River Talk: Signs of spring are blowing in the wind

Spring is taking hold in Dolores. One of the first signs that spring is on its way is the wind. And boy, was it windy on Sunday.

Reports are coming in from the Boggy Draw that the trails are mostly dry. Some Dolores residents are heading up there for a much-needed spring hike and others are headed up their for a spin on their mountain bikes.

Another sign: Telluride Mountain Ski Resort will have its last day of skiing Sunday, April 6. The snow last weekend was nice, helped out by 10 inches of snow last week, but it's melting fast.

The last day is always entertaining as skiers dress in costumes and partake in the pond-skimming event, don't miss your last chance to ski at Telluride.

On the way up to Telluride on Saturday, I saw not one, not two, but five herds of elk. It was a delight to see so many healthy elk this spring, and they seemed to be enjoying the spring grass peeking out from under the snowmelt.

Kinzee Shull goes to finals

Dolores native Kinzee Shull took home a big win last weekend at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association's 2014 Semi-final Championships in Canyon, Texas. The win means Kinzee will advance to the finals, May 1-4 in Harrisburg, Pa. She's competing in the horsemanship category and picks the horse she'll ride out of a hat, something she will do at the finals, too. She competes against colleges from across the country.

Dolores residents Scott and Lenetta Shull and Kym Shull-Hampton and her family were there to cheer Kinzee on.

Lauren Hall tops in Belgium

Dolores' very own professional cyclist Lauren Hall also won big over the weekend in Ghent, Belgium. She won in what cycling magazines and blogs are calling an "attack-riddled finale."

Hall, 35, rode the 115 km race for the U.S. National Team.

A fish called Whopper

Rebecca and Wes Jones were proud this week about a giant rainbow trout Wes caught in the Dolores River near McPhee over the weekend. The trout weighed in at 5.2 pounds and was 2 feet long. Impressive and a beautiful fish, guys.

Shannon Livick