Off Season

In Telluride, it's pretty easy to get distracted when we're between seasons. The weather is not good for hiking, biking, and spending long afternoons on the River Trail. Things aren't as busy at work as they were earlier this year, and everyone is just ready for snow, winter, skiing, snowboarding, and everything that comes with the snow. Since Carter enjoys filling in for us while we're away, I thought I would take this opportunity to ask him about his favorite things to do during the off season. Carter, what can you tell us about off season? Resting is my favorite thing to do. I've had a very busy summer. Top of the list for summer activities: camping with Mom and Dad, marching in the 4th of July parade with my Bernese friends, and making sure everyone knows where I've been by shedding my dog hair. Dad says I'm going to need my fur. Apparently the snow is going to come soon- Snow . . . can't remember the snow. Dad says I LOVE the snow, but I can't remember what it's like. Is it like rain? I don't like the rain. Ah, well, I guess I'll just have to wait to see what snow is. While I'm napping I'll dream of camping . . . I love to camp.

Admittedly, Carter's not the smartest of dogs, so I applogize for the lack of information for off season. According to Carter's Dad, Chris Esch, Carter's favorite thing about off season is the extra attention he gets, even if it means posing for goofy pictures. Rentals in Telluride are available this off season and year round for you and your dog.

Fall!

On Tuesday, I came to work and the feeling in town was unmistakable- PEAK. The colors here in Telluride peaked early this year, which is in line with the forecast for snow this week.

This year, the colors were mostly beautiful golds and they spread throughout the mountains from peak to base all at the same time creating beautiful golden mountains.





Because the sun was out, the weather made the view even better. A crisp autumn breeze was a constant reminder that it is fall and winter is on its way, but for now, just enjoy the warm sun and the stunning colors. Even with wind and a severe cold snap that brought snow, the leaves on the trees are holding fast. This weekend is a great time to head to Mountain Village for the Fall Festival. The Fall Tilt 12 hour bike race is October 3rd, hot dog eating contest featuring Mountain Village's own Diggity Dogs, live music, and beer tasting on Friday, and a raffle on Saturday. The event ends with an Ophir Pass climb on Sunday, October 4th followed by a BBQ at Ophir town hall. This weekend will be something to remember and probably end up being the source of more than one story for your grand kids to here. Come join us in Telluride and book your Telluride lodging today so you too can partake in the fall festivities.

Telluride Blues and Brews

The Telluride Blues and Brews festival kicks off today with quite a lineup. The gates opened at 11:30am this morning and the first artist to hit the stage was Carolynn Wonderland. Her amazing vocals set the tone for what is to come for the weekend. After Carolynn Wonderland, Jason Ricci & New Blood hit the stage, and here is a picture of the band setting up. If you have children, you may be thinking that they won't be allowed into a festival called "Blues and Brews" and this would be a reasonable assumption. Of course, this festival takes place in Telluride, and people who love the town know that the normal social rules just don't apply here. Kids are not only allowed in the park, they are welcomed into the park with open arms. The park puts up a HUGE jumping castle , climbing wall, and plenty of food for kids and adults alike.


Who doesn't like music, beer, and corn dogs?
Telluride is a very eco-conscious town, and anytime you increase the population of your town by 200%, there is a lot of extra impact involved. All of our festivals, Blues and Brews included, work very hard to have as little negative impact as possible. Not only is there a recycling bin, compost bin, and trash bin on festival grounds, but the festival itself has a goal of being 100% carbon neutral. To help achieve this goal, festival goers have the opportunity to "green up" their tickets for an additional $2.50 per ticket. The extra money purchases 250 Kwh of renewable energy. To learn more about being green at the Telluride Blues and Brews festival, check out their web page at http://www.tellurideblues.com/M4/thinkgreen.html
If you decide to come just for the day, just for an evening, or for the whole weekend, you can expect great beer, great food, great music, and the opportunity to entertain the whole family.

Telluride Dog Days

The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and it felt like summer. Lots of locals were out with their dogs and Telluride couldn't be a more pet friendly place. The favorite local hang out for dogs is the San Miguel River trail. There's something about the dirt trail that winds along the river that can excite even the most tame and serene of our four legged friends. Us humans don't mind taking them for that stroll because the view is spectacular. Yesterday the skies were blue, the air was warm, and it was easy to waste an hour just strolling along the path.

If you're a pet owner, then you know that pets usually have something other than a nice stroll in mind, especially if there's water and a ball involved.

In Telluride, there are lots of open green spaces perfect for training. Here a local is doing a double duty by helping her son with baseball practice while training her dog Zoe to be the best fielder in the world.

I'm not sure if Zoe will ever be the best fielder in the world, but she is definatly in the running for the cutest.

Telluride Film Festival

This weekend the Telluride Film Festival will grace the sidewalks, theatres, and streets of Telluride. It is a very exciting time in town because the films being shown at the festival are not released to the public and you never know who you might see in town. For festival goers, it's a great opportunity to see movie stars in a fairly relaxed environment. It's also a great time to meet movie entheausists and have the opportunity to meet some people who have made a living-in one way or another- in the Silver Screen. As far as star watching, there are several people to watch out for- Nicholas Cage will in town and speaking on Sunday at the Court House, Viggo Mortensen may be in town; he was rumored to be having breakfast with Nicholas Cage this morning at the New Sheridan. Viggo Mortensen played Aragorn in Lord of the Rings and played Frank Hopkins in Hildago. Last night, the free movie in Elk's Park was Hildago, which undoubtly sparked the rumors about Viggo Mortensen.

Tonight, the schedlued free show in Elk's Park will be A Man and A Woman. These movies will be shown outside. These movies are open to the public, pet friendly, and as you can see, you can even bring your own chair.

Also speaking at the Court House for free will be Helen Mirren Saturday at 2pm. For those of us who aren't up on our who's who, Helen Mirren starred in Calander Girls, The Queen, and played Nicholas Cage's mother in National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

Nicholas Cage's new film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is scheduled to play Sunday at the Chuck Jones Cinema and the Galaxy theatre on Monday. Val Kilmer stars in this film with Nicholas Cage, so don't be surprised to see him roaming this small mountain town too.

As far as other movies to see An Education starring Emma Thompson is schedule to show on Friday at the Elk's theatre, Saturday and Sunday at the Palm, and on Sunday at the Galaxy. Novelist Nicholas Hornby adapted a memoir by Lynn Barber (a columnist from England) for the silver screen, so I'm sure it will make everyone's must see list.

The guest director is Alexander Payne. His current project is the HBO series "Hung" about an out-of luck school teacher who has an unusual after school job. Film Festivarians shouldn't be surprised to see any of the cast memebers in town.

Imogene Pass

My husband and I recently went over Imogene for a weekend adventure. It took us about 5 hours, and we stopped to take photos, let their dogs run around, and hike a little. It was my first time over and I have to say that the views are stunning.

When we started out in Telluride, it was a little over 60 degrees outside.

Of couse, the higher we climbed in altitude, the colder it got. In this shot, you can see a piece of Telluride Town Park on the left, ski runs coming down the Mountains into Telluride, and bits and peices of buildings within the town.

We had a great view of waterfalls and Nicoli Telsa's house, but it was hard to capture those small details with a camera.

Going up, it was a beautiful day and we had blue skies most of the way.

Unfortunatly, the blue skies didn't last for long and by the time we made it to the top, it was raining. To be honest, it doesn't really rain at 13,000 feet, it's more like sleet. The temperature was about 40 degrees at the top.

Even with the cold weather, we had to get out to experience the beautiful views.

Our friends brought their dogs Addy and Tonka along for the ride. You can see Tonka in the picture above, and here they are playing in what's left of the snow. I have to admit that the surface of the aged snow looks a bit like pictures you see of the moon, but the dogs didn't seem to mind.

Living in Telluride, I have the opportunity to see the beautiful Rocky Mountains every day. At the height of 13000 feet, the Rocky Mountains look compeltly different and you feel like you're above them and looking at something that not everyone gets to see.

At the end of the day, the rain eventually gave way to blue skies and a beautiful rainbow coming down Imogene onto the Ouray side.

For the adventurous, the annual Imogene run will be held the weekend of September 12th. It should be a lot of fun for anyone interested in Mountian- speed running. For those of us who prefer a capable vehicle or leisurly hike, Imogene will be open every weekend until the snow sets in.

Duck-tastic

Well sports fans, if you weren't in Telluride on Friday then you missed the biggest sports event of the year. For rubber ducks. Yes, the KOTO duck race was this Friday featuring little plastic yellow ducks "swimming" their little hearts out for their sponsors. There were 33 winning ducks this year, each winning prizes that ranged from a ski pass to lunch for two at Baked in Telluride. Children and adults of all ages watched in anticipation as ducks crossed the finish line- such an act of achievement for ducks who have been training all year for the big event. As the KOTO commentators put it, it's such a great opportunity to watch "rubber ducks coming together and racing together showing their ducknitude" to raise money for our local radio station, KOTO. It's also lots of fun to buy a duck and watch it wade down the river with 499 of its closest friends.

An event of this size probably raises questions- what happens to ducks who get lost on the way? Well, never fear, duck helpers are here. Volunteers for this great Telluride tradition wade the mighty waters of the San Miguel to assist ducks who may have lost their way, decided to rest on a rock, tried to walk across the finish line instead of swim, or just got stuck.

Good Day for some Golfing

It’s hard to believe we are about halfway done with summer, and it wouldn’t be summer in Telluride without at least one round of golf.

A few weeks ago I decided that it was about time to get a round in. I had been trying to play for a few weeks but it seemed like every day I had off the weather wasn’t going to cooperate. I decided to take my chances and go golfing anyway (with my

rain jacket of course)

I’m not the best golfer; in fact I’m pretty bad. I got a lot of coaching from my boyfriend who plays about 3 rounds a week and is a lot better than I am.

Although I’m not very good, I still enjoy going out to play. The course is in such a beautiful location and the views from out there are just spectacular. About 4 holes in it started raining. We took cover at the halfway house and got some snacks while we were there. The rain only lasted about 10 minutes and we were able to continue playing.

One of the things I love about the golf course is all the wildlife. Hole 7 has a pond with some baby ducks that are just adorable, and hole 17 there is a rock wall where hundreds of Marmotte live.

The Telluride Golf Course is by far the most beautiful course I’ve ever played at, and I highly recommend getting a round in while you are visiting Telluride.

We have many different lodging options in the Mountain Village core that are within walking

distance of the Golf Course and would be perfect for a weekend of golfing.

Distracting Flora

In the week after the Fourth of July Hoorah, it was my task to capture
some summer photos for the Mountain Village condos we manage. But I
got a little distracted.

The brilliance of the blue sky and warm sun lifted my heart, and each new flowering fold of the Village Core captured my attention. As I walked between the Dakota and Kayenta buildings, bleeding hearts dripped onto the stone walkways.

Wandering past the Conference Center, where banners snapped joyous colors into the wind and young people took turns on the climbing boulder, I was drawn to the blazing bed of red and salmon poppies. The duck pond nearby twined the exotic scent of blossoms with earthy zephyrs.

As I stepped into the stand of young aspens near the Peaks Resort, the understory of escaped domestic daisies and purple columbine rising to hip-high all around dazzled my eyes. The little creek that gives the Village Creek condos their name tumbled down, hidden under the tall grasses and boulders but offering its song.

With my spirit refreshed, I knew that this Sunday, I would be "going to church" high in the mountains, hiking to Hope Lake, surrounded by an amazing array of colors and fragrances. It was Wild Flower Peak, like none we've seen in a half-dozen summers. And I knew that it would be gone before I was ready. But then, it will be MUSHROOM season!!

(By Liza T., visiting blogger)

July Fourth in Telluride

Telluride's 4th of July celebration is a big hit every year. The mountian weather isn't to hot, and today the sun is out, so it is the perfect time of year to celebrate the 4th of July in the Rocky Mountains.

The festivities for the 4th are always fun. This morning we had a small town parade. Instead of huge floats we have parading locals: some on horseback, some on motorcycles, all with huge smiles and all in the spirt of fun.

A ceremony introducing all local veterans as well as any veteran present who would like to be honored preceded the parade, which set the tone for a true celebration of the 4th of July.

Telluride is also proud to recognize Charlie Garbarini, a New York Fire Fighter and hero who participated in the September 11 rescue effort in New York City.

All of the 4th of July Telluride festivites are sponsored by the Telluride Firefighters. They sponsor the parade, have a bbq in Town Park, and are responsible for Telluride's fireworks display in the mountains. Hopefully the rain will hold out for a great fireworks show tonight.