Ninah Hunter

Well, I'm way behind in catching up on posts, but before the month gets away from me, I wanted to let you know how I did at the annual Imogene Pass Run, held earlier this month on September 6th. My goal was just to finish, and that's what I did. I didn't make the first turn-around time at mile 7.5, but they let me carry on. I knew I could finish, and my timing didn't matter to me. The weather could not have been more perfect. About 1,100 runners participated, including my sister, Barbara, from San Diego, CA, and my niece, Josie, from Flagstaff, and Kylee from my office. We had our own support team in the way of our friends, Annabel, Ann from my neighborhoos, and MJ (also from San Diego), who hiked up 3 miles and met us (well, Barb and me) at the end.

I have to say this was one of the most physically challenging things I've ever done, but what an incredible venue in which to challenge myself. I felt so pleased and relieved when I finally summitted Imogene Pass at just over 13,000 feet. But I quickly realized jogging down 7 miles on a tricky, steep and rocky jeep road wasn't a cup of tea. Since I knew I wasn't breaking any records, I decided to minimize my chances of breaking any bones and walked most of the way down after the first 2 miles, especially after meeting up with my friends, Annabel and Ann. I did, however, sprint in from the last quarter mile. It took me about 7.5 hours. My sister made it in at 6:50, Kylee in just over 5 hours, and my 28-year old, 8-week pregnant niece made it in at 3:50! My training buddy, Sharalynn, was the last to be timed in at 6.5 hours, and even got called for an interview by a local newspaper! She wasn't so sure if she liked such notoriety, but like the rest of us, was so pleased just to have finished. I achieved my other goal in signing up for this event, and that was just to scare myself into training on a regular basis. The momentum remains and I'm happy to report that I'm still regularly running and walking and looking forward to being in much better shape for the ski season. I'm even contemplating doing it again next year since I know a lot better what I need to do to train and have more time to train for it. If any of you are interested, check out the Imogene Pass Run site. They have race results, training tips, and information already about the 2009 run. Registration starts June 1st, and it will fill up in about a day. So, mark your calendar!

My new friend and fellow runner/hiker-in-training for the Imogene Pass Run, Sherralyn Daniels, and I hiked the Blue Lakes Trail this past Saturday as far as the lower Blue Lake. This is a popular trail and one I had not done before, but had heard much about. Actually, I'd seen the lakes from atop Mt. Sneffles when I'd hiked that a couple years ago. Our approach Saturday was from the trailhead from East Dallas Creek Rd. (CR 7) off Highway 62. It was a beatiful and challenging hike, 3.3 miles to the lower lake. The wild flowers were a highlight. Arriving at the lower lake was like being in a wonderland. The lake was actually turquoise, not just blue, situated in an amphitheater of steep mountain sides and a cascading waterfall-into-creek from above, fringed by pine trees and blooming fields of wildflowers to the edge of the water. We stopped for lunch at the lake shore, dipping our hot, trail-weary feet into the icey cold water--that didn't last long!

Because we were both under time constraints to get back, we opted not to proceed to the upper lakes, but we did have to discover where the trail continued, since it wasn't obvious. We found the trail continued by crossing a huge tree trunk across the creek, which we walked over, then the trail cut a narrow path through waist-high wild flowers and shrubs. It then went straight up, almost through a creek/waterfall bed, which we scrambled up, climbing now, not hiking. We made our way to a ridge that continued upwards around and over the lower lake, presenting evermore breathtaking views of the lake and amphitheater from a higher perspective. We stopped on a rock outcrop to take in the view and discuss how much more training we needed and the concern we had about successfully completing the Imogene Pass Run. From above, a single, elderly (well, let's say in her 60's) woman came trekking down, totally enthused about the flowers and what she'd seen. She encouraged us to go just another 10 minutes upwards to view a beautiful field of lupine flowers, which we did.

The return trip was just as beautiful, fun, and challenging, and seemed much longer than going up. We were fortunate to have clear, sunny weather in the shade most of the day, getting into a few sprinkles of rain just as we returned. Round trip was about 8 miles. It's amazing how much longer and harder a mile going up and down hill is than on the flat! I was sorry I didn't have a camera with me. But to get another hiker/photographer's account of this trail, with some gorgeous photos, click here. For more info on Ouray County trails, visit www.ouraytrails.org.

I was a bit tired and sore today, which made a good excuse to stay home and do housework and work on taxes--I'd rather have been out hiking again, but did enjoy a brief rainstorm from the safety and comfort of my home.

~Ninah

As is all too common, I let work and life's distractions pull me away from posting to this blog recently, for which I apologize, but I'm back with renewed commitment and enthusiasm. Just to catch you up on what's been happening with me, in March, I made a very typical Coloradan escape during the "mud months" to La Paz, Baja California, Mexico. The primary purpose was to attend a wedding, where many dear friends from San Diego gathered for the affair, so it was a wonderful reunion, as well. La Paz was marvelous, friendly, beautiful, great weather, good food, and relaxing. It was a bit of a journey by plane (via Salt Lake City and Las Angeles), but still a lot faster than driving!

Back in Colorado, spring was making an attempt to appear, but we continued to have off-and-on snow showers, even into early May! Mostly, we've had lots of wind, which I'm told is due to the heat hitting the snowpack in the high country. I've also been told that when the snow melts off Horsefly Mesa, that's when we can expect the wind to quit. I always thought that was an old wives' tale, but, apparently, there is some truth to it. Usually, the snowpack is substantially gone by mid- to late April. So, unfortunately, that means we'll probably continue to get wind into late June. Ugh!! Good thing is that it appears we're safe from any more snow, at least, in Montrose and probably below 8,000 feet. We have had a few nice rain showers, which means everything is greening up nicely around here, and flowers are beginning to bloom. Even the trees in Ridgway (about another 1000' higher) are beginning to leaf out. It's beautiful, especially against the backdrop of those gorgeous, brilliant blue skies with big, puffy white clouds.

Spring fever has caught hold of me this year like never before, causing me to do some good and crazy things. First, I decided to take up golf, thanks to the encouragement of some of my avid golfer agents, Nick and Joan Zappa. So, I've gone as far as buying a new set of golf clubs and have had a couple of rounds of golf in very gusty winds at the Cobble Creek Golf Course. Not so pleasant in the wind, but makes for a good excuse when the balls don't fly straight! That's the good thing. Then, I got very inspired to get back into a fitness and training routine, which I haven't done in over 10 years, and it shows 20 lbs later! My agent, Kylee Smith, a retired P.E. teacher, is my inspiration here. I committed to do the Imogene Pass Run with her this year in September. It's a 17 mile stretch from Ouray to Telluride over the Imogene Pass which is just over 13,000 feet in elevation. That's the crazy thing! But as I told Kylee, I have to be scared into training. And it's working. I joined the MAC (Montrose Athletic Club). I signed up on Jillian Michael's website for her online training. Jillian is best known for being a trainer on the Biggest Loser TV show. I also bought her DVD's and, believe me, those work-out sessions do kick your butt! I started a running regime, and I'm finally seeing some progress. Kylee and I both ran the Run for Shelter 5K last month and the Black Canyon Ascent 10K (well, I mostly power-walked it) last weekend, both events put on by the San Juan Mountain Runners. The Black Canyon Ascent was 6 miles all uphill from Highway 50 to the top of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison park entrance, ending at the campground. I made it without dying and was especially pleased with how well I recovered the next day.

Of course, the warmer, sunnier spring weather does help one get and stay inspired. We're getting into the mid-70's and approaching 80's in Montrose, while still cooling down into the 40's at night, and dipping close to freezing in Ridgway, where I live. And I still get thrilled by the ever-changing "real weather" that Colorado offers.

On the real estate front, business has definitely, and fortunately, picked up. We are fortunate that the real estate market has not been hit hard as in other areas, such as Florida, Arizona, California, and Las Vegas. Values have remained essentially flat since 2007, and there is a significant decrease in overall volume of units sold. From my experience, it's the credit crunch that has had the most effect. While interest rates are still at historical lows, and some good, FHA, near-100% loans still exist, lenders have definitely tightened up the criteria for approving loans. Stated income loans, so important to self-employed and investors, have disappeared. The best advice we can give to buyers right now is that they meet FIRST with a good, local lender and know what they're qualified to buy, or if they're qualified at all. And for our sellers, we expect to have any offer to be submitted with a conditional approval letter (that goes beyond a pre-qualification letter). It means the buyer has actually submitted substantiating documentation and a credit report has been pulled by the lender. Even then, we're finding that loans are not getting approved after being submitted to underwriting. As one mortgage banker told me recently, it's as if the underwriter is requiring the loan originator to prove the borrower won't default, rather than proving the borrower has satisfied all the criteria and conditions of the underwriter for being approved. Of course, we're all comparing the current situation with how easy it used to be just a couple years ago to get a loan, when, as the same mortgage banker said, "all you had to do was prove you had a pulse." In a nutshell, it's a great time to buy in the Montrose area, and not such a bad time to sell, so long as the seller asks for a realistic price, which should be at or just under market. The days of testing the market are over!

Well, I've probably included way too much in this one post, but I felt the need to make up for my 2-month hiatus. I hope all of you everywhere are enjoying a lovely springtime!

~Ninah

Last night, watching the Grammy Awards, reminded me of a notable fact about my little town of Ridgway where I live, about 26 miles south of Montrose, where I work. Ridgway is where John Billings of Billings Artworks creates the Grammy Award, which he's been doing for well over 25 years. Check out his website. It's rather fascinating.

This got me thinking of some other claims to fame that Ridgway can make, such as being a favorite movie location, most renowned being True Grit with John Wayne back in 1969. One of our landmark restaurants and watering holes is The True Grit Cafe. Last year, we enjoyed our inaugural True Grit Days, which was quite successful and looks to become a wonderful annual event.

One of Ridgway's notable long-term and well-loved residents was the late Dennis Weaver, who died in February 2006. Last summer, the Dennis Weaver Memorial Park was dedicated on 60 acres of land along the Uncompahgre River that his family gave to the Town. It is, truly, an inspiring, beautiful place and a great tribute to Weaver. Another one of our famous residents is Ralph Lauren and his wife, Ricky, who own the 22,000-acre Double RL Ranch. For a cute blog post about a Ralph Lauren siting last summer, click here. And then there is Charles ("Charlie") W. Ergen, co-founder of Echostar Copmmunications Corp., parent company of DishNetwork. Charlie may be more of an infamous resident, these days, and, apparently, historically, as this recent article in the Ouray County Newspapers reflects: Bully tactics, Town should hold Ergen to RiverWay commitment.

Not bad for a little town of about 750 residents. For more information about Ridgway, click on the links to the right for Ridgway Chamber of Commerce and for the Ouray County Newspapers. And feel free to leave me comments or ask questions about Ridgway and surrounding areas.