Monday, November 28, 2011

Westward American Road Diary: The Road to Telluride, Colorado

I can't imagine why I'm having recurring dreams I'm still on vacation and not back to congested northern New Jersey and New York City. I think I left a piece of my soul in these lands, here traveling from Silverton to Telluride.

Colorado reminded me a lot of Switzerland, where I spent some summer vacations as a child since my parents are both from there. Ouray actually calls itself the Switzerland of Colorado.

Like so many others, Ouray has a name of American Indian origin. Lydia Huntley Sigourney's reminder of this in her poem "Indian Names" comes to mind.

Sometimes you want a fancy meal at a restaurant. Other times, a cheese sandwich from the general store on the road to Telluride sounds just about fine.

Downtown Telluride was sleepy when we got there, a welcome change from the daily weekday life in New York City. Oh those mountain views.

The Coffee Cowboy stand in Telluride was my kind of place. A variety of non-dairy milks, real spoons instead of plastic, yummy coffee drinks with names like the "Lone Ranger."

My Annie Oakley latte with cinnamon and caramel made with soy milk.

This unassuming building...

the sight of the first bank robbery of Butch Cassidy. I left Telluride and much of the West wanting to learn more about the legendary figures of the region, which I know too little about.

My favorite thing in Telluride: its Free Box, which was started in the mid-1970s. This is so me! I think every community should have a space for free items to keep things out of the landfill and empower residents financially. It's not just items - wealth is being thrown away.

I took a cute pink calico-print cotton top for my mom. She loves secondhand items too. The bonus of secondhand: I get to take great vacations with my savings.

Puppy parking: cute!

Sharing a pizza at Riverfront Pizza and Suds in Dolores, Colorado. Good but nothing like the pizza you get in New York City.

Up next, I pay $3 to stand on a plaque. No really. But Navajo tacos are involved. Stay tuned.

2 comments:

  1. parisbreakfastsNovember 29, 2011

    I'm enjoying traveling along with you to places I've never been. The West is unknown to me.
    What would Annie Oakley think about soy milk..did she drink anything other than whiskey?
    Love the idea of a free box - boy could I fill that up.
    More please. this is fun!!

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  2. Thanks Carol. More to come: Utah next, the Grand Canyon, and Vegas. I laughed out loud about the soy milk! :-) I read in the New York Times about a space in Brooklyn called the Brooklyn Free Store. It seems so simple, just a little space to take and leave what you'd like. I could fill it up too!

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