Small town grandeur…Telluride, Colorado

Telluride, Colorado is just different. Sure..Telluride’s beauty is undeniable. The ski slopes in winter are not particularly crowded. Telluride is not a massive ski resort, as compared to others that we have visited. The shops are expensive, but the sweaters for sale are simply the best. Guess what…you don’t need to be wearing one of those high priced sweaters to feel at home in Telluride! Being yourself is enough.

Telluride is sort of like being in Austin…but this Austin has mountains and snow and biking trails that seem to reach the sky. You might remember from another post that Austin’s motto is “Keep Austin Weird”. Telluride might adopt their own motto…such as “Keep Telluride Eclectic”. From the fun people to the fanciful architecture to the old fashioned ice cream parlor, Telluride is a unique combination of friendly people and a different way to live. Telluride is a place for the free spirit to live…perhaps a free spirit with deep pockets of money.

As Christopher Solomon says in his article “36 Hours in Telluride, Colorado (The New York Times, 12/10/2015): “Beauty and great skiing keep pulling the money here, and that keeps refreshing the scene. But it’s the people who make this place interesting-a quirky stew of Patagonia-clad men who look as if they came straight from base camp; flushed women direct from their 10-mile runs; still others reciting poetry in bordello-wear at a Colorado Avenue bar; and gray-poneytailed hippies who play ‘Sugar Magnolia’ so often you’d think Jerry Garcia never went to that great jam fest in the sky. Telluride isn’t a just a ski area; it’s a way of life.”

Telluride is located in the San Juan Mountains…the southwestern part of  Colorado…49.6 miles from Ouray and 65.7 miles from Montrose. We have visited Ouray multiple times and I wrote a post about this equally interesting Colorado town a few months ago. Honestly, it is less expensive to stay in Ouray and drive over to enjoy Telluride. The drive is outstanding and worth the effort. Better yet…rent a jeep and drive to Telluride on the jeep trails…it does take a bit of nerve and some jeep driving practice!

 

A must see in Telluride…Bridal Veil Falls 

 

When our children were still in elementary and middle school, we met our very good friends in Ouray. Their two daughters were in elementary school…so there were eight of us all together. They had been going to Ouray for years and knew the jeep trails backwards and forwards. We had never been to Ouray, but had rented jeeps quite a few times in Red River, New Mexico. So…surely we knew what we were doing! My husband was doing great driving our jeep until we got to Bridal Veil Falls.

 

When we were very close to the falls…we had to turn around. The pass that we planned to take was closed because there was still too much snow. The temperature was 101 degrees when we left Texas. Just a not so subtle reminder of why I was really supposed to live in Colorado!

 

In order to turn around, we had to back up incredibly close to the edge. Our son and their five year old daughter were “helping” by giving my husband continuous advice on backing up.”EEK…WHOA…STOP!” yelled the two helpers who quickly ended up standing outside of the jeep during the maneuvers! 

However, Bridal Veil Falls met all of our expectations. The waterfalls are 365 feet in length and are the tallest free falling waterfall in Colorado (according to the Telluride Tourism Board). Many people bike, hike and drive four-wheel drive vehicles up the road to the falls. Telluride is very near perfect any season.

 

Peaceful, friendly, challenging, old fashioned buildings…yet modern at the same time. Telluride…a place to enjoy the mountain views as well as the warm small town atmosphere!

 

 

 

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