By Whitton Feer – Somerset Colorado The modified RAM 3500 bounced through the coal mine at 25mph. It was equipped with a speed limiter to ensure the safety of those in the mine. The driver, John Poulos, flashed his lights before turning one of the many 90 degree, blind corners. This safety precaution was repeated…
By Whitton Feer – Gothic, Colorado Evan Marcus stood behind the counter of Teocali Tamale. His curly black hair and mustache blended together beneath his ski industry trucker hat as he prepared tamales and blended margaritas. “It’s hard to be a local here,” he said. Marcus, who has lived in Crested Butte for 6 years…
By Whitton Feer – Salida, Colorado The smoke was thickening, illuminated by amber truck headlights. Neighbors packed their belongings before speeding down the road. Homeowners scrambled, passports thrown into boxes, musical instruments shoved through car doors in haste. The sirens blared constantly, as first responders struggled to maintain some order through an event fraught with…
By Whitton Feer – Center, Colorado Facing depleted aquifers and a population opposed to change, farmers in the San Luis Valley must innovate and adapt in order to remain on the frontline of potato production in the US. Rusty, a chocolate lab chased a potato through a dusty patch of Rockey Farms, retrieving it for…
By Whitton Feer As the energy industry shifts away from burning coal, the people working in Colorado Springs’ Martin Drake power plant face a future in which their skills are growing irrelevant. The Drake plant is scheduled to be decommissioned by 2035, according to Colorado Springs Utilities officials. That threatens the jobs of the 87 employees.…
Whitton Feer The car whirred through the yellow aspens and the fragments of trees remaining from last year’s avalanche cycle. There was no cell service on Independence pass for podcasts or music, rendering the ride silent. My father Peter Feer, riding shotgun, turned to me, momentarily stealing my focus from the switchbacks. He told me…
