Hiking with little air

Wednesday we were a bit lazy, we were on the trail by 8:45 but only because it literally started at our front door and we were still on Eastern time.  Our goal was Bear Creek falls.  The trail is a 6 mile in and out, 3 miles each way.  It is described as mostly level which is true but the mostly means that it tilted uphill the entire way.  You gain about 1100 feet of elevation on the walk. 

As promised the trail was mostly flat but it was rocky.  The first part was forested but then it opened up which provided some nice Mountain Views.  There are lower falls that you can see from the trail but you can’t get close.  After about an hour of hard walking, we spotted the falls.  At sea level it would have been easy but at 9-10 thousand, took some exertion.

You never know how close you will get to the falls until the trail ends but in this case the trail went all the way to the water.  On the way up there was a good bit of down traffic, the early risers.  When we got to the top though, we were alone which was kind of nice. 

 We had a  good time taking pictures and selfies.  The falls created a great cool breeze which was welcomed as the sun was starting to beat down.  After about 25 minutes other people started arriving and we decided to head down.

The way down was much easier,  there were a few places that were steep but most of the trail was easy.  We also started to pass throngs of people headed up.  We really timed it well.  Lesson learned, be a bit lazy but not full on sloth.

On the way up we passed an area where the trees had been smashed.  We discussed what might have caused this localized disaster and on the way down we learned.  A fellow hiker was discussing the avalanche that had caused the destruction.  Seeing the trees flattened really gives you an idea of the power of nature.

Back in town we grabbed some food and relaxed a bit.  Then we took a drive to scout out Thursday’s hike and then to the local grocery to check it out.  Our next stop was the airport.  No we didn’t land there but we heard the views were good so we had to look.  The views did not disappoint.

We drove down the valley a bit more sightseeing before returning to town.  On the way back we arranged to meet up with our friends.  We took the gondola up to Mountain village.  This time we hopped off to sightsee.

Mountain village is mostly hotels, stores and condos though there are some houses too.  In the winter this is more of the ski hub.  There was a small outdoor market set up and we walked around viewing the booths.  The girls bought some fruit, they were sold by some motivated children wearing egg and peach costumes.  Odd but true.

We spent some more time strolling about until the rain came. With a light drizzle starting, we boarded the Gondola for the ride down.  It is a really spectacular ride, Disney should add one but it might be expensive to install the mountains and scenery.

Dinner was Thai food.  The town has a wide assortment of fare so most will find something they like.  CC and I split some curry and pad Thai.  The portions were huge and we had lots extra for the next day.

Telluride Arrival

We woke up early Tuesday.  We were heading to Telluride Colorado and the mountains are best flown during the still morning hours.  I had planned a scenic route through the Rockies to Telluride.  Nature had other ideas though. 

The wildfires around Kremmling and others further West had made for some pretty thick smoke in places. Also we had to be out of Telluride on Saturday latest and the weather forecast was looking like it might not be a good day to depart.

While I really wanted to land at TEX, (Telluride), the second highest airport in the USA, I felt that with a new plane and many unknowns I needed a safer plan.  Plan B was Durango.  Durango is 50 miles South but sits on a plain at only 6689 feet.  I also changed our route to fly South along the front range, cut over Hayden Pass and then Fly South around the last of the really high terrain into Durango, CO.

It was a great flight, we started at 10,500 and stepped up to 12,500 for the pass and some terrain to the West. We got flight following and easily flew our route.  The views were only marginal though with the smoke and haze.  I had called ahead to Durango on Monday and they were expecting us, we had great service, were marshalled into a good spot and they brought the rental car to the plane.

Mountain fuel is expensive but if you bought 20 gallons they waved all fees.  The fees without buying gas were $100 so it’s a no brainer to get gas.  I have found that in most places they really incentivize you to get some gas over paying the fees. Figuring parking was worth at least $15/night parking, it was some of the cheapest fuel we bought.

All of our stops have had nice FBOs and Durango was no exception.  The facility is nice, the people are friendly, the service is good, and they even sent us off with cold waters and snacks.

Landing at Durango meant we had to drive up to Telluride, or I should say we got to drive up as it is a beautiful trip and just 2 hours.  You start on the plain and then ascend the Rockies to reach Telluride.  As we were driving the weather was changing though. By the time we arrived there were dark clouds.  This is another reason why you fly early in the mountains.

Our first afternoon was a bit rainy but we dropped by to see some friends and had a great time chatting and snacking.  Our friends put out a spontaneous feast of cheese, fruit, sweets, and other goodies.  After the rain we head out to explore the town.

Telluride the town is about 1 mile by .25 miles but the northern part of town is mostly houses so it is basically a mile of shops 3 blocks wide.  Everything is walkable which makes it convenient to get around.   We walked to the park and the down Main Street.  The place was pretty busy.

Telluride also has some satellite areas up the mountain.   There is a free gondola that takes you up to Mountain Village so we decided to take a joy ride.  The gondola was put in to reduce vehicle traffic and facilitate tourism.  We went up and down and enjoyed the views.  We didn’t have time to sightsee because we were getting hungry.  When we got down we ordered some food and called it a night.

Doing Time

After 2 days enjoying the great outdoors, it was time to head inside.  We headed over to the Wyoming Territorial Prison.  The facility was used from the 1870s to 1903 and held such notable prisoners as Butch Cassidy. 

When we were in New Zealand we visited a prison that was used continuously from 1855-1991 with literally no upgrades, they just doubled the number of prisoners per cell so it really just had downgrades.  I guess in some sense there were the good old days when you had 12 square feet each in your cell.

Much of this facility has been restored to better than new condition.  After it closed for convicts it was used to hold barnyard animals and apparently they made a mess.  The prison has a self guided tour option which we took.  We enjoyed visiting the warden’s house, the cell blocks, the broom factory and the yard.  They had some other historical exhibits we perused as well.

Our next stop was back to the University of Wyoming to see the geology museum.  It’s not big place but has some cool Dino bones.  Even better it was free.   Sort of wild to imagine the terror you might experience if you ever ran into one of these guys. The smaller dude was just dug up in 1991 so he is sort of fresh.

We had had enough of inside so we headed towards Cheyenne. First stop was the Lincoln Memorial.  Not the one in DC, this is a big Lincoln bust a local man decided to create to commemorate the Lincoln Highway. It now resides at a rest stop off I-80.  It is a bit odd, you see his head but not well because of the angle, and it’s not clear where the body is.  It is a popular stop though and since it was right on the way, you sort of have to stop and stare.

We did not ponder this too long as we were off to Vedauwoo. This is an interesting rock formation near Cheyenne.  It is very popular with climbers and can be pretty dangerous.  We drove around to various positions and enjoyed the views.  

There is also a nice path through the center which we hiked.  My days of high risk rock climbing are well behind me.

Hiked is a strong word, it is flat and mostly paved.   After the rocks we were off to Cheyenne to check on the plane.  All was well so we got some rest in preparation for our morning flight.   Did I mention the state has lots of really nice flowers?