Back in Ouray after so many hours in the new Suburban/Couch.
New Wheels… He’s Fast and Pretty…!!
Basically, I drove to PS, got a haircut, went to the apartment, starting packing and getting ready for the Revivals pickup of furniture for tomorrow.
The guys from Revivals came and took everything, which was a great feeling to give to such a great cause. But before I knew it, it was time to head back home for the 13 hour drive to Ouray.
I’d prefer not to drive any time soon any where in the near future. It was painful being in the car for so long, by yourself.
Once I got back to Ouray, I could enjoy some vino on the deck.
It seems as though the Beard gods are not happy with me shaving my facial hair.
After last night’s dispatch of facial hair of nearly 10 years, the Beard gods have retaliated against me. I woke up to their wrath this morning and was greeted by SNOW…!!! And lots of it.
I’m sorry for shaving my beard.Way too much snow for early October.Yes…. it’s as cold as it looks this morning.
Another amazing day in Ouray. It was actually warm considering the past few days. I would almost dare to say it was toasty, but… that’s all relative considering it’s snowed in town already this Fall.
After a short workout in the gym and then a quick chat with Seth, my trainer on Facetime, I had to head to Montrose for some chores. The downside to living in the middle of nowhere is that you have to drive an hour to the grocery store. There actually is a mini market in the town of Ouray, but you have to be pretty desperate to make a purchase from the ‘Food Museum’.
Once I got back to Ouray, it was time to set out on the bike. I wasn’t sure if it was that great of an idea, considering my thighs were still screaming from yesterday’s hike. I decided I needed to hop on the bike so I headed up Camp Bird road, which is nothing but uphill. I’m not going to lie… it hurt in the beginning, but once I got warmed up, I boogied my ass up that road.
After the ride and a shower, my friends Paul and Jan (who are the greatest people and friends – and a big part of me moving to Ouray – but who now live on the Front Range) came into town. They met me at my place and shortly after arriving, Paul had to leave for Silverton for a town meeting. That left Jan and I to find some fun things to do for the evening.
First, we headed up to Crystal Lake near Ironton for a hike through the amazing colors of the aspen trees. There was a light wind, which rustled through the colorful aspen trees. The sound of aspen leaves in the wind is so unique and indescribable. It’s truly a Colorado sound.
After the hike, we headed back to town where we had a little happy hour and then headed to dinner. Jan and I had a great meal and we kinda felt bad for having such a great time, while we knew Paul was working…
As we were walking back from dinner, we passed the Distillery that has been under construction for months and were struggling to get open. We saw lights on and the ‘Open’ sign was illuminated. Could they be open…?? We went to investigate and discovered they were indeed, finally open for business.
We made our way to the second floor where the bar is…. Just a fun fact… the barback that the Distillery is using as their main functional unit, where they store glasses and display their bottles, was originally in the Story Block building in Ouray, that Jan and Paul now own. It’s pretty incredible to see such a beautiful piece of history in a new and gorgeous building in town.
Once we settled in… Needless to say… I had to test the Whiskey and WOW….. it was amazing. Poor Jan, who doesn’t drink hard liquor had to endure my savoring of the whiskey and we were the last patrons in the building.
What a fun night with Jan…. just felt bad that poor Paul had to work while we had fun…… but… sometimes you just have to deal with a “PILE OF CRAP” (that’s for you Paul…!!)
I did buy a bottle of the whiskey and shared some with him, once he got back to town.
Looking forward to seeing my friends, Paul and Jan, again soon. They’re special people and more importantly, special friends.
***** There are Four (4) videos in this post. They take a bit of time to download, but hope they’ll be worth it. Sorry.*****
Just another beautiful day in Ouray. It would be a shame not to be outside and enjoy the beauty of the mountains. So…….
I decided to head to the Weehawken trail. I saw a friend in town yesterday and told me how great the colors were up on the trail, so I headed out to tackle the route. I knew where the trailhead was, but wasn’t familiar what the trail entailed. I guess I should have read a bit about it before heading out. Just another result of not being involved enough in the town I’ve lived for so many years. I’ve been in Ouray since 2010 and it’s such a shame I’ve never been able to play in the hills and on these trails until now. Better late, than never…!!
It’s amazing how happy I look at the Trailhead at the start of the hikes….
Not far up the trail, you could tell, this was going to be an amazing hike with some amazing views of the Fall colors. So far, the trail has been nothing but UPHILL. No surprise in Ouray though…
Finally after a long trek upward, I got to the fork in the trail. I decided to head to the Alpine Mine and Outlook, so I took a sharp right. What a crazy hike this has been…. as you can see, I’m already wiped out..
As I work my way up through treeline, the views become even more incredible.
I finally got to the first outlook and as you can see, it’s amazing. I hope the video does it justice.
Not much time after the video, I finally got to the mine. It’s incredible to me how these guys worked these mines up in the middle of the mountains. They were definitely tenacious dudes.
Finally….. at the top.
A short video from the Outlook down into the Ouray Valley.
A selfie at 10,000 feet (or somewhere around that high…!!!)
Luckily, I didn’t get snowed on and the weather held out until I returned to the truck. Not only was it brutal going up because it was so steep, but heading down, my lower thighs were on fire because of the steep decline. We’ll see how the legs feel tomorrow. After some dinner and working on this post, it’s time for bed…!!! Good night…
After a morning of HOA business at the bank that lasted almost three hours, I finally got to the gym. Afterwards, I had some food and headed out on the mt. bike for a ride and the day couldn’t be more gorgeous…!! The sky is crystal blue and not a cloud in the sky. With snow on the mountain tops and the Fall colors in full bloom, I rode back to the house and hopped on the motorcycle.
I headed up Red Mountain pass and couldn’t have asked for a BETTER day…!!
It’s official… The Ouray Hot Springs Pool’s last day was today. It’s closing starting tomorrow for renovation. The Hot Spring Pool is located right across the parking lot from my house. It’s a great hot spring, especially since it’s sulfur free.
Normally I jump in the pool during the Winter, especially when it’s snowing…!!! But.. had to soak in it today since it’s a historic day. For information on the history of the pool and some historical pictures, click the link below:
Time to start doing some Training Hikes in Ouray in preparation of the Costa Rica adventure. Since the last hike went really well, I decided to add some weight to the backpack for training. Nice jugs…!!
Nice pair of Jugs.
Since you never know what the weather is like in Ouray, you have to be prepared for anything, including packing a sleeping bag…!!
Artistic..??
The bridge over the river near bathtub on the south side of the trail.
Where there’s bears…. there’s a YETI…!!!
There has to bear poop close by.
The view down the valley with Abrahms in the background.
Down Valley.
After a rough training hike, nothing better than a little whiskey…
