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David Pierce Jr.: The Dam guards are OK

David Pierce Jr.
Silverthorne

The guards on the Dillon Dam Road are a favorite target for frustrated letter writers to SDN. One person even referred to them as “jack-booted thugs.” Such opinions are spurious and demonstrate a lack of personal experience.

I drive a shuttle bus for a Silverthorne enterprise. One rainy day I decided to help some customers by returning them to their car in a parking area on the Dillon Dam Road. After dropping them off and turning back toward Silverthorne, I was waved aside by one of the guards. He kindly explained to me that the bus was too large to be driven across the dam and asked if I would in future please refrain from doing so. I replied that I would do as he asked and said that I understood.

“You … you do?” he asked, nonplused.



I said sure. He smiled and we proceeded to have a very nice chat. I realized that the guard was used to having abuse hurled at him and was surprised by my easy attitude. Also, he has a lonely job and was obviously grateful for someone to talk with. Afterward, as I drove away and neared the exit to the Dam Road, the other guard waved me over. Same thing happened. He was a very pleasant fellow, and when we were done talking he waved good-bye.

These guards are decent, friendly guys, the sort of people I would buy beers for. With this information I hereby deflate the local windbags who feel so dis-empowered in their everyday lives that they feel their only way to be heard is to make vitriolic attacks on such easy targets as the guards on the Dillon Dam Road.


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