White Water and Rafting and Bears

Gunnison and Crested Butte and white water rafting and I love off days

We woke up early (I think the latest I’ve gotten up on this trip has been 9 am..not quite my typical summer but I’m not complaining) to get to Scenic River Tours.

Our guide, Mark, was well-versed in the art of rafting, and we had a glorious three hours filled with rapids, the river, and rowing.  Matt lives in the area and is a ski patrol in the winter, and a raft guide in the summer.  An outdoor enthusiast, if you will....

...and a backyard composter!  He and his wife have been composting for the past several years, but, unfortunately, they have encountered a compost enemy: bears.  Whenever Mark puts out new food scraps, the bears in the area feast on them.  This makes his method of compost unhealthy for the bears, and could potentially pose a threat to Matt and his neighbors.  

The town where he lives, Crested Butte, has found a bear-proof garbage solution; it requires its residents to purchase a “bear safe” garbage can for a mere $300!  Maybe if Mark spent an additional $300, his compost would also be protected from bears.  

After the rafting, we headed to Mark's hometown, Crested Butte, to follow up on some of his restaurant recommendations.  We found a coffee shop downtown, called Rumor, and sat outside with the New York Time

s (Monday) crossword, our books, and (refillable) cups of coffee.  Needless to say, it was an exceptionally pleasant afternoon.  Rumor had just opened, and one of its goals is to be a green business.  They had recycling bins, cloth towels in the bathroom, and (my personal favorite) a compost bin!!!  Their cups are compostable, as well as their cutlery, napkins, and, of course, food waste.  I asked the owner a little bit about their compost collection, and he told me a little bit about it.  Main points:

1. they send it to a compost facility about 60 miles away in Salida

2. since they’ve only been open for 2 weeks, they haven’t brought it yet

3. they collect all of the compostable materials in the back of the shop

4. a newly implemented compost program is ex-ci-ting!

The Crested Butte dragon