San Juan Skyway Visitor Guide Summer/Fall 2022

S ykywaSaJn uan Summer/Fall 2022

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Towns Along the Skyway Contents 8 12 18 20 30 34 38 42 44Ridgway Ouray Silverton Durango Mancos Cortez Dolores Rico Telluride 26-27 San Juan Skyway map and routes Features 10 Keep the Fires Burning Cimarron Art Glass creates traditional, hand-blown glass treasures 14 Climb On Ouray gets a new via ferrata on private land 14 22 Sit Back and Relax Durango Hot Springs Resort & Spa is the ultimate staycation destination 28 Joy Ride Purgatory’s alpine slide and mountain rollercoaster are pure fun 22 32 The ABCs of Good Food Absolute Bakery & Café is a local treasure 36 Solar Farming It’s always sunny in Colorado 40 Legacy Legume The curious tale of the Anasazi Bean 46 46 Plein Air 4 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022 Telluride festival celebrates painting outdoors 50 Upshot Celebrating 10 years of the San Juan Skyway

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GARY RATCLIFF S ykywaSaJn uan VISITOR GUIDE SkywaySaJn uanTELLURIDE PUBLISHING, LLC ~ ADVERTISING VIJSeITnOnyRPGaUgIeDE ~ EDITORIAL Deb Dion Kees ~ CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kristal Franklin ~ DISTRIBUTION Telluride Delivers ~ WEB GURU Susan Hayse ~ PHOTOGRAPHERS Xander Bianchi Mike Boruta Travis Perkins Gary Ratclliff ~ WRITERS Deb Dion Kees Joy Martin ~ The San Juan Skyway Visitor Guide is produced by Telluride Publishing. Telluride Publishing also produces Telluride Magazine For more information, visit telluridemagazine.com For advertising inquiries: [email protected] 970-729-0913 For editorial inquiries: [email protected] 970-708-0060 ©2022 Telluride Publishing, LLC. Cover and contents are fully protected and must not be reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher. ~ ON THE COVER Lower Blue Lake, nested below the peaks in the Sneffels Range. Photo by Gary Ratcliff 6 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

DARE TO Discover Seek out special experiences and places along the San Juan Skyway Tourism is a funny thing. People travel “THE REAL VOYAGE OF Maybe you’re looking for a little local fla- to a place to find something new, to DISCOVERY CONSISTS NOT vor. The Absolute Bakery & Café (“The ABCs of experience something different, but IN SEEKING NEW LANDSCAPES Good Food,” p. 32) is a hidden gem for break- usually they end up in a crowd of other seek- BUT IN HAVING NEW EYES.” fast and lunch; everything is made from scratch ers hitting the same attractions, the standard with locally sourced ingredients, and their cli- tourist fare: the Grand Canyon, the Statue of —Marcel Proust entele includes a devoted group of regulars Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal. whose love notes are posted all over the café. duck into the pocket park next to the Sheridan Opera It’s as if we’ve lost our sense of discovery. House over the Fourth of July and find some of the best And if you want to taste something truly When you leave the throngs and chart your plein air painting in the country (“Plein Air,” p. 48). unique and special, something you can’t find own path, you open up the possibility of find- anyplace besides this corner of Southwest ing something unknown and exciting. If you’re on the hunt for an adventure, you might Colorado, try Anasazi Beans (“Legacy Le- want to check out the alpine slide or the mountain gume,” p. 40). Originally cultivated in ancient There is lots to discover along the San Juan rollercoaster at Purgatory (“Joy Ride,” p. 28) or one of times by the tribes that inhabited these lands, they Skyway, and much of it is unfrequented or a local se- the via ferratas or canyoneering routes in Ouray. Base- were serendipitously rediscovered and replanted in cret. You could go to an art gallery in a big city, but you camp Ouray opened a new via ferrata on private land the 1970s. Anasazi Beans are only on the menu today might never happen upon custom glasswork like you this summer (“Climb On,” p. 14) and they’re calling it because someone was curious enough to try some- would find at Cimarron Art Glass, a glass-blowing studio the Gold Mountain Expedition because it combines el- thing unknown, to take a chance. on a side street in Ridgway (“Keep the Fires Burning,” ements of mountaineering, geology, and history. We hope these stories inspire you to do the same: p. 10). You could hit one of the crowded hot springs re- veer off the beaten path. Step out of your comfort zone. sorts in Glenwood Springs or Mount Princeton, or you Explore something new, and make your own discovery. could check out the exclusive, newly remodeled facil- ities at Durango Hot Springs, (“Sit Back and Relax,” p. Best wishes, 22). You could go to one of Telluride’s renowned music festivals, with thousands of other visitors, or you could Deb Dion Kees SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022 7

Ridgway Even Hollywood took note of Ridgway’s GARY RATCLIFF spectacular Western scenery and character, setting the original film True Grit here decades ago. Ridgway is the northernmost entry to the San Juan Skyway and is known as the Gateway to the San Juans. Its beautifully manicured town park hosts music concerts, arts festivals, and a farmers market and its county fairgrounds is home to a great professional rodeo that caps off the summer. Ridgway has a sprawling reservoir with camping and its tributary the Uncompahgre River boasts all sorts of watersports opportunities: boating, paddle boarding, tubing, fishing, and waterskiing. The community is a hub for artists and artisans, with lots of galleries and outdoor sculpture, and the Ridgway Railroad Museum pays tribute to the town’s advent as a transportation hub, headquarters of the Rio Grande Southern narrow gauge railroad serving miners, ranchers, and farmers in the 1800s. 8 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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KEEBPUTRHNEINFGIRES Cimarron Art Glass creates traditional, hand-blown glass treasures Everywhere you look in the gallery, the light is teaches classes and welcomes people into his studio “punty,” a long, metal rod with a blunt end, to help remove catching the color from a different piece: shim- to watch the creative process. the piece from the blowpipe. Handmade pieces like those mering hues of red, orange, purple, green. El- made by DeForeest are easy to discern from cheaper, egantly shaped vases, Venetian-style goblets, For anyone who has never seen glassblowing, it industrially produced glassware—you can see the punty and other artistic glasswork adorn every shelf and is truly a spectacle. Artists dip the blowpipe into the spot. “It’s the birthmark,” says Brady, who helps in the table in the shop; but through the hallway and into molten, clear glass “crucible,” and then it’s an elabo- shop when she’s not producing jewelry. “Glass has mem- the back is where the magic happens. rate performance of blowing, spinning, rolling, and ory. Every bubble, every error, every step in the process.” swinging the long tube around the body that almost The glass-blowing studio behind the gallery is lofty looks like some kind of martial arts practice. “It’s the DeForeest’s studio also has three “glory holes,” and open, and against the rear wall sits the center- dance,” says DeForeest, who has developed a Zen-like alternate furnace openings where the piece can be piece, a massive natural gas furnace that burns con- connection to the process. “The glass is telling you ev- worked and reheated after the color is added (the stantly at more than 2,000°F. It’s not practical to shut it erything you need to know, as long as you can hear it.” crucible is for clear glass only, before color is added). off and have to get it back up to that temperature, says Once a piece is finished, it goes in the annealor, a Cimarron Art Glass artist/owner Munro DeForeest. “The The color, he says, comes from minerals and the special kiln that slowly cools it down. furnace runs 24/7, for years at a time.” combination of minerals. They sometimes react with each other to create new colors. After two and a half Artisan glasswork is delicate, time-consuming, even DeForeest and his wife, Brady, who is an accom- decades of mastering the craft, he has played with dangerous—but as with any handmade craft, the product plished jeweler, built the studio and gallery in Ridgway just about every combination (including the verboten is far superior to manufactured goods made in bulk. Each in 2001. He grew up in the arts community in Santa Fe, ones his teachers advised against) and even creates piece is unique, with its own life story. One of the custom and DeForeest has been blowing glass for twenty-five his own “cane” with colored spirals to create custom pieces DeForeest made for a client in Santa Fe hangs in years. This style of craftmanship is disappearing; there accents and textures. “I got a list of minerals that are the gallery: a gorgeous light fixture, a bouquet of lemon are very few glassblowing shops like his in the country. not supposed to go together and started experiment- and white elongated, curved glass spheres. The client has So it is not just the furnace he is keeping lit—he’s also ing. That’s where the fun stuff happens.” since died, but he left the piece to DeForeest in his will. keeping an age-old technique alive, carrying the torch “He left it to me under one condition,” says DeForeest, so to speak. In addition to making and selling his art, he Glassblowing takes teamwork. There has to be “that I sell it again, so that someone else gets to enjoy it.” someone on the receiving end of the swollen glass with a 10 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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Ouray When you drive into Ouray you PHOTOS BY GARY RATCLIFF may wonder where you took a wrong turn and how you ended up in the European Alps. From Ouray’s incredible Uncompahgre Gorge (which is famous for its manmade ice climbing park in winter) to the pristine and beautiful mountains in which it is encircled, as well as its quaint Victorian architecture, old-fashioned shops, and historic main drag and museum, the town has a distinctly alpine feel. Ouray has all kinds of recreational opportunities, such as hiking, running, camping, jeeping, river sports, and mountaineering; whatever you do, don’t miss the Perimeter Trail, which offers a stunning view of the Cascade Falls and the gorge. After you recreate, relax by visiting one of Ouray’s geothermal treats, hot springs, a pool, or vapor caves. 12 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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CLOINMB PHOTOS BY TRAVIS PERKINS Ouray gets a new via ferrata on private land Via ferratas have become extremely popular in the United States. The routes were originally used by the military to traverse the Dolomites during World War I; via ferrata is Italian for “iron way,” referring to the iron rungs and cables climbers use to scale mountains. The routes are not just functional, they’re also fun; they allow people without technical climbing skills to have a true mountaineer- ing experience. There are now more than a dozen via ferratas in the United States—and Ouray has two of them. SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022 15

XANDER BIANCHI In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, Ouray TRAVIS PERKINS opened its first via ferrata: a wild traverse across and MIKE BORUTA along the gorge where the Ouray Ice Park draws the world’s best ice climbers in the winter. This summer, Basecamp Ouray is opening a second via ferrata on private land, called the Gold Mountain Expedition. “The climbing is distinctively different,” says Base- camp Ouray owner Logan Tyler. “The Ouray Via Fer- rata primarily traverses. This via has a vertical gain of approximately 1,800 feet. It’s designed to have a cohesive flow, to mimic natural climbing moves. The rungs are strategically placed—where you want a rung, there is a rung.” The new route sits on private land owned by Rick and Sandra Wilson, the 1,200-acre Gold Moun- tain Ranch, consisting of more than a hundred min- ing claims. The tours will be available exclusively through Basecamp Ouray, which built the via ferra- ta with the help of the owners. “None of this would have been possible without them believing in the idea and providing the funding to make this happen,” says Tyler. “We are also grateful to the community and the county commissioners for approving it and giving us the opportunity to help shape Ouray’s out- door recreational assets.” The Gold Mountain Expedition is not just a recreational asset, but also an historical one. After crossing a 235-foot-long, five-cable bridge suspend- ed over the canyon, climbers get to peek into mine portals, travel thirty feet through a tunnel, and check out an old blacksmith shop with archival newspaper clippings and historical information about the area. “One of the coolest features, and why we’re calling it an ‘expedition,’ is that you’re learning about the history and the geography.” The new via ferrata is as much an adventure as it is an expedition. It takes an estimated four to five hours to complete, and follows a series of ridgelines, with wide-open views of the entire town of Ouray. It has an alternate route midway, called “The Hard Man’s Pitch,” one of the most difficult via ferrata pitch- es in the country—it traverses a sixty-foot overhang that extends out over the highway. “You can really feel the gravity,” says Tyler. Basecamp Ouray is also opening a new adven- ture center, with Kaden Anderson’s company Can- yoning Colorado, in the old 3,000-square-foot Chi- peta movie theater in downtown Ouray. There will be a front desk to book via ferrata or canyoneering trips, a yoga and weightlifting room, and two system boards and LED climbing walls for training. They will also open up a co-working space. “We want it to be a homegrown community rec center,” says Tyler, “for local schools and groups.” Anderson says the canyoneering in Ouray is as epic as the climbing and via ferrata adventures. “There are seven different canyons, all within a few minutes. Basically the same things that make Ouray an ice climbing destination make this a great canyoneer- ing destination. It’s a sleeper; people don’t realize how good it is.” Established climbers and ice climbers are famil- iar with Ouray’s rugged geology and beauty, but Tyler and Anderson hope to open up adventure opportuni- ties to everyone who wants to experience them. The first Ouray Via Ferrata, which allowed novice adven- turers to explore the river gorge, was just the begin- ning—it’s all uphill from here. “It’s wild. If the Ouray Via is PG, maybe this is PG-13,” says Tyler. “We’re always trying to ride this line of what could be thrilling both for someone who’s never climbed and seasoned vet- erans…and to take people to that line.” 16 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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Silverton Silverton is the best-kept secret in the San Juans. The tiny, historic town only has about 600 residents, and they like it that way—they have miles and miles of ruggedly beautiful mountains as their private playground, with great jeeping, hiking, biking, trail running, mountaineering, and river running in their own backyard. There are classic Victorian buildings to explore, including the notorious Blair Street establishments, mining tours and gold panning, music, and theatre. Silverton is also home to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, where visitors arriving on the first train each summer are treated to locals dressed in Victorian-era costumes and the old- time sounds of a brass band. 18 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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Durango T he authentic Western town of Durango PHOTOS BY VISIT DURANGO is the San Juan Skyway’s version of a metropolis—there are even a few traffic lights on its main corridor—and town is the main population center of Southwestern Colorado, so there are plenty of businesses and nightlife in the downtown area. But the town is also a hub for outdoor recreation, with the Animas River, local lakes, and lots of great hiking, biking, and mountaineering. There are all kinds of unique experiences you can have in Durango, from the interactive Durango Discovery Museum, to a trip on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a day of zip lining or a paintball fight, to an old-fashioned shootout at the quick draw competition each year. Durango is the perfect mix of Old West and New West culture. 20 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

marketing & design 970.728.3234 • [email protected] corporate identity • event promotion architectural rendering • packaging • email marketing Photography used in butterfly art by Melissa Plantz. SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022 21

SITRBEALCAK AXND Durango Hot Springs Resort & Spa is the ultimate staycation destination For more than a thousand years, tired travelers, weary souls, and exhausted mamas have found a natural reset in the geothermal waters flowing from the Trimble Fault north of Durango. Whether it’s a hiker seeking a release for achy legs or a local looking for a luxurious escape, Durango Hot Springs Resort & Spa welcomes all to experience the premier wellness getaway. 22 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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THESE “NANO” BUBBLES ARE SMALL ENOUGH TO BE ABSORBED THROUGH THE SKIN, ELEVATING OXYGEN LEVELS IN THE BODY AND PROMOTING BLOOD CIRCULATION. As steam rises through towering pines toward grees, to the lobster pot, all water is heated through the red cliffs above the Animas Valley, soakers settle the earth, thousands of feet below ground. Detailed into a few hours of self-care in some of the best natu- features, like the cold plunge, a mineral shower clock ral mineral waters in the world. Since Dan Carter, Kurt tower, and a reflexology walk, offer mini-adventures Carter, and Bryan Yearout purchased the former Trim- on the way to and from the sauna or snack bar, where ble Hot Springs in 2019, they’ve poured $10 million a piña colada or local beer promise refreshment. into not only revamping the quality of these “magic waters,” but also the soaking experience as a whole. As the owners look to expand services to in- The community reception has been positive, as Du- clude lodging, mountain biking trails, and more, the rango Hot Springs bookings sprang from 12,000 in four-star Spa is currently open and accepting reser- 2018 to 168,000 in 2021. vations. Guests who book a facial, body scrub, mas- sage, manicure, or pedicure at the Spa also enjoy Recognizing the lands here as sacred to Indige- access to the pools before or after their treatment. nous Peoples, the new owners are proud to educate All treatments feature customized, fair-trade, chemi- guests about the power of these healing waters that cal-free scrubs, oils, serums, and scents. have soothed ailments ranging from upset stom- achs to stiff joints since AD 1000. Beyond the tradi- Guests are welcome to reserve a 2.5-hour soak tional benefits of soaking, the Durango Hot Springs for $39 per person. Towels are available for pur- is also the first and only natural hot springs in the chase or guests can bring their own. For an even world to utilize the AquaGen system, which infuses more exotic staycation, guests can book the Trimble microscopic oxygen bubbles into the mineral waters. Club level, which features private pools, a sundeck, These “nano” bubbles are small enough to be ab- concierge service, and a clubhouse with changing sorbed through the skin, elevating oxygen levels in rooms, showers, towels, robes, and slippers. Access the body and promoting blood circulation. The result to the Club does not require a membership. “Anyone is an enhanced soaking experience that calms, re- wanting to upscale their experience and have an lieves, strengthens, detoxifies, heals, and even pro- all-day basecamp at the Hot Springs will be able to motes the formation of new cells. pay a bit more and be a Club member for the day,” says Ken Stone, marketing director for Durango Hot Soakers can choose from sixteen different soak- Springs Resort & Spa. ing pools (including twelve in an adults-only area) ranging in temperatures from 100 to 117 degrees. —Joy Martin From the swimming pool, which hovers around 90 de- For more information or to make a reservation, please visit durangohotspringsresortandspa.com. 24 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022



THE SaJn uan SKYWAY The San Juan Skyway is the ultimate road trip. Along its breathtaking 236-mile loop are vibrant alpine communities, historic landmarks, Mesa Verde National Park, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, wild rivers, pristine waterfalls and lakes, high-elevation passes and the gorgeous, jagged San Juan Mountain Range for which it is named. U.S. HIGHWAY 160 ride. The byway follows the San Miguel River down to crosses over Bear Creek Falls on a bridge at the loca- SMALL PHOTOS: GLEB TARASSENKO©-ADOBESTOCK.COM, NICK FOX©-ADOBESTOCK.COM, KRZYSZTOF WIKTOR©-ADOBESTOCK.COM Starting in Durango, Colorado, the largest city on San the little town of Placerville. tion of an impassable toll booth on the original road. Juan Skyway, the byway follows U.S. Highway 160 (US The Alpine Loop National Back Country Byway, a four- 160) west through the town of Mancos to Cortez pass- STATE HIGHWAY 62 wheel-drive jeep road takes off in the gorge south of ing the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park. The byway turns east at Placerville onto SH 62 and Bear Creek Falls. Before leaving the gorge, the by- follows it over Dallas Divide. There are many excel- way passes through a snow shed under the Riverside STATE HIGHWAY 145 lent views of the San Juan Mountains, especially Slide avalanche zone. A monument stands near here At Cortez, the byway turns north following State of the mountains around the 14,150-foot (4,310 m) honoring those who have lost their lives in the ava- Highway 145 (SH 145) through the town of Dolores Mount Sneffels. From top of the divide the byway lanche, including several snowplow operators. At this and follows the Dolores River into the San Juan Na- descends into the town of Ridgway. The entire route point the byway enters Ironton Park, a nice flat valley tional Forest. The byway passes through the small of the byway from Durango to Ridgway roughly fol- in contrast to the gorge. The road ascends several town of Rico, county seat of Dolores County prior to lows the route of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad. switchbacks, or S-curves, past the Idarado mining 1941; the old courthouse still remains. From Rico, the operation to the 11,018-foot (3,358 m) summit of Red byway crosses 10,222 ft (3116 m) Lizard Head Pass U.S. HIGHWAY 550 Mountain Pass, providing views of Red Mountain (Col- and enters the Uncompahgre National Forest. Lizard From Ridgway, the byway turns south onto US 550 orado) and several ghost towns. Back into the San Head Pass provides views of the 14,159-foot (4,316 following the Uncompahgre River into the Victorian Juan National Forest, the highway descends through m) El Diente Peak, the 14,246-foot (4,342 m) Mount mining town of Ouray. From Ouray south back to the Chattanooga Valley to Silverton. Wilson, the 14,017-foot (4,272 m) Wilson Peak and Durango, the highway is referred to as the Million the pass’s namesake, the 13,113-foot (3,997 m) Lizard Dollar Highway, not for its priceless beauty but for From Silverton, the byway passes over the 10,910- Head Peak. The byway descends near the little town the extreme costs of its initial construction. The first foot (3,330 m) Molas Pass and the 10,640-foot (3,240 of Ophir past the location of the famous Ophir Loop of 7.0 miles (11.3 km) south of Ouray, the byway follows m) Coal Bank Pass descending past the ski resort of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad. A spur road heads through the Uncompahgre Gorge. Just past the only Durango Mountain. From Hermosa, the road parallels off to the old mining town turned ski resort of Tellu- tunnel on the route, just south of Ouray, the road the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad be- fore returning to Durango. 26 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

San Miguel River Uncompahgre Ridgway National Forest 145 Dallas Divide Placerville 8,970 ft. Unaweep/Tabeguache UncomRpivaehrgre 62 Scenic and Historic Byway 141 Uncompahgre National Forest Ouray Ouray Hot Sawpit 145 Springs Telluride CO Uncompahgre Telluride Ski Area Alpine National Forest Mountain Village Loop Mount Wilson Red Christ of 14,246 ft. Mountain the Mines Shrine Groundhog Rico Pass Reservoir 10,899 ft. Silverton 08 16 W. Dolores River Lizard Miles Head Molas Pass Pass 10,899 ft. San Juan 10,222 ft. National San Juan Forest National Dolores River Forest Durango Coal Bank Sunlight Peak Dolores River Mountain Pass 14,059 ft. 10,640 ft. Resort Animas River Electra McPhee 145 Lake Reservoir Dolores Hesperus San Juan Skyway Durango & Mountain Silverton Anasazi 13,232 ft. Hot Springs 550 Narrow Heritage Mancos Gauge S.P. Railroad Trail Center 184 La Plata R. Vallecito of the Mancos Reservoir 491 Lemon Reservoir Ancients Cortez Colorado 160 Florida River Welcome Center Dominguez and Durango Escalante 160 Ruins Rd. Mesa Verde Expedition National Park Monument Ute Mountain Mancos River 160 Indian Reservation 550 LosRPiivneors Southern Ute Indian Reservation SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022 27

JRIDoyE Mountain people have something in com- mph—and travels around switchbacks and a mon: a fondness for gravity. We spend all 360-degree turn, and drops 300 feet. Younger Purgatory’s alpine slide and winter skiing, snowboarding, sledding, kids can ride with a parent but kids nine and old- mountain rollercoaster and embracing the thrill of the downhill. er can ride alone. The Inferno Mountain Coaster are pure fun When summer comes, we still need to scratch that opened in 2018 to complement the slide, and itch—and Purgatory’s got it covered, with its Al- its name is a nod to the resort’s Dante’s Inferno pine Slide and Inferno Mountain Coaster. theme—the resort is named Purgatory, trail names include El Diablo, Demon, Hades, and Styx. And The Alpine Slide debuted in 1980; it’s a clas- while the coaster’s descent maybe be wicked, the sic, human-powered ride that has become a Col- views, says Andersen, are heavenly. “The vantage orado summer tradition for locals and visitors. It point is incredible. Above the base area, above actually consists of two slides, side by side, with the buildings, you can see the Needle Range and the same contour lines, so you can ride with some of the Twilights.” friends next to you. Kids six and older can ride in the cart alone, and younger kids can ride with In the summer, the activity sessions (morn- a parent. The slide is about a half-mile long, and ing or afternoon) come with two tickets, so most the speed is controlled with a hand brake, so people opt for both the slide and the rollercoaster. you can go as fast or as slowly as you like. “You But the Alpine Slide, according to Andersen, re- can kind of tell, right away, who you think has mains the favorite attraction. It’s been around for the need for speed,” says Amanda Andersen, the decades; parents remember riding it as a kid, so marketing director at Purgatory. “It can top out at there’s some nostalgia when they take their own about 15 mph. And you’re not just going straight kids to ride it. It’s a rite of passage, and a quintes- down, there are turns, and you go down the nat- sential Colorado mountain experience. ural fall line. Some kids send it. They love it. It’s so fun, it’s impossible not to smile.” What makes these rides so popular, though, isn’t just the thrill of the downhill or the nostalgia. The Alpine Slide is accessed by Lift 4, but you It’s the way they bring everyone together, says can get to the Inferno Mountain Coaster on foot. Andersen. “They make the mountains accessible The rollercoaster is elevated above the ground, for everyone—people who can’t hike or mountain and, unlike the slide, which is only open in sum- bike, young kids, grandparents. It’s just a fun way mer, it operates year-round. It’s a faster ride—30 to make memories on a family vacation.” 28 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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Mancos I t is easy to see why the prolific Western author Louis L’Amour chose the Mancos area as his home and as the setting for his books. The Mancos Valley continues a 140-year tradition as the center of ranching at the edge of the San Juan Mountains and Mesa Verde National Park. Mancos is the bridge between the culture of the Old West and the New West, with cattle drives down Main Street and modern art galleries along Grand Avenue, an old-fashioned distillery and a coffee house, as well as easy access to all the hiking, biking, fishing, and hunting that makes people fall in love with the West. 30 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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The ABCs of GOOD FOOD Absolute Bakery & Café is a local treasure From stacks of sourdough flapjacks to eggs staff. “Robert Redford once said something like, The bakery also showcases seven types of smothered in their famous green chile, Ab- ‘if you want to be a good actor, you should be a bread, all made from a nearly 21-year-old sour- solute Bakery & Café in Mancos, Colorado, waiter first,’” says Blaine, who studied business dough starter the staff fondly calls “Ahkmet,” serves as an oasis of yumminess along the and art at Fort Lewis College in Durango. “When reckoning to the Middle Eastern origins of sour- San Juan Skyway. Family-owned and -operated, you learn to talk to people, it becomes an art in dough. “He [Ahkmet] started with the original the Mancos mainstay has been dishing up organ- some way, shape, or form.” owners in 1998,” says Blaine. “And we’re still run- ic, locally sourced food for nearly three decades. ning him in all our breads and flapjacks.” A graduate of Denver’s Art Institute of Colora- The place has a cozy, homey feeling. “We’re do, Blaine’s husband Ben Fisher puts his creative On any day but Monday, diners can choose just a mom-and-pop restaurant that wants to energy to work as ABC’s executive chef. He spins from a full breakfast or lunch menu, and a pastry feed people the way we’d feed them if they were his recipes from days of yore, while sourcing all case starring scones, muffins, cookies, and glu- sitting in our own kitchen,” says Melissa Blaine, meats, produce, and eggs from farms within a fif- ten-free items like macaroons and carrot cake. general manager of ABC, which is owned by her ty-mile radius. Supported by a talented crew and Grab-and-go sandwiches and burritos create the parents Karen and David Blaine. “The goal is to fellow chef Jeph Blaine (Melissa’s brother), the perfect picnic snack for adventures at Mesa Verde, feed people good, healthy, clean food.” kitchen also hand-mixes chai, fresh brews lem- Phil’s World, or Sand Canyon. But ABC offers more onade daily, and makes everything from scratch, than delicious food; it’s a community hub for many Located along the Mancos River in down- except mayonnaise and mustard. In 2018, ABC’s Mancos locals. “We like the tourists; they give us a town Mancos, ABC’s building was built in 1903 vegan green chile placed fourth in USA Today’s little flavor,” says Blaine. “But we’re so small-town and has since evolved from a hotel, hardware Best Chile Verde in Colorado contest. that most of our mornings are full of the same ten store, and bank into an iconic bakery and café. people, and we see the same ten people for lunch Alongside sticky notes touting smiley faces and “We focus so hard on slow food, on small food,” every day. There’s a whole section on our computer accolades from happy customers, the brick walls says Melissa Blaine. “We’re not reaching out to plac- called the ‘Old Farts’ section, which has pre-pro- showcase memorabilia and artwork for sale from es across the country for our ingredients; we try to gramed buttons for our regulars. Only in Mancos.” local creatives. But the true art is in the custom- keep it super local. Instead of ordering out of cata- er service provided by Blaine and ABC’s brilliant logues, we order from our farmer friends.” —Joy Martin 32 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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Cortez Cortez is the most ancient stop you’ll make on the San Juan Skyway tour— Montezuma County has been settled since approximately A.D. 600 when about 100,000 Pueblo Indians made this area their home. Today you can explore the archaeology of the first settlers as well as the arts and culture that still bears their imprint. Cortez also has great networks of mountain biking trails, hiking trails and terrific fishing. The cowboy culture from more recent eras is still alive and well, and you can experience it firsthand at the Ute Mountain Roundup Rodeo, the 92nd annual event and a professionally sanctioned rodeo. The region also offers agritourism opportunities, where you can see dryland beans such as the unique old cultivar Anasazi bean or visit some of the lovely modern wineries in the McElmo Canyon and Montezuma Valley. 34 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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Solar FARMING It’s always sunny in Colorado With more than 300 days of sunshine annu- As they track the sun, rotating east to west, these source of power, and we have so much of it in the ally, Southwest Colorado basks in an abun- photovoltaic solar panels will produce electricity that Southwest. As we head toward utilizing more renew- dance of light that charges more than a pas- connects directly to Empire Electric Association’s dis- ables and less coal, we’re reducing emissions over sion for outdoor recreation; it also charges tribution system, which has agreed to purchase the the Four Corners region and beyond.” phones, heaters, cars, and more. In October 2021, power. The project is expected to yield 6,000 mega- As the name implies, Cortez Solar 3 LLC is the the Montezuma County Commissioners approved yet watt hours per year, which is enough energy to sup- third large solar project by OneEnergy that has been another large solar project that will capitalize on this ply nearly 450 households with electricity annually, approved by Montezuma County commissioners since greatest of Colorado resources. according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2019, though Solar 3 is the only one that has been un- “Solar is the best and cleanest source of energy Greenhouse Gas Equivalency calculator. contested by neighbors. In July 2021, the commissioners and is also turning into the cheapest also approved Cortez Solar 2, a five-mega- form of power,” says Laurie Dickson, THE PROJECT IS EXPECTED watt solar array that will be built on 52 acres executive director of 4CORE, which is off County Road 24 northwest of Cortez. Ini- recognized as an innovative organiza- TO YIELD 6,000 MEGAWATT HOURS tially, multiple community members objected tion for energy and resource conser- to the project, citing viewshed and property vation in the Four Corners region. PER YEAR, WHICH IS ENOUGH ENERGY TO value impacts. Developers addressed mitiga- This summer, Cortez Solar 3 LLC, tion requirements by putting up fencing and a subsidiary of OneEnergy Develop- SUPPLY NEARLY 450 HOUSEHOLDS WITH trees between neighbors and the project. ment, will put their special use permit In August 2020, Montezuma County to work, constructing the Rocky Ford ELECTRICITY ANNUALLY. commissioners approved Cortez Solar 1, Solar Project. This two-megawatt a 2.2-megawatt solar array on Road 29 solar array will occupy about twenty across from Totten Lake. When neighbors acres of property owned by Fish Bros. pointed out an occupied bald eagle nest Land and Cattle Co. off Road F.6 south of Cortez. The Besides welcoming a reliable, low-cost renew- in a cottonwood grove near the project footprint, de- project complies with Montezuma’s land use code, able source of electricity, Empire Electric Association velopers moved the panels south to comply with a which under a 2015 county resolution says that solar members should also anticipate positive property tax quarter-mile buffer zone required by Colorado Parks installations are a use by right under industrial and revenues for Montezuma County and Colorado at & Wildlife. No harm, no foul. And it seems that with agricultural/residential zoned parcels. So now, even large. “Solar farms offer an excellent option for build- these three projects moving forward, there are sunny traditional farmland—for crops or livestock—can ac- ing a large array of power that will serve a greater days ahead for solar farms in Southwest Colorado. commodate solar farming. number of people,” says Dickson. “Sunshine is a free —Joy Martin 36 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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Dolores Dolores has a little bit of everything that makes a Western town great: history, culture, and outdoor recreation. There is incredible fishing, boating, and waterskiing on McPhee Reservoir (the second largest body of water in the state), and other water sports on the local lakes and rivers. Hiking, camping, and mountain biking abound in the surrounding San Juan National Forest. The Anasazi Heritage Center is a fun, interactive museum devoted to the history of the ancient cultures of Pueblo, Ute, and Navajo Native Americans, and has two 12th century pueblo ruins on site. Dolores has an exact replica of an original train depot and a Rio Grande Southern Railroad Museum and a restored Galloping Goose car. Escalante Days is the region’s celebration of its historic Dolores River Valleys, where the Dominguez-Escalante expedition camped in 1776 and mapped and logged the first record of the lands and people in what would become Colorado and Utah. 38 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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LLEEGGUAMCYE THE CURIOUS TALE OF THE Anasazi Bean 40 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

Anasazi Beans have an enchanting history. These beans were one of the few cultivated crops grown by the Anasazi ADOBE MILLING Indians; the Anasazi lived in the Four Corners area dating back to AD 130 and are best known for their cliff dwellings and architecture, which are preserved at Mesa Verde National Park and other historic sites. But along with the Ana- sazi’s mysterious exodus in AD 1300, the beans also disappeared from these lands. And if it weren’t for an amateur archaeologist, a kindergarten teacher, and a bit of luck, the Anasazi Beans might not be around today. Mottled with reddish-brown and white spots, them in their tub. Not only did these ancient le- running of the outside elevator and learning all the beans are the quintessential Colorado food. A gumes take, they thrived; they got four pounds about the operations. It is complicated industrial dryland bean that flourishes in the high-altitude, of beans from that first planting. “Over a period work but Pribble-Gardner was up for the chal- arid climate, Anasazi are not just flavorful, they of several years, we planted and grew more. lenge. Riddell left the company to pursue other are also nutritious: zero cholesterol, high in sol- They were a lot of trouble,” writes White, be- ventures, and after Waller passed away in 1999, uble fiber, with lots of calcium and protein. Plus, cause they had to wash the combine before and she and her husband Harley Gardner bought the they are even easier to digest, with less than after thrashing and clean the beans manually. company. “[Waller] tried to teach me everything twenty-five percent of the carbohydrates that “We didn’t grow them a few years, as we’d get he knew. I took it over when he died, working are the primary source of flatulence in other dry more than we could get rid of. We started selling with his widow. Just imagine, a woman running beans. Once relished and produced by the an- them at the Farmers Market in Cortez…in fact it? I couldn’t have done it myself if it weren’t for cient tribe, the beans have now become a local we started giving them away. But after they tried the farmers helping me.” favorite. Denise Pribble-Gardner, co-owner of the them, they were back after more.” Adobe Milling Company that holds the trademark Anasazi Beans are special. With most dry- for Anasazi Beans, says she even prefers them to In the early 80s, White started taking them land beans, there are lots of varieties—they de- pinto beans—and she grew up on a pinto bean to Adobe Milling in Dove Creek to be cleaned velop the different strains in a test center, using farm. “I love Anasazi Beans. They have so many and sorted. The beans were still something of a the ones that are most suitable to the local cli- great qualities, and they don’t seem to age, turn local secret, and were just called “red and white mate—but not Anasazi Beans. “Anasazis are the dark, or get hard to cook like pinto beans do.” pinto beans.” Ernie Waller and Bruce Riddell, the only ones that are just like they were found. We founders of Adobe Milling, recognized their val- don’t let anybody cross-breed them; we keep That ageless quality may have had something ue and decided to trademark the Anasazi Beans them pure,” says Pribble-Gardner. to do with their recovery. It was 1973, and kinder- and introduce them to the world. garten teacher Nancy Porter received something The legacy of the Anasazi Beans might unusual from one of her students, Heather Morton: Between Adobe Milling’s marketing and very well have ended in that cave, notes Prib- dry, speckled beans. Heather’s dad Duane Morton the efforts of White, who is in her nineties but ble-Gardner. If not for a curious archaeologist, got them from an archaeologist who discovered still loves to go to the farmers market and tell a generous kindergarten teacher, a woman who the beans in a cave in the Lukachukai Mountains the story, the beans grew popular. “They pret- took the time to germinate them to see if they in Arizona; they were in an Indian pot covered with ty much sold themselves because they are so would grow, the farmers who took a chance on pitch resin, perfectly preserved for centuries. good,” says Denise Pribble-Gardner. a new crop, and Adobe Milling’s foresight, the beans might have been lost forever. Instead, Porter gave Bessie White, a local bean farm- Pribble-Gardner has been at Adobe Milling people in 2022 are able to enjoy them, and get er, fifty of these precious beans. White and her for thirty-five years, and she is a part of that story a taste of what the Ancestral Puebloans pro- husband planted them by hand, and thrashed now; she started out in a small packaging room duced here centuries ago. bagging Anasazi Beans before taking over the ADOBE MILLING SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022 41

Rico Rico was first settled as a mining town in 1879. At its peak, the silver- mining community had a population of nearly 5,000 and was a stop on the Rio Grande Southern railroad with almost two dozen saloons and a thriving red light district. The Rico Historical Museum, located in the historic firehouse building, documents the town’s storied past. Today, the town’s residents seek other types of treasure—vast miles of recreational trails. Routes range from short loops to multi-day backcountry adventures, and visitors can access the Colorado Trail from town. 42 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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Telluride T elluride is one of the most strikingly PHOTOS BY GARY RATCLIFF beautiful places you will ever see; it is also known as the “Festival Capital of the Rockies” because of its vast array of cultural events each summer. Like many of these Western towns, Telluride started out as a mining community but earned renown for its skiing and mountaineering. Today visitors can climb the Via Ferrata route high above town or to the top of Bridal Veil Falls (the state’s tallest waterfall), see a Grammy-award winning musician in Town Park, catch a free ride up on the gondola and hike around or zip back to town on one of the downhill mountain biking courses, eat at one of the top-rated restaurants in the country, or even watch a world premiere of a new movie at one of the film festivals. There are galleries to stroll, classes to take, and rivers and trails to explore, and don’t miss the Telluride Historical Museum, which hosts unique exhibits, indoors and outdoors. 44 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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PLEIN AIR Telluride festival celebrates painting outdoors You’ll spot them everywhere in Telluride in early July: plein air painters, switching their gaze back and forth from the setting to the canvas, reproducing the scene brushstroke by brushstroke. It can be windy, cold, hot, raining, or even snowing, but these artists are as hardy as any mailman, and while postal service can be slow, the key to plein air painting—all outdoors, instead of in a studio—is speed. Telluride Plein Air Festival, hosted annually by the Sheri- dan Arts Foundation for nearly two decades, takes place over the Independence Day holiday. It has become one of the sig- nature events of the summer, with twenty-five coveted spots going to juried artists. They have just four days to create a minimum of eight paintings, on canvases that are stamped to ensure that the work happens here. The most exciting part of the festival is the “Quick Draw Competition,” a timed con- test where people can watch the artists work. “Everything is created onsite,” says Ronnie Palamar, the executive director of the Sheridan Arts Foundation and founder of the festival. “The Quick Draw is a really popular event—they produce a piece in ninety minutes. It’s amazing; people are astounded.” After the Quick Draw Competition, on the night before all the paintings are displayed and sold, is the Artists Choice event where the artists judge each other’s work. “That is a prestigious award, where they are commended by their peers. There’s a cash prize for first place, and prizes for all places.” The culmination is the sale—all of the paintings are dis- played under tents in the park outside the Sheridan Opera House. The festival has become one of the biggest fundrais- ers for the arts organization and one of the premier plein air events in the country. It was also one of the first; when they launched in 2003, there were only two other festivals, in Sonoma and Carmel. At the time, plein air was more of a niche, and it wasn’t as sought after as studio work. Now plein air is more popular and there are hundreds of events every- where, especially on the coasts. “We were one of the first ones, and sort of piggybacked off Sonoma,” says Palamar. When they started out, Telluride Plein Air had just a doz- en artists, mainly from California, and the outdoor sale was held without tents. July typically has pretty good weather, but these are the Rocky Mountains, so it’s best to be prepared for anything and everything. “Artists like the natural light, without tents, but one year it rained so much everyone was hiding under eaves, grabbing artwork and putting it into cars and the lobby. That’s why we got the tents.” This year’s festival is dedicated to artist Doug Morgan, who died last August. He always knew what to paint, recalls Palamar, and what people would like; he was the festival’s top seller for eight years. There will be a wall displaying his work at the SHOW bar as a memorial. The festival has become an integral part of the Fourth of July celebrations—the town even puts up the flags early, says Palamar, so that the artists can paint them. They also paint the parade, the jets, and all the things that make the holiday spe- cial here. “It’s such an iconic weekend for Telluride, and our Plein Air is part of it.” 46 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022

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PACK IT IN! Don't forget your jar of Mary Jane's Salve when you head out on your next camping adventure.

H A heartfelt thank you to all of our customers and friends H DELI H ICE CREAM H GROCERIES HUNTING & FISHING LICENSES H WINE & SPIRITS H Family owned and operated H Over 100 Years in Business 240 Front Street H Placerville, Colorado H 970.728.3216

S ykywaSaJn uan S ykywaSaJn uan S ykywaSaJn uan VISITOR GUIDE VISITOR GUIDE VISITOR GUIDE S ykywaSaJn uan S ykywaSaJn uan S ykywaSaJn uan VISITOR GUIDE VISITOR GUIDE VISITOR GUIDE Summer/Fall 2013 Summer/Fall 2014 Summer/Fall 2015 S ykywaSaJn uan S ykywaSaJn uan S ykywaSaJn uan VISITOR GUIDE VISITOR GUIDE VISITOR GUIDE Summer/Fall 2017 Summer/Fall 2018 S ykywaSaJn uan VISITOR GUIDE Skyway Skyway Summer/Fall 2016 S ykywaSaJn uan S ykywaSaJn uan S ykywaSaJn uan Summer/Fall 2019 Summer/Fall 2020 Summer/Fall 2021 UPSHOT A WILD RIDE The first issue of the San Juan Skyway magazine premiered in 2012, making this our tenth anniversary. It’s been a joy to introduce you to the people and places that make the Skyway special. We look forward to the next decade of stories and photos and adventure. 50 SaJn uan Skyway Visitor Guide - Summer/Fall 2022