When health care is hours away

There’s a lot to love about small-town living.

Any rural or frontier Coloradan will say as much, like 87-year-old Donna Belden, a Nucla resident of more than four decades.

She and her husband, Wally, have many memories in the tranquil, 600-person town located in the West End of Montrose County.

Like raising three boys, working for the local school, playing cards, practicing archery and crafting.

“Most of the time it’s quiet; we don’t have any problems around here. The disadvantages are the doctors and shopping,” Belden said, adding that the nearest Walmart is about two hours away.

However, those few downsides have become an increasing challenge for the aging couple, as their abilities to drive have degraded considerably over the past few years.

INCONVENIENT TO NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE

Whil