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.
