Telluride for our Anniversary

Todd looks good as ever on our 7th anniversary. I look crazy, and my excuse is that I'm really sick.

We started the long drive to Telluride early in the morning. We had to make a quick stop in Helper, and were excited to see that it was Art Festival day, but we were too early. We ate a delicious lunch at Sweet Cravings in Moab and I made the find of my life when I dashed in Dollar General and found two snorkel sets. The kids and I were super excited.

The drive through Paradox Valley from Moab to Telluride is so pretty. The road was in bad condition and I think we caught some air over one of the bumps.

We checked into our hotel in Mountain Village and rode the gondola down to Telluride. We loved the historical museum.

We happened upon the Mushroom Festival parade. It was pure hippy craziness with a car float that had to be pushed down the street and lots of people in red and white polka dots. We hooked up with the Kanshepolsky Gotshalk family on Colorado St. They said, "We didn't know Telluride was going to be wacky like this." It's wacky alright.

We had dinner at Brown Dog Pizza and we weren't even the noisiest table there!

Joelle, Ellie, Jovie, Todd, Andy, Avi and Isaac at the gondola station.

As the gondola was our only transportation from our hotel to anything else, we rode it a lot and we all loved it, except Andy who doesn't like heights. He never did look out the window. As Jovie is known to do at hotels, she threw up our first night there.

The next morning, we packed up the crowd to hike to Bear Creek Falls.

These boys drive each other crazy whenever they are together, then miss each other when we split them up.

These girls are good cheerful friends.

The kids hiked with their backpacks the whole four mile trail. They carried their own jackets and hats and snacks. The next day, we made them carry their own water and they did that too. We may have to plan a backpacking trip!

We called this Cairn Town. We forgot to take pictures at the waterfall.

Everybody went swimming at the hotel pool until it started raining. We ate that night at Tomboy Tavern in Mountain Village and we were the noisiest table there. The next day, we went for a walk around town and found their weird train thing, The Galloping Goose.

We explored the historical museum again and found some cool minerals and arrowheads. We had dinner at The View at our hotel overlooking the pool. It was nice and rainy. I was sick though. I thought maybe I had high altitude sickness. I felt really worn out and my bones hurt and it was hard to breathe. I hadn't slept well the second night in Telluride and I didn't sleep at all the third night. I tried to go to the doctor at 2 am when I couldn't take it anymore, but the gondola shuts down at night and the clinic was only open for traumas. Promptly at 7:30am, I took myself on the gondolas and walked to the clinic and cried myself through check in and into the emergency room. The doctor said that I had an ear infection and tonsillitis and she gave me a shot and a bunch of prescriptions. The doc gave me a dose of dexamethasone which is what the "dopers" use on Everest, so I was a little star-struck in addition to feeling a little better. Our friends headed for home and I didn't even say goodbye! TB and the kids met me at the hippy-dippy marijuana pharmacy (none of that for me thanks!) where I bought everything: M&Ms, Gatorade, sweatshirts, magazines, Rx'es, etc.  TB took the kids swimming in a thunderstorm while I slept at the hotel and it made for a loungier than usual vacation.

That evening, we ate at Cornerhouse Grille, which was our favorite restaurant in Telluride, besides Baked in Telluride where we got a treat every single day.

On the gondola ride home that evening, we hiked around San Sophia and were awed by the views.

The last morning there, we went to Baked in Telluride to meet a friend of Coach Scott named Neil. He was very cool and a big biking fan who just came back from riding in France! We hope he'll visit us to ski or show us around France someday. We took a walk on the Riverside Trail through town and to the playground.

We saw a young woman sewing together leaves and she gave us secret directions to a piece of art she'd just finished. We thought it was cool.

We had a weird drive home. Ikey said he was going to throw up, so he got out of the car and hunched over by the side of the road. It was a false alarm I guess.

We traveled through a pack of cattle being herded by an old cowboy on a horse talking on a cell phone.

We stopped for burgers and shakes at Milt's in Moab. Ikey and Jovie made friends with two cute little kids from Castle Valley. Ikey wanted to find their house on the way home, but I just wanted to get my sick self home.

As soon as we got home, we started laundry and cleaning out the car because TB had to leave early the next morning for an overnight work meeting and I had bookclub that night. We both made it. I was supposed to do the Vikingman Triathlon in Idaho on the weekend, but I was too sick so Coach Scott worked out a deal for me to try again next year. I think I'll have my tonsils out by then. Keep your fingers crossed for me!