Telluride July 2011 Day 1
The last week Ashley and I spent in what I consider to be my home, Telluride, Colorado. She has never been there in the summer and it is one of the few places I can escape to really relax and enjoy my surroundings. Our first full day, July 3rd, my great friend Eric and I went skiing on some of the high alpine snow. There was not a lot of vert. but any skiing in July is good skiing. After our ski trip we drove to Silverton and did a bit of hiking to an old ghost mining town. Weather was spectacular the whole day and it was great to catch up with some good friends for lunch in Silverton.
Telluride July 2011 Day 2
This gallery is from July 4th, 2011. Obviously it was Independence Day so Ashley and I did anything and everything American. The weather was perfect so we decided to spend the entire day outside soaking up the every last bit of beauty Telluride has to offer.
Telluride has an annual traditional Independence Day parade each 4th of July that is the best I have ever been too. The parade is funky, yet fun and everyone has a great time because no one judges anyone. Everyone celebrates how blessed we all are to live in a free country where everyone is welcome. The BEST part of the entire day, more so than the fireworks, is when the four F-16 Fighter jets fly over Main Street Telluride at the end of the National Anthem. I get emotional whenever I see fighter jets fly over but there are no words to describe how beautiful it is to watch and listen to F-16’s fly 300ft AGL through the most beautiful box canyon in the world. It is the pinnacle of American Freedom.
After the parade Ash and I had lunch at one of my local favorite restaurants, La Cocina. It is a Mexican restaurant right off Main Street that uses all natural locally grown foods. I recommend it to anyone that visits my home!
That night we saw the most beautiful fireworks I have ever seen.
Telluride July 2011 Day 3
Our third day in Telluride was taken up by mountain biking the entire day. I am a huge fan and avid mountain biker but Ashley had never ridden a bike on anything but paved roads so immediately I knew the day would turn out interesting.
We started out on the Jurassic Trail which is a little, beginner half mile trail from the village to the meadows. After a quick lunch break we then road down the meadows trail to Lawson Hill (about .75 miles) Then we headed into the more difficult Valley Floor trail into town. After a short rest in town we took the gondola up to ride the Village Trail back to the village.
The Village trail is an intermediate trail, no huge drops or climbs but there are a few more technical places. Ashley had been doing great thus far so I didn’t think that she would have any problems with the Village trail. I was slightly wrong. Once we started on the trail the afternoon storms rolled in and it began to lightning. On top of a mountain isn’t the safest place to be in a lightning storm. On top of that she took a good spill on one of the top switchbacks after losing balance and hitting a large boulder the wrong way. She began to get a bit emotional due to all the stimuli flooding her brain and the rest of the ride down was a bit tough.
About an hour later and a good bit of walking we finally made it down. Ashley was done for the day but I headed back up and did a few more laps on the Village Trail. All in all it was a great day and Ashley still loves mountain biking!
Telluride July 2011 Day 4
Our fourth day in Telluride was spectacular. I began the day at sunrise (about 6:10am). Shortly after a good egg breakfast I packed my pack and headed up for a morning mountain bike ride. I started up the Jurassic Trail again to get to the village base. One there I headed up the gondola to the top of Station San Sophia. I was pleasantly surprised to see that had just opened Prospect Trail.
Prospect Trail is my favorite trail in the boundary of Telluride Ski Resort. It is a fantastic 10+ mile trail that crosses the entire mountain, has a few significant climbs, gorgeous scenery, and an excellent downhill section. I was the first person on the trail that morning (according to a gondolier) which was spectacular and gave the trail a new sense of solitude.
After my ride I did a few more short rides up and down the front of the mountain finally to meet up with Ashley for lunch in the village. I was extremely ready for lunch after riding 15-20 miles that morning.
After lunch Ash and I headed down into town to meet up with a good buddy of mine, Matt. He is a fellow skier and a great friend. We decided to go hike up Bear Creek Trail that afternoon with his 14 week old mini Australian Shepard, Revel. One of the cutest puppies I have seen in a long while!
Bear Creek is a great, intermediate hiking trail that begins in town. It follows the river up into Bear Creek Basin which is on the east side of Telluride Mountain. For myself and many other locals, we know it better during the winter for some excellent back country skiing.
The end of the hike turns into a spectacular waterfall (see pictures below).
Telluride July 2011 Day 5
Our fifth day in Telluride was a wild one. It consisted of a lot, I mean A LOT, of hiking. We woke up early to drive down toward Bridal Veil Falls (at the East end of Telluride). There is a road the goes up the 2000 vertical feet to the top of Bridal Veil but with our impeccable timing we arrived just as the closed the road for two weeks to install a new pipeline.
The good news is we were the first people to arrive so we parked at the base of the road, gathered our goods and began to hike. A cool 2000 vert. later we arrived at the top. What a view! This had turned out to be our most rewarding hike by far.
We were told of a few high alpine lakes at the top of Bridal Veil which were the lakes that fed the Bridal Veil river so we decided to go ahead and hike to the lakes. We hadn’t bothered to by any back country hiking maps since I clearly knew everything being from Telluride and all. False, this was my first time to hike past the falls so I was just as new as Ashley was in this case.
We hiked, and we hiked, before we knew it we were above the tree line and were running on miniscule amounts of oxygen. No lake even in sight at this point. Surely it was only a big further so we continued to hike. Once we reached about 13,000 ft. we had had enough. Plus the afternoon storms began to roll in and in an alpine meadow at 13,000 ft. is not where you want to be when lightning is in the area.
I knew we were close because we had just reached the point where we could see the plumbing pipes that fed some of the old mines coming out of Blue Lake but we never made it. Once I got home and was able to look at the map I realized we only had about another .5 miles and 400 vert. to go but with mountain climbing nothing ever works right the first time.
The views from the top were unmatchable and it was especially neat for me because it was a completely new hike for me which is rare in a town I pride myself on being an expert in.
Make sure to read below the photos for a quick history on Bridal Veil Falls.
Bridal Veil Falls is a 365 foot (111 m) waterfall at the end of the box canyon overlooking Telluride, Colorado. It is the tallest uninterrupted waterfall in the state of Colorado. Hiking and off-road trails pass by the falls and the power plant at its top. In winter the frozen shape of the falls forms an imposing challenge to intrepid ice climbers.
Bridal Veil Falls is a two pronged waterfall. The trail past the falls continues on to mountain meadows and mountain lakes above 10,000 feet (3,000 m).
The house/power plant atop the falls was restored, operated and lived in (1991-2010) by Eric Jacobson. The power generated now provides about 25 percent of Telluride’s demand for electricity. The plant was originally used to power the Smuggler-Union Mine and in winter requires an aerial tramway for access. It is the second-oldest operating AC generator in the United States, the first being the nearby Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant by Ophir, Colorado. The Idarado Mining Company now owns and operates the power plant.
The falls were opened briefly in the 1990s to ice climbers, but the area is private property so climbing has been legally prohibited since. Referred to as a “mega classic” and “the most difficult waterfall ice climb in North America” some climbers have trespassed to take a crack at the imposing and dangerous climb, but a land purchase proposal and an insurance deal may change the situation. Climbers were excited by the proposal in 2008 that would reopen the falls to climbers. Legendary climbers Jeff Lowe (climber) and Mike Wiess were known to have been the first to summit the falls in 1978, the effort having been broadcast on ABC’s Wide World of Sports.
The area around Bridal Veil Falls is subject to avalanche and controlled shelling to create controlled slides is an event popular with spectators and photographers. Reaching the top of the falls in winter can be a precarious venture, even for the experienced family that calls the plant home.
Bulkeley Wells is the man responsible for building a power plant of such a tantalizing stature. Wells was a fierce leader for the Colorado National Guard during Telluride’s labor strikes of 1899 to 1908. Wells married the daughter of the Smuggler-Union Mine’s owner and quickly became the business’s manager in November 1902. Wells is the man responsible for switching a the miners payment system from the day’s wage to a “fathom” which consisted of being paid for distance mined rather than the time put in.
After realizing he had been being over charged for fuel from the high country he proposed building the power plant on top of Bridal Veil. He built his 12 bedroom dream house and decorated it with mission-style furniture of the Arts and Crafts Movement. In 1907, he moved in. 1907 was the pinnacle of Wells fortune in Telluride which slowly slid away from him causing him to permanently leave Telluride in 1923 for Nevada. In 1931, he shot himself in despair.
Smuggler-Union Mine was shut down in 1928 due to the price of ore flattening out and the great depression looming. The Idarado Mining Company bought the mine and power station in 1953. The next year the shut down the power station and the home went dark, slowly fading into demise.
In 1988, Eric Jacobson bought the power station and began its restoration. The Energy Act of 1978 is what spurred Jacobson into action on Bridal Veil. The act stated that anyone could file a permit to restart idle facilities; they didn’t even have to own the property. In 1981, Jacobson filed for a permit and, after seven years of legal resistance from Idarado, Jacobson was granted a 99-year lease to operate the hydro plant.
Unfortunately, Jacobson faced upwards of 30 lawsuits from the Idarado mining company in his 30 years of residence. The last settlement terminated his lease and handed the daily operations of the power station back into the hands of the Idarado Mining Company. To this day Idarado has yet to make a statement whether they will keep the power plant in such pristine condition.
Telluride July 2011 Day 6
This was our “Relax” day. Up until this point we hadn’t had a day that didn’t involve extensive hiking, biking, or adventure. We decided to still have fun and see some beautiful scenery but instead of hiking we thought driving would be better. It also gave me an opportunity to get my Jeep out and get it up onto an extreme pass and do some true 4-wheeling. I am a bit weary to go 4-wheeling with my Jeep, not because it cannot handle it, because it is my only car and it was our ride back to Texas. One day, when I have a bit more expendable finances, I hope to be able to buy an “everyday” car and turn my jeep into a 100% work/off-road/hauling vehicle.
This Friday we drove up the pass to Alta Lakes. It is a high alpine meadow with three high lakes (all about 11,500 – 12,000 ft.). It is just on the backside of Prospect Bowl off Palmyra Peak. In other words, if you ride up lift twelve and were to continue skiing straight off the other side you would end up in Alta Lakes.
We stayed up there enjoying the view for a few hours than we headed back into town to enjoy the wonderful chocolates Telluride Truffle had to offer (the only chocolate that I’ll eat and enjoy!).
Telluride July 2011 Day 7
The time has come for the LAST post of this Telluride series. Unfortunately Ashley and I could not stay there forever (as much as we both would love to and I guarantee we will live there year round at some point in our life). I also do not want to see another photo in Photoshop for a few weeks. I edited 1012 pictures for this blog series! I hope you enjoyed them all as much as I do!
The pictures from this day are from the day we picked up and left Telluride to go camping near the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in eastern Colorado. We drove up through the Black Canyon down highway 50 (from Montrose, CO to Gunnison CO). Then we headed south on 149 through Lake City, CO onto Creede, CO. From Creede we headed toward Alamosa then onto Great Sand Dunes National Park.
I wish I could write about each of these cities because they all were extremely neat and I am glad we decided to stop in each town and learn about them. I never knew these little small towns had so much history and character. I HIGHLY recommend taking the trip down 149, it is was one of my last unexplored parts of Colorado and it is now one of my favorites. It is a BEAUTIFUL drive!!
Going this direction we were able to see Lake San Cristobal, the second largest natural lake in Colorado. It was formed by a mudslide that created a natural dam along the river. The high amounts of minerals and snow melt creates beautiful green, blue, and red streaks along the shore line.
The other beautiful attraction along 149 is the head waters of the Rio Grande River. In my opinion the view from the road up the Rio Grande Valley (looking west toward Stoney Pass) is one of the most beautiful views in the entire state. All the landscapes in Colorado are viewable in one picture shot. High rocky snowcapped peaks, high alpine meadows, flower meadows, alpine pine forests, Ponderosa & Juniper forests, mountain fed creaks forming into large rivers, etc. It is gorgeous.
The end of this day we camped out in the flat lands and then made our way back to Texas. Sad the trip was over but we have a life to get back to, here in Texas, for the immediate future.
I have to thank everyone who showed us such immense hospitality during our vacation. My good friend Eric is the best host anyone could as for and I want to thank him personally for everything he did for us. Thank you Eric in the sincerest of ways.
Respect,
Mark B
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