We are heading further south in Colorado today, towards the Mesa Verde National Park. From Montrose, I have picked a route that will take us on a slight detour, but I am sure it will be worthwile. Route 145 goes right through Telluride, a true Mecca of fanatic skiers. As soon as we set off, we see a huge mountain range in front of us, and we are heading right into it. I have a feeling that we will have to do a lot of climbing, hopefully the passes will be open. After ascending a road with too-many-to-count switchbacks, we cross the Dallas Divide at 9000ft and arrive in Telluride. We park the RV at Mountain Village (free), hop on the free shuttle bus and take the free gondola down to Historic Telluride. So far, the place looks like a bargain. Petr gets excited the moment he sees the trail map, he gets even more excited during the gondola ride, talking to a young kid who came here to ski a few years ago and never went back to California. His words: "This place sucks you right in". Telluride is no Vail or Aspen, it's much more laid-back and small enough to walk everywhere. Locals are out in numbers on such a sunny day, on bikes and on foot, car traffic is almost non-existent. It's lunchtime and we stop by a Mexican booth to eat the most amazing quesadillas I have ever tasted. Petr runs across the street to pick up a real estate magazine and we browse through it as we ride the gondola back. Aha! Here's where they get you! Price ranges are from 500K for a small studio to 14 million for a MacMansion. We don't find anything in there that fits our budget. Disappointed, we can leave with the small consolation that one day we will at least come back to ski the slopes. This is a must.
We press on through the San Juan National Forest, which would deserve a separate trip by itself. The small towns of Rico and Dolores are worth a stop. We get to Mesa Verde NP just in time to enter the park and take a glimpse of what we will be visiting tomorrow. There is a small herd of deer grazing peacefully by the side of the road. We are sleeping in Cortez, 10 miles from the entrance, and I have an idea about tomorrow... |
The mountains in the Uncompahgre National Forest, Telluride is somewhere in there. |
Downtown Historic Telluride, CO. |
The gondola at Mountain Village. |
"The beach" at Mountain Village. |
Going down... |
Telluride from above. |
More of downtown. |
This house was not for sale, but if it were, it'd be in a 5-6 million price range. |
A view of the mountains around Telluride, they are perfect for mountain biking also. |
This is just about what we could afford to buy around Telluride. |
Leaving the mountains behind. |
We are heading to the mesa. |
First view of the mesa. |
Welcome to Mesa Verde National Park. |
Rocks in Mesa Verde. |
More rocks in Mesa Verde. |
The mountains in the distance. |
The view from the mesa plateau. |