REFLECTIONS OF TELLURIDE
mountains of charm

Greetings from Colorado's "Outback". "Surrounded by the splendid solitude and picture-perfect backdrop of the San Juan Mountains, Telluride’s high-impact beauty is only interrupted by its alluringly charismatic charm. Charm by definition means: a quality or feature in someone or something that attracts or delights; matters excited to very high energies; to have magical powers. All definitions adequately descrive Telluride's unique features. Many of the folks who took Telluride out of its "Mining Days" to its "Skier Days" are from the 60s generation...hippies, flower children or rebellious-types that did not want to follow the same 'ol ways. They set the tone for Telluride's independent mode of doing things. Ironically, however, you'll find Telluride has gone full-circle as it now tauts its heritage and tradition, and her residents model their "highcountry" lives after the simplicity and richeness of the olden days.

The Natives

THE SAN JUANS’ FURNISH SUMPTUOUS LIVING QUARTERS FOR THESE ROCKY MOUNTAIN CREATURES. The area’s multitude of wildlife largely find refuge within the corridors of Uncompahgre National Forest, Mount Sneffels and Lizarhead Wilderness Areas; which, for the most part, are some of Colorado’s most beautiful, "untouched" territories. Encompassing Telluride from all directions, the governmental lands make the area renowned for its abundance of wildlife. Wildlife not only includes the ptarmigan, coyote, goat, elk, mule deer, rabbit and porcupine pictured here. It also includes cougar, bear, golden and bald eagles, stellar jays, rainbow and brown trout and the vast array of plantlife such as the columbine, Indian paintbrush, silvery lupine and the state’s much noted Colorado blue spruce, towering ponderosa pine along with the quaking aspen and iridescent juniper - just to name a few. Instinctually, the native animals, both prey and predator, migrate with the seasons. In the summer months, they move to higher pastures where the foliage is plentiful. As the winds carry the scent of winter, they follow river drainages to the lower grounds where the climes are more tolerable and food less scarce.

Tapestries of Nature

THROUGH NATURE WE FIND THE MOST SPECTACULAR TAPESTRIES OF COLOR. SOME ARE MADE UP OF dramatical ly different hues. While oth ers have only a glimmer of white, a speckle of blue or a dash of sunset-orange to make them seem practically unreal. Nature’s artistry goes unmatched in the southern corridors of the Rockies . Woven into the normally brilliant display of sunrises and sunsets, lucid storms, bountiful snowfalls and glittering, sunshining Colorado afternoons are such masterpieces as the Wilsons, Lizardhead, Engineer, San Sophia, Sneffels and Ajax Peaks; making this area uncommonly pleasing-to-the-eye. With each new day, the valley floors, river beds, mountainsides and skies above take on an entirely new look. Perhaps this is what makes Telluride and the San Juans such a mysterious, enchanting and alluring place.

Romancing the Stones

THE VERY ESSENCE OF THE TELLURIDE SPIRIT IS DERIVED FROM THE GIGANTIC STONES WE CALL THE SAN JUANS. Their lofty peaks and severe valleys lend themselves to extraordinary events.Perhaps it's their grandiose size that make visitors and locals alike flirt with their adventurous sides more. Perhaps i t ’s the thinner air. Or perhaps it’s just the idea of being on a holiday in an enchanting settingaway from it all-away from the "real world"- in a magical mountain town. Local skiers regularly dally with the moguls on The Plunge, Spiral Stairs, Zulu Queen and Kant- Mak-Em or simply soak-up the rays between runs on one of Colorado’s 300 crystal-clear, blue-sky day s . Visitors imbibe in the ruggedly elegant alpine setting while engaging in a romantic, oldfashioned sleigh ride or the like. No matter which way you Romance the Stones, one thing’s for certain...You’ll take fine souvenirs-of-the-mind home.