At the Visitor Center in Montrose, we received some good advice about visiting Telluride which proved to be very helpful today. We parked in the Gondola Parking Lot ($7 for the day) in a covered space in Mountain Village. The gondola provides free transportation (2 million riders a year) from Mountain Village to Telluride with several stops in between.
We left Sadie in the car (high temperature today was only 70 and the car was covered). Amazingly, she prefers to wait for us in the car instead of being left behind in the RV. As long as it is not too hot and she has plenty of water and there's a nice breeze (windows half open), everything is good for her. So we headed out to ride the gondola to see the sights. Here's a photo of the station and some views of Mountain Village (that is close to Telluride).
We realized that dogs were allowed on gondolas, so after our first station stop, we returned to the parking garage to get Sadie. At first she was a little tentative about riding in it, but quickly adapted!
The views from the gondola were just gorgeous on this clear day.
When we arrived at Telluride, we strolled around this lovely town enjoying the sights. The Ute inhabited this area as seasonal hunting grounds for centuries. In the 1870s, mining ventures by settlers caused a substantial growth in population. The Ute were displaced to a region further southwest in Colorado, despite many signed (and broken) treaties.
There was a Farmers' Market going on today and we enjoyed wandering along the 3-block area where vendors were selling a wide array of produce, herbal products, flowers, clothing, jewelry, works of art, and more.
The San Miguel County Courthouse was built in 1887. Next to the courthouse, the Galloping Goose is on display. This is a combination truck and train that was built in the 1930s when the railroad went into receivership. It ran on gasoline and ran on the tracks carrying passengers and freight until the 1950s.
The New Sheridan Hotel was built in 1897 and was noted for its elegant dining and upscale accommodations. It fell into disrepair, but was restored in 1977 and is open for business today.
We ate lunch outside at the Floradora Saloon. I ordered the Lobster BLT and John had the Maple Ham Grilled Cheese and soup...both were delicious. Sadie took a nap underneath John's chair after enjoying a drink from the doggy waterbowl brought by our server.
Sadie made lots of new friends (although she wasn't interested in the Great Dane!) This is a very dog-friendly community.
We made our way back to Mountain Village on the gondola.
There were beautiful plantings everywhere in both Mountain Village and Telluride. The colors were so vibrant!
What a fun day. We really enjoyed spending some time in this beautiful mountain town. It must be amazing during the ski season. The free gondola transports winter visitors to various ski lifts as well as between Mountain Village and Telluride. We met several locals and it seems like a wonderful lifestyle here.
Hiking, mountain biking, and skiing are the primary outdoor activities. Here is a map of the region that is posted in many locations here.
Website: www.telluride-co.gov
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