Labor Day: unofficial start to Autumn. For us snow lovers…almost made it thru another summer 🙂
3 day holiday. Staying ‘local’ this year, road trippin’ Colorado’s Western Slope. Trip highlight: hiking in scenic Telluride – yep, another high-elevation ski town mountain-etched by massive canyons [the San Juans]. Aspen, Crested Butte & now Telluride – been an outstanding Colorado summer.
Friday 5pm. Work ends, holiday begins.
Packed, picked up the Pup, on the road by 6 – along with most of my Front Range neighbors. Argh. Camping holiday. Needed to check into my site by 10pm. Valley View folks were mighty nice to hang around ‘til 20-past. Otherwise would have started my adventure with a hefty night hike, parked on the wrong side of a chained cattle-gate. As it was, struggled to pitch-tent in the dark. Mighty remote.
Woke Saturday morning to quiet Colorado paradise. Dry arid landscape, mix of evergreen & cacti. Natural hot springs tucked between the Great Sand Dunes & Gunnison National Park. Hiked thru fields of sunflower, lapsing 30-45 minutes at each naturally heated pool. Meadow Pond, Waterfall Pond, Top Pond, Party Pond…whole lotta warm-water bubbling.
Pupster begged, no one around. I relented. Happy dog-paddling pup.
Our most remote ponds are up a short, but steep trail. Most take about twenty minutes to trek the ¼ mile trail to the Top Ponds. Guests agree these peaceful, bubbling warm waters make it the trip well worthwhile. It’s a series of three (almost four) ponds flowing one into the next. The top-most pond fills about two feet deep and offers ample space to find a corner to one’s self. Its water cascades down to join more warm source water beneath a large tree providing shade throughout the day. Water temperatures vary dramatically as these ponds mix with more snow-melt and runoff than our other sources. In recent months, temperatures ranged from 98°F to 107°F.
Showered, on the road by 1pm. Quick detour in Villa Grove. Small 3-building town – but one of those buildings advertised pie. Never miss an opportunity for pie ❤
3 hours of winding byway. Poncha Springs, Gunnison, fuel/sanity break in Montrose. Ridgway, Placerville, Sawpit, Telluride. Campground, no room in the Inn. Soooo many people…Telluride Film Festival. Who knew?
Opted to drive toward Bridal Veil Falls – tomorrow morning’s hike launch. Mile-half of dirt & boulders (4WD trek). Secured an overnight pull-off, clouds grayed, evening skies opened. RAIN. Car-camped high above Telluride. Nite 2 elevation: 10,000ft+.
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