Telluride From Mill Creek Road

MyWorld Tuesday: Colorful Telluride

I think we have had the most perfect weather of the year for the past couple of days in Telluride. It has been the perfect time for a hike or a drive to see the different shades of autumn.

To see more interesting views all over the world, please visit My World Tuesday.

Casting Shadows

Alpenglow Treat

Once in a great while, we are treated to an awesome burst of color with an alpenglow. This is only the second time I have seen anything like this in 2 1/2 years. If you don't know what an alpenglow is, a Google search defines it as: Alpenglow (from German: Alpenglühen) is an optical phenomenon. When the Sun is just below the horizon, a horizontal red glowing band can sometimes be observed on the opposite horizon.

It sounds strange, but it's true that in Telluride we look east during the sunset instead of west!


Also, something else I am excited about is tonight's premiere of The National Parks: America's Best Idea on PBS. This is a series of 6 two hour long episodes covering the history of the national parks up to 1980. I was fortunate to view three of them during the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival in May, as well as take part in Question and Answer sessions with director Ken Burns, park ranger Shelton Johnson, and photographer Quang-Tuon Luong. If you have any interest in the national parks system or personal stories of trips to the parks, don't miss it!

I also purchased the book from the series where I came across this beautiful quote from John Muir:

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.

Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.

The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while

cares will drop off like autumn leaves.

Still Green

There are still several aspen trees along Last Dollar Road that haven't even begun to change.

SkyWatch Friday

My daughters climbed the rock climbing wall over and over during the Blues and Brews Festival on Sunday, during the times it wasn't raining, that is. During this climb the dark clouds had moved out and we were covered with white fluffy ones.

To see more beautiful skies around the world, please visit SkyWatch Friday.

All the Pretty Horses

I saw these horses when drove up Last Dollar Road to see how many leaves have changed color. I wonder if they appreciate their view of Wilson Peak.

Almost Complete

The new runway is almost finished at the airport and will reopen in November.

My World Tuesday: Goodbye Summer

The Telluride Blues and Brews Festival is the last festival of our summer season. Our beautiful park is usually as lush as a golf course, but with the rain and so many people walking around, the park quickly became a mud pit. I can't imagine how many hours of work will be required to restore back to pre-Blues and Brews condition.

To see more interesting places all over the world, please visit My World Tuesday.

The Great Bonnie Raitt

Last night I got to see the little redhead with a big voice, Bonnie Raitt, at the 16th annual Telluride Blues and Brews Festival. This was as close as I could get to the stage. Even though we had a fast rain and hailstorm, it only made the crowd tighten in together around the stage. After the hail stopped, she said, "You guys live in a crazy place!"

Inconsistent

The aspen leaves are really inconsistent in their changing around Telluride. I'm afraid that by the time the bright green leaves change, the aspens that changed first will have already lost their leaves.

Lone Tree Cemetery

This week I decided to visit the Lone Tree Cemetery for the first time. It is on the sunny side of town on a slope, so I can understand why there is a sign for no winter sports inside. There are a lot of interesting headstones ranging from the late 1800's to the present.

There are many graves of young miners, a reminder of what a hard life they had and usually died young.

Tribute to our soldiers.

A more modern memorial.

It was a dreary and rainy day, but you can see the signs of autumn popping up on the mountainside.

The Telluride Historical Museum offers guided walks regularly throughout the summer. I might go on one sometime to hear more about the history.

On a lighter note, it looks like the cool and rainy weather is going to continue through the weekend for my favorite festival, Blues and Brews. I'm planning on seeing Bonnie Raitt on Sunday evening!

SkyWatch Friday: Angel of Mountain Village

I have walked by the angel carving near the gondola station in Mountain Village many times and never thought to take a photo of it. The sky reflection was a bonus.

To see more beautiful skies all over the world, please visit SkyWatch Friday.

Construction Continues

The construction is still not completed at the luxurious Element 52 condominiums. This is the same crane that I called an eyesore last winter. Above you can see a few aspen leaves changing to gold.

Telluride Miners

It seems natural to have some old mining equipment in front of the schools since our mascot is the Miners, colors maroon and white.

My World Tuesday: Telluride Pizza Kitchen and Bistro

Yesterday afternoon the weather was just rainy and dreary, and it seemed like the perfect time to stay inside and try the newest restaurant in town, Telluride Pizza Kitchen and Bistro. They have a huge lunch menu ranging from Mediterranean to Italian and even a couple of dishes with a Mexican flair. I had the classic TPK pizza, topped with prawns, pesto and olive oil. Delicious!

It's My World Tuesday!! To see what is going on with others around the world, please visit My World Tuesday.

Roundabout

The roundabout at the entrance of town is a much better way to deal with traffic than a stoplight! In fact, there isn't a traffic light in all of San Miguel County. I caught the truck from Telluride Outside going around, probably after finishing a trip over Imogene or Black Bear Pass.

Boxster

I think the Porsche Boxster is such a cute car, but I think it would be a "summer only" vehicle in Telluride!

Snow

There was a little dusting of snow above town Thursday night, but it melted Friday afternoon.

SkyWatch Friday

The Telluride Film Festival banner was really flapping in the wind Sunday afternoon, with white fluffy clouds as the perfect backdrop.

To see more beautiful skies around the world, please visit SkyWatch Friday.

Adorable

Free Films

During the Telluride Film Festival, free films were shown nightly at Elks Park which included An Education, Coco Before Chanel and The Last Station.

My World Tuesday: The Road

Yesterday during the last day of the Telluride Film Festival, I was fortunate to catch the new Viggo Mortensen film, The Road. The passholders are allowed into the films first, and since I didn't have one, I had to wait in line hoping for an empty seat. I was thrilled that I was able to get in!!

Much to my disappointment, Viggo wasn't present at the showing that I saw. Apparently he was at the first presentation of the film, but my program said he would be at the afternoon showing also!! Anyway, we did get to see the Question and Answer session with the director, John Hillcoat.

The Road is in the setting of a post-apocalyptic world, a thrilling and horrific story of a man and his son trying to survive. All of the footing of natural disasters in the film were actually taken from real-life events and blended in to fit their backgrounds. Footage was used from Mount St. Helens, New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and even a shot from Bosnia. The story of how the film was made is as amazing as the film itself. It was an unforgettable performance by Viggo and the entire cast which included Charlize Theron and the amazing little boy Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Enjoy Viggo while you can, because he has hinted that he may soon stop acting! I didn't realize he is also a publisher, poet and visual artist.

So this is what has been going on in my world so far this week!! To see many other interesting places all over the world, please visit My World Tuesday.

Nicolas Cage

The Telluride Film Festival was fortunate to premiere Nicolas Cage's new movie Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Even though I didn't get to see the film this weekend, I did get to see Nicolas after his talk at the county courthouse. He has to be one of the hardest working actors around, putting out movie after movie it seems. I have loved so many of his movies that I can't even pick just one favorite. Lord of War, The Rock, City of Angels, oldie but goodie Raising Arizona are only a few of my faves. Of course he had an awesome performance in Leaving Las Vegas, but incredibly depressing.

My daughter was getting Nic's autograph here. For the kids, most recently he was the voice of Speckles in G-Force. He was so nice and gracious to everyone that wanted an autograph or photo. The Telluride Film Festival is very low-key, no red carpets or paparazzi involved. It must be a nice and relaxing atmosphere for celebs here during this festival.
I hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day Weekend with some relaxation and time with family or friends! I'm off to see if I can spot Viggo Mortensen today.

Columbines

I couldn't resist taking a picture of these Columbines in someone's yard when I passed by the other day.

Wilson Peak Bench

For sale at Sundance Mercantile.

SkyWatch Friday: 2009 and 1982

I posted a photo from 1982 back a few months ago and thought I would try to find the same spot to re-create it in 2009. My dad couldn't remember exactly where he was when he took the old photo, but I tried to get as close to the spot as I could. I was trying to use Ajax Peak and the elementary school as focus points, but the elementary school is hidden by trees now! So I was somewhere around the area where I stood when I was 10 and visiting Telluride on a family vacation.


It looks like we visited on a cloudy and overcast day in 1982, and this week the sky has been overcast and very hazy due to the wildfires in California.

To see more beautiful skies all over the world, please visit SkyWatch Friday.

Hazy Skies

The sky has been very hazy this week due to the wildfires in California. I was trying to take a picture of the Telluride Film Festival banner yesterday when the wind picked up and a tiny rain shower blew through. This weekend films will be shown at different venues all over town, celebrating the art of film. The film titles are kept a secret until opening day, so no one knows what celebrity sightings there could be over Labor Day weekend! I have yet to see a major celebrity in Telluride during the Film Festival, but maybe I just don't look hard enough.

School Days

The majority of the kids in Telluride go to school in one of the buildings at the entrance of town. This includes the Telluride Intermediate, Middle and High Schools, grades four through twelve.

Theme Day and My World Tuesday: Big

The September theme day for City Daily Photo is, "Big." There really isn't anything big in Telluride, it's just a small town with big views! We have big mountains all around us. Sometimes the mountains even cast shadows on the other mountains.

Our biggest mountains are over near Lizard Head Peak. To the right of Lizard Head here you can see El Diente, Mt. Wilson and Wilson Peak.

Today is also My World Tuesday!! To see more exciting places all over the world, please visit My World Tuesday. Also please click below to see the other participants for City Daily Photos' theme day.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants