Day 2 in Telluride, Colorado

A breathtaking sunset behind the San Juan mountains as we head to dinner at the top of the hill.

We wake up to sunshine on the San Juan mountain range and it looks like it's going to be a great day weatherwise, but my breathing is another story. I have skied in Utah, Montana and all over British Columbia, Canada. But the only two places that have affected me like this are Vail, Co. and Telluride. It makes sense, because Colorado is at least 3,000 feet higher than the others. Experience tells me to take a day to acclimate and save the skiing for later. So Bob heads out skiing with a group of 7 or so, and I stay in the room to blog and suck on a canister of oxygen I bought at our hotel. Just the fact that they sell it tells you something. The Lumiere and the Village sit at 9,500 feet, give or take a foot, and the top of the mountain is at 13,150. No joke. Gonna take it easy today. I am dizzy and tired. Just another day. :-)

Scenes from my gondola ride to Market Station, where there is everything you need to stock your ski house!

After blogging, I decide to take the gondola to the market and pick up a few provisions. Since we have a refrigerator, it would be good to grab some water, juice and a few snacks. Plus it will be cool to see it! The gondola to Market Plaza leaves at the same station as the one which takes you into town, but this one is a simple 5 minute or less ride over a primarily residential area until you reach the market. There is a full-blown grocery store, a little cafe and ice cream shop, plus a liquor and wine store. Perfect!

I grab just a few things, since I have to carry the bags back through the village to our hotel. I stop every minute or so to take a picture to disguise the fact I am sucking wind. By now the clouds have moved in and there are a few snowflakes falling.

A few scenes from around the village. The snow is gently falling so I stop to take pictures and catch my breath. By my count I stopped at least 10 times.

The items have been put away and it is now about 12:00pm or so. I get a call from Bob that some of the group is meeting for lunch in the village and I should stop down. So I do. The skiers are raving about the mountain, but I am sure I made the right decision to wait. Many of us are experiencing altitude issues including heavy breathing, shortness of breath, headaches, ringing in the ears and light-headedness. This too shall pass. I brought my oxygen can with me just in case.

We pretend to shop for a bit and then some of the wedding group (myself included) end up at Track’s Cafe and Bar, another casual and fun place to have a bite and a drink after skiing or (fake) shopping.

After lunch some of the skiers head back out and a few of us decide to explore the village shops. After stopping in a few places and checking out the end of season sales, we invariably end up at Tracks Cafe and Bar, another neat locals hang-out. I find myself seated next to two brothers who live in the area and tell colorful stories of seasons past. After a glass of wine, however, it's time to head back to the hotel and catch up on a few things. Tonight we dine at Allred's, located at the top of the hill. You access it via the gondola which takes you to Telluride. It has a fantastic reputation and I am looking forward to it!

Scenes from the gondola ride and the interior of Allred’s, including the kitchen, dining room, bar and partial wine cellar. The pictures don’t do it justice.

Our ride to the restaurant is right around 7:15 and there is a spectacular sunset happening. We arrive at the top and meet the rest of our party. We are dining with one other couple tonight, but the wedding couple and their immediate family are at a table next to us. The restaurant interior is a surpise -- made of solid stone and wood beams, with views for days. Bob orders some wine, a lovely bread basket comes, and we peruse the menu. It looks great. Time to order.

Everything from the bread basket forward was delicious. The potato croutons on Bob’s Caesar were yummy! And for some reason I did not take a picture of my arancini, go figure.

I am eating light tonight, so I decide on the roasted beet salad (always a fave) and the arancini appetizer a main course. Bob chooses a Caesar salad with potato croutons and the Bourbon Marinated Elk Strip Loin. Our dining companions also opt for the beet salad, then the Cider Brined Berkshire Pork Chop for one and the Spicy Country Fried Cauliflour for the other. It was all delicous.

Of course we have to look at the dessert menu. Bob and I share an apple-blackberry cobbler, and our friends choose the sticky toffee pudding cake with whipped cream and rum toffee sauce. All popular choices!

Scrumptious desserts round. out a fantastic dinner on the top of Telluride Mt. at Allred’s Restaurant, one of Telluride’s best.

Time to take the gondola back to the hotel and call it a night. Tomorrow is the wedding. I think I will blog a bit in the morning, then grab a bite, SHOP in the village (as opposed to drink!), then get ready for the wedding, which is at 5pm at the Alpine Chapel in Telluride. Not sure how much I will post about the wedding per se, but I WILL be skiing all day Sunday with a dinner in town and there will be more of Telluride as opposed to mountain village. I am looking forward to it, hope you are too!