I moved to Chaffee County in the late ’80s to be close to the Arkansas river. I have guided rivers, built houses, sold outdoor gear, managed a retail store, ran a restaurant,  pretty much whatever I needed to do to stay in Chaffee County. 

Settling down, for me, meant starting things. My own outdoor gear sales business. Wood Development/Contracting. Then Moonlight Pizza, because every good town needs a place that smells like garlic on a Friday night. In 2011 I launched Wood’s High Mountain Distillery, which eventually led to me serving as President of the Colorado Distillers Guild and Vice President on the board of the American Craft Spirits Association. Turns out running a distillery and sitting through permit hearings use a lot of the same muscles.

But rivers are really where my heart lives. I spent years volunteering and serving on the board for FIBARK, helped get freestyle kayaking off the ground, served on the AHRA Citizens Task Force, and worked with the Arkansas River Trust to help build the Salida River park — now the spot where folks gather on a warm summer evening.