Telluride - a few more picts

 Decided not to ride today. Instead, spent the day, like an actual vacation day. Slept in
a little, read about what happens to people who don’t wear a mask during Covid, walked a couple of trails and took the gondola up to the top (and down the other side) of the mountain. 

Speaking about masking-up, Telluride like most all the towns in Colorado I have visited, really focuses on prevention. Lots of social distancing guidelines, very strict rules about wearing a mask in restaurants, stores, the gondola, and crowded public areas outside. The guidelines are portrayed as a community program to keep everyone well. No politics involved, no “individual rights” arguments, just a consolidated effort by all to do the right thing. 

The gondola station is two blocks from the hotel. The ride is free (including in the winter during ski season)  and dogs and mountain bikes are allowed. If you are by yourself, you ride by yourself. No mixing of people who do not know each other. I went about 11:00 am and while the view was spectacular, it was somewhat hazy so I didn’t take any pictures. I will try again tomorrow because the forecast is for sun. 

Came back to town and met up with another person who was not riding today and walked a couple of trails. One of which was the trail to Bridal Veil Falls:

I can’t take credit for the picture, the ones I took did not turn out very well. I do want to stay in the house shown it the picture!

The pictures below I did take:

The San Miguel “River”

As you can probably figure out, my theme in Telluride is mountains and leaves turning colors! However, in the past, it was an ore (zinc, lead, copper, silver)  rush town starting in the 1870’s. It, has in the past, hosted many amazing music festivals, none this year due to Covid. For the history buffs; Butch Cassidy and his gang robbed ($25,000) the San Miguel Valley Bank in 1889 and later Robert Redford and Paul Newman did the same.

Came back from the hike, ate another uninspiring ski-town meal, looked at beautiful professional photos in a shop (average upwards of $2,000).  Went to hotel, took nap, then dinner. Actually, not a bad relaxing day at all!