THE PALACE: Salida's Premier Historic Boutique Hotel

Chalk another one up for Salida: The Palace Hotel. Located alongside the banks of the Arkansas River, the newly renovated Palace Hotel offers boutique caliber lodging within footsteps of shopping, dining and fly fishing. Built at the turn of the 20th century by Ambrose Ramsey, the Palace Hotel was originally home to 44 rooms, which have been remodeled, in complete compliance with historic preservation guidelines, into 14 unique suites.

Here, vintage chic meets the modern amenities. A 10 kilowatt rooftop photovoltaic system feeds back into the grid to help offset energy use. Water, waste, and energy management systems have been implemented wherever possible. Rooms are furnished with locally crafted soaps, and you won't find any tiny individual use bottles of shampoo in your bathroom- instead, there's a healthy selection of full size bottles to choose from.

What's more Part of the beauty of historic restoration, is that neither the original labor, nor the original materials, are completely lost or abandoned. On your next visit to Salida, wind your way up the magnificently preserved staircase and into one of these genuinely well-appointed suites. River, Mountains or Park view?

K. Hale Chamblee
Broker Associate
719.221.4637
hale@weshillrealestate.com

Salida, Colorado is Making its Way to the Map

A strange little thing is happening to Salida. Sure, we're an unpretentious, laid back, mountain town. Sure, we offer world class fishing, cycling and mounting biking. Sure, we have some of the best whitewater in the country and a sweet ski area that's a locals hot spot. A large historic downtown, burgeoning art scene, a growing collection of great restaurants, fifteen 14,000 foot peaks, several area hot springs, and an abundance of public land. Not to mention, the grounding influences of cattle ranches, a goat dairy and agriculture.

One thing Salida hasn't really had, however, is a name for itself.

Maybe it is because Salida sits in the shadow of the better-known, higher-elevation, resort towns like Aspen, Vail and Telluride, that it has been slower to arrive on the scene, and on the map, but a strange little thing has been happening. Salida  has been popping up over and over again in the media. Both the May 2012 and June 2012 issues of Outside Magazine, America's leading active-lifestyle and adventure-travel magazine, make mention of Salida area attractions.

In May's, Destinations section dedicated to the National Parks, you'll find, pinned between Bryce Canyon, Utah and Joshua Tree, California - Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado, which is about an hour from Salida.  Set in the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the dunes cover 19,000 acres and rise up to 750 feet, making this a great place to go sand sledding and sandboarding. Curious? Rentals are available at Kristi Mountain Sports in Alamosa, and just like the article says, after you return your board, stop into Alamosa's, San Luis Valley Brewing Company, for a cold one.

June's mention, of the Arkansas River, is a bit more predictable. Every year more than a million people float down the Arkansas River - that's akin to the entire City of San Francisco going whitewater rafting. It's a unique river and a destination for anglers, kayakers, rafters, and whitewater trill seekers. Want to celebrate whitewater, join us for America's Oldest & Boldest Whitewater Festival, FIBArk, June 14-17.

Not only has Salida and the surrounding areas received honorable mention in these last two editions of Outside, it was in the top 5 and the first runner up for Native Eyewear's Locals Only project.  What does this mean? I can only assume it means that Salida is about to take it's rightful place on the map as one of Colorado's most desirable mountain towns. If you'd like to make this your place on the map as well, contact me about the real estate possibilities here in Salida, Colorado.

Hale Chamblee
Broker Associate
719.22.4637
hale@weshlilrealestate.com

Salida is on the Move

Local lender Collegiate Peaks Bank is closing on a loan to Salida Natural Resource Center Development Corp for $4.3 million this week. Construction of the U.S. Forest Service building will commence in May. Infrastructure improvements will include extension of water and sewer to the Vandaveer Ranch and adjacent property. The devleopment corporation board is continuing conversations with Colorado Parks and Wildlife personnel as well as Colorado State University for a satillite campus. These are all welcome additions to our city.

On another subject, the City is negotiating with Union Pacific Railroad to purchase land along the north side of the Arkansas River. The City is proposing the Salida Siding Trail project on the land. Pending grant applications involve Great Outdoors Colorado, Fishing Is Fun, Colorado State Trails, Nestle Waters, Gates Family Foundation, Arkansas River Outfitters Association and Xcel Energy. This trail would make a valuable connection to the Arkansas Hill Trail System already in place.

With all of this positive news, now is the time to look for your own piece of Salida, Colorado real estate.

Salida is once again on the move. A proposed master plan has been submitted for major renovations to Centennial Park and Salida Hot Springs Aquatic Center. Salida has always enjoyed the luxury of the hot springs pool. Now, there is a proposed major expansion. It would include an outdoor water park with slide, shallow pools for children and adult soaking pools; new entrance with lobby and new locker rooms; and expanded parking areas. Centennial Park will receive new handicap restrooms, playground equipment and picnic area. The plan also includes a temporary "Christo Visitor's Center" building to be used during the Over the River viewing period. This kind of progress is what makes Salida, Colorado a real community. Expansion of our resource is a smart move for our city.

When you consider the new City Building, the new High School, the expansion of the Sewer Treatment Facility, the expansion of the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, new trail system and the Natural Resources Center, Salida has a lot of positive moves in place.

Now is a great time to join this vibrant community. We can't wait to help you find your little piece Salida to call home

Why Salida, Colorado?

Yes, there is lots of awesome real estate available here in Salida, Colorado and, yes, I would be happy to help you find the house, acreage, or business to make your dreams come true. That being said, there are lots of places with lots of desirable real estate, so, why Salida?

I confess that as I have lived consecutive years here in the mountains (and I live at 9,000 feet, so I do mean IN the mountains) something strange happens to me this time of year. I get past the initial disappointment that comes with the colder weather, the end of raft season, the packing up of summer sundresses, the arrival of daylight savings time, and then, for lack of a better expression, I get stoked! I find myself, much like now, waiting with baited breath, for it to snow.

Every year it seems the excitement starts to build with the anticipation of Thanksgiving - a holiday, that for most of my adult life, has revolved more around bringing together friends, than blood relatives. This year, we received a lovely invitation to joint friends in town for a Thanksgiving that featured a 30 pound turkey that they raised and slaughtered themselves. How cool and sustainable is that? And where did they raise their turkey? In their backyard in downtown Salida! along with their chickens! And because it was their first turkey, they had a friend help them slaughter and prep the bird, and went as a family with their two young children to perform the task - which lead to many lovely moments over dinner where the hostess proudly referred to herself as, a Bird Slayer.

The day after Thanksgiving in Salida marks, the Annual Parade of Lights and lighting of Christmas Mountain. This has to be one of the most charming, Norman-Rockwell-type, events in all of the 50 states. Historic Downtown Salida is closed off to cars and becomes a pedestrian and bicycle zone. The shops stay open late into the evening and host little soirees with steamed up windows, wine and cocoa. The taverns are rife with merry makers, groups of rogue Santas wander the streets, dogs dressed as elves pass clusters of families caroling, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and at some point "S" Mountain lights up and transforms into Christmas Mountain - the largest single Christmas ornament in, at least, the lower 48. The crowd cheers, a fireworks display to rival the Fourth of July spouts from the mountain top and lights the faces of enamored onlookers, and by the end of this evening I am ready for it to snow already! Why?

Thanksgiving weekend also marks the annual start of Monarch's Ski season on the Julian calendar, but not always on Mother Nature's calendar. This year we are in a holding pattern as we wait for that Monarch cloud to get hung up and give us the dump we need to get the season going; Monarch Mountain makes no snow, which makes for great riding and affordable lift tickets.

With ski season temporarily stalled out, and a series of uncompromisingly fair November days to bide, the trade of has been a week of mountain biking. (Terrible, I know.) This spring I traded in my cleats for flats, and my road bike for a 29er, and began riding trails from here to Utah. I'm still not huckin' it for Santa, but I sure am having a good time on Salida's Mountain Trails.

Lovely seasonal traditions, sustainable living, great skiing, awesome (sometimes year-round) mountain biking, affordable mountain town real estate, still looking for more reasons to call Salida home? Why not check out a couple of new and diverse culinary experiences around town. Little Cambodia, on F Street, between First and Sackett, owned by the lovely Phanny Jones, a Cambodian native herself, serves up delicious Cambodian specials, Thursday-Monday. It's become a local favorite for good, fresh food at lunch or dinner.

Had enough of buffalo burgers and brewery pizzas? Don't get me wrong, I love these Colorado staples, but I also adore, SUSHI! I know what you're thinking, sushi in a small mountain town in a land-locked state, right, how good could that be? Well, I'm here to tell you, it's really good, and a phenomenal addition to our downtown dining options. Every Tuesday night, Currents Steak & Seafood, on F Street in Historic Downtown Salida, rolls up and dishes out a surprising assortment of rolls, nigiri and sashimi. From the tempura basked, to the Chef's Choice sashimi platter, to the ever popular A-team roll, this sushi menu is solid, dependable and delicious. Have someone in your party who is not down with the raw fish? Added bonus, Currents runs their everyday grill side menu on Tuesday nights as well.

As you wander through downtown Salida, you might hear one local say to the other, "How's it going today?" to which the other replies, "Just another day in paradise!" or "Livin' the dream!" When you're ready to start livin' the dream, give me a call, I'll help you find a place to live and a whole lot more! Salida, Colorado - Because not all backyards are created equal.

Get in touch with me by email or phone: hale@weshillrealestate.com or 719-221-4637. You can also reach our office at 719-539-6616 and preview listings on our website at http://www.weshillrealestate.com/

K Hale Chamblee

Broker/Associate

Direct: 719.221.4637

Email: Hale@WesHillRealEstate.com

BLM approves 'Over the River'

By way of background, Over the River, is a large-scale, environmentally interactive, temporary, artwork proposed by artist, Christo and his late wife, Jeanne-Claude. The project will suspend eight silvery translucent fabric panels, totalling 5.9 miles, along a 42 mile stretch of the Arkansas River between Salida and Canon City, in what is known as Bighorn Sheep Canyon. Since its proposal, the project has met with a number of challenges: from the requisite Environmental Impact Statement (a 1,686 page tome), to BLM approval, to local objector group, Rags Over the Arkansas River, as well as area denizens concerned about the impact the installation, exhibition and de-installation will have on their daily lives: commute times, potential noise pollution, emergency services access, etc.

As you travel around Salida and the surrounding communities, by bike, car, or raft, it is impossible not to notice the stickers of support, 'Friends of OTR,' and dissent, 'Just Say NO to CHRISTO,' plastered on car bumpers and property entrances. There is no doubt that the community has some very strong opinions about the merit and viability of this project - and so I am going to voice mine, in favor of OTR. To be honest, the possibility of the OTR project, and of working on it, is one of the reasons I moved from San Francisco, CA to Salida, CO. In my life's previous incarnation I worked installing temporary, large-scale interactive artworks both at festivals, like the Annual Burning Man Arts Festival, and in civic settings, like San Francisco, Oakland, Detroit, and it was among the most challenging and rewarding work I have ever done. I will not argue the validity of many of the concerns of the project's objectors, I simply subscribe to the belief that art, perhaps like life, is not meant to be easy, and that the challenges presented by the project can be navigated, because ultimately, solutions are more interesting than problems. In fact, personal experience has shown me that a lot of times objection is born out of misunderstanding, misconception, and/or fear of the unknown. While Christo has been manifesting these kinds of artworks, internationally for decades, they certainly are not the norm in the art world. nor do they necessarily subscribe to societal mores, such as permanence or logic, and so it is understandable that one might be skeptical. I'm not saying that everyone will become a believer, simply that we should not let skepticism, doubt, or lack of confidence, guide, well, really any of our decisions.

That said, you can safely assume that I am pleased to hear that the BLM has approved the project. The number of individuals and agencies that have had to work together to get the project just this far is astounding, and, if you ask me, exciting. The project is fueling a lot of conversations and creating, already, a lot of interactions that would not otherwise take place; it is also raising a lot of questions. How much will OTR cost? An estimated $50 million; Who will pay for the project? The Christo Organization; When will construction start? In 2012; When will the project be exhibited? and for how long? August of 2014, for 2 weeks; What kind of economic output is the project estimated to generate? $121 million; How many visitors are expected during construction and display? 400,000; How many jobs will be created? Approximately 600; What is the next step? Permits from Chaffee and Fremont counties are required before construction can begin.

During the first week of December 2011, Christo plans to visit Salida and Cotopaxi and continue his conversation with the community. In the meantime, you can learn more about OTR by visiting, http://www.overtheriverinfo.com/. Information about the artist and his career is available at http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/. The record of the BLM decision and additional information about the project can be found at www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/rgfo/planning/otr.html.

For information about Salida Colorado Real Estate, please contact me

K. Hale Chamblee

Broker/Associate

Wes Hill & Associates

719-221-4637

Email: hale@WesHillRealEstate.com

Alder Creek Ranch

Many buyers are looking for a little slice of heaven in Colorado. I just listed an exceptional property in Saguache County. The Alder Creek Ranch is located just 30 minutes from Salida Colorado. This working cattle ranch consists of 342 acres, has corrals, barn, a workshop and irrigation water. Year round Alder Creek sweeps through the property.

If recreation is what you are looking for, you can ride from your home through public lands on two sides. Hunting season bring plenty of game. Views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are unrestricted. All in the untouched, sunny San Luis Valley. For more information on Salida Colorado Real Estate visit my website at http://www.weshillrealestate.com/.