We stayed up in the Village at the Hotel Madeline. We took the gondola down the mountain  on Saturday morning with our chairs and lots of rain gear prepared to take on anything to enjoy the day of wonderful blues music and beer tasting.

Eric set up a tarp and we snuggled under it with our (not beer) hot chocolate and and coffee as the rain mixed with snow fell down around us.

I put the packbrella on my back and walked up to the stage and grabbed a few snapshots before we left.

The grounds filled up with mud and we finally retreated for a few hours back to the hotel. It looked like winter as the trees were covered with snow on the mountain.

Marcia Ball rocked the crowd on Sunday. The weather was beautiful. The peaks were covered with a light dusting of snow and the sun was shining bright.  Except for the mud, it was hard to believe the day before was so miserable.

You never know what kind of visitors might show up at live concerts.

 

Willie Nelson finished up the evening singing some great classics.

If we do this again, we will do what we did last year when we came here. We'll bring the camper and buy our tickets on the day of the the venue. This year we bought 3 day tickets and were slaves the bad weather and an expensive hotel.

 

 

The The views from Yeoman Campground along East Brush Creek were awesome as we drove up Fulford Road on this July morning to do some hiking.

Our destination was New York Mountain in the Sawatch Range. The altitude is about 12,200 but the climb is not bad. The high tundra was thick with wildflowers. Here I am walking across a snow field with an amazing Colorado sky behind me and clear views of the Elk Mountains in Pitkin County.

Eric pauses on a rocky edge (waiting for me)  during the ascent to enjoy the peacefulness.

The views at the top were majestic but dark clouds were moving in so we couldn't linger as long as we would have liked.

Looking a little northeast you can see the Gore Range of Summiit County.

Eric salutes New York Mt. with his signature pose.

Hiking back down through healthy pine trees.

See more photos and map of this area on Pamoramio.

Directions and map to Yeoman Campground.

When family comes to visit us from another state we enjoy sharing a small glimpse of what we love about Colorado. Hence, recently on a perfect "blue sky" day in June we chose to take an aunt and a cousin visiting in Denver,  up to the Devil's Head Fire Lookout Station.

Our goal was to get some exercise and beautiful 360 views before going to a barbeque with friends in Sedalia.

This trail is 1.4 miles and starts at about 8800' and climbs to 9700' with 143 stairs to climb at the end to reach the top of the lookout.

Shannon enjoys the windy views at the top.

At top you may meet Bill Ellis guarding the Pike National Forest against fires as he has been doing for over 20 years. 

Bill will give you a card that certifies that you climbed Devil's Head Lookout Station and you will be recognized as a member of the Ancient and Honorable Order of Squirrels.

 

It was a very warm June day but the hike is fun, the views were fantastic and it is a trail for all amost everyone so will probably encounter a fair amount of friendly hikers of all ages. Our "signature stance salute" to all very cool places.

 

map

We arrived in the San Juan Mountains without a plan, only determined to spend a weekend of exploring and hiking in new territory and attending the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival for one day.

It was a perfect early fall weekend in late September. The leaves were still on the trees but were starting to change color and the bushes and grasses had already begun to dry and darken. We accessed Palmyra Ridge  from Alta Lakes, southwest of the mountain town of Telluride, Colorado.

Early Fall in Colorado is exceptional because the August monsoon season is over and the threat of  a  thunder storm rolling in quickly in the afternoon is diminished. Consequently, you can have a more leisurely time to hang out and enjoy the high altitude peaks.

Red tailed hawks circled above us and a marmot whistled at us as we hiked the high altitude ridge.

Here we are on climbing toward the Palmyra Peak ridge at 11,800 feet elevation. It is a steep and rocky climb to the top of the ridge.

We are overlooking the Black Iron Bowl of Telluride Ski Area.The top of Palmyra Peak is 13,251 feet altitude.

Black Iron Bowl is beyond my skiing ability and it looks even more awesome (and intimidating) in the winter. This amazing video of the "hike to"  terrain to Ski Palymyra Peak shows an incredible winter playground for the "not so weak in the knees" crowd. It looks really awesome in winter as you can see from these photos from Telluride's Photography Blog.

It isn't as narrow of a ledge as it looks. (or this grandma and grandpa wouldn't be on it) Eric is more coordinated than me.

When you are up at these altitudes, the views are great. From the ridge here, you can see the Lizard Head Peak, Wilson Peak is to our north.

The Sneffles Mountain Range is to the east and the Palmyra Peak dominates our southern view.

See map of Palmyra Peak. I suggest looking at it via Google Earth but it takes awhile to load.

View Palmyra Ridge from Alta Lakes in a larger map

The Hanging Lake trailhead originates in Glenwood Canyon close to the Colorado River and climbs through Dead Horse Canyon. It has become very popular and you can expect to share the trail with a variety of friendly people along the way.

I have hiked up to this very popular local lake many times but I have always wanted to go up in the winter. While it is not an extreme hike, it definitiely should still be respected, especially in the winter. The trails are still snow packed, the rocks are icy and steep enough to challenge your footing.

The steep canyon walls were laden with snow, which we were reminded of when we heard the tremendous roar of snow crashing close by. This is also the time of year when the warmer weather creates loose rocks that can tumble down the slopes.

The destination is a crystal clear turquoise lake that hangs below multiple water falls.

Eric and I do our "signature pose" at Spouting Falls is only a short climb above the hanging lake.

More information, directions and reviews.

 

 

When I woke up on this March Spring morning, a new blanket of snow covered the ground. The western Colorado sky was breaking up into glimpses of fog and blue sky. It was easy to drop all my plans for the day and grab my camera and seek trails of photo opportunities.

See the rest and best of this photo safari day on my Snug Mug.

My March Countryside Photo Gallery

 

The Spring Creek Gulch Trail southwest of Carbondale winds up to a ridge overlooking a beautiful view of the majestic Mount Sopris and the Colorado Elk Mountain Range.

The meadows rise into hills of scrub oaks. Some are still hanging onto their leaves and some are bare branches  covered with cotton balls of snow.

Directions: Take Hwy 82 toward Aspen. Turn right on Hwy 133 toward Carbondale. Turn right at 7/11 onto Main St. which  turns into County Road 108. (Thompson Creek Rd)  Stay on this climbing road until you see a small parking lot on the right. There is an arched sign that says Spring Creek Gultch.

 

It was a typical post Winter storm day when the Colorado sky turns bright blue and the fresh snow is perfect to play in. We were afraid it might be windy but it was wasn't and we were the only ones up there. It was like having our very own private backcountry ski playground.

Eric almost always skis this far ahead of me. I am always stopping to capture a photo and it allows me to rest from the high altitude exertion. 

I love the long shadows shadows against the snow among the Aspen trees. We were skiing in the late afternoon and the sun was bright to create lovely contrasts.

Ahhhh.....What a beautiful Colorado day! Contact the West Elk Multi Use Club you are intersted in learning more about this awesome area. I understand they could use some volunteers too.