Telluride: Off-season

Many a post about this majestic moutain town, but none about living here.

I have been here for over a week, searching for a job, cleaning and organizing space, hiking, cooking and eating home-made dinners, and cruising around on my bike. It sounds appealing and relaxing, yet I am still anxious. I know something will work itself out in terms of keeping an income flow, yet the possibility of not having work or, worse yet, having a low paying job that I hate, distresses me. I now know how people feel when they are worried about giving up their salaried jobs with health insurance to pursue something more meaningful or fulfilling.

The major thing that has been missing in my life due to my extensive traveling is consistency: routine work-outs, familiar territory, friends, sleeping in the same bed every night, knowing where my next meal will be cooked. I've always known myself to be a bit sporadic and easily adaptable to new situations. Well, since I've mastered that which rats are known to excel at, I think it's about time I give stability a try - make it work for me. Take the mundane out of routine.

After a very erratic trip with Andy across the United States and back, I've come to settle into Telluride quite comfortably.

Autumn's lemon yellow leaves have since fallen to the ground, stomped on by hikers on the trails to a burgundy-dirt colored brown. And while I don't mind the loss of fall's palette, it sure does remind me how quickly time passes. Hit by an early storm, the canyon walls are partially blanketed in snow, showing the sun's favorite faces to rest on by the lack of skiable terrain. Bear Creek is on the south-side of town, so the first half of the hike is pressed snow, in a zig-zagging track of the first voyager's choice trail. This chute of pre-pressed path is only about a foot and a half wide, so it's difficult to hike side-by-side unless you don't mind romping around the saturated snow-cone slush and making your own path. I didn't mind: my terrain trail runners have been missing for about a month now with all the relocating going on and all I have to wear are my water-proof J-41's, which claim to provide "ample traction" yet I have a gash in my hand from sliding down the Jud Wiebe that would beg to differ.




The Jud Wiebe: a trail on the north-side of town that goes "upsie-kins" as Brian likes to put it as he hears me sucking wind behind him. It's a shorter hike, but sunnier for longer, so when we lose track of the day and suddenly it's 3:00 p.m., we can still extend our hike-every-day streak.


Brian chucking Aspen leaves at me


o 0 o O 0 o hello moon o 0 o O 0 o

The hikes have not only provided me with a sanctuary escape, but Brian as well. The last few days of October were anticipatory days before the Town Council election. Thankfully, all the worries were in vain, as Brian was elected to Town Council with three other great individuals: Chris Myers, "Glider Bob" Saunders and Anne Brady.


orange foliage kinda rhymes?


Pretty foliage


Toldja the skies were cartoon-blue here . . .


Perfect spot for the solar panels!

From the Gondola. . .

Descending Down . . .

... onto a pretty pretty mountain town


Bear Creek-ish


Gaspin' at the Aspens!

What a great town to be involved in. . . so much to come.