October 2011

We at Telluride.com, Telluride Alpine Lodging, and The River Club would like to thank you for following us on Facebook and choosing us as your preferred rental company in Telluride, Colorado. In keeping with the upcoming season of thanks, we are giving away use of one 3-bedroom unit at The River Club for one week, November 19th - 26th, 2011, including a Thanksgiving dinner for six catered by Aemono (www.aemonofinefoods.com) and lift tickets for 6 people x 2 days (11/24 and 11/25). A panel of three will choose what they feel is the best answer to the following question:

The San Juan Skyway has been checked off the list. It’s been on my bucketlist for a while. I’ve done sections of the drive at separate times… but I’ve never driven the entire 233-mile loop in one weekend. It was spectacular. And we even caught the tail-end of the gorgeous fall foliage. We started in Telluride and headed south towards Cortez, CO… where a stop at the Mesa Verde National Park is another “bucketlist checker off-er”. Ancient Cliff-dwellings dating back to 550-1300 AD built by the Ancestral Puebloan people, sometimes called the Anasazi. It’s an amazing sight…

 

Onward to Durango, CO. Durango is a great town. Known for its Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway, Micro Breweries, and its mountain biking mecca status. Great place to spend the night to split the trip up and take in all the sights. Eat at a tasty brewery, bike along their River Trail, or go fishing/rafting down the Animas River. We fished the Animas right outside of town… and it was a blast. Lots of Rainbow Trout to be caught!

 

The next day, we continued along the Skyway towards Coal Bank Pass, Molas Pass, and ended up in the tiny town of Silverton, CO. Silverton is straight out of an old western movie - one main thoroughfare with saloons, shops, great food and a brewery. Not much going on… but a really cool mining town turned into one of the best “ski resorts” in the nation. Silverton converts into an expert, backcountry ski resort in the winter with hike-to terrain, 1 lift, guided and unguided trips, and even an old UPS-like truck to drive you back so you can do it all over again. 5 runs at Silverton Mountain is a GOOD day.

Next, we drove along Red Mountain Pass and the “Million Dollar Highway” connecting Silverton to Ouray, Colorado. This road has to be one of the most ridiculous roads I’ve ever been on. Ridiculous in a good way – amazing views, gorgeous fall foliage, cliffs, valleys, tunnels, mining structures and lots more. I’d never seen anything like it… I actually don’t even know how it was built. It’s exhilarating and one of the prettiest sights in Southwest Colorado but it’s definitely a “white-knuckle” kind of drive.

Next up… I’ve been to Ouray many times. Known for its Hot Springs (clothing optional), jeeping, and the infamous Imogene Pass Run… it’s a cute/quaint little town which claims to be “Switzerland of America”. It’s surrounded on all three sides with mountains… giving it the box canyon feel like Telluride. Great town and nice neighbors! We left Ouray and head back towards Telluride through Ridgway and Placerville. It was great to be home. Telluride is the prettiest… but we’re a little biased!! The San Juan Skyway is something you’ve got to check off your list when you visit the region again. Absolutely amazing!

 

St. Patrick's Church Chili Cook off was HOT, HOT, HOT this weekend up on Galena Street. The annual chili and salsa cook off provided a great Saturday full of live music, delicious food, and kid's fun. The infamous white chicken chili from "Eat my Chili, Chicken!" took home the Grand Prize for their white bean, chicken deliciousness. Other entries such as, "Prairie Dog Chili" and "Ray's Jerky" came in a close 2nd. The Block Party featured live music from The Blisters, The Great Funktier, and The Rico Blues Project. Here are a few photos from this fun, local event:

We received over 5 inches of snow this morning... time to break out the skis and get ready for Narnia to set in! As Offseason quickly approaches... we've still got LOTS going on in town. Offseason is really one of the best times to visit... cool temps, pretty fall weather, snow-capped peaks, not as busy, perfect hiking conditions and ANYTIME in Telluride is a good time! Here's your Top Best Things to do in town for the next 2 weeks (we'll update when more events arise):

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 Thursday, October 6^th – Pinhead Institute Science Soiree – Our friends over at The River Club are hosting the Science Soiree from 5:30-7:00pm with a FREE wine reception (donations welcome). Featuring Andrew Berry, Harvard University Pinhead’s Science Soiree lets you engage with scientists participating in our esteemed Scholars in the Schools program. This program enables students from schools thought the region to interact with PhD scientists from around the world specializing in everything from nanoscience, to chemistry, to biology, to climatology and much more. Dr. Berry will be on hand to speak about the mysteries of human evolution at our 1^st Science Soiree of the season.

                                       

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Friday, October 7^th – Telluride Farmer’s Market – Get your fresh produce while you still can… not only is this one of the last Farmer’s Markets of the summer, but it’s also dumping snow outside… which means it’s time to stock up for the cold, long winter ahead.

 

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Saturday, October 8^th – St. Patrick’s Church Chili Cookoff – The St. Pats Holy Chili & Salsa Cookoff/Block Party will kick off this Saturday from Noon-6:00pm on Galena Street (from Spruce to Pine). Come show town what you’ve got! Admission is $15 (early bird), $20 at the gate. Tickets are sold at the American National Bank, Ace Hardware, Viking Rentals or call St Pats at 970-728-3387. Live music by The Blisters, The Great Funktier and The Rico Blues Project. Cash money prizes will be given out to the best chili and salsa. Come out for this sizzling Saturday Cookoff!

Truer words have never been spoken from our good friends at The Telluride Newb... ‎"After 4 months of festivals, mountain biking, backpacking, and fly fishing, we can safely say that summer may actually be the best Telluride season." Check out The Telluride Newb Episode 34 - "Telluride Summer Greatest Hits":