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Quandary muses on those dam rocks

In celebration of National Marina Day, the Frisco Bay Marina is offering Saturday, June 14, free boat tours of Lake Dillon. The marina also Saturday the 6k Bacon Burner.
Todd Powell / Special to the Daily |

Quandary,

You never answered the question of where the rocks came from for the dam. “Primarily with local rocks” is a bit vague. It’s a huge dam, with a very wide base. They had to have a close local source for such a large amount of rock. But where? — Brian

Good sir, I apologize if my previous answer was a bit too evasive for your liking. If you want detail, I can do detail, but you might want to get comfy.



Let’s start with rock number one — we shall call it Nancy. Nancy came from the north side of a lovely hill located at approximently 39 degrees, 37 minutes, 49 seconds, north latitude and 106 degrees, 02 minutes, 36 seconds, west longitude. One day, Nancy found herself at the bottom of the hill where she and her rock family would soon meet their fate as dam components.

In all seriousness, there were several borrow pits located near the reservoir. These pits were used to collect impervious, semi-pervious and pervious rocks that were used to build the dam. One of the pits (where Nancy lived) was located right next to the would-be site of Roberts Tunnel and the majority of the impervious rock was pulled from this pit. Ironically, even though quite a bit of blasting was done to create the Roberts Tunnel, none of this rock was used in consructing the dam.



When does the marina shut down for the winter?

Well, like most things in Summit County, this will vary depending on our weather. The marinas don’t come to a grinding hault at the end of the summer, but you will see limited services and at a certain point the service departments will be the main operations until next summer.

In Dillon, the marina will likely close to rentals towards the end of September, depending on conditions. However, they won’t be going out without a bang, as September sees parties take to the docks. Now booze and docks don’t always mix, but if you’ve been able to navigate the Tiki Bar all summer, you should be able to handle the parties. The first will take place on Labor Day, Sept. 7, from 2-4 p.m. This one is mostly for the furry friends, as it is the annual Marina Mutt Show. Take your pup to strut his stuff and the top performers will be rewarded. So if your pup can grab a beer from the fridge or get himself a speeding ticket for longboarding down the recpath, it’s time to make him earn his keep.

The last big party of the season will take place on Sept. 9 starting at 5 p.m. The Krystal 93 Dock Party at the Tiki Bar is an excellent way to send off your summer. The party will include extended happy hours and giveaways.

If September seems too soon for you, and you aren’t ready to leave the waves just yet, head over to Frisco for a little extra marina time. The Frisco Bay Marina is planning to stay open at least into October, and as long as the water’s good, the people are interested and the boats are seaworthy, Frisco will keep sending them out. The latest season in recent memory saw the marina open until Nov. 3, so who knows, with some warm weather maybe your Thanksgiving party will take place on a pontoon.

Have a question for Quandary? Send an email to quandary@summitdaily.com


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