Etta Place Telluride

This weekend Allison and I hiked to Ice Lake near Silverton, Colorado, for her birthday weekend extravaganza. I had read about the hike to Ice Lake a while back, and then I heard some co-workers raving about it this week. So at the last minute, we decided to go. We left for Durango early Saturday morning, and after a quick stop at the Durango Farmers Market for some coffee and snacks, we secured a campsite at our favorite ...

So I just get back from Colorado where I hung out with old friends for a buddy's bachelor party.<br><br>It was an amazing trip. We were very blessed to have a free condo to stay in which was plenty big enough for the 7 of us. A special thanks to the Jays for letting us stay there.<br><br>We did a ...

... s Gulch' in Atlas Shrugged. Ouray is completely<br>surrounded by mountains around 10,000 ft high. It has a real old<br>mining town feel and lots of character. Just to the north of town<br>there are hot mineral springs where you can swim, one of the pools is<br>almost as big as Caringbah pool. The water comes out of the ground<br>hot because of geothermal activity underground. <br><br>We then drove on to Montrose, Colorado<br>where we visited the Ute Indian Museum ...

... off to Cortez! <br> We had allowed ourselves some time to check out the fair before the gates for the demo derby opened, but we soon realized that we were there WAY early. Every time Silas and I have gone to a fair together (Western Montana fair in Missoula, Marias fair in Shelby, MT, and this fair- the Montezuma County fair) I have been very disappointed with the animal barns and the midways. I always end up saying something to the effect ...

Family and Grandma Connie went to Ouray to drop of some tile work for art show. On the way, we stopped at a couple of abandoned mine sites and explored. Founds some cool rocks with imbedded crystals. Stayed at Box Canyon and soaked in spring fed hot tubs made from old wine barrels ...

... with a cat draped around his neck!  I thought it was really funny, but then we passed him again on the way down and the cat was now walking along with him on a leash!  So funny!<br>  After our hike we wanted to try to get our camping situation taken care of so that we'd be back in town with time to ride the gondola and get dinner before the fireworks.  When we went through Telluride at the beginning of our road trip in 2007 Getting Lost in the American West in a '78 Volkswagen ...

We were hoping to camp a few nights in Silverton, however, when we arrived it was raining. It had been raining since late afternoon and hadn't stopped. We chose not to put up our tent and sleep in the car hoping it would clear up the next day. It didn&#8217;t clear up the next day so we took a mining tour. The mining tour was very cool. They took us about a quarter of a mile into the mountain ...

... there were some very steep drops on that route! However, he turned out to be as capable as he was frendly, so we all arrived back in Durango safe and sound. We reclaimed our SUVs in the hotel parking lot in Durango, and drove west to Cortez, where we'll be staying at the Days Inn for the next four nights. It was truly a relief to be able to unpack and settle in for a few days!

... Express bus that we reserved while back in Phoenix, the same bus that I will take later this week when i leave for Germany. Our bus driver was a nut, but I won't go into that. It's now 3 am, and we made it to our condo. Lifts open in 6 hours so i must get to bed! Weather looks promising for tomorrow, let's hope for the best! No pictures today, but definitely for the days to come! Good Night from Telluride

... Performance: Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers 4:45 - TBA Sunday, June 18, 2006 12:30 - Performance: Luke Bula, Sarah Watkins, Chris Thile, and Friends 2:00 - Troubadours in the Round: Finalists 3:15 - Gypsy, Jazz and Bluegrass with Taarka (the greencard, stephen kellog and chris thile and friends TORE this stage up) I know why everyone wants to go back. It's completely addictive. The most beautiful places and the most unbelievable music.