Friday afternoon, I returned from a hike with my two dogs in the Soda Creek trail to find this note on my car with Texas plates: “Go home Texas!! We hate you, your politics, and your noisy back country ethics! Seriously, go somewhere else! Nobody wants to hear your blathering accent. (Expletive) off!”

This is not what I expect in Steamboat, and it is ironic that I received this note. I see the same type of vitriol in Texas toward Californians, and it is equally ignorant. It is the type of ignorance that paints broad strokes across groups of people you know nothing about.

You don’t know me, my politics or my ethics. You do not know we have been here since 2005 and have worked hard to integrate ourselves into the community. We have built a home here, supported the local economy (which means jobs like yours), and worked hard to make friends here. We have supported organizations such as STARS, Routt County Riders, the Steamboat Tennis and Pickleball Center and the Girl Scouts. This is a special place to our family. We love this town and its people, and I refuse to let one ignorant person change that.

I will make you a deal. The next time you see my car and feel compelled to leave a note, do not let your anonymity provide you with false bravado. Leave your name and number and I would be thrilled to buy you dinner and get to know you.

Steven Miura

Austin, Texas