Our first night we pushed for Colorado National Monument, four hours west. We camped in the same campsite as last time. It was just as beautiful, but a lot hotter. We slept without the tent fly, which means we fell asleep with stars pressing on our eyelids.
Morning tea. I was not relaxed. That's a big cliff in front of us.
A few more hours, now headed south, and it was back up into the thick woods of the high country. Destination: Telluride!
This wasn't our first time in the San Miguel Mountains. On previous trips, we've driven up the Million Dollar Highway from the south and stopped in Ouray and Silverton. We loved them. Imagine tiny Wild West gold-mining-turned-historic-tourist towns nestled in box canyons. Telluride (the name supposedly comes from "to hell you ride," because of the difficulty of getting to it) is a similar town--albeit larger, more developed and considerably more posh--to the west of Ouray and Silverton. Telluride is less than 10 miles from Ouray as the crow flies, but unless you're willing/able to brave hard-core 4WD passes (Imogene and Black Bear), you have to drive an hour to get around to the other side. Even on the valley floors, the three towns sit 7792, 8750, and 9308 feet above sea level. We'd camped in this area several times, but we'd never visited the Telluride side. Daniel took time off work. It was time.
We camped here for two nights--30 minutes outside of Telluride, up a 4WD road, at Alta Lakes (elevation 11,300 feet). Yup, we were breathing hard! Our campsite is nestled behind the tall trees on the small outcropping (about 1 1/2 inches in from the right-hand side of the picture).
The hills are alive!
Afternoon tea and blackberry buttermilk cake, anyone?
(Notice the legendary Green Kitchen, passed down from Daniel's parents.)
Exploring the ghost town of Alta Lakes.
After a fantastic lunch at La Cocina de Luz (thanks to our food writer/editor friend Amanda for the recommendation; the tamales and chiles rellenos were incredible!), we drove to Bridal Veil Falls, which hang over the eastern end of town. They are the tallest free-flowing waterfalls in Colorado.
Driving back down into Telluride from the falls.
I am very proud to say I actually joined my man and little men and swam in this frigid water. And yes, in this case, 20 seconds of full-body immersion = swimming in an alpine lake.
Success! Fresh rainbow trout coming right up.
The new camping essential: Chile Crunch. We are addicted.
Sparklers!
On the road again.
A random waterfall hike on the side of the road.
Maroon Bells, outside of Aspen. These photos don't do it justice. We would LOVE to come back and hike this area someday.
The drive through Aspen and up over Independence Pass was absolutely breathtaking (and as is typical with these Colorado mountain passes, a little nerve-wracking). How rare to find oneself on the roof of the world (or of North America, at least) at sunset. It was beautiful and eerie to be up that high, above the treeline, with night falling. We were pushing to get down the pass before dark.
Tired from a long day of driving, we pulled into Twin Peaks campground. The moon hung full and pregnant over the mountain ridges and the river rushed beneath us.
We woke up to this.
And this.
After breakfast, we hiked down to the river and stayed a while.
"Now here I have had an experience that I shall not soon forget, something very precious, and private, and close to my soul; a feeling as though I had taken the world by surprise, and seen it as it really is when off its guard--as though I had been quite near to the very core of things."
--Elizabeth von Arnim, The Solitary Summer (1899)
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