Telluride, September 23 through 27, 2019

We drove from Durango's Mercy Hospital the 'direct' way to Telluride to avoid the windy (curvy not breezy), circuitous road over Red Mountain Pass to Telluride. I was disappointed that we had to drive the 'boring' way over Lizard Head Pass, but what surprise! The Lizard Head route is just as beautiful and in some ways better than Red Mountain pass. The scenery is stunning and it is much less traveled. We rarely saw another car from Dolores over to Telluride. The towns of Dolores and Rico were real surprises - in a good way. Beautiful mountain towns, low key, no traffic and a relaxed, chill atmosphere, and the San Juan Mountain back-drop leaves one staring with mouth agape, wondering why the mountains of Utah seem so simple and squirrley in comparison? Anyway, the "direct" way was stunning! 

I could live in Dolores, Rico or Ophir. Telluride is beautiful but I have to admit it is a total fantasy world: billionaires and ski bums with no middle class. How the hell could I even begin to live there when a 1,500 Square foot home goes for over $1million? Like I said, total fantasy world.

Had to add my grand kids, Lydia and Mark on a mine tour in Silverton.

The view from our condo in Telluride, which was located at the base of the Meadows Chondola (who named this?). The Telluride Mountain Village is a total rat's-nest of trophy-homes, condos and hotels. It took four days of walking, hiking and biking before I really figured out where the base of the real skiing started. I'm just not a fan of the Deer Valley/Canyon's business model, where homes are built up the mountain among the ski runs to give the billionaires skin-in, ski-out access. Huge mcmansions along a ski run totally destroys the ambiance of a ski hill. It's a back-ward leap from that feeling you get of  getting away from civilization. Remember the first time you rode the tram at Snowbird as a kid in a total white-out blizzard and you felt like you were on the mountains of Antarctica? I loved the feeling of being on the edge of the world. That feeling is gone when you're skiing next to a road with BMWs and Audis whizzing passing you by. (Side-note: its fun to "spay" those BMWs and Audis when skiing over the ski-bridges at the Park City or Deer Valley. Try it! It's fun to piss-off those dime-store cowboys who are much better are laundering money than actually skiing. And what are they going to do? Get out and chase you down?). Yeah, I get it, real estate makes huge profits. Ski passes don't. And, yeah, Telluride is known as a bad-ass mountain, but just think how much more bad-ass it would be if you didn't have to ride three or four lifts to get to the good stuff?

Kara feeling much better and looking great. That is Wilson Peak (aka Coors Peak) over her shoulder.

Downtown Telluride.

Kara at the base of Bridal Veil falls. She's the only one I know that looks better than a 365 foot waterfall. Less than 24-hours ago she was undergoing a heart-catheter through her wrist to find the blockage and get a stent. Luckily there were no blocks and no stents were necessary. No, we didn't hike up here, we drove the 4X4 switchback road up from Telluride, about 2 miles and 1000 vertical on the 4X4 track. 

Our condo at dusk as I'm riding the Jurassic and Boomerang Trails.

Palmyra Peak, in bounds at Telluride.

Sign at the base of the Boomerang Trail, about 1,000 feet descent from our condo, and from here I had pedal back up, which was tough at 9,000 feet.

Action-Dudes everywhere.

Sunset over Wilson Peak as I get back to the top of the Boomerang Trail. I made it back with barely enough light.

Wilson Peak

The next day I went looking for the Prospect trail that lead to the ghost town of Alta Lakes. The ride was in-your-face-steep climbing from the start, at our condo at 9,500 feet (via the Jurassic Trail, through the base area hotel/condos rat's-nest then onto the Prospect Trail leaving the pavement over by the gondola parking terrace). The Prospect Trail wasn't marked very well at the huge parking structure, but I found it and started pedaling up. At the junction of Teddy's Way and Double Cabin (ski runs) the trail was closed due to helicopter logging so I had to turn back at about 10,500 feet. To be honest, I was totally gassed by that point, so I wasn't completely disappointed to turn back. Later I wished I could've made it to Alta Lakes but that has to wait for another day. During all my rides in Telluride I felt like crap and upon our return to SLC I felt like Superman. I'm sticking with the high elevation excuse.   

Near the upper terminal of the Sunshine Express ski lift. Our condo is at the base of this lift, about 1,700 vertical feet below.

Sunshine Express upper face, a double black diamond ski run called Holy Cow!

Most of the mountain bike trails at Telluride are downhill trails only, but no-way was I going shell out $$'s to buy a pass just to ride my mountain bike. Ultimately I started riding up those 'down-hill' only trails because I never saw anyone riding down the resort trails. Plus they were totally eroded starting 1/8th mile above the resort base, indicating they see no downhill traffic.   

Palmyra Peak

On the way to Ophir, which is the ghost town in the next drainage and one ridge SW of Telluride. I loved Ophir. It's not a tourist/billionaire/ski-bum town.

The canyon leading to Ophir was lined with avalanche paths which looked huge, 3,000-4,000 vertical foot lines at 35-40 degrees sustained top to bottom. From the look of the avalanche debris all along the canyon bottom, and the paths that looked as if they were cut for ski runs, the road to Ophir must get blocked by slides numerous times during the winter.

The Ophir cut (mining road), which leads over to Red Mountain pass and the Million Dollar Highway.

And the cut leading over to Telluride.

Haunted ghost towns. This is an old mine mill building at the junction of the Ophir Road and the Lizard Head Pass Highway, about five miles from the turn-off to Telluride's Mountain Village.

Overlook info on the way back from Ophir.

Last day in Telluride, I rode the Jurassic, Boomerang and Big Billie's mountain bike trails. If you go, Jurassic and Boomerang are great but Big Billie's is nothing more than a graveled golf cart path, scenic but very boring, but it appeals to the billionare, 'Thurston-Howell-the-Third' mind-set of the locals occupying the Mountain Village. 

Palmyra Peak.

Riding the free gondola down into Telluride from the Mountain Village.

I've never seen bigger or taller aspens that in the San Juan Mountains.

Telluride may be out of my economic league, but it is surrounded by the most beautiful mountains within a days drive of Utah. In comparison, the Wasatch are small and way too crowded.