Thursday was a rest day in Crested Butte. I had never been there, but I had heard that it's a cool town. Crested Butte has an eclectic, artsy feel to it. It's small enough to walk across town and back in less than 30 minutes. I would guess the whole town is less than 1 square mile, and it located about 3 miles from the ski area of Mt. Crested Butte. Many of the houses are decorated in a funky style, and art is part of the scenery. I found a lot of cool shops and restaurants, and if you're a skier, you really should check this place out.
As you walk around Crested Butte, the snow-capped peaks are always in the background. I wanted to see what the town looked like from that higher vantage point so I rode the free shuttle to Mt. Crested Butte and hiked up.......to the ski lift for a ride to the top. Like seemingly every day in Colorado, the views were spectacular!
The next couple of shots are of the village of Mt. Crested Butte.
After a ride back to Crested Butte, I spent part of the afternoon walking around town, and part of it in the park enjoying the Fat Tire Bike Week bike expo. There were booths by Trek, Specialized, Zipp Wheels, and others who sold clothing, lube, racks, tires, and more. There were food vendors, many from local restaurants, so finding lunch was easy. And there was a dj playing music and announcing winners for a raffle for BTC riders. About mid-afternoon a live band played for a few hours. They were pretty good. Unfortunately, laying in the grass enjoying the experience I felt the first of many raindrops. I made my way back to my tent and enjoyed a nap while the rain cooled things off. Being only about a block away from the park, I could still here the band as I lay in my tent. Nice.
After the rain the world had a nice, clean smell to it, and I walked through town again to a place I had seen earlier. I think it was called Fantastic Pita. I had some hummus and a gyro sandwich, and watched ESPN on the first TV I had seen in about a week. Then it was back to try to get organized for another day on the road. I read a little in my tent and listened to the sounds of those around me. It's amazing on a tour like this how there's so much noise and activity each evening, but by 9:00pm, everything goes pretty quiet. They'll start serving breakfast at 5:00am and the first riders will be gone about the same time. Goodnight Crested Butte.
I ski and ride with a group of friends -- sometimes 15-20 of us -- and we talk, laugh, eat and drink a beer, but we're all crashed by 9:30. There was a place in northern MN that was hesitant to rent to us (a lake resort) for a weekend with about 20+ more cyclists -- they were afraid that with that many people all in the same group we'd be partying all night. They've realized they have little to worry about!
ReplyDeleteAgain, great shots -- looks like a fabulous trip!
You have the best photos. They take me to other great places. Keep it rolling!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous scenery! I just love the vivid colors that came out in those photos. (And the dragon is fairly awesome as well)
ReplyDeleteEvery time I'm out in those Colorado mountains, I think to myself, "I think I could live here!". But then I usually come to my senses and realize I'm probably better off in the long run living where I do and visiting. I've never had my bike out there, though. It's on the list of things to do before I get so old that riding in the mountains will not be fun!
ReplyDeleteGreat pics...