Telluride in the Fall

For us, Telluride is usually a quick stop on the way to Ouray during out annual ice climbing trips.  This year we changed everything and decided to take a fall camping trip to Telluride.   The best part of this trip was that it would be Mei's first camping trip, ever!

With the car packed to the roof we left Flagstaff at our normal crack of noon.  The trip up there was pretty uneventful, and we pulled into town just at sunset.   We snagged a camp site at the "Town Park" which is one of the coolest campgrounds for kids in the universe.  The park has soccer fields, two playgrounds, a pool (closed in the fall), and is an easy walk from the center of town. 

Mei's first night in the tent went off without a hitch, and we woke up to cool weather the next morning. 



Chilly morning for Mei.


For our first full day in Telluride we decided to hike up to Bear Creek Falls.  I had climbed Bear Creek Falls about a year ago (when it was frozen) and I really wanted to see what it looked like with the water flowing.  After a great breakfast and a quick trip to the playground we started up the old road that leads to Bear Creek Falls. 

Kellen was a pretty good trooper during this hike.  He walked about halfway up and all the way down.  Mei is tiny and fits perfectly in the backpack.  At the top we were rewarded with a nice, cool, waterfall.



Bear Creek Main Falls



Next up was a ride up the Free Gondola at the ski resort.  Kellen and Mei loved the ride up and the views of town and the surrounding peaks were amazing. 

The next day started slowly with hanging around in camp and playing on the playground.  We then took our climbing gear for a drive and tried to find what had been described to us as the perfect place to take kids for rock climbing.  Well it must also be a local's secret because we certainly couldn't find it.  So, we did what every good american family does when plan A doesn't work out, we went and ate ice cream. 

Our last day was a short one.  Kerry and the kids hung out at the park while I snuck off for a run up to the old Pandora Mill.  This is the parking area for the hike into Bridalveil Falls, one of the most amazing ice climbs in the world.  The run was fun and a great workout considering that Telluride is almost at 9000'.

I then took a shower in the coldest water on earth.  That was awesome.  It just proves that I would not have been a Titanic Survivor. 

The drive home was a voyage of discovery for all of us as a family.  We figured out that Mei's tolerance for riding in the car is about four hours.  At that point she will make certain that everyone feels a bit of her misery.  We still love her anyway.