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.

Fly Fishing Expedition in the Upper Black Canyon on Morrow Point Reservoir

Yes we finally have a fish picture in this post.  You have already seen the beauty of the canyon here in our previous posts, now we will share with you what we did about the fish we believed were in there.

We arrived early at the parking lot, before 9:00 AM, this is retirement after-all.  We quickly loaded up or backpacks and selected our fishing tackle.  You can see Michelle, Jim and Steve preparing for the fishing we were about to enjoy in the Upper Black Canyon on the Morrow Point Reservoir.

Jim and Michelle make their final fishing tackle checks before descending into the canyon over 300 ft below.

A view of our way down into the canyon.

Here we go, Jim leading the way.

At the bottom of the canyon, everyone is immediately casting lines out in to the inviting waters.  This is as close to the dam as fishing is permitted.  We thought it must be good fishing here, but this is not where we got the bites...

We moved farther down into the canyon and it appears that Jim has experienced a fly rod malfunction, as Gari rushes in to assist with resolving the problem.

Below we see Michelle and Jim on a nice looking pool along the reservoir/river.

Steve shoots his fly rig out behind the large boulder hoping to find a waiting fish in the eddy

POV from Steve's fly rod.

Steve and Jim stalk the same pool.

Gari captures a long shot of Steve working the reservoir below.

Jim shoots his dry fly over the large boulder looking for an unsuspecting trout.

Steve finds a perch on a large boulder in the river and whips his rod and line around into the current.

With the line in the water, Steve crouches and sits still stalking a potential catch.

The stealthy approach worked!  Fish On! .... the 4X leader was cut, no fish on the bank this time,

Michelle and Jim persevering downstream...

Don't look now, Steve has another fish on! You can see the strike ring in the water below to the left frame... follow the fly line.

Steve plays the Brown Trout closer.  You can see the fish in the water to the left of the large rock in the water.

Jim joins the excitement to lend a hand.  The Brown Trout also gets excited and makes a splash as Steve grabs for the leader to bring him in.

Success!  A Brown Trout on the river bank. Safely released back in the the reservoir after the picture.

Upper Black Canyon Boat Tour

The Upper Black Canyon was first explored by Europeans, Juan Rivera's band of Spanish explorers, looking for passage to the California coast in 1765.  By the early 1800's fur trappers were roaming the canyon in search of wild game.  It wasn't until 1853 that the first official exploration, led by Captain John W. Gunnison searched for a possible transcontinental railroad route.  Gunnison proclaimed the rugged country as totally unsuitable for a railroad and moved on into Utah, where he and all but four of the eleven members in his group were killed by a band of Paiute on October 26, 1853.  Later explorers agreed with Gunnison about the rugged terrain of the area and no hopes of building a railroad, but when rich mineral deposits were discovered on Colorado’s western slopes and in California, there was renewed urgency to find transport for the gold and other precious minerals.  Once again, surveyors and engineers began to search for a railroad path through the daunting canyon.  By the early 1880’s, the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad was on its way west across Colorado and before long, the company began the challenge of blasting and carving a narrow gauge railroad from the hard rock walls of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River.   A feat previously considered impossible, in August of 1882, the first Denver & Rio Grande train rolled out of the canyon.   Railroad engineers took trains through the Black Canyon for the next 67 years.  The Denver and Rio Grande made its Black Canyon route the cornerstone of its “Scenic Line of the World” passenger promotions and featured the Curecanti Needle on its emblem.  The railroad started as a primary method to transport mine ore, and later evolved to scenic tours and livestock transport.  As cars and trucks started to traverse the Colorado mountains the railroad made it's last scenic excursion in 1949.  The rails and ties were removed and later the canyon was flooded in 1968 when the Morrow Point Dam was completed.

An overlook view of the Upper Black Canyon where the Narrow Gauge Railroad once ran.

We pushed away from the dock right on time at 10:00 AM for this 90 minute boat tour

Narrator Edward and Captain Phil guide the vessel deeper into Black Canyon. 

Michelle and Jim have great seats to see the sights; even the boat roof is clear for sightseeing.

We approach the first corner in the trip.

The canyon opens up to reveal yet another twist and turn.

The walls of the canyon are primarily granite, however some igneous and metamorphic rock is found here as well.

A view of Chaita Falls found a few miles into the trip.  This is the only known nesting area of Black Swallows in the canyon.

The majestic Curecanti Needle which has been a landmark for generations of natives, explorers, trappers and passengers on the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, and today us! 

The backside view of the Needle.  It was an earthquake fault that separated the granite spire from the canyon wall.

A sharp turn coming up.

 An interesting transition of sheer granite wall to a steep meadow.

Lighter colored rock, metamorphic perhaps.

We had no idea we would see alligators here!  OK it's a trick, it's driftwood!

A line of (probably) quartz rich mineral defines a seam in the large granite rock.

After Captain Phil turned about, he put the throttle down as we threw a wake on the way back to the dock.

More majesty of the Upper Black Canyon.

The sheer flat wall is Schist rock that shears off in well defined planes.

The patterned rock we believe Edward said was Gneiss Granite.

The crew takes in the sights of the canyon.

More rocks as magnificent as they are.

An entertained crew is a happy crew!

 Wow!

This is one of two remaining telegraph poles left in the canyon.  Telegraph was used in the early days of the railroad.

Impressive.

Captain Phil stopped the boat on the way back for the "Money Shot" of the Curecanti Needle.  This is the image that was used for decades to advertise the Denver & Rio Grande Scenic Railroad Line, as seen on the sign on the boat railing below.

The same view, unobstructed by the boat railing.

Almost back to the dock now.

And so goes the crew of happy campers.