Chilly Colorado

Yes, Michael and I were probably crazy to visit Colorado the last week of January--that is to say, since neither of us had any intention of skiing.

My grandmother lives in Montrose, on the Western slope of Colorado, about 1 hour from Telluride. We spent a relaxing week with her and some time with my aunt and uncle who also live there.

Montrose is a city that is built in a plain among the mountains. See below. I guess this is part of the reason it feels so completely remote!

The airport was tiny...probably the smallest I have ever been to (and that tops Huntsville, AL and Lexington, KY!)

My beautiful grandmother (mom's mom) and her precious, lame, deaf dog Honey.

My grandmother's house has a very large yard, a glimpse of the mountains and some beautiful sunsets. (look at all the snow!)

The first day there, we visited the Ute Indian Museum...much of the heritage in that area is bound up with Indian tribes.

My grandmother drove us around Montrose pretty extensively (I think population about 18,000)

(some of the wonderful murals everywhere)

three of Mike Simpson's beautiful watercolors now hang on our walls

We were ever on a quest for beautiful barns (sorry, Grandma :)) I have made a "Barns" calendar for Michael for the past several Christmases and needed some new photo subjects. Michael likes the old, falling-apart barns best. (harder to find in CO- still many picturesque though) We glimpsed some beautiful countryside in the process.

Montrose is also surrounded by adobe hills in front of the mountains

Montrose weather shifting to snow...

Llamas in a front yard

Corn is a major crop here in Montrose-- at least the Canadian geese enjoy the leftovers

One of the clearer days, we visited my aunt for lunch in their house up on the mesa. The house is beautiful and sits on 64 (I think) acres complete with deer, family goats, greenhouse, and solar panels along with every other gadget that keep the house running entirely off the grid.

Another day, we headed to Ridgeway and Ouray (up into the mountains) to glimpse these two tiny mountain towns.

We did spot a few barns on the way

The small town of Ridgeway is the 30-45 minutes half-way point between Montrose and Ouray. Once in Ouray (an old mining town--even more remote than Montrose, population about 1000), we spent an hour looking at the architecture and dining in the best the town has to offer :), a hole-in-the-wall New Orleans Po' Boy shop. The town still really bears a strong resemblance to an old Western mining town with its saloon, bank, fancy hotel, and main street. On the way home again, we saw dozens of mountain goats!

While it was fun for a week, I fear I am not cut out to be a mountain woman.

Goodbye, Montrose!