Paradise Divide

Gunnison KOA
Gunnison, CO
July 5, 2016

Today we headed out with Ronnie, Carol and their daughter Shannon who is visiting for the week from Brooklyn.  Our destination was Paradise Divide.  

Our ride started just north of Crested Butte on Slate River Road.  It's an easy 27.5 mile loop through absolutely beautiful country.  We followed Charles Wells' Guide to Colorado Backroads & 4-Wheel-Drive Trails.  The trail starts out as a wide graded road.  At about 9 miles the trail narrows and begins a steep climb. 

 In addition to the book, we had a local tour guide.

All along the way, we passed waterfalls. Some big ones...

and little ones.

 
Close to 12 miles in, we reached Paradise Divide.  Here we stopped at a small snow melt lake to stretch and take pictures.

 One of the first flowers to bloom as the snow melts are Glacier Lilies.  


A new to me wildflower...the entire plant is edible and important for wildlife.  Bears will dig up large areas to find bulbs.

Marsh Marigolds...

Carol and Shannon...

Ferns and Blue Flax...

 Joe and Ronnie...

Heartleaf Bittercress...

and Dwarf Rock Jasmine only 1 inch tall...

From here we entered Paradise Basin and headed towards Schofield Pass.

Emerald Lake sure caught our eye as we headed down the narrow pass.

Ummm...I'm thinking lunch !

































We meandered along narrow paths in search for the perfect lunch spot and hidden gems along the way.

Lunch with a view...

After lunch, we continued on the narrow shelf road until it turned into Gothic Road which is a well graded wide road.

WOW ! What a wonderful day.  Until next time, happy days and...

HAPPY TRAILS !

Long Lake Trail

Gunnison KOA
Gunnison, CO
July 3, 2016

We arrived at the Gunnison KOA this past Friday and haven't slowed down one bit.  Our friends Ronnie and Carol and their pup Cooper are here too.

The weather has been so nice with highs in the low 70s and nights in the mid 40s.  We have had thundershowers in the afternoons the past two days...no worries, it's actually kind of nice.

The pups love the doggie park.  It's grassy with lots of trees, plenty big for playing and exploring, and CLEAN !  

 And then there is the treat man...life is good for the Tan Clan and Cooper !
















Saturday was spent familiarizing ourselves with Gunnison.  Important things were found like the car wash, Wal Mart, and City Market.  We also enjoyed a yummy lunch at El Paraiso with friends and made a stop by the Visitor Center. 

This morning we were up early and eager to hit the trails.  We chose an easy, short hike to get things started...Long Lake Trail.  It is located just north of Crested Butte on Washington Gulch Road.  It is a 2.5 mile in/out trail with a 515 elevation gain with a maximum 9690 feet.  Highlights of the trail are aspens, wildflowers and swimming...yes, there were swimmers when we were heading out.  

The first section of trail is a gravel road surrounded by aspens, evergreens and wildflowers.  It was a very comfortable 60 degrees when we started.  







Nothing quite like the smell of the forest...

Following the well marked trail signage, we made a left turn and connected to a narrow trail that followed Long Lake.  Absolutely gorgeous !

The trail ends at a fence with a private property sign.  

Of course everything in between had me on camera overload.   

Columbines

Alpine Spring Beauty

 Mule's Ear

Lupines

It sure feels good to have the hiking boots dusted off and we don't even mind that they are caked with rich black earth.  It was a great morning.  

It's a beautiful, winding 30 miles from Gunnison to Crested Butte on Hwy 135 north...the first of many (I hope!) trips that way.   Going was sunny...

...coming home was cloudy and rainy. We even had a brief period of sleet and hail. 

 Until next time, happy days and...

Rosy Paintbrush

 HAPPY TRAILS !