san juan skyway visitor guide summer 2015

Summer/Fall 2015

Skyway

SanJuan

SkywayVISITOR GUIDE

SanJuan

VISITOR GUIDE

2 SanJuan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2015

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SanJuan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2015 3

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VACATION RENTAL


Contents

10 Dipping In A Stand Up Paddleboarding Primer

12 Celebrating the Centennial Sherbino Theater Turns 100

16 Peak Bagging Fourteeners in the San Juan Mountains

20 The Inside Story Tour the Old Hundred Gold Mine

26 Choose Your Own Adventure Expedition Vehicles from Tonto Trails

28 The Electricity of Connection Meet Mancos Artist Veryl Goodnight

34 Fresh is Best Farmers Markets Along the Skyway

38 Colorado’s Finest Wines Sutcliffe Vineyards Earns Top Ratings

42 Crow Canyon New Free Archaeological Tours

46 Yoga in the Mountains High-Altitude Workout for Body and Soul

50 Upshot The Night Sky, photo by Ryan Bonneau

Towns Along the Skyway

24-25 San Juan Skyway map and routes Features

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8Ridgway

14 Ouray

18 Silverton

22 Durango

30 Mancos

32 Cortez

36 Dolores

44 Telluride

Open 7am - 9pm daily Mountain Village Town Hall Plaza

(970) 728-6500

Open 7am - 9pm daily 490 Sherman Street, Ridgway

(970) 626-5811

SpiritsOpen 11am - 9pm daily

Mountain Village Town Hall Plaza

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Visit Our New Telluride Location!

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A Full-Service Conventional and Natural Foods Market

Skyway

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VISITOR GUIDE

TELLURIDE PUBLISHING, LLC

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ADVERTISINGJenny Page

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EDITORIAL Deb Dion Kees

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CREATIVE DIRECTORKristal Rhodes

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DISTRIBUTIONTelluride Delivers

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WEB GURUSusan Hayse

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PHOTOGRAPHYRyan Bonneau, DATO, Ray Dileo, Joe Skalsky, Kane Scheidegger

Shauna Tewksbury, Thirdeye Visionaries

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The San Juan Skyway Visitor Guide is produced by Telluride Publishing.Telluride Publishing also produces

Telluride Magazine

For more information, visit telluridemagazine.com

For advertising inquiries:[email protected]

970-729-0913For editorial inquiries:

[email protected]

©2015 Telluride Publishing, LLC. Cover and contents are fully protected

and must not be reproduced in any manner without written permission

from the publisher.

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COVER PHOTO BY Ryan Bonneau



The thing that struck me when I first moved here 20 years ago was the incredible vastness of Southwest Colorado. The wide, open spac-

es. The mountain landscape. After living most of my life in places where there were people or buildings everywhere, it seemed unimaginable that there was all of this untouched, undeveloped wilderness. It was breathtaking. It still fills me with awe.

What makes it so special is that there are e ndless opportunities to explore. There are lots of stops for tourists along the San Juan Skyway, but some of the best treasures to be discovered are just a small detour off the main road. In this issue you’ll be introduced to “overlanding,” (p. 26) camping in an expedition vehicle on the dirt roads that stretch through the wilderness. Once you’re out in the backcountry, with no one around for miles, you’ll feel that sense of peace that only comes from being outdoors in nature. You’ll also get a primer on peak bagging in the San Juans (pp. 16–17)—this region is home to thirteen gorgeous peaks that are higher than 14,000 feet. Summiting one of these jewels is an epic experience. Or you can rent a paddleboard (p. 10) and set out to explore the reservoirs, lakes,

and rivers that make this region so extraordinary.There are other special side trips, places to stop

along the Skyway that will make your journey mem-orable. You can sip some of Colorado’s finest wines at Sutcliffe Vineyards in McElmo Canyon, venture inside an old mining tunnel at the Old Hundred Gold Mine in Silverton, examine artifacts from Puebloan culture at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, enjoy the art at the Goodnight Trail Gallery in Mancos, or take a yoga class in the mountain town of Telluride. All of the artists, artisans, archaeolo-gists, historians, and teachers in these communities draw their inspiration from the same place: the land-scape that surrounds us.

Whatever side road you take, and whatever stops you make, I hope that you’re inspired by the land-scape, too. The point of a journey isn’t just to arrive at a destination: it’s about the journey itself, the way the road disappears at the horizon where land meets sky, showing us that everything is possible.

Happy sojourn,Deb Dion KeesEditor, San Juan Skyway Visitor Guide

“Why does every road eventually narrow into a point at the horizon? Because that’s where the point lies.”

– Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

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RidgwayEven Hollywood took note of Ridgway’s spectacular Western scenery and character, setting the original film True Grit here decades ago. Ridgway is the northernmost entry to the San Juan Skyway and is known as the Gateway to the San Juans. Its beau-tifully manicured town park hosts music concerts, arts festivals, and a farmers market and its county fairgrounds is home to a great professional rodeo that caps off the summer. Ridgway has a sprawling reservoir with camping and its tributary the Uncompahgre River, with all sorts of watersports opportunities, boating, SUP, tubing, fishing, and waterskiing. The community is a hub for artists and craftsmen, with lots of galleries and outdoor sculpture, and the Ridgway Railroad Museum pays tribute to the town’s advent as a transportation hub, headquarters of the Rio Grande Southern narrow gauge railroad serving miners, ranchers and farmers in the 1800s.

MAY3 Ridgway Home TourCheck out the beautiful architecture and style of Ridgway.

16 Love Your Valley FestivalThe festival is from 1–6 p.m. and features micro brews, live music, and dog contests.

16 ROCC Parking Lot SaleStarting at 8:30 a.m., rummage through the treasures and score some deals at this signature annual event behind the Ridgway Library.

JUNE26 Chamber Music ConcertTrio Solisti performs at the Wright Opera House.

26 Ridgway River FestivalAnnual river festival is held at Rollans park, with races, exhibitions, live music, food and drinks.

JULY2, 9, 16, 23, 30Concert SeriesCatch free, outdoor live music at Hartwell Park.

AUGUST 8–9 31st Annual Ridgway RendezvousThis art festival features arts, crafts, food, and music.

8 Mt. Sneffels Marathon/Half-MarathonRunners traverse the county roads back and forth from Ouray in this popular annual race.

20 ROCC TalkRalph Tingey discusses “A Life in the Wilderness” at 7 p.m. at the Sherbino Theater.

SEPTEMBER5 The Axel Project Bicycle ClassicRide round trip from Ridgway to Placerville or Telluride (48 or 80 miles) and support the organization that helps children get bikes.

5–7 Rodeo in RidgwayRanch rodeo events on Sept. 5, and professional rodeo on Sept. 6–7 with the CPRA Roughstock events at the Ouray County Fairgrounds in Ridgway. The Labor Day rodeo parade is followed by a barbecue in the park.

11–13 Sherbino’s 100th Birthday CelebrationRidgway’s beloved historic theater and community center turns a century old.

12 Ridgway Chamber Golf ScrambleIt’s tee time at the Divide Ranch & Golf Course.

27 Mt. Sneffels Fiber FestivalWorkshops, classes, and exhibitions of fiberwork. Arts and crafts and more are for sale at this fun annual event.

OCTOBER15 ROCC Talk Listen to the discussion about the Colorado river, the drought, and competing water interests at the Ridgway Town Hall.

CALENDAR of EVENTS

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Cruising on the lakes, reservoirs, and even rivers on a stand up paddleboard (SUP) is so relaxing that it doesn’t even feel like exercise. But it is. You might be so distracted by the mountains, the pine trees, and the sunlight shimmering on the water that you forget you’re actually getting a pretty good workout. When you’re steadying

your board and skimming along with a paddle, you are working the core muscles of your body—sort of like a peaceful Pilates class, outside in nature.

Stand up paddling is the fastest growing segment of the water sports industry—contributing $18.5 mil-lion in revenue in 2014—and there’s a good reason for that. Anyone can do it. It’s as simple as getting the gear, and going out on the water. If you’re thinking about dipping in, here is a quick primer on the sport:

GET THE RIGHT GEAR—Having the right size board, with the right amount of flotation for you, is important. You want a board that’s big enough for you, and the wider and flat-ter it is, the more stable. Some boards are meant for wave-riding, with thinner rails and more rocker (curvature lengthwise) but there are great all-around boards for rent at RIGS in Ridgway. RIGS also has SUP instruction, so if you’re nervous about testing the waters, take a lesson.

The proper paddle is just as important—most have a straight shaft, and should be about 10 inches

taller than you, so that your grip is at mid-palm with shoulders square and arms overhead. It’s also a good idea to wear a PFD (personal flotation device).

USE YOUR CORE—Your arms will tire out very quickly if you’re focus-ing your strength on them. The core muscles of your body, your midsection, are a much stronger and big-ger muscle group. Keeping your midsection engaged while you paddle is the best way to stay balanced and will give you lots of endurance.

FIND THE SWEET SPOT—Figure out what kind of paddling adventure you’re looking for, and then pick the right spot. There are lots of great places to paddle in the Ridgway area, from flat, calm water to whitewater that you can actually surf on a paddleboard. Here are a few suggestions:

Ridgway ReservoirThe Ridgway Reservoir is the biggest, most convenient place to start. There are 1,000 surface-acres of calm, flat water and the scenery is beautiful. There are camp-ing sites and lots of inlets and shoreline to explore. The Reservoir is also probably the warmest body of water in the area.

Woods LakeWoods Lake is a small, alpine lake off Highway 145 near Placerville. The water is calm and flat (and very cold) and it’s a pristine area with some primitive camping and very few people.

Rollans ParkRollans Park in downtown Ridgway has parking and a great launch for whitewater paddling on the Uncom-pahgre River. There are waves for surfing, and this is an advanced section of whitewater (class II-III rapids).

PADDLE!G E T T I N G O U T O N T H E W A T E R


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On the 11th of September in 1915, Louis Sherbi-no and his son opened their newly built theater in Ridgway for a three-reel picture show and a

dance. The opening gala was a huge success, and four hundred people attended the show and two hundred guests danced to the four-piece orchestra, according to the Ouray Herald. At the time, the beautiful building had the latest technology, perfect ventilation, comfortable seating, great lighting, and an ideal floor for dancing.

Through the years, the building had a colorful histo-ry. Its corner front served as a drugstore and soda foun-tain in the early part of the 1ast century. It was one of only about ten buildings in the commercial district that survived fires and explosions in the 1930s, and during some of its closures, men would sneak in to do some illegal gambling. It was briefly a post office, a movie theater, a yurt and tipi factory, and even a roller rink. It was often used as a performance space for music and theater and other programs, and for a short stint it was a

watering hole—the White Horse Saloon—but in 2011, the aging Sherbino Theater went dark.

The citizens of Ridgway feared that it might close for good, so they took action. They staged an “Emer-gency New Year’s Party,” and bands played for free, breweries donated beer, liquor stores donated wine and tequila, and more than 200 people showed up. The message was clear: the community wanted to re-vive the theater and keep it open.

In February of 2012, the Ridgway Chatauqua Soci-ety formed, with a board of nine directors and another dozen people serving on committees. In July, they received their 501(c)3 nonprofit designation. “The Sherbino Theater’s programming is based on the leg-acy of the Chautauqua Movement and the principles of lifelong learning and sharing of art, craft, music and intellectual and civic engagement,” says Executive Director Ashley King-Grambley.

Now the group of committed citizens and commu-

nity members is raising funds to renovate the historic building and to keep its doors open for all to enjoy. They intend to raise money to pay off the debt, restore some of the historical features like the signature brick-work, fix the roof, retrofit the building with eco-efficient infrastructure, and improve the acoustics. There is also a Centennial Celebration in the works for the Septem-ber anniversary of the theater’s opening.

The Sherbino is well loved and used for all types of events: local theater performances and camps, the Sherb Talk lecture series, musical acts, Moon Walk art shows, fundraisers, classes, Open Bard poetry read-ings, and film screenings. Most importantly, it is a place for people in the community to come together, says King-Grambley. “For 99 years, this has been a place for people to gather. As citizens, we value our small town connectedness—and we like to know and be friends with our neighbors. Spaces like this build community through programming and the arts.”

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Our ayWhen you drive into Ouray you may wonder where you took a wrong turn and how you ended up in the European Alps. From Ouray’s incredible Uncompahgre Gorge (which is famous for its manmade ice climbing park in winter) to the pristine and beautiful mountains in which it is encircled, as well as its quaint Victorian architecture, old-fashioned shops, and historic main drag and museum, the town has a distinctly alpine feel. Ouray has all kinds of recreational opportunities, such as hiking, running, camping, jeeping, river sports, and mountaineering; whatever you do, don’t miss the Pe-rimeter Trail, which offers a stunning view of the Cascade Falls and the gorge. After you recreate, relax by visiting one of Ouray’s geothermal treats, hot springs, a pool, or vapor caves.

MAY8–9 Ouray County Fork FestOuray County Fork Fest is a celebration of local restaurants and a local grower showcase.

31 World’s Greatest Living Songwriters TourHayes Carll & Bob Schneider perform at the Wright Opera House.

JUNE4, 11, 18 & 25Mountain Air Music series Every Thursday from 6–9 p.m. enjoy free, live outdoor music by the Hot Springs Pool at Fellin Park.

26 Trio SolistiA chamber music performance at the Wright Opera House.

27–28 Centennial Ranch The Ouray County Historical Society presents an open house from 11 a.m. –4 p.m. at the Centennial Ranch.

JULY4 Old Fashioned CelebrationEnjoy the Fourth of July in Ouray, starting with the Ourayce 10k, a parade, kids games, water fights, a concert by Black Lillies at Fellin Park, a jeep light parade at dusk and fireworks after dark.

30–Aug 9 55th Annual Alpine Artist HolidayCelebrate the arts with this longstanding event and summer tradition at the Ouray Community Center.

AUGUST 8 Mt. Sneffels 1/2 & Marathon Run/WalkRunners traverse the country roads back and forth from Ouray in this popular annual race. For more information, visit www.mtsneffels.org

9–15 Ouray Canyoneering FestivalUnder the big tent in Fellin Park, this rendezvous includes canyon trips, gear display and demos, raffles, and presentations.

15 Mountain Air Music Nothing says “summer” like this brew and music festival: barbecue, craft beers, and live music, all held at the Fellin Park next to the Hot Springs Pool.

20-30 Highgraders Holiday Mining Competition & Heritage Weekend Celebrate the region’s mining history and watch the hardrock competitions at the Ouray Hot Springs Park.

SEPTEMBER3–5 Labor Day County Fair Rodeo and ranching events and a county fair are held over Labor Day weekend at the Ouray County 4H Event Center.

6–7 Ouray County RodeoA professional rodeo (CPRA) and ranching events are held at the Ouray County Fairgrounds.

12 Imogene Pass RunRacers test their skills against the 17.1-mile course from Ouray to Telluride over Imogene Pass.

26–28 Mount Sneffels Fiber FestWeehawken Creative Arts presents this celebration of fiber arts.

27 Ouray Mountain Trail RunRunners circumnavigate the town of Ouray on the Silvershield, Ice Park and Portland trails and enjoy the great views and fall foliage.

OCTOBER15 ROCC Talk Listen to the discussion about the Colorado river, the drought, and competing water interests at the Ridgway Town Hall.

4–7 “Ourally” Alpine Road RallyParticipants in this event traverse three scenic byways in four days.

CALENDAR of EVENTS

PHOTOS BY JOE SKALSKY


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FourteenersPEAK BAGGING IN THE SAN JUANS

It’s easy to see what makes Colorado special—just look up. The Rocky Mountains stretch across the state, and Colorado has fifty-five peaks that are above 14,000 feet in elevation, called “Fourteeners.” These gorgeous, towering giants are geology’s mas-

terpiece, and the Fourteeners in the San Juan Mountains that surround the Skyway are arguably the state’s most beautiful.


The San Juan Mountains are home to thirteen of these Fourteeners, and their rugged beauty defines the region. They are photographed, painted, revered, and yes, even skied and climbed. Mountaineers call it “peak bagging,” and some intrepid adventurers have topped out on all of the Fourteeners. But the term is deceptively dismissive of the enormous effort and danger in-volved in reaching the summit of these peaks. Climbing a peak is extremely difficult and challenging, and it’s not for everyone. The San Juans are no-torious for their knife-edged ridges,

exposed vertical faces, and rotten, crumbling rock. In the summer, there are scree fields and often still snow fields, and when climbing some peaks it’s a good idea to bring an ice axe. But getting to the top of a Fourteener is one of the most rewarding and incredi-ble experiences you can have.

If you’re in great physical shape, have some mountaineering experi-ence, and you’re up for a big adven-ture, you can hire a guide or get some topo maps and advice from a local outfitter. There is lots more informa-tion online, and 14ers.com is a web-

site devoted to all the grand peaks of Colorado.

If you make it to the top, don’t forget to sign the register. Each summit has a weatherproof canister, and inside there is a list of people who have reached the peak and a pen to add your name. People usu-ally write their name, where they’re from, and often a remark about the weather or some other musing about the climb or the view. The registers are collected and re-corded, so your own ascent will be chron-icled in the annals of Fourteeners history.

Here’s a brief overview of the Four-teeners to whet your appetite:

Colorado

SAN LUIS PEAK 14,014 feetSan Luis Peak is one of the most remote peaks, and therefore it is also perhaps the least climbed of the Fourteeners. The easternmost peak in the San Juan Mountains, San Luis is located in the midst of the La Garita Wilderness, but pretty far from anything else— about 40 miles south of Gunnison, nine miles north of Creede, and 20 miles east of Lake City. There are two main trail-heads: Stewart Creek and West Willow Creek, and some fairly easy (non-technical) routes to the top.

UNCOMPAHGRE PEAK 14,309 feet & WETTERHORN 14,015 feetThese two peaks are on the northern edge of the San Juan range, about ten miles west of Lake City. Uncompahgre is the highest peak in the San Juans (sixth highest in the state) and comes from the Ute words meaning “hot water spring.” Wetterhorn is named for the Wetterhorn peak above Grindelwald in the Swiss Alps, but Colorado’s Wetterhorn is actually almost 2,000 feet higher than its alpine namesake. Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn are just three miles apart, so some people choose to climb both together, although Wetterhorn is more technical than Uncompahgre and there is a peak (Matterhorn) between the pair. There are several trailheads: Nellie Creek, Matterhorn Creek, West Cimarron and Middle Cimarron. Most climbers try-ing to bag both peaks start at the Matterhorn Creek trailhead and climb Uncompahgre first.

REDCLOUD PEAK 14,034 feet & SUNSHINE PEAK 14,001 feet & HANDIES PEAK 14,048 feetThese three peaks are located in wilderness study areas approximately ten miles southwest of Lake City. Redcloud Peak is often awash in clouds and difficult to see, but it stands 1.3 miles away from Sunshine Peak (the lowest of all the Fourteeners) and climbers often tackle both of these non-tech-nical peaks together. Handies stands alone, about five miles west of the other two peaks, and is ac-claimed for the fantastic views from its peak. Trail-heads are Mill Creek, Silver Creek-Grizzly Gulch, American Basin, and Grouse Gulch.

MOUNT EOLUS 14,083 feet & SUNLIGHT PEAK 14,059 feet & WINDOM PEAKThese rugged peaks are also the most remote of the state’s Fourteeners. They stand guard in the heart of the Weminuche Wilderness. Eolus is named for the Greek god of winds, and is aptly named as it is known for its violent thunderstorms and weather. Sunlight stands 1.6 miles east of Eolus, and reaching the summit requires some very bold climbing on exposed rock. Windom is a half mile south of Sunlight, and is the first of the peaks you see when hiking up Needle Creek—it’s also the least technical and easiest to climb in this group. The Needleton Trailhead is the most direct, and is accessible only by the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Other alterna-tives are Purgatory and Vallecito Trailheads.

MOUNT SNEFFELS 14,150 feetMount Sneffels is a stunning, singular peak that dominates the views from the alpine ba-sins below in the Uncompahgre National Forest. Sneffels is seven miles west of Ouray and five miles north of Telluride, and it is the jewel of the postcard view you get from Dallas Divide along the San Juan Skyway. It is not a terribly technical climb, and you can access it by the Yankee Boy Basin Trailhead on the Telluride side, or the East Dallas Creek Trailhead on the Ridgway side.

WILSON PEAK 14,017 feet & MOUNT WIL-SON 14,246 feet & EL DIENTE PEAKThe Wilsons are the quintessential group of Fourteeners, and if the view from Highway 145 seems familiar, it’s because these peaks adorn the Coors beer logo. These peaks are very re-mote, and very rugged—they stand 13 miles southwest of Telluride in the western San Juans, although they are relatively close to each oth-er. These are some of the state’s most difficult Fourteeners to climb, and the kinfe ridge be-tween El Diente and Mount Wilson is notorious-ly dangerous. There are four trailheads: Silver Pick (the most direct access to the north of the peaks), Navajo Lake, Kilpacker Basin, and Lizard Head Creek.


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silvertonSilverton is the best-kept secret in the San Juans. The tiny, historic town only has about 400 residents, and they like it that way—they have miles and miles of ruggedly beautiful mountains as their private playground, with great jeeping, hiking, biking, trail running, mountaineering and river running in their own backyard. There are beautiful Victorian buildings to explore, including the notorious Blair Street establishments, mining tours and gold-panning, music, and theatre. Silverton is also home to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, where visitors arriving on the first train each summer are treated to locals dressed in Victorian-era costumes and the old-time sounds of a brass band.

MAY2 Train’s First DayThe Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad makes its first trip of the summer.

17 Bar D DinnerThe Silverton Chamber of Commerce hosts this annual fundraiser dinner, and announces the Citizen of the Year.

23 Iron Horse Bicycle ClassicCyclists race the train from Durango to Silverton in this annual bike race.

JUNE20 Cemetery Work DayLocals pitch in to spiff up the beautiful local cemetery.

27 Taste of Silverton Block Party and Street DanceRevelry takes to the streets in Silverton, with music, food and drink at this annual party.

27 Antique Truck ShowCheck out these beautiful vehicles at the parade and on display on Blair Street.

JULY4 Fourth of July Celebration and FireworksLocal festivities kick off with a Blue Ribbon fun run/walk, then roll into a parade, the Fire Department’s water fight, the International Rhubarb Festival, a Silverton Brass Band Concert, a Ducky Derby, a theatre matinee, and a fireworks display after dark.

10–12 Hardrock Hundred Endurance RunPerhaps the most grueling of any mountain trail race, the Hardrock Hundred starts and finishes in Silverton and traverses the San Juan Mountains.

18 Silverton Mountain Run and K2 DoubleRace up Kendall Mountain once—or twice—at this popular mountain endurance run, starting at 12th and Greene Streets and finishing in Memorial Park.

18 Silverton Barbershop Music FestivalEnjoy the quaint sound of barbershop music at the Silverton gym.

AUGUST 1–2 Mountain Man Softball TournamentBall players convene at the ball field at the Visitors Center for this annual tourney.

7–9 Hardrockers HolidaysThis event celebrates the town’s mining history with drilling contests and a tug-of-war.

13–16 True West RailfestCelebrate the special narrow gauge railroad with events in Silverton and Durango.

14–16 Great Western Rocky Mountain Brass Band FestivalDelight in these special, old-fashioned concerts at the Silverton School gym.

22 Silverton Alpine Marathon & 50kA unique, high alpine course marks these running races, which start and finish at Memorial Park.

25–30 1-2-3-6 Day & 1,000-mile ChallengeMountain endurance runners race for 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, six days or 1,000 miles, starting at the Kendall Mountain Recreation Area.

SEPTEMBER4–5 The Silverton Western Movie FestivalWestern cinema showings at the Silverton School Performing Arts Center.

12–13 Silverton Quilt Show and SaleCheck out the local fabric artistry at the Silverton School gym

26–27 Fall Photographers WeekendPhotographers shoot the beautiful fall landscapes at this event, hosted by the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

OCTOBER31 Last TrainThe last summer train ride from Durango to Silverton heralds the coming of winter.

CALENDAR of EVENTS

PHOTOS BY RAY DILEO

The Inside Story



802 Main Ave Durango, CO 81301800.525.8855 • www.durango.org

Download our FREE Tour App

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Have you ever wondered what it must have been like to be a miner during the Gold Rush? How they burrowed into the mountains of Colorado and chiseled the ore by hand from deep, high-elevation

tunnels? If you want to take a close look at the early days of mining, there is no better way to explore history than the Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour in Silverton.

Visitors get to actually go inside the mine, riding in a mine train pow-ered by an electric battery. Then they walk through the serpentine mining tunnels, following a vein of ore and seeing the coloration of the minerals. Tour guides demonstrate the drilling of the dynamite holes and placing of fuses to show how the blasting was done, the hoist that allowed miners to go up vertically into a mine shaft, the mucking machine that loaded up piles of broken rock, the carbide lighting and candles that made it possible to see, and even the antique “honey wagon” that once served the miners who were underground for unimaginably long periods of time. The tour gives a very intimate and unique perspective of the mining operations. “We have all authentic mining equipment from the San Juan area,” says Old Hundred owner Bill Jones. “It’s spectacular. You can see how much work it was, especially the hand drilling with hammers before the develop-ment of the air drill. The miners had to put up with a lot of hardships and hard work to make just a few dollars a day.”

When visitors emerge, they get to pan for gold—a highlight of the tour—and the trough contains silver, copper, and actual bits of gold dust. “No fool’s gold. We want them to find something real,” says Jones. “The gold panning is really popular.”

The Old Hundred Gold Mine is in Cunningham Gulch, which drains into the Animas River. Perched above the mine, at 12,000 feet in elevation on the mountainside, is the original 1904 boardinghouse, another piece of history that has been stabilized and preserved. There was an aerial tram, something like a ski lift, which used to shuttle thirty or more miners up to the boardinghouse, where they would live for weeks. Outside of the mine there is a great viewing area of the boardinghouse and tram towers, letting you see where workers stayed and how they commuted to their underground jobs.

Jones has had a career in mining since the 1970s, when he did as-saying at the Mayflower Mill in Silverton. He analyzed rock samples for the miners and geologists to help determine if they’d actually hit “paydirt.” He still works for a gold mining company in Canada and Washington, but now his specialty is water treatment to prevent pollution from mining oper-ations. Most of the tour guides at the Old Hundred are from Silverton, and several worked in the mine themselves, so they have stories and experi-ences to share that make the tour come alive.

The Silverton Heritage Pass lets you take the mine tour, and visit both the Mayflower Mill and Mining Heritage Center & 1902 Jail in Silverton—seeing all three will give you some perspective on how the mining industry laid the foundation of the Southwest region. Even the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is a vestige of the mining era, built to help transport ore and passengers through the mountain corridors. “Mining history is part of the whole fabric of the economy of the San Juans,” says Jones, “and all the major elements of 19th and early 20th century life are still intact and preserved.”

For more information, visit minetour.com.

TOUR TAKES VISITORS INTO THE

TUNNELS OF THE

Old Hundr ed Gold Min e


Dur angoThe authentic Western town of Durango is the San Juan Skyway’s version of a metropolis—there are even a few traffic lights on its main corridor—and town is the main population center of Southwestern Colorado, so there are plenty of businesses and nightlife in the down-town area. But the town is also a hub for outdoor recreation, with the Animas River, local lakes, and lots of great hiking, biking, and mountaineering. There are all kinds of unique experiences you can have in Durango, from the interactive Durango Discovery Museum, to a trip on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a day of zip lining or a paintball fight, to an old-fashioned shootout at the quick draw competition each year. Durango is the perfect mix of Old West and New West culture.

MAY2 Train’s First DayThe Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad makes its first trip of the summer.

5 Ballet Folklorico QuetzalliTroupe from Veracruz performs traditional Mexican dances, accompanied by authentic stringed instruments, in gorgeous costumes.

17 Taste of DurangoSample the best from Durango’s many restaurants and listen to live music on Main Avenue in downtown Durango.

22–25 Iron Horse Bicycle ClassicBicycles race the narrow gauge train from Durango to Silverton in this annual event, which also includes a criterion in Durango.

28–30 Animas River DaysCelebrate the Animas River with fun events, including a parade, dog contest, river races, and more.

29–30 Durango Blues TrainThis exclusive ‘moving’ musical experience features seven live blues acts, while passengers travel on The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive.

JUNE5–7 Dinosaur TrainBased on the hit PBS series for kids, Jim Henson’s Dinosaur Train at the D&SNGRR features Buddy the T. rex, and fossil dig sites, dinosaur tracking, face painting, and temporary tattoos.

3, 17 & July 1, 15, 29 True West Pro RodeoWatch a professional rodeo at the La Plata County Fairgrounds.

19–20 DockdogsDogs compete in a long jump into water.

26–27 Fun in the Sun Arts & Crafts FairStroll through the vendor booths and enjoy local and regional art.

JULY4 Independence Day in DurangoCome join in the fun for all of Durango’s 4th of July events, starting with a breakfast and 5k run at Rotary Park and ending with a parade followed by a street dance on Main Avenue and fireworks at dusk.

10–12 Gem and Mineral ShowLocated at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, the gem and mineral show features kids’ activities, a silent auction, raffle, mineral displays, and about 40 vendors.

10–12 Art on the AnimasDurango celebrates with this 24th annual arts and crafts fair, held at Santa Rita Park along the River Walk.

22–24 Fiesta DaysDCelebrate the region’s Spanish history and cowboy heritage with rodeos, a parade and other activities.

AUGUST 1 Kennebec Mountain RunA tough, scenic 15-mile trail run through the La Plata Mountains.

6–9 La Plata County FairEnjoy this classic county fair at the La Plata County Fairgrounds.

14–17 True West RailfestFor train buffs and everyone who loves trains—don’t miss the World Fast Draw Competition/Celebrity Shoot Out at the train depot on Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m

29 San Juan BrewfestDurango is known as the “City of Brewery Love” and the “Napa Valley of Beer,” and you can find out why with a food and beer tasting on Main Avenue.

29 Thirst Thirteen Half MarathonThe race starts at the Hesperus church and follows a mostly downhill course to Ska Brewing, just in time for the San Juan Brewfest.

SEPTEMBER4–7 Four Corners Bike RallyExperience the Four Corners, some of the best motorcycle riding in the world.

19–20 Durango Autumn Arts FestivalSelect artists share their work at the outdoor fine arts and craft show.

OCTOBER1–4 Durango Cowboy Poetry GatheringA celebration of the culture and heritage of the American cowboy with performances by poets and musicians.

10–11 Durango Double MarathonRunners from the region compete in the double marathon, the half marathon and/or a trail run, in support of the Women’s Resource Center.

31 Last TrainThe last summer train ride from Durango to Silverton heralds the coming of winter.

CALENDAR of EVENTS

The San Juan Skyway is the ultimate road trip. Along its breathtaking 236-mile loop are vibrant alpine communities, historic landmarks, Mesa Verde National Park, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, wild rivers, pristine waterfalls and lakes, high-elevation passes and the gorgeous, jagged San

Juan Mountain Range for which it is named.

U.S. HIGHWAY 160Starting in Durango, Colorado, the largest city on San Juan Skyway, the byway follows U.S. Highway 160 (US 160) west through the town of Mancos to Cortez passing the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park.

STATE HIGHWAY 145At Cortez, the byway turns north following State High-way 145 (SH 145) through the town of Dolores and follows the Dolores River into the San Juan National Forest. The byway passes through the small town of Rico, county seat of Dolores County prior to 1941; the old courthouse still remains. From Rico, the by-way crosses 10,222 ft (3116 m) Lizard Head Pass and enters the Uncompahgre National Forest. Lizard Head Pass provides views of the 14,159-foot (4,316 m) El Diente Peak, the 14,246-foot (4,342 m) Mount Wil-son, the 14,017-foot (4,272 m) Wilson Peak and the pass’s namesake, the 13,113-foot (3,997 m) Lizard Head Peak. The byway descends near the little town of Ophir past the location of the famous Ophir Loop of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad. A spur road heads off to the old mining town turned ski resort of Telluride. The

byway follows the San Miguel River down to the little town of Placerville.

STATE HIGHWAY 62The byway turns east at Placerville onto SH 62 and follows it over Dallas Divide. There are many excel-lent views of the San Juan Mountains, especially of the mountains around the 14,150-foot (4,310 m) Mount Sneffels. From top of the divide the byway de-scends into the town of Ridgway. The entire route of the byway from Durango to Ridgway roughly follows the route of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad.

U.S. HIGHWAY 550From Ridgway, the byway turns south onto US 550 following the Uncompahgre River into the Victori-an mining town of Ouray. From Ouray south back to Durango, the highway is referred to as the Million Dollar Highway, not for its priceless beauty but for the extreme costs of its initial construction. The first 7.0 miles (11.3 km) south of Ouray, the byway fol-lows through the Uncompahgre Gorge. Just past the only tunnel on the route, just south of Ouray, the road

crosses over Bear Creek Falls on a bridge at the loca-tion of an impassable toll booth on the original road. The Alpine Loop National Back Country Byway, a four-wheel-drive jeep road takes off in the gorge south of Bear Creek Falls. Before leaving the gorge, the byway passes through a snow shed under the Riverside Slide avalanche zone. A monument stands near here honor-ing those who have lost their lives in the avalanche, in-cluding several snowplow operators. At this point the byway enters Ironton Park, a nice flat valley in contrast to the gorge. The road ascends several switchbacks, or S-curves, past the Idarado mining operation to the 11,018-foot (3,358 m) summit of Red Mountain Pass, providing views of Red Mountain (Colorado) and sev-eral ghost towns. Back into the San Juan National For-est, the highway descends through the Chattanooga Valley to Silverton.

From Silverton, the byway passes over the 10,910-foot (3,330 m) Molas Pass and the 10,640-foot (3,240 m) Coal Bank Pass descending past the ski resort of Durango Mountain. From Hermosa, the road parallels the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad before returning to Durango.

JEFF MARCH


The San Juan Skyway

CO

Cortez Mancos

Durango

Silverton

Telluride

Placerville

Ridgway

Ouray

Rico

0 8 16Miles

Mesa VerdeNational Park

ColoradoWelcome Center

AnasaziHeritageCenter

Dominguez andEscalante

ExpeditionMonument

DurangoMountain

Resort

Telluride Ski Area

Sunlight Peak14,059 ft.

Dolores

MancosS.P.

HesperusMountain13,232 ft.

Mount Wilson14,246 ft.

McPheeReservoir

LemonReservoir

VallecitoReservoir

GroundhogReservoir

ElectraLake

San Miguel River

W. Dolores River

Dolores River

La P

lata R

.

Mancos Rive

r

Animas River

Florida River

Los Pinos

River

Uncompahgre

River

Dolores River

Christ ofthe Mines Shrine

160

62

550

San Juan Skyway

Trailof the

Ancients

UncompahgreNational Forest

San JuanNationalForest

Southern UteIndian Reservation

San JuanNationalForest

Ute MountainIndian Reservation

Ruins R

d.


550

160

160

491

145

141

184

145

145


OurayHot

Springs

Hot Springs

Dallas Divide8,970 ft.

LizardHeadPass10,222 ft.

Coal Bank Pass10,640 ft.

Molas Pass10,899 ft.

RedMountain

Pass10,899 ft.

Durango &SilvertonNarrowGauge

Railroad

AlpineLoop

Unaweep/TabeguacheScenic and Historic Byway

Mountain Village

Sawpit KA

NE

SC

HEI

DEG

GER


Have you ever pulled up at a tiny site in a crowd-ed campground, or at an overlook that was swarming with other people snapping photos

of the same landmark, and thought: This just isn’t for me. Vacations don’t always turn out like the Jeep commercials, where the vehicle pulls on top of some rugged landscape with perfect views and nobody else around for miles. But you can have that kind of expe-rience. If you’re looking for a camping adventure in the remote wilderness, the latest trend in the travel industry is overlanding. And there’s no better place to go overlanding than the Southwest, especially the back roads off the San Juan Skyway.

WHAT IS OVERLANDING?Overlanding is self-reliant, vehicle-based adventure travel to remote locations where the journey—not just the destination—is the goal. The concept is nothing new; you’re probably familiar with Austra-lians crossing the Outback by vehicle as they drive cattle, Europeans taking expedition rigs across the African continent, or explorers driving Range Rovers across the Trans-Amazonian “highway” in the Cam-

el Trophy. Overlanding is sort of like car camping on steroids. Instead of pulling up to a campground in a Prius, you’re taking a fully outfitted, four-wheel drive vehicle and setting up basecamp in the wilderness.

Aaah, that’s more like it. Once you’re off the highway you can explore the beauty and magic of the Southwest backcountry. Watch the sunset wash the 14,000-foot peaks in crimson alpenglow. Tell stories around a campfire underneath an amphitheatre of billions of stars. Navigate the rugged and limitless landscape, from red rock desert to mountaintops. Bathe away your stress in natural mineral hot springs.

But first, you need to get set up with your back-country rig. The good news is you don’t have to mortgage your home and invest in a Sportsmobile or a truck camper. Tonto Trails has you covered.

TONTO TRAILSTonto Trails owners John and Julie Hartley know all about overlanding. For them, it isn’t just a lifestyle, it’s their life. They lived out of their own Sportsmo-bile for two years, traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast, north into Canada and south into

“YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SHOW UP WITH A DUFFEL BAG OF CLOTHES,

MAKE A QUICK STOP AT THE CITY MARKET, AND BE ON YOUR WAY.”

TONTO TRAILS IS THE PREMIER OUTFITTER FOR OVERLANDING

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE



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YOUR ADVENTURE.OUR RIGS.

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Mexico. It was the adventure of a lifetime. “There was just something special about these Western states. Their natural beauty is jawdropping, and you still feel like you can go in the backcountry for days without seeing anybody,” says Julie.

They realized that living out of a van in the back-country for two years isn’t something that everybody can do, but they were anxious to share the experience. So once they settled in Durango, they started their own travel business in 2012 (named Tonto Trails after “Tonto,” their Sportsmobile) and invested in some expedition vehicles that they rent to travelers.

The Hartleys drew from their experiences to out-fit each rig with everything you’ll need, from heat to refrigeration, bedding to barbecue grills. They have anticipated everything from emergency equipment to the one handy gadget you’ll wish you had when you’re 100 miles on a dirt road away from any store. It would take years for someone to completely equip their own vehicle this way, but with Tonto Trails all you need to do is reserve one and pick it up. “You should be able to show up with a duffel bag of clothes, make a quick stop at the city market, and be on your way,” says Julie.

The real adventure of overlanding is in the actual journey and navigating the terrain, and the Hartleys can help with that, too. When guests arrive, they have an of-fice full of maps and information about the best routes to take and what to see. They also supply a DeLorme Inreach, a device that works like the emergency Spot locator and which you can use to send texts. They take time with each client to help them plan their journey and get oriented with the equipment, accommodating the things that they want to do on their trip, whatever excursions they want to make from their basecamp. The travelers get to choose their own adventure. “We en-courage our clients to share their hobbies with us. That way we can help them plan a trip that includes more than just driving and camping. They can hike, fish, bike, catch a show in a small town, or just enjoy the spec-tacular scenery,” says Julie. “People get really excited about customizing their travel that way.”

TONTO TRAILS IS THE PREMIER OUTFITTER FOR OVERLANDING

Have you ever experienced that absolutely electric feeling of connection with another hu-man being? Yes? Have you ever felt that same feeling with an animal? Maybe your dog, or maybe another creature?

The Electricity of Conn ection

M E E T A R T I S T V E R Y L G O O D N I G H T



That’s the feeling that artist Veryl Goodnight conveys with her work. Goodnight, an artist living in Mancos, broke onto the internation-al scene with a gigantic, 14,000-pound bronze sculpture of five horses crashing through the Berlin Wall after it fell on November 9, 1989. The original monument was given by the United States as a gift to the people of Germany, and a second casting now stands at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in Texas. The sculpture tells a story, but it’s not just about the Berlin Wall, and it’s not just about horses. It’s about that certain electric feeling people get from horses. “It’s about freedom,” says Goodnight.

Goodnight is a painter as well as a sculptor, and much of her work focuses on that connection between animals and people. Recently she completed a painting, “Olga’s Return,” and a sculp-ture, “Prospector’s Partner,” based on the Colorado historical fig-ure Olga Little. Goodnight was intrigued by Olga, a burro handler who delivered supplies to the silver and gold miners in the San Juan Mountains in the early 1900s. She handled up to 20 burros at a time, on steep trails that climbed up to 11,000 feet, and would return with the burros each loaded with three 70-pound bags of ore. Goodnight has a burro of her own, “Don Key,” and she learned how to pack him and hiked with him for inspiration, to imagine the feelings between Olga and the animals. “The sheer physical challenge of packing only one burro, and hiking in with him only four miles, gave me the highest respect for Olga Little.”

The relationship between people and animals and the land-scape is a very Western theme, and Goodnight expresses it beau-tifully in her artwork. Besides Don Key, she has four horses and a team of four sled dogs. She also admires the dogs that guard the flocks of sheep that still roam the high country here, and animals—elk, horses, burros, dogs—dominate her paintings and sculptures. “If I have a mission with my work, it’s to be a bridge between ani-mals and people, and help them understand how totally integrated they are into the human life. Both domesticated and wild animals. They are very intelligent. I don’t look at animals as a commodity, a meal, or a product. They are living beings that deserve respect.”

In Mancos, she has also become a bridge between people and art. She and her husband, Roger Brooks, founded Goodnight Trail Gallery of Western Art in 2008. Now owned by Jamie Bade, the gallery is located in Mancos on the corner of Grand Avenue and Main. Goodnight is alo going to teach some classes at the newly established Mancos School West. The arts scene in the town is thriving, and Mancos is in the running for a state desig-nation as a creative district. Goodnight draws her inspiration from her surroundings: the mountains, the animals, the history. She often drives along the San Juan Skyway, setting up her easel and doing plein-air paintings of the landscape. “It’s a very creative community, and there’s a tremendous amount of talent here. I’m not surprised, because this part of our state is so beautiful and so special that it’s going to inspire everyone who comes here.”


MaNCosIt is easy to see why the prolific Western author Louis L’Amour chose the Mancos area as his home and as the setting for his books. The Mancos Valley continues a 140-year tradition as the center of ranching at the edge of the San Juan Mountains and Mesa Verde National Park. Mancos is the bridge between the culture of the Old West and the New West, with cattle drives down Main Street and modern art galleries along Grand Avenue, an old-fashioned distillery and a coffee house, as well as easy access to all the hiking, biking, fishing, and hunting that makes people fall in love with the West.

MAY16 Mancos Cowboy Half MarathonRunners meet at Boyle/Wayside Park for this event, which is sponsored by the Mancos Project, a running club and training center.

23–24 Indian Arts & Culture FestivalThe communities of Cortez. Dolores, Mancos, and Towaoc and their partners at Mesa Verde National Park celebrate the 15th Annual Mesa Verde Country Indian Arts & Culture Festival. Visitors are invited to “Celebrate Our Song” and the area’s cultural and archeological features are showcased.

JUNE20 Second Annual Mancos Gallery & Studio TourExperience the blossoming Mancos arts scene and meet the artists in this intimate event.

JULY24–27 Mancos DaysMancos Days features family fun, parades, softball, music, and great food.

25–Aug 1 Montezuma County FairEnjoy this classic 4H county fair with livestock auctions, food, arts and crafts at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds.

SEPTEMBER25–27 Mancos Valley-Mesa Verde Country Balloon & Arts FestivalWatch hot air balloons float in the sky and enjoy art from all over the region. The balloons ascend as a group, are tethered for balloon rides, and set aglow at night for viewing. The Arts Festival takes place on Saturday, September 28.

CALENDAR of EVENTS

“The Bachelor Band” 20”H x 36” L x 8” W by Veryl Goodnight (clay model to be cast in bronze)

Goodnight Trail Gallery Downtown Mancos, CO

www.GoodnightTrailGallery.com - (970) 533-1177

“Misty Mountains” oil 16” x 16” by Susan Matteson

Featuring Kilgore American Indian Art

Navajo Crystal circa 1915 50” x 93”


Dolor esDolores has a little bit of everything that makes a Western town great: history, culture and outdoor recreation. There is incredible fishing, boating, and waterskiing on McPhee Reser-voir (the second largest body of water in the state), and other water sports on the local lakes and rivers. Hiking, camping and mountain biking abound in the surrounding San Juan National Forest. The Anasazi Heritage Center is a fun, interactive museum devoted to the history of the ancient cultures of Pueblo, Ute, and Navajo Native Americans, and has two 12th century pueblo ruins on site. Dolores has an exact replica of an original train depot and a Rio Grande Southern Railroad Museum and a restored Galloping Goose car. Escalante Days is the region’s celebration of its historic Dolores River Valleys, where the Dominguez-Escalante expedition camped in 1776 and mapped and logged the first record of the lands and people in what would become Colorado and Utah.

MAY5 Quilting Materials Garage SaleThe Dolores Mountain Quilters hold a garage sale at the Dolores Community Center where you can buy fabric and sewing-related items.


JUNE6 Dolores River Festival Listen to great music outdoors, participate in river events, free raft rides, and the river dog contest, and sample the food and craft from vendor booths at the Joe Rowell River Park in Dolores.

JULY4 Dolores Town Food and FireworksCelebrate Independence Day in Dolores.

25– Aug 1 Montezuma County FairEnjoy this classic 4H county fair with livestock auctions, food, arts and crafts at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds.

7–9 Escalante DaysEscalante Days features parades, booths for vendors, a Kiwanis Club duck race, the Rotary Club mountain bike race, chainsaw and arm wrestling competitions, live music, food, arts and crafts, Galloping Goose Days activities and more for the whole family at Flanders Park.

OCTOBER3 Harvest FestivalHarvest Fest is a fun outdoor fall event, featuring an Old Germany Menu, beer, and more at Flanders Park.

CALENDAR of EVENTS


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Fresh is BestR E G I O N A L F A R M E R S M A R K E T S O F F E R L O C A L L Y G R O W N G O O D S


Have you ever picked up a piece of produce at a grocery store and wondered where

it came from, or how it was grown, or if it was really organic? When you shop at a

farmers market, you don’t need to wonder—you can ask the person who grew it.

That’s part of the beauty of farmers markets, the interaction between the person who eats the

food and the person who cultivated it.

CORTEZ FARMERS MARKETFrom June 6 through October (sometimes into No-vember), at 109 West Main St., corner of Main and Elm St., every Saturday at 7:30–11 a.m. or until everyone sells out. Vendor information: All produce must be grown in Montezuma or Dolores Counties and be sold by the producer (no resale). Fee is $75/vendor for the season.

Contact Montezuma CSU Cooperative Extension Service, 565-3123. www.cortezfarmmarket.com.

DOLORES FARMERS MARKETFrom June to October every Wednesday, 4–6 p.m. in Joe Rowell Park on Highway 145. Vendor informa-tion: No fees. No rules. Just show up.

Contact Dolores Town Hall for information at 970-882-7720.

DURANGO FARMERS MARKETFrom May through October, at First National Bank parking lot at 9th St., Saturdays 8 a.m.– noon. Vendor information: Produce must be grown in a five-county area and sold by the producer. Canopy, sign and Du-rango business license required. Fees are $280/sea-son or $20/week. Newcomers get an incubator booth.

Contact Cody Reinheimer, 970-903-1176 or www.durangofarmersmarket.org.

MANCOS FARMERS MARKET June 18 through September, at Boyle Park, every Thursday night from 4:30–6:30 p.m. Featuring live music. Vendor information: Produce grown in La Plata, Dolores and Montezuma Counties. Crafts must be made by seller. Fees for a 10x10 space are $25/season.

Contact Cari Baike at 970-759-2540 or www.mancoscolorado.com.

MARKET ON THE PLAZA, MOUNTAIN VILLAGEJune 17 to August 19, every Wednesday from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. at Heritage Plaza. Featuring entertain-ment during and live music concerts that follow the market. Vendor information: Produce must be Col-orado-grown and crafts must be produced in Col-orado. Booth rental fees for 10x10 space are $75/season. Requires sales tax.

Contact Deanna Drew at 970-369-8248 or [email protected].

RIDGWAY FARMERS MARKETMay 22 to October 16, every Friday from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. at Hartwell Park in downtown Ridgway. Featuring live music, free samples and a playground for kids. Vendor information: Items must be grown, collected or manufactured by seller in Colorado. Fees for 12x12 space are $225 per season. Requires sales tax.

Contact Marietta Johnson at [email protected] or visit farmersmarketridgway.com.

TELLURIDE FARMERS MARKETJune 5 through October, every Friday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. S. Oak St. and gondola plaza. Featuring live music. Vendor information: Organic products are verified, vendors must reside within 100-mile radius of Telluride. Requires canopy and sales tax. Sliding scale fee based on sales starting at $250.

Contact [email protected] or visit thetelluridefarmersmarket.com

Farmers Markets have been blossoming everywhere, because of the emerging consumer trend toward locally grown food. The growers you will meet along the San Juan Skyway, however, are a special breed: they have honed their practice to account for the high altitude, the short growing season, and the fickle weather inherent in the Rocky Mountains. Their triumph over these challenging conditions is part of the celebratory atmosphere at the farmers’ markets. Imagine all the work that goes into the process, caring for the fields, planting the seeds, watering, weeding, protecting the plants from the cold or the harsh sun, and finally harvesting. No wonder the markets have such a jubilant vibe—and you can share in the experience. Most of the events have music, enter-tainment, and arts and crafts vendors; stroll through, find something special and make some new friends at one of these fun local markets.



CortezCortez is the most ancient stop you’ll make on the San Juan Skyway tour—Montezuma County has been settled since about A.D. 600 when approximately 100,000 Pueblo Indians made this area their home. Today you can explore the archaeology of the first settlers as well as the arts and culture that still bears their imprint. Cortez also has great networks of mountain biking trails, hiking trails, and terrific fishing. The cowboy culture from more recent eras is still alive and well, and you can experience it firsthand at the Ute Mountain Roundup Rodeo, the 85th annual event and a professionally sanctioned rodeo. The region also offers agritourism opportunities, where you can see dryland beans such as the unique old cultivar Anasazi bean or visit some of the lovely modern wineries in the McElmo Canyon and Montezuma Valley.

MAY6–10 Ute Mountain-Mesa Verde Birding FestivalSpring migrants and early nesters attract birdwatchers from across the nation to the Birding Festival. Located in the Archaeological Center of America, many of the field trips visit spectacular areas such as Mesa Verde National Park and Ute Tribal Park. Workshops, an art show, and a special dinner speaker round out the events at the festival.

10 9th Annual 12 Hours of Mesa Verde Bike RaceMountain bikers compete in this popular annual team relay endurance race at Phil’s World in Cortez.

15–17 Dog ShowBut your best pet forward when the Durango Kennel Club hosts this dog show at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds.


JUNE10–14 Rodeo CarnivalFestivities kick off with a Rodeo Chuckwagon Supper in Cortez City Park and the carnival is at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds.

11–13 85th Annual

Ute Mountain RoundupThe Ute Mountain Roundup is a rodeo that started after World War I, and today is sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. The rodeo features all the classic roping, barrel racing, bronc busting, and bull riding events, and is accompanied by a county fair held at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds.

JULY4 Cortez Burst Triathlon and Rotary FireworksCatch the action at this Independence Day triathlon and the fireworks display at Centennial Park.

25–Aug 1 Montezuma County FairEnjoy this classic 4H county fair with livestock auctions, food, arts and crafts at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds.

31–Aug 1 Cortez Rendezvous Hot Air Balloon RallyWatch the hot air balloons launch from the Parque de Vida and fly over the landscape.

AUGUST 22 Southwest Colorado Food, Wine, and Art FestivalSample great food and wine and check out fine art at the Parque de Vida, then catch live music at the Reach Out Music Fest at Cortez City Park.

SEPTEMBER12 17th Annual Harvest Beer FestivalEnjoy the great fall food and taste craft beers at the Parque de Vida.

CALENDAR of EVENTS

Sutcliffe Vineyards: Colorado’s Finest Wines

MCELMO CANYON WINERY EARNS THREE 90S RATINGS FROM CRITICS

John Sutcliffe sits at a wooden table in the sun, framed by the pink canyon walls and the budding spring trees. He has on straw hat, a soft forest-green chamois shirt and jeans, and he is regaling a handful of guests with stories as they sip wines. He has a British

accent and he chats merrily, making everyone laugh. You’d never guess from the casual atmosphere and light banter that this is no ordinary outdoor gathering. This is the tasting room at the most prestigious winery in Colorado.


“Once you achieve a level in the winery,

the only thing you can improve is the vineyard. We’re farmers.”

No Colorado winery has ever earned a rating of 90, and Sutcliffe Vineyards received three in the past year. It was also selected by Food & Wine as one of the top 500 vineyards in the country. But Sutcliffe modestly deflects the praise, crediting his winemaker Joe Buck-el. Before Buckel came on board in 2008, Sutcliffe was already producing some notable wines, but John says he was looking for someone to come and help the vineyard reach its full potential. “All of these vines, the pruning, the canopy, is his. Once you achieve a level in the winery, the only thing you can improve is the vineyard,” says John. “We’re farmers.”

This pastoral lifestyle is a return to his roots, a cir-cuitous journey that Sutcliffe began in his childhood in England and Wales. He says his family always lived on farms, out in the country. Eventually he attended school in the United States, was a serious polo player, and became engaged in the restaurant business. After a successful re-launch of New York City’s Tavern on the Green, he went on to open 22 notable restaurants in 12 years, in New York City and in the southern United States. Then he trav-eled to the Southwest, and came upon this enchanting spot tucked away in the rosy sandstone and sagebrush of McElmo Canyon. He says that the isolation and the desert landscape is intoxicating, especially for a British or European person. He tests visitors from those places, asking if they prefer Cortez to the upscale cities like Aspen or Telluride. “It’s the soulfulness of it. Why would anyone queue up in front of a restaurant,” he gestures around the vineyards, “when you could be here?”

After camping for a year, he built his home and developed the farm, with no intention of becoming a vintner with a successful enterprise. “The idea was to come here and farm. Then my architect thought the vines would look jolly good around the house. And he planted them.”

They planted the first vines in 1995, and then in 1997 they took a first tentative step at creating wine. “We sort of hacked at making it,” he says, laughing. “It wasn’t any good.”

But he was onto something. He brought on a pro-fessional winemaker and started to pursue the craft.

THE PERFECT ENVIRONMENTBuckel was just as enchanted by the McElmo Canyon property as Sutcliffe, and he immediately recognized its potential as a place to produce great wine. He is from the Southwest, but his career was in California in Sonoma County, where he’d worked for three different wineries. “When I came here I was absolutely stunned by how beautiful it was. I tasted the wines on my first visit, and was pleasantly surprised. It meant that the

grapes they were sourcing were of good quality.”Buckel is the consummate wine expert. He explains

that the high altitude here creates thicker skin on the grapes, adds different flavor and aroma—both of which exist in the skin of the grape—making more intense wines. The landscape is arid and rocky, and the sand and loamy clay soil drains well, which is good for the vines. The winter temperatures drop low enough to kill off most of the insects that some vineyards have to bat-tle with, but they rarely if ever drop below zero or to a temperature that would freeze the vines. “It’s a really good growing area. There are very few bugs, no mold or mildew. And it’s a pretty mild climate. I had the confi-dence that I could make a very good wine.”

And that he has most certainly accomplished, but there’s more to the magic than just favorable soil and warm, dry weather. They use a very gentle process in making the wine, one of the benefits of being a small winery in a clean, fresh environment. They start with an open-top fermentation, using the indigenous yeast float-ing around that draws from the nearby peach orchards and the land-based natural elements or “terroir.” They hand-punch the skins back into the liquid to maximize the flavor and aroma, rather than the industrial pump processing used in large-scale winemaking. They even hand-pick the grapes each September. “Our processes are very delicate. We are trying to let the grapes express themselves…let the varietals of those grapes, the fla-vors and aromas, really shine. When I buy wine from the store, they all taste a little sweet, and have a sort of chemical purple to them. They all fit into one ubiquitous category. We’re trying to do the opposite of that.”

THE PASSION OF WINEMAKINGIt is impossible to resist the allure of this place: the gorgeous landscape, the small artisan winery, the heavenly sage-scented breeze, the cozy farmhouse, and genteel people bustling around, smiling and pouring wine.

Sutcliffe, the charming host, is in his element. He says he likes the wine business, the hands-on complete control you have, from planting, to growing, to creating, and sharing it with others. It suits him professionally, and seems to also suit him personally. He didn’t start with a winemaking background, but he’s developed a passion for the business through osmosis, mostly emanating from Joe, he says. The love for winemaking seeped into him, the way the flavor in the wine seeps in through the grapes and the fresh canyon air. He stops and marvels at a bird swooping at a duck, and looks out contently at the fields and the canyon. “Isn’t it beautiful? It’s amazing. You have to pinch yourself.”


DIGGING INTO

ANCIENT HISTORY

CROW CANYON ARCHAEOLOGICAL CENTER OFFERS FREE TOURS

Archaeologists don’t have to travel to Egypt to unearth ancient mysteries. One of the most extraordinary archae-ological sites in the world is right here in the southwest corner of Colorado, in the Mesa Verde region. Mesa Verde National Park is the largest archaeological preserve in the country, and anyone who has visited it has

been awed by the ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings that were built circa 1200 AD. But very close by, at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, scientists discovered and are analyzing remnants of a lost village that predates the Mesa Verde ruins by about 500 years.


PHOTOS COURTESY OF CROWCANYON.ORG


Sutcliffe VineyardsMcElmo Canyon, CO

Elevation 5340ft

Food&Wine’s 2015 Wine Guide ‘America’s 500 Best Wine Producers’

Open Daily 11am-5pm

12174 Rd G Cortez, COwww.sutcliffewines.com

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Crow Canyon was featured on PBS “Time Team America” in 2014, and its Dillard site was filmed as a team of scientists joined in the excavation. Archaelogists unearthed a large kiva (community building) and sever-al pithouses (Puebloan family homes) that represent a turning point in human history, the Neolithic era. This gathering place and these early earthen dwellings signify the time in which ancient Puebloan culture transformed from nomadic hunting-gathering into domesticated food production and a social construct. Instead of single families roaming and relocating, they lived in groups; it was the beginning of communal living and early civilization.

You can learn about these discoveries firsthand. Crow Canyon is offering new one-hour tours for free on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. throughout the summer. Guests will be able to ex-amine artifacts up close—pottery sherds, stone tools, ancient kernels of corn—and see how the artifacts are analyzed in the lab. For every day an archaeologist spends in the field, at least four days are required in the lab, so it’s an opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the research process. Guests will also get to visit the pithouse replica, which serves as a learning center for school groups, and get a glimpse of how Puebloan people lived in 700 AD. “We have a great group of well qualified, volun-teer docents who will be leading this free, one-hour tour,” says Jeanne Becker, special events manager for the center. “They love to share their passion and knowledge of Crow Canyon’s unique approach to archaeolo-gy with visitors to the Four Corners area.”

Archaeology buffs that want to dig deeper can also book one of the day-long tours at Crow Canyon. These tours are $60, and include a hands-on lesson in the basics of archaeology and a visit to a working excavation site. You’ll also get a tour of the lab and curation room, as well as lunch at the lodge.

Crow Canyon Archaeological Center is one of the most unique spots you can visit—it’s not a display or a museum or a park for tourists, it’s an actual research and education center with an advisory board including Native American descendants of the Puebloan people. Visitors get to see the discovery in action, as archaeologists and students excavate sites and analyze their findings. “Atlatl, pithouse, gray ware—if these terms sound like a foreign language, then come on the Crow Canyon tour and experience these things up close,” says Becker. “Visitors will learn about how citizen scientists from age 10 to 90 are helping Crow Canyon make new discoveries in archaeology.”

For more information, visit crowcanyon.org.


TellurideTelluride is one of the most strikingly beautiful places you will ever see; it is also known as the “Festival Capital of the Rockies” because of its vast array of cultural events each summer. Like many of these Western towns, Telluride started out as a mining community but earned renown for its skiing and mountaineering. Today visitors can climb the acclaimed Via Ferrata route high above town or climb to the top of Bridal Veil Falls (the state’s tallest waterfall), see a Grammy-award winning musician in Town Park, catch a free ride up on the gondola and hike around or zip back to town on one of the downhill mountain biking courses, eat at one of the top-rated restaurants in the country, or even watch a world premiere of a new movie at one of the film festivals. There are galleries to stroll, classes to take, and rivers and trails to explore, and don’t miss the Telluride Historical Museum, which hosts unique exhibits, indoors and outdoors.

MAY22–25 Mountainfilm in TellurideThe festival celebrates the outdoors, featuring films about adventure and ecology, symposiums, and lectures.

JUNE1–6 Wild West FestCelebrate the culture of the West at this weeklong, family-oriented festival hosted by the Sheridan Arts Foundation.

5–7 Telluride Balloon FestivalWatch hot air balloons soar above the San Miguel Valley or stroll past them, tethered and aglow on main street during the early evening.

18–21 Telluride Bluegrass FestivalThis year marks the 42nd annual festival, one of the country’s most renowned bluegrass music events, held during the weekend of the summer solstice. This year’s lineup includes Ry Cooder/Sharon White/Ricky Skaggs, Lake Street Dive, Yonder Mountain String Band, Punch Brothers, Trampled by Turtles, and more.

25–28 Telluride Wine FestivalThe festival features four days of fine wines, seminars, tastings, winemakers’ luncheons, and cooking demonstrations.

29–July 5 Telluride Plein Air FestivalLandscape artists from across the country come to paint the region’s vistas; plein air painting is done outdoors, and the art is exhibited and sold to benefit the event’s host, the Sheridan Arts Foundation.

JULY4 Telluride 4th of July CelebrationTelluride’s Independence Day features a parade, a community barbecue, games and activities for families in Town Park, and a grand fireworks display after dark.

9–12 Telluride Yoga FestivalYoga instructors from all over the world convene in Telluride to offer workshops in all types of yoga, meditation, and kirtan.

11–12 The Ride FestivalKOTO Community Radio hosts a two-day music concert in Town Park, featuring Widespread Panic, Gov’t Mule, Jonny Lang, Trigger Hippy, North Mississippi Allstars, and more.

17 Ah Haa Art AuctionThis madcap annual fundraiser for the local arts school features a live auction with entertainment and a silent auction for all types of artwork and prizes. This year’s theme is “The Wizard of Ahz” featuring celebrity artist Jewel.

20–27 Telluride Playwrights FestivalThe festival offers a laboratory setting for actors, playwrights, and directors to network and to nurture new work.

31–Aug 2 Telluride Jazz Celebration From international jazz legends to up-and-coming brass ensembles, the annual festival hosts the best of the genre at Town Park during the day and at the local venues in the evening. This year’s lineup features Ernie Watts, The M&Ms, Euforquestra, The Soul Rebels, and more.

AUGUST 6–16 Telluride Chamber Music FestivalClassical music concerts are held outdoors and in various small venues around town.

13–16 Telluride Mushroom FestivalSymposiums, classes, forays, and a parade all celebrate fungi in this fun weekend event.

SEPTEMBER4–7 Telluride Film FestivalTelluride hosts an internationally acclaimed film festival with world premieres, movie stars, filmmakers, directors, and a free outdoor cinema.

12 Imogene Pass RunRunners start in Ouray and cross over 13,114-foot Imogene Pass, finishing in Telluride.

18–20 Telluride Blues & Brews FestivalThis popular fall music festival features craft beers from all over the country and a beer tasting, as well as big name music acts in Town Park and at late night “Juke Joints” performances in local venues.

24–27 Telluride Festival of Cars & ColorsNew this year, a celebration for automobile enthusiasts with the mountain foliage as a backdrop.

CALENDAR of EVENTS

PHOTOS BY RYAN BONNEAU


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Life at Bike Speed

You can’t walk 100 yards in Telluride without bumping into a yoga studio or someone with a yoga mat tucked underneath an arm walking

to a class somewhere. There are several yoga studios in this tiny town, and every fitness center here offers some sort of yoga class. You can even do yoga at the library or the Ah Haa School for the Arts, and if that’s not enough, there’s a whole festival weekend devoted to the ancient practice: Telluride Yoga Festival, July 9–12. In a place like this, with so many other activities like hiking, biking, paddling, skiing, and climbing, why are people so into yoga?

Because yoga is the perfect complement to mountain sports—it’s an opportunity to focus, cul-tivate balance, and re-calibrate the body and mind,

says Telluride Yoga Center co-owner Kristin Taylor. Athletes in particular have stress in their bodies that yoga can help relieve. “I call it the ‘Rocky Mountain Quad.’ It’s a beautiful thing, but can pull the entire body out of alignment,” says Taylor. “The tight hips and short PSOAS muscles of runners and skiers can lead to back pain and sciatica. Most of our activities involve quite a bit of impact, which grinds us down into the ground. Why not learn how to lengthen and create space in your joints? It’s so liberating to create buoyancy in the body.”

Walk into Kristin’s class on Tuesday morning, and you’ll see a dozen or so devotees rolling out their mats, gathering blocks and straps, and waiting for their hour and a half of bliss. The studio is a sanctuary, bright with

natural light, and there’s a hushed feeling of reverence like there is in church. After a week of pounding on the trails they are ready to nurture their bodies. But yoga is much more than a sweaty, vigorous workout or a medi-tative session of breathing and stretching. The teachings are thousands of years old, and they incorporate a kind of spirituality that is soothing to the soul. “Yoga is about wholeness. The whole picture. The integration of heart, mind and body. We have so much innate wisdom within ourselves, within our bodies. When we become deep listeners we learn to hear the message within our hearts. We learn to be gentle and compassionate with ourselves and this emanates outward into our relationship with others and our environment. The practice cleanses the body and mind,” says Taylor.

Yoga in the

MountainsH I G H - A L T I T U D E W O R K O U T F O R T H E B O D Y A N D S O U L

“Most of our activities involve quite a bit of impact, which grinds us down into the ground. Why not learn how to lengthen and create space in your joints?

It’s so liberating to create buoyancy in the body.”


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She makes it sound and look easy, but the class is extremely challenging. Within the hour she has everyone perspiring as they do handstands with their forearms planted on the ground, arch into backbends, and drop into the “chaturanga” equivalent of dozens of slow, excruciating push-ups. At least one of these people in the class—me—is someone who used to wince when they tried to touch their toes. (Your toes seem farther and farther away as you get older.) But near the end of the session, I feel like someone has cut some imaginary elastic band that was wrapped around my hips and quads. It is the ultimate feeling of relief, that beautiful kind of soreness you get when you’ve done something good for your body.

The session closes with some chanting, and again it feels sacred, all the voices resonating with the same tones, reverberating off the studio walls. The final pose is shavasana, everyone’s favorite, lying supine with eyes shut in complete stillness. It’s the quietest and calmest few minutes most of us will have all week. We normally don’t steal time away from our busy lives to relax, but here, we indulge. Everyone is smiling as they leave, trans-formed and ready to face the rest of the day.

Then it’s back to the mountains. Back to the grind, the burn, the pounding of everyday, active life in the outdoors. Yet you do take something with you from the practice, some of that peacefulness and sacred connection to everything around you. Taylor says it’s the elemental nature of yoga, the philosophy of “Sankhya,” that connects us to the earth, water, fire, and air of our environment. Humans are a microcosm: The earth is represented by the skeleton and structures in the body, the water by the fluids in the body, the air by the circulation and movement, and fire is the vitality and energy of the life force. “We are a reflection of all that is, and practicing in relation to nature allows us to feel its life-supporting, life-giving qualities and know that we are not separate,” says Taylor. “We acknowl-edge our fundamental connection to the earth through numerous postures such as mountain pose and tree pose, and all of these elements are represented by different poses in yoga.”

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san juan skyway visitor guide summer 2015

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