Telluride 2024 July 01--02
2024 July 01
Was paired up with Robert Jones. Flew into Telluride, Colorado by way of San Francisco, California. Arrived around mid-afternoon and had the remainder of the day free. Flight in was uneventful, and surprisingly smooth—usually Telluride is rough as can be; Like riding a bull all the way down.
Telluride Main Street.
Company arranged for a ride from the airport to a hotel downtown. Driver used to be an old CJ pilot. She gave Robert and I a brief rundown of town and threw out some recommendations for dinner.
After settling into the hotel and changing clothes Robert and I headed out to inspect downtown. The weather was excellent: perfect temperature, gentle breeze, and warm sunlight. We walked up and down the main road through the center of town looking for a pizza restaurant our driver had recommended. When the restaurant quoted us an hour wait time for service Robert and I wandered elsewhere, eventually settling on a Mexican restaurant located in the basement of a building. It was decent. Robert graciously covered the bill.
Banner against blue afternoon sky, illuminated with goden hour light.
2024 July 02
The next morning Robert and I met up in the downstairs lobby with a few hours to kill. We decided to take some complimentary bicycles provided by the hotel and bike to a free gondola operated by the city.
Telluride gondola.
The gondola took us from the town up over the peak of one mountain and back down the opposite side into a resort village. We had to disembark there, but were easily able to grab another gondola heading back the way we came.
View from inside the gondola. The base of the town while ascending to the top.
Around us were great views of the surrounding mountains. Below us, hiking trails and grass-covered ski-runs. There were a few waterfalls in the distance cascading down mountain faces.
Mountain views from the gondola.
Once back to the peak of the mountain Robert and I disembarked our gondola again. Expansive dirt trails, snow-covered for skiers during the winter months, fanned out to what would usually be blue squares or black diamonds.
Trails ontop of the mountain.
The views of the valley from the top of the mountain were phenomenal. Weather-wise, it was a perfect day with excellent visibility. Despite being July, the breeze was cool and crisp. The air was dry and clean.
View of the valley with the town of Telluride and surrounding mountains from the top of a peak.
Robert and I spent about half an hour walking around the top of the mountain before catching another gondola back down to the town of Telluride.
Taraxacum on the mountain peak.
We retrieved the bicycles from where we’d left them and rode back to the hotel in time for our driver to pick us up.