Travel and Adventure by Various Travel Authors

By Priscilla Lister

While our open-air, four-wheel-drive Jeep chugged and hugged the narrow, rocky Tomboy Road, our fingers gripped tightly around any bar available, all of us afraid to look down, where the mountain dropped precipitously nearly 5,000 vertical feet. As our bodies were jostled up to 13,000 feet, our minds were transported back to the 1880s, when the town of Tomboy thrived with 5,000 residents here at Imogene Pass, all of them trying to wrestle gold and silver out of these mountains while eking out a living in this extreme terrain.

We were in Telluride, Colo., best known for its extreme winter skiing. But my favorite seasons there are summer and fall, when outdoor activities run a far greater gamut and the beauty of these San Juan Mountains is at their peak.

Four-wheel-drive tours are one of those activities, and Dave Rote of Dave's Mountain Tours was our intrepid driver and storyteller up to the pass. He's been taking folks on these scenic tours year-round for some 15 years. As he kept assuring us, "I've done this 1,015 times."

It's just one of the adventures available in Telluride when snow isn't the main attraction. When the land is instead covered with quaking aspen trees in their bright green spring hues or yellow autumn colors, when the several powerful waterfalls are in full cascading motion, when the wildflowers such as red columbine, blue chicory, lavender aster, white daisy and purple wild geranium are in bloom, it's easy to see why this place is often called the crown jewel of the Colorado Rockies.

On another mid-June afternoon, we went on a guided hike with naturalist Peter Rowland of Further Adventures. As we hiked up about 1,000 feet in 2.2 miles to reach booming Bear Creek Falls, Rowland showed us where elk chew on aspen trunks for winter nutrition and taught us how to distinguish between fir and spruce trees.

"The fir needles are flat and friendly while the spruce needles are square and sharp," he told us. He picked tiny samples of wild parsley, bittercress, gooseberries and wild strawberries for us to taste, just as the Ute Indians had done for centuries. When we reached the falls, it began to precipitate -- Peter pointed out that it wasn't rain or snow, but grapple -- a kind of sleety snow similar to small hail pellets.

Nestled in a box canyon where there is really only one reasonable way in, Telluride sits at 8,700 feet elevation while its mountain surrounds rise up some 5,000 feet higher. The San Juan Mountains are the the second-youngest (Wyoming's Grand Tetons are the youngest) range in the continental United States, so they remain impressively jagged and sharp. In this region there are 13 of Colorado's 54 "fourteeners" -- peaks 14,000 feet and higher.

Surrounding this once-remote town are more than 160,000 acres of wilderness, where high-alpine lakes and wild rivers -- including the San Miguel River, one of the only non-dammed rivers left in North America -- and miles of hiking and biking trails beckon to the outdoor adventurer.

The core of Telluride is just 12 blocks by eight blocks and in 1963 was designated a National Historic Landmark for its Victorian architecture. It appears much as it did in the 1880s, when Butch Cassidy robbed his first bank here.

Those years were its first heyday, after gold had been discovered here in 1872. When Lucien Nunn began his big business of mining in 1881, he would eventually contribute technology to the world that changed it forever.

He formed a deal with George Westinghouse and his brilliant Croatian engineer, Nikola Tesla, to build the first alternating current prototype for bringing electricity to mining operations, since direct current wasn't up to the distance and voltage needed.

Telluride became the first town in the world to become electrified with alternating current generated by falling water -- it boasted electric lights before Paris did. The invention by Nunn, Westinghouse and Tesla sparked the "War of Currents" between the Westinghouse Electric Corp. and the General Electric Co. headed by Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan.

From 1905 to 1911, more than $16 million in gold and silver was extracted from Telluride mines, enabling the erection of the elegant brick buildings on Colorado Avenue as well as the gingerbread Victorian homes lining the side streets. We also learned about the broken treaties suffered by the area's native people, the Ute Indians, who used the area as a summer camp for centuries.

All of this history is on display through photographs, artifacts and stories at the Telluride Historical Museum that sits at the northern end of Fir Street in the restored 1896 Hall's Hospital building. One of the finest small museums in the country, Telluride Historical Museum offers a fascinating look into the town's past, while also offering high-tech self-guided audio walking tours via cell phone, MP3 or minidisk players. Some of these services are free.

I definitely wanted to stop in the historic bar at the 1895 New Sheridan Hotel to throw back a cold one just as Butch Cassidy did more than 100 years ago. The Mahr Building sits on the site of the San Miguel Valley Bank, where he is said to have robbed his first bank in 1889. While the old bank building burned, this one was erected in 1892 and now houses the Appaloosa Trading Co., an upscale western clothing and jewelry store.

After mining eventually collapsed, Telluride gradually became somewhat of a ghost town, as Tomboy had. It wasn't until 1973 when the ski resort was developed that the town had its second act of riches.

Another town was born here in 1995 to further cater to skiers. Mountain Village today rises 1,000 feet higher than Telluride and can be easily reached  by a free gondola ride that takes just 13 minutes between downtown Telluride and uptown Mountain Village. The combined population of the two is only about 3,500.

IF YOU GO

For more information: www.visittelluride.com

Getting there: Telluride's small airport can frequently be affected by bad weather, so a better idea is to fly to Montrose from Denver, then rent a car or arrange for transportation, which takes about an hour and a half. The Inn at Lost Creek will pick up their guests. A car isn't necessary in Telluride because of the gondola.

Staying there: Warm and inviting with a staff to match, The Inn at Lost Creek is located at 119 Lost Creek Lane, Mountain Village, Telluride, Colo., 81435; 888-601-LOST (5678); www.innatlostcreek.com. Rates for the residence suites with petite kitchen, living area, fireplace, steam shower and jetted tub are $210 Monday through Thursday, $279 Friday or Saturday. Bed-and-breakfast rates in studio accommodations start at $200 per night. Rates may be higher during festivals.

Eating there: The 9545 restaurant and bar, named for its elevation, is onsite at the Inn at Lost Creek and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a relaxed atmosphere, featuring Southwest-style bistro cuisine.

Just across the way from the inn is the Onxy Restaurant at Capella Telluride, a five-star resort that was named one of the best new hotels on the 2009 Hot List in Conde Nast Traveler. The Onxy is sleek and modern, and Chef Gabriel Kolofon's cuisine is sophisticated with an emphasis on local meats and produce. Located at 568 Mountain Village Blvd., Telluride, Colo., 81435; 877-247-6688; www.capellatelluride.com.

We raved about the authentic Thai cuisine we enjoyed at Siam in downtown Telluride, 200 South Davis; 970-728-6886. Go to www.telluridediningguide.com for a sample of its extensive menu.

For casual Mexican, don't miss La Cocina de Luz on Colorado Street in downtown Telluride. Its Mexican classics feature organic, free-range and locally grown ingredients, including many vegetarian and gluten-free dishes. 123 E. Colorado Ave.; 970-728-9355.

What to do:

Dave's Mountain Tours, a half-day four-wheel-drive expedition up Tomboy Road is $75 for adults, $55 for children; 970-728-9749; www.telluridetours.com.

Find Further Adventures in the Boot Doctors store in Mountain Village, 970-728-8954; www.furtheradventures.com. Half-day guided hikes are $95 per person for groups of four or more, $210 for a private trip. Full-day guided hikes are $115 to $250, including picnic lunch.

For more information about the Telluride Historical Museum, go to www.telluridemuseum.org or pick up a brochure with detailed map at the museum or several local businesses.

Priscilla Lister is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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