In high school track and field, athletes are limited to competing in four events. It’s a way to ensure competitive balance, limit wear and tear on athletes and — in the case of the Ridgway girls' team...

It is time to begin planning our explorations into the San Juan Mountains again. Be certain to include another trek on Last Dollar Road, connecting Ridgway and Telluride over a 21-mile, unpaved, breat...

After a 4-0 victory over Bayfield on Monday, the Ridgway High School girls' soccer team clinched a record of .500 or better for the eighth time in the past decade. Throw out a season lost to the COVID...

It’s probably no coincidence that the Ridgway High School girls’ soccer team has heated up on the field as temperatures have warmed up outside. In the sunshine, practices can focus much more on team p...

April, a notorious trickster of a month, has lived up to its reputation this year. Fine hot spells, not-so-good freezing temperatures, ample snow and, unfortunately, a continuing drought. It’s been a ...

It can be difficult for a coach not to oversee every aspect of an athlete’s training or competition during a given season. It’s also rough to juggle scheduling conflicts when an athlete competes in mu...

Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. I've been thinking about that quote from C.S. Lewis a lot lately, because I'm concerned about secret activities in the city of Ouray t...

Mining entrepreneurs founded the town of Silverton in 1874. With the discovery of silver, gold and zinc, it was a boomtown with prospectors, suppliers and builders arriving daily for adventure, riches...

Editor's note: The Plaindealer is trying something new – publishing a sports column with information about local high school sports during the seasons for those sports. We don't have the resources to ...

Spring has sprung: Baby birds chirp riotously in birdhouses, leftover snow vanishes under an ascending sun, crocus and forsythia flutter in the March wind. This first month of spring 2025 has been two...

Sunshine Week, which started Sunday, is an annual celebration of Americans’ right to know what government is doing. This year, there is far more to be concerned about than to celebrate, both nationall...

The legend of Butch Cassidy, one of the West's most enduring outlaws, has roots firmly planted in the rugged terrain of Colorado's Western Slope. Before he became a notorious bank robber and leader of...

Two weeks ago, following the first of two meltingly wet 8-inch February snowstorms, the grape hyacinths, daffodils and tulips decided it was time to shake off winter. Their deep green foliage was a re...

I recently had a delightful conversation with Amber Cornell, the new-ish senior coordinator for Neighbor to Neighbor. The nonprofit has a volunteer-based program that has been serving seniors, people ...

Who wants to come have lunch and tell us what you think of the Plaindealer? Yep, we're looking for some of our readers to share their opinions. Sounds like fun, right? We're inviting readers to apply ...

It’s been a bitter January for most of the Mountain West and eastern two-thirds of the country. The huge arctic airmass responsible for this outbreak measured 10,000 feet deep on soundings in Riverton...

I had a delightful conversation with Sue Young after the Second Chance Humane Society shelter manager let me know that she has been a star volunteer for years, walking dogs, helping at adoption events...

Put Ophir, Colorado, on your exploration bucket list for this summer. At 9,695 feet in elevation, this off-the-beaten-path community is seven miles southwest of Telluride and 10 “adventurous” miles fr...

Right on time for Christmas, the first in a series of snowstorms blew into western Colorado Monday with more snow predicted for Christmas Day and afterwards. The last week of the year is forecast to b...

Most people probably don't know they're driving past the burial site of one of the most prolific American authors in recent history when they're traveling from Ridgway to Telluride. But just off Color...