Of Buttes and...

Had a chance to daytrip over to the eclectic town of Crested Butte. What used to be little Crested Butte is 'little' no more as the amount of new development is staggering. Still, downtown CB is as funky as ever as you'll see in the video below. CB has made most of their downtown a one-way street which is an improvement but why they don't just turn it into pedestrian (and cyclist too!) only is beyond me. So few cars can actually park downtown that it really makes not a lot of sense to try to funnel heavy vehicular traffic into the area and the traffic headed up Kebler Pass could be moved a block over but that's just my humble opinion. Still, CB is too nice a town to not stretch the legs, gawk at all the fun shops, peek in at the Mountain Bike Museum and grab some delicious food.

We had traveled up and over Monarch Pass and of course stopped at the summit to see what was new at the Crest House which is always chock full of fun souvenirs, gifts, and trinkets for those so inclined. You can also take a trip via gondola up to the tip-top of the summit and if you're into mountain biking or hiking you probably already know the joys of the Monarch Crest Trail. There's also a great, relatively short hike over to Old Monarch Pass that starts just to the west side of the highway.

Monarch Pass is beautiful in the summer but can be pure terror in the winter. My better half spent a couple of years teaching at Western State College (now Western Colorado University) and I used to make a weekly commute come the weekend from Denver to Gunnison. I can remember passing semitrailers who were literally sliding backward down the Pass, their wheels spinning uselessly against the dual effects of gravity and a snowy road. As I sped by at 5 m.p.h., thankful to at least still be moving in a forward direction, I could only wish them luck as they disappeared in the whiteout conditions. This trip we had a much nicer day though you still needed a sweatshirt or coat to keep you warm at the top. 

Gunnison is a neat town in its own right even though on this trip we passed right through on our way up-valley. Gunnison used to have a wonderful book store. Don't know for sure if its still there but if it is I promise I'll stop in the next time through. Ride The Rockies, that perennial bicycle tour of Colorado, often stops in Gunnison and some of my best night's sleep have been zonked out in a tent at the middle school after a long day in the saddle pretending to be a cyclist. 

Fall in the Gunnison Valley is perhaps my favorite time of year though sometimes it only seems to last a week or two as the weather in these parts can change faster than my wife's mind. Catch it on a warm Indian summer day with the Aspen changing and you're in for a real treat. Though this day the Aspen were just starting to show some of their glorious gold, give it a couple of weeks and they'll be in their prime. Just don't blink or you'll miss it.

A lot of Texas folk call Crested Butte their second, third, or fourth home and Texas license plates do seem to outnumber the green and white of Colorado the closer you get to CB. There's lots of new construction going on and if its been several years since you've been you might struggle to recognize the CB of old. But its still there if you look hard enough though how long it will last is anyone's guess. CB is still mountain biking Mecca and I could only drool at the two-wheeled steeds zipping through town on their way to some of the best riding in the world. Here too e-bikes are becoming more popular though thus far they are not allowed on the area's single track trails. 

There's some good eatin' in CB, that's for sure. We ate outside under an umbrella as a passing thunderstorm soaked the streets but that's just part of the experience in Crested Butte. And with food that good, who really cares? Not me...

Too soon it was time to hit the trail, or at least Highway 135, as we made our way to the turnoff to Taylor Park Reservoir with plans to head back to Buena Vista over Cottonwood Pass which was fully paved (to some folks delight and other's chagrin) just a couple of years ago. Its probably a prettier drive than going over Monarch Pass and besides it makes a nice (though long) loop for a day's outing. And on a day like we had with nary a cloud in the sky, the views are stupendous. Cottonwood Pass also cuts a considerable amount of miles versus the longer route back to Gunnison and over Monarch if you're headed to Buena Vista where we had a planned rendezvous with some adorable four-legged friends. Stopping in at the Jumping Good Country Store and Goat Dairy we learned all about making delicious goat cheese but it was the critters we had come to see and they did not disappoint.

Not having spent much time among goats I was pleasantly surprised at how friendly they could be. My mother-in-law, who joined us on this trip, wanted desperately to take one of the baby goats home with her but we prevailed upon her to eventually bid them adieu. Tours are available ($8/adults, $5/kids over age 2) and the time spent in with the goats is priceless. 

Anyway, here's some of what we saw in this whirlwind of a day. Oh, and if you're thinking you are not that much of a goat cheese aficionado, that's o.k. - just try the goat milk fudge! As my friends from Texas say -Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm.