lake woman. For reasons of “human safety,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife euthanized the cow and her calf. The emailer wasn’t even referring to another cow moose and her two calves just two weeks prior hanging out at the town’s public beachfront …

GRAND LAKE —The Big Meadows Fire grew slightly overnight and is now partially contained. Rocky Mountain National Park officials estimate the fire is 353 acres in size, from 333 acres yesterday, June 13, and about 30 percent contained. There remains no imminent threat to any communities or structures; Rocky Mountain National Park and the town of Grand Lake remain open, but visitors to the west side of the park are strongly cautioned to be aware of increased traffic and aircraft associated with the fire. Hand crews will continue to strengthen fire lines along the northwest flank of the fire, according …

Audie Cornish talks to Drew Magary about his new book on parenthood, Someone Could Get Hurt.

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Hilary Mantel is the first woman to win the Man Booker Prize twice, first for her 2009 novel, Wolf Hall, and then for that book's 2012 sequel, Bring Up the Bodies. The novels are part of a historical fiction trilogy about Tudor England and the events surrounding the reign of King Henry VIII.

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New picture books about a fish and a snail that live in a book, the creator of a submarine, and more.    

The new Stephen King whodunit, Joyland, debuts at No. 1.

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The End Of Your Life Book Club, appearing at No. 8, tells of bonding over books during chemotherapy.

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The lists are compiled from weekly surveys of close to 500 independent bookstores nationwide.

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Colum McCann re-imagines three historic ocean crossings in TransAtlantic. It debuts at No. 3.

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Debuting at No. 9, The Boys In The Boat depicts the American rowing team at Hitler's 1936 Olympics.

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