Mountain Chic – Telluride, CO

July 16, 2011 by libertatemamo 6 Comments

I’m back at the Dew South Café reconnecting with the world. First of all I’ve got to say I LOVED all the feedback on my last blog post. Many of the responses had me spurting out my coffee in giggles, much to the amusement of my fellow café-goers.

Life is about love, laughter and sharing experiences, and I truly felt all of that  coming through in those comments. So, thank you again for making blogging such a fun and interactive experience. It keeps me engaged, motivated and thoroughly honored to have you all as followers!

As for goings on, we’ve had a busy few days playing out here in the mountains. Lots of positive things have happened including a chance encounter, a couple of fun outings, some outstanding hikes and a nomination from a fellow blogger to participate in a fun online thread. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Let’s start with life at 9,000+ feet in the SW Colorado Mountains. It’s the playground of the outdoors, destination of ski bums and nature hippies, and home to the rich and famous. All this mixes to a vast and wild wilderness dotted with cute mountain towns, touched by a sense of both the ultra-rustic and the ultra-fancy. We have both right here within ~20 miles of driving in either direction of our campground. On the south side is Rico is an old mining town which retains much of it’s unique character including the unusual collection of folks who make it their home. On the north there’s Telluride and Mountain Village, a destination that blends history with new-style chic.

For today’s blog post we’ll take a ride to the north for a bit of class. We’ve put on our best hiking pants, brushed doggie to a fine and fluffy shine and loaded up the car for our drive through the mountains. The trip to Telluride is a fabulous wind over Lizard Head Pass, past 13,000 and 14,000 foot peaks and through the stunning curves of Hwy 145.

The town itself, like most of the mountain towns here has a history in mining. The first prospectors settled around 1878, followed by the Rio Grande Railroad in 1890 and a massive immigration boom. Through the next 20 years Telluride churned out millions in gold and silver as well as over 350 miles of mining tunnels. Mining dropped off after WWII and the town remained lax through the 1960’s. Then winter recreation recreated the place in 1970’s and it’s been a high-class tourist destination ever since.

The town has an abundance of Queen-Anne style Victorian architecture and cute, little café’s, restaurants and shops, giving the impression of a small San Francisco neighborhood transported to the mountains. You can taste the class and fame of the place, but it’s also got a softer side including a super dog-friendly slant.

There’s a pretty river-walk with free poo-bags on just about every corner, “puppy parking” throughout town and a good selection of outdoor restaurant seating for pooch and owners. Even the gondola ride (free by the way) from Telluride to Mountain Village has special doggie-friendly compartments. Combine that with a never-ending slew of summer festivals (Bluegrass, Jazz, Yoga, Art and Film, Mushroom…even a Horror Show Festival, many with free performances), miles of hiking & biking trails, and you’ve got quite the quaint little mountain experience. Paws and thumbs up from us!

We had a cappuccino with a view, some relaxing walking and a classy little day-outing for the whole family. Tomorrow we’ll get back to the dirt and wilderness and the rest of our mountain story. Until then may laughter fill your soul, love embrace your heart and the richness of life’s experience make your day.