Exploring the West...A Summer of Adventure and Insights...

[mph]

If you get the chance, make the turn towards Marble. Our intention was to revisit the Crystal River Mill but our plans changed. For the better...
We pulled into "town" and explored the area...It had been a few years since we had been there. Not a lot has changed. The general store had closed and a new, popular barbeque spot had opened. Some more weeds and grasses had covered up some of the structures. We drove up the road leading to Crystal Mill when some water caught our eye...Should we fish? The agenda was set.




Lilly and I on our search for water...



Found it! Notice the marble lying in the stream...That was all over...





Lilly didn't take long! The water and setting were marvelous!

I talked briefly to one of the marble quarry workers and asked if we could check out the quarry. He responded that we couldn't see the quarry up close and personal but if we drove up the quarry road, we could get an idea of the place. Sounds good! Let's roll.



The white rock coming out of the hillside was crazy awesome! Yep, that's marble. The largest quarry in the world!



Noticed a house for sale...Nice views all around! A little bit of a commute though





Big views were all around. I need to get back here to make some turns in the winter. The lines look impressive!



The road leading us somewhere...

 

[mph]

The road lead us to one of my favorite Colorado places--Crested Butte. The single track is out of this world! The camping is gorgeous...And, in my opinion is the prettiest mountain town in the state. We have our favorite, secret camping spot. We made a mad dash for it!



Always be courteous to the locals!



Just a nice, easy drive. Views galore! The road dropped us right into downtown CB.



Louise tried to help Lilly catch a big one!



Our camping spot...Awesome views and riverside!



Lilly loves to do the dishes...What a helper!





Like I said earlier...ride the singletrack. Out of this world!!!



All good things come to an end...It was time for us to do just that...leave...The road out got a little wet!

Our game plan is to head to the high country-the San Juans.

 

[ripper1600]

Great trip looking forward to seeing more of your post

 

[concretejungle]

Cool! I was just passing through Dillon, CO two weeks ago. I ended up staying on I-70 through CO and jumped on US50 in Utah through Nevada.

Seemed like all the views out west are just BIG!

 

[mph]

Big Views??? Yes, they are...hope you had a great trip!

Cool! I was just passing through Dillon, CO two weeks ago. I ended up staying on I-70 through CO and jumped on US50 in Utah through Nevada.

Seemed like all the views out west are just BIG!

 

[mph]

Our travels continued South to the San Juan mountains. A picturesque mountain range that offers crazy access. We headed towards Lake City. A quiet, peaceful mountain town. We really like to explore the mining history of the area. The San Juans are full of it!



The mountains hold a little snow still but it is going quick...waterfalls were everywhere!



We found a great camp along the mountain stream. The miners of the past liked the spot too! The altimeter says it all...






If you look at the picture above, you will notice the mountain shining in the setting sun. We glassed it a few hours later and saw a heard of elk eating up at 13,500 feet!!! It was crazy awesome!

The girls doing the dishes...a morning ritual!



The following day it was time to access the high county. Or should I say higher country. The roads were in great shape and dry!



The summit was in reach...



What goes up, must come down...This road got my attention. One wrong move, it was a long way down...






Make sure your rig is in top shape! I enjoyed the new front brakes that were recently installed!



Still going down...more to come...

 

[PDragon]

Adventure with family is the best adventure! Planning to do something similar with my kids, thanks for sharing

 

[jackkent]

You just had a great trip and a great adventure for the family. That is just so nice that you exposed your daughter in a young age to any adventure activity. How I'd wish my dad could have been just like you, making sure to have a quality time to your family and it is just not a simple quality time but a planned one. You can see in the picture that your daughter was extremely happy and fun-filled. Good job you got there man. What was your daughter's favorite place among the trip that amaze the little one?

 

[gorillamel]

Beautiful photos. I love that your daughter is so immersed in the outdoors and loves fishing!

Is your route totally planned out or are you more or less going places on a whim with general ideas in mind?

 

[Adventure IQ]

Great trip!


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[mph]

Thanks for the kind words. Ver nice of u...yep, she just loves being outside...her favorite place???? I would probably say silverton. She had been there before so she was a little familiar with the place. She really liked the town of telluride too. Probably be ause of the parade.

You just had a great trip and a great adventure for the family. That is just so nice that you exposed your daughter in a young age to any adventure activity. How I'd wish my dad could have been just like you, making sure to have a quality time to your family and it is just not a simple quality time but a planned one. You can see in the picture that your daughter was extremely happy and fun-filled. Good job you got there man. What was your daughter's favorite place among the trip that amaze the little one?

 

[mph]

Generally, I have an idea of a place in mind but how to get there and where to camp...up in air...many of colorados mtn towns have many ways of reaching them... I can think of 5 ways to get to crested butte with only one way being paved....

Beautiful photos. I love that your daughter is so immersed in the outdoors and loves fishing!

Is your route totally planned out or are you more or less going places on a whim with general ideas in mind?

 

[mph]

We made our way down...Not a lot of traffic but a few ATVs to watch for...I would say that Jeep rules out here. All were saw were Jeeps. There were a few Toyotas but mostly Jeeps and ATVs ruled the roost! It was time for lunch as we dropped altitude and made our way to Silverton. The mining history is what this place is all about...Fun to explore and shoot...



The miners must of led pretty hard lives! What they left behind is a tourist-mecca! We actually saw a local forest ranger fixing one of the buildings.





If there wasn't a mine to look at...there was a waterfall! Do see the old cabin? Now, that's a homestead!



We made it down to Silverton for ice cream. It was pretty busy being July 3. We had been there before, so after a short stop; we went back up. On our way to Telluride. The views got better and better as we got higher. Just enjoying the views!





My wife took a deep breath and we were off like a tortoise.





Look...There's Telluride! Over that pass and then the next one, etc. We were making progress!



Made the final "water crossing" before heading to our 5-star accommodations in Telluride. My wife and daughter excited for our 2 night stay in a lovely high-end resort in Telluride.



I think the valet was a little amazed to see a dusty, dirty land cruiser pull in...And, then with a smile on his face asked, "where have you guys been?"
"Here and there", I replied. With a smile on my face too.

More to come...

 

[hidesertwheelin]

Looks like a great time. I really need to get a job where get a decent vacation package.

 

[mph]

A few days in Telluride exploring the mining history, culture, and views. Telluride had a great 4th of July parade. A very, small town feel! After the parade, we went the CornerStore for a lunch. Nothing like having lunch in a home that was built in the late 1890s...Telluride was put on the map because of the mines. Just fun to explore...

The road twisted and rose a few thousand feet to an old mining settlement...



The residents must have mined here for a while because electricity was going to some of these old houses.





Views galore...One can't tire of San Juan mountain views!



Lilly enjoying the parade!



Our Landcruiser was packed and we were headed West. Headed towards home. Headed to Utah!