A nightly ritual takes place on the Audubon Trail in Grand Junction. Have you heard the bells chime followed by the howls each night at eight o'clock?

For some time now people around the country have stepped out of their homes each night at 8 p.m. to howl. This began some time ago when things began to shut down due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Purely by chance, I was walking Grand Junction's Audubon Trail a few weeks ago. It was fairly late, and right as the sun was beginning to set, I heard a bell ring eight times, followed by a number of people howling. I wasn't aware as to the time, but it didn't take long to figure out what was happening. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to whip out the phone and get a recording.

Forward a couple of weeks, and the opportunity arose to be on the trail at precisely 8 p.m. Like clockwork, the bells chimed at precisely 8 p.m., followed by a handful of voices. It's hard to pinpoint precisely where the bell ringing is coming from. It is definitely coming from the group of houses located just south of the Redlands canal, about midway along the Audubon portion of the trail.

You'll have to listen carefully for the howling. The voices are well off in the distance. You'll notice the bell ringing accompanied by the howling was enough to catch the attention of my dogs. They were more than a little intrigued.

With any luck, the COVID-19 crisis will soon be a memory, and the howling, while awesome, will become a thing of the past. Until then, if you get the chance, make your way to the trail and proceed to a distance just past the wooden bridge. This is the general area of where the bell and voices seem to be coming from.

Kudos to the person responsible for the bell. That thing is one of the most reliable pieces of timekeeping on the planet. I don't know if it's a device on a timer, or if someone is doing this nightly. In any case, it's cool.

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