A couple weekends ago, we decided to cross another coveted airport off my aviation bucket list. Telluride, tucked deep in the San Juan mountain range of Southwestern Colorado. The San Juan's are about the closest I've seen to the Swiss Alps here in the U.S. They are steep, rugged and breathtaking. The airport sits on a bluff at an elevation of 9,070' MSL. At each end of the runway, there is a steep dropoff of about 1000'. This gives it the look of a pseudo-carrier landing...of course, we have 7000' of runway to work with in Telluride, but you get the point. It was an amazing destination, in fact, it now tops my list as my favorite airport to land at.
Here is a GoPro still of short final, not a bad view eh? We got a little bit of a late start departing Denver, landing at about 3pm. I usually try to be on the ground in the afternoons while mountain flying. It wasn't too bad, a few occasional showers to duck and dodge around. Coming in on runway 27, the winds were 13ktsG20, swinging from 240-270. So it made the landing a little more sporty, but manageable. What you want to avoid is winds from the North, as they will create rotors on the runway. Our flight time was just about 1 hr 20 mins. For curiosity I checked Google maps to see how long that drive would be...6 hrs!! If that doesn't convince you that these planes are awesome, nothing will...talk about utility and convenience!
You can see from the pics, we got on the ground none too soon as dark clouds were brewing. These pictures do not do it justice. The steepness and sheer magnitude of the mountains around the airport are startling to behold. I just looked around and smiled on the ramp. We were greeted warmly by the FBO. They even (Hertz) pulled our rental car around to the plane for us.
We had decided to stay not in Telluride, but Ouray. It is only about 15 miles away as the crow flies. But because the mountains here are so rugged, we had to drive around them, taking us 50 mins. This is a photo of the scenic backdrop of our hotel, which was walking distance to town.
Ouray is a neat little mountain town. It claims to be the Switzerland of the U.S. I've been there so I will say not quite, but a good approximation in my estimation. This is a photo of the Ouray brewery, which we visited later in our trip.
Views of main street...
We decide to do the obligatory Box Canyon hike right near town. It is the tourist thing to do, and its an easy hike. Touristy or not, it was very pretty, as you can see from the pics. Definitely a must-do for your first time visit. We may venture off the beaten path a little more next time though.
After the hike, we went to the natural hot springs for a soak. $12 entry fee, soak as long as you like. It was a relaxing end to the day. Unfortunately, no pics of that...but it essentially just looks like a public swimming pool.
After a nice hike and a soak in the hot springs...you just gotta have some good Colorado microbrew! Off we went to Ouray brewery to grab a cold one!
Got a kick out of this sign as we walked in...
We sat on the rooftop patio...again I have to mention, the pics just do not capture how big that mountain is in front of us. I could've sat there for hours gazing at it, drinking good beer.
Sheryl, enjoying her dark beer.
As the weekend came to a close, we were sad to go and vowed to come back again. What a gem deep inside the Rockies. If you get the chance, definitely go visit.
I always get a kick out of this aviation lifestyle I am fortunate to lead, and who you might be sharing the ramp with on any given day. Anybody want to venture a guess at what this puppy costs? A lot of RV7's that's for sure. Until next time guys and gals...keep pounding those rivets (KPR) because it is WELL worth it.
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