but we don't have many public BC strips in Colorado. But Telluride is a back country destination extraordinaire. We decided to get out of town for a fast weekend.We left home from Longmont at 8 am, and were on the trail near Telluride by 11am after hitting a foo-foo bakery and coffee joint (Baked in Telluride). The Telluride FBO rolled out the red carpet for us like we were jet jocks ordering 1000 gals of JetA...a bit embarrassing since I'm in a homely 182, and we brought our fuel (the SS fuel price is still only 5.60 though). The total landing fee(!) and overnight tie down was around $18, including throwing spring waters and fancy pretzels for the trip at us. They basically had our luggage in the trunk of the rental car before I even made it out of the boy's room after landing, and had the plane carted off to the tie downs. It's a bit surreal for those of us who aren't accustomed to it.The rental car waiting outside the door was around $45 including refilling the tank, and the swanky hotel room (Hotel Telluride) was $100 right in town (it's usually $450+ for the same room in winter).
We would have camped (we built the trail about 22 years ago, and I was looking forward to a night under the stars), but the rain/hail gods were pretty clear about their intentions, and they made good on their promise.
We had an incredible 11 mile, soggy but great 4k' up day-hike up the Sneffels-High Line loop trail, came back to a steaming hot tub for our tired legs, sampled one of the local brew pubs, and I got treated to dinner at the restaurant at the top of the ski hill watching storms blow by fast in the sunset.
In the morning we went looking around the area until we heard thunder nearby, and we ended up at the airplane at 10am (and 11,000' DA) and were eating lunch in the kitchen at home by noon after gawking at my old stomping grounds on the Western Slope the entire way home.
Less than 3.5 hrs in the air for the entire trip, and I barely remembered what my day job was until I got home.
Some pictures.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/69017866@N ... 811377922/
We'll be back this fall in time for the aspens, and this winter for a ski trip if the weather gods cooperate with the last-minute hotel deal gods.
The trip doesn't compare to my 3 weeks in and out of the Idaho strips this summer, or the trips in and out of Utah this past spring, but it's nice to take advantage of the other things closer to home that are available to us in Colorado. Even if they involve pavement.
