River Talk: Hail, hunting and countdowns

What's up with this weather? On Sunday in Dolores, sunny skies gave way to so much hail that looking out, it was almost a wall of white. It drummed on the roof and bounced off the sidewalks relentlessly for a short while. Monday was sunny until evening when it rained, and Tuesday started off cool. Maybe the sky got spring and summer mixed up.

Temperatures may be inconsistent, but one aspect of July weather can always be counted on: late afternoon storms. We are in the midst of a very average monsoon season. Rainbow and lightning lovers, this is your month. Keep in mind that you can calculate the distance that a storm is from you by counting the seconds between the flash of lightning and the sound of the thunder. Divide the number of seconds by five, and you have the approximate number of miles figured out between you at the storm.

Big game licenses available soon

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has announced that over-the-counter big game licenses for animals such as bear and elk will be available next Tuesday, July 21. These licenses are first come first serve. Leftover limited licenses and over-the-counter turkey licenses will be on sale starting Tuesday, August 4th. The 2015 big game brochure has hunting participation rules and more information.

Riverside Avenue facelift

Riverside Avenue, the dirt road by the community center, has been cleaned up nicely. New gravel and dirt was put down and smoothed out. No more giant puddles and bumpy potholes!

Escalante Day raffle

The countdown to Escalante Days continues. Now is the time to buy a raffle ticket from the Dolores Rotary Club. They will be raffling off a Jetty Paddle Board package, valued at $889. The package includes a personal flotation device and a paddle. Tickets are $10 each. There are only 500 tickets available, but you can pick one up from any Dolores Rotary Member, or stop by the Ponderosa Restaurant or the Dolores Chamber of Commerce. The winner of the raffle will be announced at Escalante Days at 3 p.m. on Aug. 8.

Regan Umberger