Bridal Veil Falls – Live Laugh RV

Two Cents Tuesday Challenge – Silly

June 6, 2014June 5, 2014by Ingrid45 Comments

Last week we met up with some folks in the beautiful town of Telluride, Colorado. This famous ski town located in southwest Colorado is full of charm and character…. graced with stunning scenery, fun eateries, plenty of festivals, and frequented by Hollywood stars.

Telluride has a low-key vibe and lack of pretentiousness that has Al and me coming back at every opportunity; not that we’ve had that many opportunities mind you. As a matter of fact, last week will only make our third visit to this awesome mountain town. The reason for the visit, even though we don’t really need a reason, was to meet up with fellow bloggers Barb and Maynard.

Elk in Colorado — As we approach the town of Telluride, we see a herd of Elk in the distance.

Smuggler's Brew Pub — The main street in Telluride. Photo taken last summer.

Al and I always get a kick out of meeting folks from the blogosphere. Sometimes we have a vague idea of what they look like, but many times we don’t….. especially if they don’t write a blog themselves. Then we not only don’t know what they look like but also don’t know anything about them. However, they sure have plenty of info on us from this blog.

That said, Maynard and I started communicating via email when he realized our travels would be taking us in similar directions at similar times. He and I set up a date, time, and place to meet – Smuggler’s Brew Pub in Telluride.

Al and I entered the Pub and I was immediately greeted with a “INGRID” followed by a huge hug. Ok….. I assumed this must be Maynard LOL. The four of us continued introductions and when we realized the Smuggler’s Brew Pub wouldn’t be ready for the lunch service for a while (can’t always believe what you read on the internet), I stepped up to the plate as tour guide. This was Maynard and Barb’s first visit to Telluride.

I whisked hubby and my 2 blog followers toward the gondola for a bird’s-eye view of Telluride. The gondola is viewed as public transportation and is free to the public. (“Hey, Aspen – you might want to take note”.) Little did I realize, Barb was none too fond of heights or gondolas. Oops, perhaps I should’ve asked! The three of us did manage to poke a little fun at her, and she was a good sport, but when I went to open the window…..she was quick to exuberantly exclaim “NO!”, thinking I was going to open the door. It’s locked, silly 😉

After that little sightseeing tour, it was back to the Smuggler’s Brew Pub where the guys imbibed in a brew called “Debauchery”. Need I say more? Drinks and lunch were delicious and we would definitely recommend the place.

Following lunch, the tour guide reappeared for a side trip to Bridal Veil Falls. Since this visit was still early in the season, the one lane gravel road up to the base of the falls was closed. So a long distance view would need to suffice. Maynard and I had our cameras out and there were lots of joking and silliness going on. Turns out, hubby and I were Maynard and Barb’s FIRST blogger meet up. Ta, da….. virgins no longer!

Bridal Veil Falls Telluride — Maynard and Barb on the left – Al and me on the right – Bridal Veil Falls in the background

Obviously, Al and I are working on our social skills; overcoming our shy, quiet, conservative, and introverted ways……. I know – SILLY!

Two cents Tuesday Challenge – Silly
Of course – I know it’s Friday and I’m posting a “Tuesday” Challenge. I’m still within rule #4. Perhaps I’ll post a Friday challenge on a Tuesday. I do live on ‘RV’ time after all 🙂

Tony Northrup’s DSLR Book: How to Create Stunning Digital Photography

Colorado, Photography

Wordless Wednesday

June 4, 2014by Ingrid44 Comments

Wordless Wednesday photo challenge……no words are necessary….. 🙂

Tony Northrup’s DSLR Book: How to Create Stunning Digital Photography

Colorado

Feeling Great!

September 17, 2013September 16, 2013by Ingrid61 Comments

Al turns onto my brother’s circular driveway with ease and plenty of room to spare. Within minutes we’re plugged in and have the RV set up. It’s lunch time. While I whip us up a couple of sandwiches, Al raises the blinds and opens some windows. He comments, “Wow, Ingrid. Check out these views”. We have some pretty darn good views of Grand Junction’s Bookcliff mountains. Great views, great price, great company…..brother and sister-in-law may regret extending the invitation for us to stay in their driveway for the week.

With lunch complete, Al’s off to run some errands while I contemplate a blog post…..

As I sit in my comfy chair in the RV staring out the window…..actually admiring the view. I have my laptop on my lap. I think about the past week. We enjoyed plenty of hiking and exploring. The weather wasn’t always agreeable but we managed. I review our time spent camped at Ridgway State Park. What exactly is it about this place that we’re drawn to? Probably the location….the location is awesome;

The town of Montrose is only twenty minutes to the north providing us with a large grocery store, Wal-Mart, Target, and more. To the south are the towns of Ridgway five minutes away and lovely Ouray just another 10.
Plenty of hiking trails out our front door with plenty more a short drive away
Views…..beautiful Colorado scenery in all directions
Exploring…..abundant amount of ghost towns, old mines, and 4×4 roads
A lake for kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing, and more
Ridgway State Park. You can see the RV’s beyond the water. We’re camped on that hill.

As I compose this list, the word ‘hiking’ jumps off the page….it makes me smile. It feels great to be back out hiking again. For about a three year period, hubby and I were confronted with some difficult times that left us physically and emotionally exhausted. Perhaps one day I’ll share. For now, let me just say, exercising took a back seat.

Our first two months on the road, hubby and I focused on recovering. Recovering not only from the events of the past 3 years but the physical move from a sticks n bricks house into a RV. Our decision to go full-time wasn’t planned over a long period of time. It just kind of evolved naturally over a few months and on a whim. And then the house sold in 48 hours. Yikes, we went into overdrive. Exhausting to say the least.

I can honestly say, hubby and I are feeling more like ourselves than we have in a very long time. We’re back in hiking mode and feeling better for it. We started our hiking endeavor off slow by taking the “nature trail” at Ridgway State Park. It’s more of an interpretative trail with plaques describing plants, geological items, and an authentic tee pee.

And from there….. as Emeril would say, we took it up a notch. The hiking got longer and more challenging. Sometimes we would hike an hour in the morning and another hour in the evening or we’d hike two hours in the morning, aware weather was approaching later in the day. One way or the other, we found ourselves out on the trails every day. Yep, the paws have been hurting, but in a good way.

We hiked every trail at Ridgway State Park; some easier than others. However, our real push was tackled in Telluride when we hiked up to Bridal Veil Falls.

From the Pandora Mill to the falls is a 1.8 mile distance with a 1200 foot elevation gain. At the top of the falls is a restored house/power plant that provides 25 percent of Telluride’s demand for electricity. Bridal Veil Falls is the tallest free falling fallings in the state of Colorado; 365 feet in length.

The hike took Al and me approximately two hours round trip. Elevation around 10,000 feet.

Al and I felt great after completing this hike. It had been the longest and most challenging to that point.

We drive back into the town of Telluride, park the car, and walk the main street looking for a place for lunch. We enjoyed a great burger at Flora Dora’s Saloon. Always on the lookout for cute T-shirts, after lunch Al asks if I’d like to browse the shops a bit. “Sure I’d like to, but these paws are telling me otherwise”. Time to head back to camp and tackle another hike tomorrow.