2016 Our Fall Roadtrip to Southwest Colorado

By the fall of 2016, Dimitri had sufficiently recovered from his osteotomy and subsequent infection to do one of our favorite things. We went on a roadtrip to Southwest Colorado. Click here to see what we saw and experienced. (You may need to open a Google account to see our photos.)

We left Vail at about 11 a.m. and arrived at Little Cambodia in Salida at 1 p.m. (95 miles) where we had lunch. From Salida we turned west on Hwy 50 and headed to Monarch Pass. The drive was spectacular. On the way up to Monarch there was the most gorgeous abstract design of yellow and orange colors amidst the conifers. After 190 miles we arrived at a wide valley with gorgeous aspens. 

The town of Crested Butte was charming with its Victorian-era buildings in a wide valley that was surrounded by hills with conifers and aspens. Crested Butte ski mountain is a distinctive and interesting shape. We stayed on the mountain and had lovely views. We had dinner at Soupçon,127 Elk Ave # A, Crested Butte, CO 81224, tel. (970) 349-5448, soupcon-cb.com. We had to be there at 6 p.m. for the first setting. That was a bit inconvenient but we made it and we had a truly great meal. As usual, we shared everything. We started with the Duet of Foie Gras, Pan Seared Slice & Chilled Mousse of Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Strawberry Rhubarb Compote, Candied Orange Zest, House Made Brioche Toast, Rose Water Crème Fraîche, Cabernet Demi Glace ($25) and it was spectacular. We ordered a bottle of reasonably priced wine too. For our main we had the Roasted Colorado Lamb Rack,Gruyere Gratin Potatoes, Roasted Mushrooms, Jumbo Asparagus, Roasted Baby Beets, Roasted Sunchokes, Cabernet Demi Glace ($47). For dessert we shared the soufflé. Everything was beautifully prepared and served. This restaurant is a gem. We spent $158.65 plus tip.

We stayed at Mt. Crested Butte, CO: Elevation Hotel & Spa, 500 Gothic Road, Mt. Crested Butte, Colorado 81225. Our room was goad and so were the hotel's amenities. The room, with the $20 resort fee and $20 for parking cost $154.95, plus an additional 18.12% in 9 types of taxes or additional fees for a total of $174.94.

Our next stop was the Telluride Hotel in Telluride where we stayed only one night. Our next Telluride hotel was the Peaks Resort and Spa, 136 Country Club Dr., Telluride, CO 81435 which we liked much better. The “blended rate” per day was $194.65 plus a resort fee of $25 per day, parking of $24 per day and taxes.

 We had a fine time in Telluride, taking an amusing culinary tour. with Howie and Lois Stern. Our next stop was Ouray CO where we stayed in the honeymoon suite at Box Canyon Lodge and Hot Springs,45 Third Avenue PO Box 439, Ouray, CO 81427. We didn't like it. Our visit coincided with a performance of "The Ballad of Baby Doe" at the Wright Opera House in Ouray. We went and it was great!

Our next stop was Durango where we stayed at a Fairfield Inn. We did some hiking there and then off we went to Cortez through Mesa Verde National Park.  It was a beautiful day and we were driving through a wide, high desert valley. We stayed at a Hampton Inn in Cortez. We went to the Cultural Center and we took a tour. We went to the Anasazi Heritage Center and toured the the escalante and dominquez pueblos.

We drove the Trail of the Ancients Scenic and Historic Byway and saw the ancestral Puebloan life on the Great Sage Plain. Next was Canyons of the Ancients and Painted Hand Pueblo. We kept up our tourist-ing and went to Hovenweep National Monument and Little Ruin Canyon. Most of the buildings were built in the 1200's--pretty cool.

From Cortez we went to Farmington, NM where we hiked and toured. We ate a Navajo Indian Lunch at Ashkiis Navajo Grill, 123 W Broadway, Farmington, NM 87401. It cost $7.52 for mutton and dumpling soup. The mutton and broth were good; the dumplings were more like flour balls. From Farmington to Alamosa, CO  we went through Antonito to see Cano's Castle. Silly. After Chama, NM we took Hwy. 17 over Los Combres Pass at 10022 feet and then La Manga Pass at 10230 feet. The views of the aspens were gorgeous but just past their prime. Then we drove Conejos Canyon and Los Caminos Antiquos.

In Alamosa, we stayed at another Fairfield Inn. We toured the Great Sand Dunes National Park. We ended our Southwestern Colorado tour that year in Aspen where we stayed at the Little Nell. That was a treat.