Tourists at home in Colorado

Here are some photos of our recent trip to Crested Butte (June 4-7). We spent about four days in this former coal-mining town, now a Colorado ski resort. I've lived in Colorado most of my life but had never been there. (Crested Butte is a bit of a haul -- about four hours -- from Denver, so most Denver skiers flock to the ski areas just west of the metro area.) We hung out in town and saw Gothic and Tincup, two more Colorado ghost towns we can check off our list of ghost towns we want to see. We're kind of ghost-town junkies because we like the history and we like to ponder what life was like for early settlers in Colorado's mountains. We also did some hiking and watched snow (yes, snow in June) fall on one cold, blustery day.

On the way home we drove the West Elk Loop, a scenic drive that took us past the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, a stunning deep, narrow canyon that seems to come out of nowhere -- the landscape around it is a pretty flat mesa. I had been to the Black Canyon years ago; it was good to see it again. We went over McClure Pass and drove through Marble. (We'd been there before -- another great Colorado ghost town known, of course, for its marble quarries.) Then we headed back on Interstate 70 through Glenwood Springs, Glenwood Canyon, Vail, Summit County, etc.

The trip reminded me what a blessing it is to live in such a beautiful state. We plan to go back to Crested Butte in August for a hike over Schofield Pass, a former wagon road between Gothic and Marble that is hardly passable by four-wheel drive now. The best way to go over it is by hiking. We're looking forward to some more breathtaking scenery and a memorable experience.