Telluride, CO

​August 1, 2022

The BLM trail head parking was perfect. I actually took a walk with Jo Jo  in the morning and I could see the ruts of mountain bikers, so I had to be mindful of anyone that came up behind me. Only one person did since I was out that early. The landscape was high desert with plenty of juniper trees and sage brush. It was almost a surreal Lord of the Rings landscape with these gnarly branches. The weather was crisp and clean at about 7200’ elevation. I was eager to get on the road towards Telluride. It almost felt like last night’s stressful events had somehow burst the wind in my sails, but by the morning I was ready to backtrack towards Telluride, arriving at about 10:30 AM. I purchased a three hour parking pass and did some urban hiking up and down visiting the various shops. I thought I would visit a coffee shop or a bakery, but I wasn’t able to find anything like it. Which was shocking, as I have found that  in every other mountain town so far. Jo Jo and I had a quick bite for lunch before heading up to Bridal Veil Falls. What a beautiful view from the town of Telluride, as I headed up to this area. There were mountain cottages up-and-down this street, tightly woven into a village, with plenty of new construction for what I would call mega mansions. There were several real estate companies in town with properties in the multi millions. Whoa. The hiking trail up to the falls was 1.2 miles one way. I probably hiked .01 miles. It’s over 9000 feet here, and the trail went straight up. My first impression of this area was the fact that I saw another falls with what looked like a fantasy castle. It was actually a power plant that was deactivated about five years ago, but this building is nearly 100 years old. A surprising and unexpected view. I met a couple that lives between Colorado Springs and Denver. They two were mesmerized by the beauty of this area.

I found a spot at Caddis Flats campground, in BLM lands about 30 minutes west of Telluride. It’s in a really pretty canyon, next to the San Miguel river, with deep red rocks, which reminds me a bit like Utah or Sedona. It’s a free campsite. I get to hear the rushing waters.































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