Gunnison, Colorado & Vicinity, Part 1 - August 19-22, 2007 (Re-run)

 Gunnison is a nice town that happens to be central to several areas we wanted to visit, the first being the charming town of Crested Butte.  Founded for mining in the nearby mountains, Crested Butte has held on to its heritage despite the loss of mining revenue.  While maintaining its western culture, the town has become a popular destination for its magnificent scenery, especially its wildflower bloom, and for its ski resort.  

Although wildflower season had peaked several weeks earlier, we took a drive into the mountains along a road that still had some beautiful meadows to enjoy.  In addition, we passed the old mining community of Gothic, which was abandoned long ago but is being revitalized by the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab.  Students are able to spend summers here studying various areas of botany and ecology.

Western Colorado - August 8 & 9, 2007 (Re-run)

 Traveling south along the western edge of Colorado took us through two scenic canyons with funny names, Unaweep and Tabeguache.  There we found old uranium mines, ruins of old homes with interesting stories (that I've since forgotten), a little wildlife and the remains of an incredible flume hanging from the canyon wall over the San Miguel River.  The flume was built at great cost to carry water to a gold mining operation that never paid off.  

Our route took us through the town of Gateway, home to a beautiful resort where one can really get away.  There was the start of a vintage car museum, one car, that now has over fifty old automobiles.  Otherwise, a general store, cafe and tiny hotel make up the town, along with its few residents.