February hike of the Jud

Not sure what I was thinking leaving so late to hike the Jud. It was quite dark before I got back into town. In other words, I don't have too many photos to share.




Funky shack on my way out of town.














Sun setting and I am just getting started up the hill.















This was taken at the top, if you look closely you can see the snow cats on Bushwacker run.

Apre Ski at Tracks

Sunday Apre Ski at Tracks.

What is up with all the orange?

The skis that I wanted to buy went on sale at Telluride Sports, so I went ahead and made the big purchase on the Dynastar 8000.

Orange is definitely not my favorite color, but ironically, my boots and now my skis sport that lovely hue. I guess one could say color was NOT my deciding factor on either one of the purchases.


I took them out on the hill today, and had a lot of fun. I have been telemarking the past couple of weeks, and I forgot what it is like to just rip up a bump run. Nice. I think I going to really like these skis.

Think snow, so I don't put any dingers in my new sticks!

Fortune Cookie Game "___ In Bed" with Telluride Ski Runs

Ok, yes, I know it is a bit childish to do, but I got a few laughs out of it.

Put one of the following Telluride Ski Runs in the Fortune Cookie Game "____ In Bed".

My top 5 are:

Bushwacker
Enchanted Forest
Log Pile
Milk Run
Peek A Boo

What are yours?

List of Telluride Ski Runs.
Air Garden Lower
Air Garden Upper
Allais Alley
Alta
Andys Gold
Apex Glade
Audrey
Bailout
Boomerang Loop
Boomerang Lower
Boomerang Upper
Bridges
Bushwacker Lower
Bushwacker Upper
Butterfly - Bumps
Butterfly - Race
Butterfly (South)
Buzz Glade
Cakewalk
Cats Paw Lower
Cats Paw
Chongos
Confidence
Coonskin Lower
Coonskin
Crystal
Dew Drop
Double Cabin Lower
Double Cabin Upper
Dynamo Lower
Dynamo
East Drain
Easy Out
Electra
Enchanted Forest
Galloping Goose Lower
Galloping Goose Upper
Genevieve
Giant Steps
Golf Course Track
Happy Thought
Hermit
Holy Cow
Humboldt Draw
Jacpot
Jaws
Joint Point
Kant-Mak-Em
La Rosa
Last Chance
Little Maude
Little Rose
Log Pile
Lookout
Lower Happy Thought
Lower Lookout
Lynx Loop
Madison
Magic Meadows Loop
Magnolia
Mammoth
Marmot
May Girl
Meadows North
Meadows South
Milk Run Lower
Milk Run
Millions
Mine Shaft
Misty Maiden Lower
Misty Maiden Upper
Nastar
Nellie
North Chute
Ophir Loop
Palmyra North
Palmyra South
Pandora
Peaks Trail
Peek A Boo
Pick n Gad
Plunge Lower
Plunge
Polar Queen
Power Line
Quarter Pipe
Sandia
See Forever
Sheridan Headwall
Silver Glade
Smuggler
Spiral Stairs
Stella
Sullys Gully
Sundance
Teddy's Way
Telluride Trail Lower
Telluride Trail Upper
Ute Park
Village Bypass Lower
Village Bypass Upper
West Drain Rd
Woozley's Way Lower
Woozley's Way Upper
Zulu Queen

Early Morning Moon

It sure is getting light earlier now. Took this shot around 6:42 this morning from the deck.

Beautiful Lunch Hour

So I decided to take an 1 1/2 hour lunch to make some tele turns.
What a beautiful day. Snow was "hard packed" but not a cloud in the sky.








My telemark skis and I riding up chair 8.













Dew Drop is a short easy blue run that warms me up for some steeper bumps on the Plunge.










Oh what a beautiful day, as seen from See Forever run. Off to my left is Dynamo. Not quite ready for that one on my Telemark skis.


As my friend Don would say, "I hope wherever you are today, you are ...", and I will finish with "somewhere that the beauty of it never gets old."

Looking around at the The Peaks Resort

I needed a change of scenary so I went exploring around at the The Peaks Resort in Mountain Village. The picture shown was taken on the patio of the Peaks Resort with Wilson Peak in the background.

The current room rates are from $189-$469 a night.

Durango: So close, yet so far (and different)

I went to go visit a friend in Durango Saturday night.
As a crow flies Durango is not really that far from Telluride (120 miles SE), but to drive takes around 2 1/2 hours.

My first experiences with Durango were as a kid riding the Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge train and going thru it on the way to Mesa Verde.

My next Durango experience was it was the final destination for the Colorado trail. Thirty three days of solo backpacking through the heart of Colorado (Denver to Durango 500+ miles) turned out to be the most physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging experience I have ever had to date.

Most Coloradoans have been to Durango, but unless you seek out Telluride it is not usually on the route. My first introduction to Telluride was in September of 2001.

Here are some Wikipedia references on Telluride and Durango.

10 differences between the two towns:

Population
Durango: As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 13,922
Telluride: As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 2,221

Area
Durango: The town has a total area of 17.6 km² (6.8 mi²)
Telluride: The town has a total area of 1.8 km² (0.7 mi²)

Demographics
Durango: Fort Lewis College sets the tone for the make up of the locals. Median Income - $34,892
Telluride: Playground for the wealthy. Median Income - $51,938

Stop lights and fast food chains
Durango: Many stop lights and fast food chains thru out the city
Telluride: No stop lights, 1 round-about, and no fast food chains

Box Canyon vs Valley
Durango: Close to many mountains, but resides in the Animas River Valley
Telluride: Sits in a box canyon. Steep forested mountains and cliffs surround it

Train vs Gondola
Durango: Has the Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge train to move people around.
Telluride: Gondola moves people from Telluride to Mountain Village.

Nightlife
Durango: Many choices, each place tends to cater to one type of crowd and age.
Telluride: Fewer choices, more inter-mixing of the people.

Highway vs Destination
Durango: Is at the intersection US 160 (the Old Spanish Trail) and US 550
Telluride: Unless you are going to Telluride, you don't drive thru it.

Cost
Durango: Entres at a budget resturant: $7-$15
Telluride: Budget resturant, huh?

Scrub Oak vs Aspens
Durango: The surronding hills have Scrub Oak on them.
Telluride: The surrondig hills have Aspens and Evergreens on them.

Both tout them selves as Reai
Take from tourism slogans:
Durango: Real Town, Real Fun, Real Colorado, Get Real
Telluride: Rugged, Refined, Real

2 Silent Auctions, 5 items won.

Between Beaux Arts Ball and Chocolate Fling I bid on several items, (many I don't remember doing so. :) )

However, both are for a great cause, and honestly, I did not pay more than face value for any of them. Actually 3 of the 5 were less than face value.
So lets see what I won:

Tandem Paraglide Flight


The one that I am most excited about!

Adrenaline junkies can launch off the top of Gold Hill at the ski area summit with a 3,500+ descent and catch a bird’s eye view of towering peaks, plush alpine mesas and the historic town of Telluride during a paraglide ride.

Click on the link and scroll down to Telluride Paraglide for the rest of the article.

West End Tavern Gift Certificate

One of my favorite places to hang out. $50 is a lot of Fish Tacos and Margs, but maybe I can find some friends to share with. :)

$100 Telluride Liquors Gift Card

Hmmmm. Do I buy a "several" months worth of Pabst Blue Ribbon or maybe one nice bottle of wine?







Skiers Union

Apre Ski anyone?????


Breakfast for 4 at Sofio's

Sofio's has the BEST breakfasts for hangovers. I might save this one for a post Festival breakfast with friends.


What Fun!

I am a dreamy romantic on this Valentines Day, and my dream came true!

Unoffical results anounced on KOTO radio:
603 No
439 Yes

This is an email I sent minutes ago thanking all the people who made my dream come true. (note a couple of typos where corrected)

Dear Chris Myers, Todd Creel, Joan May, The Board of Directors of Sheep Mountain Alliance, the Members of Sheep Mountain Alliance and all that contributed both monetarily and their time to the cause:

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! !!!

I am a dreamy romantic on this Valentines Day, and my dream came true!

With that being said, I know the fight has just begun, and we have a long road a head of us:

So, I pledge to the following:
1) Become a member of Sheep Mountain Alliance.
2) Become more active in town of Telluride (and area) issues.
3) Support the business that support my views. Thank you Honga, thank you Prospect Reality Inc., thank you all that all that are not willing to give in to Mr. Blue. Sorry Neil Blue, I am smart, our town is smart, and we refuse to give in to your practices. We are NOT afraid…..

I am relatively new to this community, but I KNOW why I moved here. The results of the special election re-affirmed this.

I would like to thank Chris Myers (whom introduce the issue to me at Hongas) and his endless effort, Sheep Mountain Alliance who tirelessly kept the public informed, and Todd who convinced me to be passionate about where I call home.

Thank you with all my Telluride Heart,
Michael Mowery
Proud to call Telluride Home

Ps. Please sign me up. I am willing to give back….

Telluride voters please Vote NO! on Feb 14

Ok, I am making this personal. I took this shot of the valley floor from Society Turn back in May of 2004. This is the first image on the the approach into Telluride. The Framework that we are voting on calls for "22 multimillion-dollar homes would be built on a 47-acre parcel that cuts the valley floor in two", says the Denver Post. YUCK!!! At that time I took this picture I was debating where in Colorado I would like to work "remote". I chose Telluride over many place in Colorado because the citizens cared to protect against sprawl. Please voters, don't give up the fight and vote NO!

Ok, now on to what what everybody has said regarding one of the biggest decisions in Telluride history, let me point you to a few links.

First here is what we are voting on. Lots of legalize
Valley Floor on The Towns Website

A Denver Post perspective
Land vote pits heads, hearts in Telluride, Article in Denver Post

Here is a fascinating history (with a Vote No Bent) how Neil Blue (owner of the property), tried to amongst other things buy the local newspaper, change Colorado law, to help influence things in his favor. Wow!, but what do you expect from a weapons manufacture.
Doing the Right Thing: ItÂ’s the Last Stand

A great place to get quick facts on the issue.
Sheep Mountain Alliance fights TEN REASONS TO VOTE NO ON FEBRUARY 14, 2006

National Trust Historic Preservation lists Telluride as
1 of America's 11 Most Endangered places.

There is so many good vote NO articles, but here is a sampling.
This Mountain Town AinÂ’t SellinÂ’ Out!, by Darryl Hannah
Top 14 reasons to think about saving the Valley Floor
Bad Government

A few quotes I like
"Once you give it away, it's gone forever."
"Society is defined not only by what it creates, but also by what it refuses to destroy."

Please Vote With Your Head and Your Heart
-Michael Mowery

Chocolate Lover's Fling

Gotta love Telluride. Last Saturday, I went to Beaux Art ball. This Saturday, I went to the Chocolate Lover's Fling.

This year theme was Fling-A-Go-Go. Here is an news article on it.

The evening starts out by you going around to each of the chocolatiers and trying out there creation.

I struggled with my costume for this one. But where was a lot of great ones. A dance was held afterwards, and it was the place to be.

The whole thing is for a good cause because it is a fundraiser for the San Miguel Resource Center (domestic violence and sexual assault program).

Yummy...

500,000 Feet and Double Black Diamond on Tele

Well on Friday, I crossed the 1/2 way mark for my 1 million vertical feet of decent. Yeah! The problem is 62% of the season is over, so it is looking somewhat doubtful that I will obtain this goal before the end of the Telluride Season. However, there is still hope that I might be able to finish up after April 2, on other ski areas that don't close so early.

On a different note, I did my first double black diamond run on the Tele's today. Ok, it was not pretty, but I made it down. Actually, it was during a locals tele clinic, and my instructor took a good fall down it.

The run is called Happy Thoughts!

Free the heel, Free the mind...

Beaux Arts Ball 2006 (updated!)

The following was taken from http://www.telluridearts.org/events.html
The 2006 Beaux Arts Ball is February 4 at the Telluride Conference Center

Our theme this year is "Vegas, Baby!"
What happens at Beaux Arts stays at Beaux Arts!

In the tradition of nurturing creativity, TCAH hosts an annual fundraising gala that is both elegant and wild. Guests are encouraged to dress in costume or with an extra-special flair. We provide beautiful masks to each guest as well $10 in gambling chips to start the evening off with some excitement. The evening brings together a casino (with black jack, craps and poker), live entertainment, great dance music, a silent auction with hundreds of prizes, and of course a great party atmosphere with a tradition of lasting well into the night. The 2005 Ball will be held at the Telluride Conference Center to support and enhance the varied programs of TCAH.


Ok, here was the deal for the dress attire:
The invite gave 4 options:
1) Dress Up
2) Dress Down
3) Cross Dress
4) Dress Less

So I experimented with 3 of the 4

1) Dress Up






















3) Cross Dress





















4) Dress Less


























I ended up "Dressing Up" in the purple tux.
Below are some photos at the "END" of the night with friends.












"Do one thing everyday that scares you", and you will be happy.
-cheers
Michael