Shelley Read joined us this morning for coffee to share her incredible adventure as the author of the international best seller, Go As a River. If you haven’t read this local (and world-wide) favorite yet, it’s available at Old Rock Library (although it may be on hold!) or Townie Books on Elk Avenue. Do yourself a favor and grab a copy ASAP.

Shelley is a 5th generation Coloradoan who grew up visiting family in the Gunnison Valley, learned to ski by the age of three at CBMR, and eventually moved here full-time with a teaching position at Western in 1991. A life-long writer, Shelley shared a memory of writing a 66-page short story at the age of 9 in response to a homework prompt for a 2-pager! Along with writing, Shelley loves camping, whether with friends and family or in solitude, and her favorite place to spend time in the woods is up the East River Valley. It was there on a solo overnight at the base of Belleview that she first encountered the character of Victoria Nash.

For those who have read the book, the story of the doe will be familiar. While sitting around her fire that evening, Shelley watched a doe venture into the meadow followed by two fawns. The first fawn was healthy but its sibling was significantly less so, and Shelley recalled connecting with the doe and wondering how she would keep both babies alive through the winter. On her way up Belleview the next day, Shelley kept returning the powerful experience and realized she was seeing it through the eyes of someone else. That someone eventually made herself known as Victoria Nash, a young woman from Iola, Colorado.

Over the next 12+ years, a story of displacement, resilience, and love grew out of that first encounter with Victoria and her doe. Shelley came to know Victoria and her neighbors, friends, and family through short scenes she would jot down between lectures, campouts, raising her two kids, and life in general. While researching the Blue Mesa Dam and the resulting displacement of the Towns of Iola, Cebolla, and Sapinero, Shelley knew she didn’t want to leave out the history of displacement prior to these settlements. Thus came the character of Wilson Moon, who Shelley intentionally kept mysterious, feeling it wasn’t her place to tell that story but unwilling to leave this important piece of history out of her novel. While Go As a River has strong overtones of romantic love, the overarching story is about the love of land, the importance of home, and compassion for the human condition.

The centerpiece of the peach symbolizes each of these important components. Well known to be a fragile and difficult fruit to grow, Shelley explained that everywhere she goes one of the first questions she’s asked is whether we really grow peaches in Colorado. Despite no actual history of Iola-grown peaches, Shelley landed on the peach for its ability to grow against the odds, its need for generational knowledge and expertise, and its resiliency in a-typical and new soils. Peaches were special to Victoria, something that held her family together despite everything.

Shelley also shared the incredible tale of publishing Go As a River. From sending her manuscript to the two Colorado-based literary agents she could find back in 2017 to immediately being accepted by one (no word from the other, and we all wonder how regretful they must be now!). Nearly three years later, Shelley was signed by a publishing company in NYC, and even before her book was published here in the States, it was being translated into over 30 languages and published world-wide! This very week, the Ukranian edition is arriving on shelves, publishers sure that it will bring hope and courage to their people who have been going through immense hardships the last three years. Fortuitously, Shelley shared that Go As a River was released exactly one year ago today in bookstores around the US.

As Shelley wraps up her US tour this year and preps for a European tour, the book is also being adapted for the big screen in Hollywood. It’s been a whirlwind for the Colorado native, but she was all smiles as she shared that yes, there is another one on the way (and all of us in the room erupted in cheers).

This morning we had the pleasure of being joined by Sally Hensley, Ernie Kothe, Jennifer Read, and Leigh Paulsen from the Crested Butte Community School. Sally, CBCS’s elementary principal, and Ernie, the school’s secondary principal shared highlights of each school, including our ranking in the state (17th out of 363 schools!), a student-led Red Cross Club, and special programs like Ski and Skate for PE that help all kids access our community’s amazing recreational activities.

Secondary School Counselor Jennifer Read works closely with Rotary and students to administer our senior scholarships, Service Above Self Award, and youth exchange program. We’ve presented 42 scholarships to seniors in the last two years, and we have 3 outbound exchange students heading abroad in 2024! But, helping to administer our programs is just a part of the vast array of things Jennifer does for our students. She also leads Senior Seminar, helping seniors prep for the college or career path, including lessons on financial literacy. Her middle school program, Wheel, helps students heading into high school explore the many opportunities from tech studies to music and more so they’re well prepared for their next chapter. These are just a few of the many ways Jennifer helps guide our students into the future!

Leigh Paulsen also represents Rotary’s support of our community’s next generation, as the new Family Liaison, which is partially funded by Rotary grants. Leigh is providing more personal communication with families and the community at large, increasing the school’s presence on social media to help tell our stories, coordinating grade-level fundraising, and conducting needs assessments and sustainability efforts. It’s an exciting addition to the school’s staff that we’re looking forward to learning more about as Leigh moves forward with the position!

Finally, we learned about the expansion project, which will begin this summer. The expansion will provide better safety and security through more appropriate office locations, a new Career and Technical Education wing for the secondary school, upgrades to the playground and soccer field, and new Pre-K classrooms. Scheduled to be completed in 2025, this renovation is sure to be a huge asset to our community!

Rob Layton, the Colorado GM of Eleven Experience, joined us this morning to share the high-end adventure hospitality provided by a world-wide company born and based here in Crested Butte. Owner Chad Pike started Eleven Experience, rather appropriately, on 11-11-2011, but that’s not the origin of the name. Rather, it comes from the 1984 cult classic film, Spinal Tap, in which the titular band draws an 11 on their 1-10 volume amp so they can play louder and more boisterously than any other.

Just 13 years old, Eleven Experience now boasts 13 luxury properties in 8 countries with more on the way! Two of those properties are right here in the Gunnison Valley, Scarp Ridge Lodge in downtown CB and Taylor River Lodge along the Taylor River. The company also boasts its own interior design branch called Twelve; it’s own guide service, Irwin Guides; a music production company, “Eleven Music;” and a property management arm, “Grassy Creek.” On top of all that, Eleven owns and operates Irwin Brewing Company here in CB and its restaurant and bar front, the Public House on Elk Avenue. They’re busy year-round!

While operating world-wide, Eleven Experience gives back to their local communities through grants for nonprofits that focus on recreation and open spaces. They also have a carbon emissions matching program for their guests and utilize solar power whenever possible.

Looking for a way to experience life on a 1-10 scale all the way to Eleven? The Taylor River Lodge offers overnight stays for Gunnison Valley residents and invites anyone to A Taste of Taylor, dinner reservations available to the general public Wednesdays through Sundays!