Crested Butte, CO

​July 25, 2022


I slept just a tad bit longer this morning as I woke up to dark gray skies. It was a crisp morning as I took Jo Jo out for his walk. Only three vehicles have passed me since I arrived yesterday afternoon. I guess this is not a very popular traveled area, and I’m claiming it as mine. 


With mild apprehension, about the road leading out to the main highway, I headed out with focus and caffeine to navigate the deep ruts and potholes, hoping I wouldn’t bottom out, spin out, or heaven help me, get stuck. It was a sigh of relief as I hit the top of this intersection, at the main highway. Looking back with the shadows of the morning, I see what I thankfully avoided. Within a second, I look ahead and see two deer crossing the highway. At least eight different times on this journey,  I have seen deer cross the highway, and in a couple of cases too close for comfort. We are in their territory.

I was excited to head towards Crested Butte, with an hour long drive on this dirt road. Suddenly there was pavement, and I was thinking that that was it, but then it went back to dirt road again, and back to pavement again. This is a pretty long stretch of undeveloped highway. And it was stunning. It went through very mature forests of aspen trees, to the typical pine, open flower field vistas, with swamps, ponds and streams. It was gorgeous. The overcast skies lead to breaks of sun which spotlighted the mountains around. 

I enjoyed walking through the town, as I have been here twice before, helping out my sister with an art show. I was able to relax and go at my own pace. It sprinkled on and off as I popped in and out of the shops and made my way to a coffee shop where I enjoyed an afternoon decaf iced coffee. Jo Jo attracted the usual crowd from young to old, men to women. He was rather relaxed today, people watching, and laying belly down on the pavement in the coffee courtyard. One man laughed as he did a pirate growl mimicking Jo Jo’s offset jaw. Aargh, like a pirate, which made me laugh, as I gave him the information of why his jaw is crooked. FYI, his jaw was broken in 2018, and certainly not a funny thing at the time. This is a very dog friendly little town with dog bowls and options to dine outside. By mid afternoon it started to pour. Using my apps I decided to check out a town parking lot for overnight campers. However there didn’t seem to be any such thing, which I did report. I checked all the information prior to this and my best option was to head back into the Gunnison National Forest, which is what I did, about an 18 minute backtrack. I found a really nice open area and normally in direct sun, it would’ve been a beast, but it’s been chilly at about 56° so, I welcome any sun to warm me up. I have stunning views tonight appreciating long ranging vistas going east and west.






































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