A Day in Telluride
It's late March and the sun doesn't peak its brilliant gaze up and over the looming Ajax Mountain and into our box canyon until 8 am or so.
Coffee in hand, I hop down the steps of my ski bum house (front porch littered with skis, coolers, and mountain bikes). I love the mysterious shadows of the mountains; like silent guardians before they are illuminated. Peaceful, snoozy Main St. is disturbed only by early morning delivery trucks and drivers, carting boxes of food up and over the curb for the waiting restaurants.
When I say I have coffee in hand, I mean the cup of coffee that gets me to the REAL stuff. Warmth and the smell of new books hits me as I enter Telluride’s one and only bookstore: Between the Covers. Unbeknownst to many, there is a small coffee stand tucked neatly into its back corner. Dirty chai with oat milk please.
As I emerge, the street has become busier. Shouldered skis helicopter dangerously near to my head as the masses head to the slopes for some of the last days of resort skiing. By now the high-altitude sun has turned the snow to slush. People don costumes and t-shirts and the mountain has taken on that Spring-time vibe that makes you smile just thinking about it.
Snow is melting, things are dripping, the air smells like earth and mud … and sometimes a hint of thawing out dog poo from weeks past. The sun feels a smidge hotter and the air a tad heavier and everything is coming to life in our small box canyon and it's wonderful and powerful and immense all at the same time.
From across the street, the studio is a magnet as yogis emerge from cars, side streets, bicycles, you name it; mats tucked under arms and squeezed between elbows and ribs and shoved into too-small bags. Upon entry, Mangala, lavender scented, is abuzz with morning chatter. Telluride is ready for off-season and everyone has a vision and plan for their box-canyon exit and re-entry. The class is hot and we move together and breathe together and that on its own is powerful enough to kick my day into an amalgamation of excitement and centered-ness and bubbling joy.
Lunch Money features two fab ladies behind the counter. This is my favorite place for a light, healthy bite. Salad and some sort of weird and fantastic water go down the gullet as I chat with friends. We didn’t plan to meet up, but somehow if you sit down on Main Street in Telluride a group of familiar faces forms to catch up on the latest small-town gossip.
Swing home to grab the dogs: if you live in Telluride you must have at least one; and I’m off for a hike. I love being in these woods alone… these mountains have energy that vibrates off the walls of the box-canyon and culminates in something mysterious and wild and powerful. Sun dapples the path, still partially covered in snow as I climb up, and up and up. The Judd Wiebe Trail (we call it the town gym) is a quick loop with views that take your breath away. As I descend, the dogs whip through the familiar trees and meet me at the river for a gulp of ice-cold water.
A well-deserved dinner comes courtesy of Vicky’s Fresh Food Movement. I mean, this lady is cool. Vicky drives her refrigerated truck to all of the nearby farms picking up local and organic veggies and meat and prepared foods to deliver to customers who used her online platform to order their groceries earlier in the week. It’s Monday and the box left on the front porch boasts ground elk, canned and fermented dilly beans and fresh salad greens. Yum.
I like to say that the sunset is always beautiful in Telluride even if there isn’t one. I mean, sometimes we are truly socked in by menacing storm clouds filled with snow and rain and whatever. Sunset in Telluride, rain or shine, smells like promise, hope and community; feels like a gentle mountain kiss on my waiting skin; looks like the place I call home.
If you live here, you already know these things. If you don’t, come experience them for yourself. Even a taste will raise your vibrations! And while you’re here, stop by that cute little yoga studio wedged between the music shop and some weird stairs and practice with us. We’ll raise your vibrations too.
