Crested Butte

One of the day trips that we all wanted to take was to some of the local Colorado Ski towns.  We considered Telluride and Crest Butte.  We picked Crested Butte and also planned a side trip up to nearby Lake Irwin to see what beauty may await us up there.

Now we are all clear on how the town of Crested Butte got it's name! 

We arrived early and parked near the Town Square of Crested Butte at the Chamber of Commerce.  We stopped in there real quick for any information we may need.

This was the view of the Crested Butte peak from near the town square.

Not far away was the main drag, Elk Ave.

The other side of Elk Ave.

We took a nice leisurely stroll down Elk Ave.  We noticed the town made a concerted effort to have beautiful flowers everywhere.  A very nice touch we thought.

Crested Butte was an artsy community.  Michelle and Gari model near a bit of abstract bicycle sculpture.  Also spied is an interesting bust in the background.

The crew stops to admire the floral beauty.

Below is a typical shot of one of many Art Galleries found along Elk Ave.

We saw some cool Adirondack Chairs made from old snow skis and boards, complete with boot binding drink holders!. 

Gari found a loveseat model that she preferred.

Gari pauses to test the natural fragrances.

We have seen several large moths, that we have always called Hummingbird Moths.  They were all around the many beautiful flowers.  A local told us they are Sphinx Moths.

Look, there goes another one!

It was hard to see around all the beauty at times.

This was an interesting courtyard along Elk Ave.

We spotted this pair up in the corner.  I can only imagine these two in the dead of winter and four feet of snow!

Indeed the flowers are everywhere, they even use old ski boots as planters!

At almost 9,000 feet, Steve found a much needed rest on the patio of an Art Gallery.

We even spotted a Gangsta Husky along Elk Ave!

This view of the Crested Butte Peak was taken from the ball field by City Hall.

This is a view of the Crested Butte Peak was taken from Crested Butte Mountain Resort, a bit to the north and west of the town of Crested Butte.  You can bet the real estate prices up here are as high as the mountain peak at over 12,000 ft!

Then it was time to head up to Lake Irwin and check out the scene.  Right away Jim and Steve get hero shots with the prettiest girls at the lake!

 

Michelle didn't come all this way to miss testing the water.

Jim gets some scenery shots from Lake Irwin.

Below is an example of what Jim saw in the viewfinder.

Steve climbed up a big rock and he was lucky to have the oxygen cylinder that Jim and Michelle gifted to him, he needed it at about 10,500 feet up there!

Michelle is on top of the world at Lake Irwin.

We met some local fellas out for a SUP (Stand Up Paddle) ride.  One young guy had his dog Bear with him.  Below he calls Bear over to try out the SUP board.   Bear doesn't look all that sure of this idea...

Maybe not sure but willing and trusting of his master, Bear carefully climbs aboard.

They did it, they're all aboard and underway!  Not bad for a first try Bear!

It looks like Bear has the hang of this SUP thing now, he's out in front directing the way.