Little Nell

So we were also able to fulfill another longtime wish of mine, by skiing down from Aspen Mountain to do Apres Ski at Little Nell (Richard Betts' place) We rolled in in our ski boots and helmets, and ordered apps while I poured over the VERY NICE wine list. I love it when a list is done well, it's just so refreshing. Anyhow, after drooling over everything I can't afford, I settled on two half bottles of 05 Vieux Donjon the #3 wine of the Year according to the Wine Spectator. I would've liked a 750ml, but it seems they're unavailable on the market.... HMMMMMMMMM........ Anyhow, the best sliders with Roquefort and bacon I've ever had, some shrimp and chorizo we cooked on a hot rock, forget what the Argentinian name was, and some delicious pate. All-around awesome. Well-done!

Aspen nightlife

So we walked by a place with velvet ropes and a bouncer, but no line. The Bouncer started talking to us and invited us in. (Happens all the time in NYC) the place was called Fly Aspen. It was a neat concept. Basically, the unmarked door led down some steps with carpeted walls kind of like a gangway out to an airplane. It even smelled like one too, which was the really neat trick. Anyhow, it opened up into a narrow club which on one side was set up like a jet, and the other, like, well, I don't know, but it somehow kept the motif.

Mountains, Flats, and Vistas

Up at the top of Aspen with the views. My dear Subee who contracted a phillips head screw in her tire and needed a last minute swap on our way into Aspen for the night. And finally, a view of Aspen from the slopes.
In the final judgement, or rather, latest, Snowmass at Aspen gets my nod for most slopes and best conditions, but as far as the town goes, in terms of people, feel, nights out, and general all-around "is-ness" Telluride wins hands down. For a quick comparison, Aspen is Southampton, Telluride is Sag Harbor.

Benjamin and Elizabeth in Aspen

Chilling with these two up at Snowmass. There are four mountains in Aspen and Snowmass is the biggest. It was unbelievable conditions, and great trails, with lots of sun. Man was it amazing!

Monty strikes again

On our way to Aspen, we stopped off at a mountain mesa, to try and taste some wines at a local vineyard. We noticed some cattle walking down a hill and pointed them out to Monty. We even rolled down the window so he could see them. Of course, he jumped out the window immediately, and we had to jump out after him and get him back in the car.

Lez Zeppelin

One of the added bonuses of sticking around Telluride, in addition to a quick three day trip to Aspen, was getting to see Lez Zeppelin play at the Telluride Conference Center. It was an amazing show, really one of the best Rock Shows I've ever seen. Each member of the band is really amazing, and brings their own flavor to the Zeppelin classics. Small Venue, maybe 250 people, it absolutely rocked. I'm going to try and attach a you tube link with some video.

A Hike up Jud Wiebe trail

Yesterday, Benjamin and I went on a hike up the Northern Side of the Telluride Valley on the Jud Wiebe trail. It was a beautiful hike up Tomboy Road ( a really scary, 4x4 only, dirt road up out of town) and then a bunch of switch backs as we made our way up. I think we got to somewhere near 9,500 ft.

The View

It starts up top, with the valley leading into Telluride, then each shot is a move to the left, scanning across the ski Mountain. That's Benjamin's big head in the way, and those little things on the valley floor are the houses and the town of Telluride.

Monte, the PB+J thief

On the way to and from our hike, Monte ran into the local playground to run around with the children. Some of them ran away screaming, some of them pet him and played, but the best was when he ran up to a mother and daughter sitting on their stoop, got pet, turned his head and snatched half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and was on his way.

License Plate House

How cool is this place? We found it while wandering down one of the small side streets after our hike. They say it takes about 20 minutes to get the layout of the town, but twenty years to get the town...

Tasty new treats

Josh wanted help in picking out a few wines, so I happily obliged (for a small consultation fee of course). Here are two we had, Thackerey Pleadies (Always developmentally amazing over a few hours and an 03 Christian Mouieux Merlot Bordeaux ( a steal for $12 once you let it breathe for a few hours)

Town of Telluride at night from Allred's

Once again, a quick visit on the free Gondola to check out Allred's at the "top" (not really) for a drink. Absolutely beautiful views, one of the prettiest places I've been. I definitely recommend it if you get here. Anyhow, heres a view of the town at night. Somehow, Telluride has grabbed me and my week has turned into two. According to the locals, this place either grabs you or it doesn't and you'll know pretty quickly.

Dumpster Diving

Benjamin was put onto these dumpsters by a friend of his, Josh. They're behind a local grocery store and an excellent source of free food. Tonight we scored an orange, some expired Nutra grain Bars, some bread, and two packages of romain hearts.

The Coors Light Mountains

These are the mountains on the Coors cans. Cheers! They're called the Wilsons or Shandoka (which means weathermaker)

Ralph Lauren's Double RL Ranch

Yeah, so this is it. He's got an unbelieveable amount of land on this ranch, it just keeps going on forever. Supposedly he had the fencing put up backwards to the usual way it's done because he preferred the way it looked. I guess the locals got a rise out of that.