I love watching the local news in smaller towns. Watching the news in major metropolitan areas is what has been called "info-tainment", meaning the news is supposed to inform you, but the news stations also need to sell ad space, so the news they report must draw viewers. In these small towns the news is just hilarious. I turned on the news here in Montrose, Colorado and the lead story was how local cherry farms are having a great cherry season and cherry sales are the highest they have been in ten years. The second story was how Dan Talbach's prize winning garden is not going to be on display this summer because of the unusually wet spring.
The local news I am accustomed to tells everyone to be on high alert because there is a storm on it's way and it could dump nearly an inch of rain over a week. You have guys with names like Johnny Mountain and Dallas Raines who have ridiculous looking fake tans, giving you the latest radar readings and forecast from the Doppler seven million. To top it off, every story is about how someone either got killed, is dying, or what new disease, danger zone, or catastrophic anomaly can kill you. If you honestly got scared from everything you heard on the news I am used to, you wouldn't leave the house.
Neither media format is very informative, but if I had my choice, I would want the more optimistic, local blend. Maybe I will start up my own news network and only report on cats in trees and old ladies who win pie baking contests.
I got to ride the bike today as we shared the road with 2000 other cyclists. We happened to have our ride from Grand Junction to Montrose on the same day and same route as the Bicycle Tour of Colorado. It was a bit weird to look around and see an endless stream of people on bikes, especially since it was on a state highway and in the middle of nowhere. One thing about huge groups of cyclists on these tours is that there is always one guy who is 75 years old, wearing sandals, and just flying by people. I don't know what they feed that geezer but he was just hammering.
I have been trying to stray off the path at least once a day and talk to a local person and today I met Dan Young from Olathe, Colorado. Dan has a winery and orchard in Olathe and is the third generation in his family to run the place. I also met Dan's dog Astro, who picked his head when we approached, but wanted nothing more to do with us. We talked for a little and as the guys sipped some wine, I wandered around and found fresh cherries. Dan said to help myself so I picked a few and sweet merciful crap, they were un-freaking-believable. I must have eaten a pound. I'm not even much of a cherry eater, but these were a small taste of heaven. If you ever happen to be in Olathe in mid June, stop by and try some cherries. I'll probably being dreaming of those cherries tonight mmmmmmmm, cherries....
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