I love Crested Butte, CO. It is the epitomy of a quaint mountain town, complete with beautiful scenery, cute little shops, eccentric townspeople and great character! Known for its great skiing at Mt. Crested Butte, deep snow fall and good food, Crested Butte's main economy derives from tourism (and mining!). Known as the Wild Flower Capitol, Crested Butte is full of lush greenery and patches of wildflowers all around during the summer months.
But even more then I love this fabulous town, I love the drive to, from and around Crested Butte during the summer months. This past weekend, I had the change to celebrate a friend's marriage in Crested Butte. My regular riding buddy had started a new job and was going to ride up later with friends, so I decided to round off a hectic week with a drive dedicated to just me. After all, as long as I was there for the wedding, who cared what time I arrived?
So off I went, battling the demons of Denver traffic before driving a huge sigh of relief as I finally made it into the mountains. Before I had left town, I had stopped to pick up my new camera in order to indulge my photographic obsessions. So I decided to crank up the picture taking while I took down my blood pressure by photographing the things I love to tell people back home about...
1st, did you know Bailey, CO is home to the Coney Island Boardwalk (http://coneyislandcolorado.com/)? There's nothing quite like cruising down a 2-lane mountain highway, passing what is essentially an intersection named as if it is a town and seeing a giant hot dog on the side of the road. Out of place? Yes. Fabulous find? Absolutely! This Coney Island treasure has been featured in tons of roadtrip type write ups and shows and is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike! It always makes me smile and this time, I decided to take a picture before heading on my way.
2nd, Colorado is a fascinating state when it comes to religion. Home of Focus on the Family and other faith-based organizations, religious views are heavily marketed without much person-to-person discussion. I have my own brand of faith, but I must admit a sense of peace always comes over me as I pass Camp Santa Maria (http://ymcabv.org/ymcaweb/camp_santa_maria.html) on my wandering way up Hwy 285. Until recently, I had no idea this huge statue sitting high on the mountainside had anything to do with the YMCA, but I always appreciate the glimpse I get of it as I roll past. And this time, I appreciated how far my camera could zoom in on it! (and the fact that the undercover cop car tailing me decided to pull over the person in front of me - shew!).
3rd, let's thank the creators of South Park for bringing to the nation's attention such Colorado treats as the South Park basin (although in the show, it's a town) and of course, the infamous Casa Bonita! Without the help of Cartman and the gang, people would never assume the billboard above would direct them to the land of cut-out TV fame. http://www.southparkstudios.com/
4th, I had to skip stopping in one of my favorite other towns in the Rocky Mountains on my way to CB - Buena Vista, CO. I sighed as I headed past the turnoff to my beloved Mt. Princeton Hot Springs. But I'll still give them a plug, as I will probably devote a seperate post just to them. http://www.mtprinceton.com/. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit to their soaking pool.
That evening folks in town for the wedding gathered at the Brick Oven and The Princess to hang out, catch up and relax before the big day. Saturday, we had time to kill, so some buddies joined me on my cruise up to Mt. Crested Butte.
5th, up above Mt. Crested Butte is the ghost town of Gothic, CO. I am not sure how much of a ghost town this really qualifies as - we were disappointed we couldn't wander around like some of other favorite haunts. But in the spirit of reduce, REUSE and recycle, the town of Gothic is home to the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (http://rmbl.org/rockymountainbiolab/index.html). But the picture taking was phenomenal and the views around town were...interesting. Evidently, had we been at one of the workshops offered, we could have explored a little more . Instead, we opted to take some pictures of the breathtaking scenery and mosey back towards the more lively town down the mountain.
6th, up near the Lazy F Bar Ranch (http://www.lazyfbarranch.com/), I realized I had camped in the area before. Pictures taken from the reception site are featured above and I was pleasantly surprised to realize we were essentially across from the trailhead (can't locate the name of it) I had hiked with friends and down the road from a beautiful mountain meadow we had one time free camped in. The area was so amazing at the time, I had joked that the glen we used as a bathroom had to have been the nature's prettiest restroom ever...but I digress. All in all, that area is amazing and holds a special place in my heart from that trip. If you are ever in the area, you should at least drive by.
7th, we got to enjoy an unexpected car show in the town of Crested Butte the day after the wedding. Evidently they spent the weekend in Gunnison, CO and then do a breakfast cruise into Crested Butte. We got to take some time to wander past all of the cars (the flames were my fav!), sipping our iced yumminess (love that place!) from Camp 4 Coffee (http://www.camp4coffee.com/). My ride buddy was in love with the classic tear drop trailers attached to some of the cars on display. I simply thought it was a wonderful way to wrap up a wonderful weekend...
So all in all, we basically reveresed our trip on the way down. There are tons of other places I wish I had been able to stop at - Monarch Mountain Ski Resort for one. But maybe next time. This time, I was pooped and ready to get my dog and make it home!
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