Forget the ruins, what about the Devil’s Heartbeat?

DUST IN THE WIND
by Bill Boyle
The City of Blanding is considering a project to restore the ruin in Westwater Canyon. The project was the topic of much discussion at the February 26 meeting of the City Council.
I believe that several features at the site could be developed, including the Anasazi ruin that was ruined and then re-ruined many years ago. It would make an interesting restoration project.
City officials also mentioned the small natural bridge that is located at the site.
Mentioned in passing at the meeting is the fact that a swinging bridge was located at the site for many years. However, in an age when risk management issues often trump every other consideration, it is not likely that a swinging bridge could return to the area.
I was intrigued that no one mentioned the feature that most terrified me as a child growing up in San Juan County. I guarantee that “Devils Heartbeat” raised my heart rate more than a ruin, a nice arch, or even a swinging bridge.
I’m not sure if kids these days are even aware of the heartbeat. If most readers don’t know what I am talking about, ask “someone of a certain age” (40 to 60 I’d guess)and see what they say.
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If you wondered about the hundreds of vehicles that crowded the streets of Monticello on Saturday, March 2, you should know that the Monticello High School gymnasium was more crowded than the streets.
The annual Rowdy Boys wrestling tournament brought 550 wrestlers to town for one of the most intense events of the year. If you consider that most wrestlers bring a cheering section with them, you get an idea of the bedlam going on in the gym. Ten matches were going at once.
The Rowdy Boys Tournament started several years ago when the local organizers realized that the only way they could sponsor a tournament of the Four Corners Wrestling Association was to start the season a week earlier and host the first tournament of the year.
They did just that and have built the tournament every year. The Monticello tournament offers the biggest trophies of the entire season and gives wrestlers their first chance to scope out the competition.
These factors, combined with the dedicated work of RL Wilcox and hundreds of volunteers, are making the Monticello tournament the can’t-miss event of the year.
I have always been confused by NASCAR, which starts the year with the biggest race of the season at Daytona. Of course, with the Super Bowl, World Series, World Cup and NBA Finals, most sports end the year with the culminating event.
I think that RL Wilcox and his group of a hundred or so volunteers are following the NASCAR plan.