Travel to Telluride

 The scenery along the route from Montrose to Telluride is spectacular.  Only the skies hazy with smoke from several wildfires limited the beauty.

The forest and rock formations are great.

 

Unfortunately, some unknown (so far) problem is causing large stands of Aspen to die.  

There are sharp peaks.

And long smoky vistas of other mountains.

In places, we had a good look at the different colors of stone in these mountains.

Telluride is right in the middle of these mountains at an elevation of 8750 feet above sea level.  This is a view along one of the side streets.  I was standing on Main Street.

We could tell where the ski trails are in the winter.  Notice how steep the roofs are.  It helps the snow to quickly slide off the buildings, rather than drifting on the roof and causing damage.

I love the paint job on this house and the attractive front porch.

This is a galloping goose. Signs like these marked the bus stop where people could wait for the rail-riding vehicle that traveled through town and between the mountain towns decades ago.

  

This is a galloping goose.

There is something about the thin mountain air that really helps flower baskets to thrive.  Aren’t these beautiful?

This sign tells a little about the mining past of Telluride.

Ridgway State Park

From Rifle, we headed to Ridgway State Park, one of our favorites where we have stayed many times over the years.

Here is some of the scenery we saw along the way.

The San Juan mountains provide the backdrop for the park.

The Uncompahgre River flows through the park. This summer it is very full.  The river flows into Ridgway Reservoir. 

Fly fishing is a favorite activity on the river.

This is a great view of the San Juans beyond the reservoir.  We were parked in the Pa-co-chu-puk section of the park, below the day.

Nearby we saw an Indian tipi.  The Ute Indian Museum is nearby.

We really were there.

We saw some great sunsets.

One day we drove to Telluride, an old mining town west of Ridgway.  Look at this beautiful entry to one of the restored buildings there.

Along the way to Telluride, we passed through Saw Pit, a ghost town where my great grandfather lived around 1900.

There are flower boxes everywhere in town.  I think the air in Colorado's  high altitude mountain communities is just what helps the flowers to thrive. 

Loved this impressive building.  The beautiful door pictured above is in this building.

More flowers, these in baskets and boxes.

These flower container are in the center lane in downtown Telluride.

The hillsides along our drive are very attractive.

Born Too Early

We were born too early for this town.  Or decades too late.  Last week we drove to Telluride, a mining town turned tourist destination not too far from Ridgway State Park.  The town today hosts skiiers, avid mountain bikers and young families.  And dogs, lots to dogs.  We were there on a Saturday and walking down the sidewalk could be hazardous, dodging young children, bikes and dogs.  We thought it would be better to visit during the week, rather than on the weekend before Labor Day.

We were born long after the heyday of silver mining in Telluride.  Mining began here in 1880 and since then 350 miles of tunnels have been dug through the mountains, enough to reach from San Francisco to Los Angeles.  Billions of dollars of silver, gold, copper, lead and zinc have been taken from these mountains and mining continues today.

The drive to Telluride provides spectacular views of the Colorado Rockies.  This is one of the reasons we came to Colorado every summer.

Many of the old buildings in town have been restored and repurposed.  This is the New Sheridan Hotel, now housing a restaurant.  I have a phone app called History Here and as we approached Telluride, I received a text telling me the New Sheridan Hotel was 5 miles away.  At first I thought it meant a new hotel, but no.

This is the San Miguel County Courthouse.  Very impressive.

Hanging baskets are seen in most mountain tourist towns.  These are especially lush.

Telluride is nestled in a narrow mountain valley and the ski area provides a backdrop on one side of town.  Talk about ski in and ski out from your hotel.

We often see a left turn lane in the center of a two-way road.  But in this town, flower containers black the end of each block’s yellow-striped center lane.  In the next block you can see one of those signs that read “your speed is…..”  These lanes also allow 10-minute parking by permit only.  I imagine shop owners get those permits so they can bring in merchandise.  UPS and FedEx may also use them.  Much better than double-parking for deliveries.

There is another cute mountain town nearby, Ouray.  If we go there it will be mid-week, not Saturday or Sunday.