Telluride PhotosPhotos of Telluride Ski Area, Snowboarding, Hiking

The 2010 Telluride Wine Festival is the first year they put on a music segment on the big stage in Town Park. Jackie Greene headlined on Friday and I forgot the name of the headliner on Saturday (something like Kavorka), although the 2nd to last act (voitzen drizen or something like that) received good reviews.

On the heels of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, music could be heard throughout the valley for a second weekend in a row. While I am a BIG fan of music in general, I have to admit that I was kind of annoyed at having to hike an hour on the Sneffels Highline trail to escape the booming sound of the bass and simply hear the sounds of birds and other wildlife.

I did not officially attend the festival, but walked up to the fenced boundary which was posted directly south of the basketball court in Town Park. The shot below was taken from this vantage point:

It was difficult to say for sure what the attendance was from where I was standing, but my guess is about 400 – 600 people (give or take) were present. It is interesting to note the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival once had it’s boundary fence in the exact same location … which allowed for anyone to walk up to the basketball court or play frisbee on the north softball field while the music was playing. Now, Blues & Brews is just shy of Bluegrass in terms of attendance and their overall footprint. Jazz Festival has migrated to the main stage from the big white “DIA Tent” and has increased their attendance a bit over the past couple few years … although I believe they will always try to keep their event as intimate as possible as a matter of philosophy. Nonetheless, this could change. Same goes for the Telluride Wine Festival. I don’t know about the ambitions of the Telluride Wine Festival, but it could very well turn into another 10k x3 day event. Similar to Blues & Brews, the wine festival seems to attract and promote a particular vibe which isn’t exactly my favorite. It’s kind of a “pass the gray poupon” flavor of drunken stupor vs. the more mellow fanaticism of the bluegrass crowd. Nonetheless, I’m sure local area businesses don’t mind the extra revenue, but what about residents who simply want to relax, hike, bike, fish, etc. with a little peace and quiet? Maybe the answer is to grow the Nothing Festival into a major event!

Here’s the kid’s fishing pond in Telluride Town Park at sunset:

Took a short hike up the Sneffels Highline Trail yesterday going counter clockwise.  Made it up to just shy of the hole in the rock or key hole slot … but managed to make it to one of the big lava looking rock outcroppings which afford a view of the ski area and bear creek across the way.

Below is the trunk of an Aspen tree which was split open and has an interesting red/rusty hue .  It’s interesting to see how some Aspen’s trunks near the very bottom have a very thick bark which is gray with thick ridges.   I’m not sure what type of plant appears in front of the Aspen?

Below is a shot of the Town of Telluride taken from the Jud Wiebe Trail … which is the first segment to access the Sneffels Highline Trail (unless you start at Mill Creek, or bushwack it)

I took a very short hike up on Tomboy road for a little while during the Bluegrass Festival, and took a look across the way at the Telluride Ski Area … and had a very difficult time looking across without getting all choked up inside.

I have spent 16 seasons snowboarding at Telluride and know the mountain, especially the front side into town, very very well. It is interesting to be able to look at the lift 9 pod from across the way and see the actual contours of the drainages which house both the named ski runs as well as the lesser known tree shots which funnel into the drainages. The sea refuses no river, and the river is where I am.

My back hasn’t been doing so well the past couple of winters, and I was down to about 44 days on the mountain from a normal average of about 85 days. I have really started to wonder how many years or days I have left?

The mass exodus from the Telluride Bluegrass Festival normally occurs the Monday after the festival ends … although I did see what appeared to be a few stragglers hitch hiking at the society turn this afternoon. In the photo below, you can see a subaru and a VW bus loaded with gear and bikes taken main street (Colorado Avenue) in front of the Coffee Cowboy on Monday. You can also see the yellow school bus on its way to back to the Town Park pick up location.

The photo below is near the Box Office for the Bluegrass Festival, showing the park district vehicles hauling away equipment in effort to transform the Town Park back to it’s primary core function (although the Telluride Wine Festival is scheduled to take place there this upcoming weekend).

… at least for now, but the silence is almost deafening with respect to the potential implications regarding what wheels might be turning behind the doors of the Telluride Ski & Golf Company’s administrative offices regarding plans for a possible expansion into Bear Creek.

Earlier this spring, there was what appeared to be some high stakes jockeying for position for what might be crucial land for egress in Bear Creek by both Telski and an individual (Tom Chapman) who has apparently been involved in other high profile real estate inholding “controversies” (within National Forest Service boundaries).

According to a story which appeared in The Telluide Watch on May 14, 2010: “TSG Asset Holding, LLC purchased the 4.11-acre parcel known as the Dandy Lode from Fern M. Honstein of Grand Junction in early April for $24,700, according to documents recorded with the San Miguel County Clerk’s Office on April 5.”

http://www.telluridewatch.com/view/full_story/7435764/article-Telski-Buys-Upper-Bear-Creek-Mining-Claim?

Dave Riley, CEO of the Telluride Ski & Golf company, didn’t appear to be committed to an expansion, but also left the option open for his company to pursue and also went on record to state that this purchase and that which was related to Tom Chapman were coincidental.

Personally, I do NOT believe in coincidence as a general matter, let alone in this particular instance. I firmly believe there is “movement behind the curtains”. Moreover, I believe there is a clear intention which motivates such possible planning efforts; combined with an agenda which seeks to protect and further it’s own interests, it might be reasonable to assume such efforts might be presented to the National Forest Service in such a manner that provides the best possible odds to achieving the end goals of their particular special interests. This might be a long drawn out way of putting that Telski might seek the best pathway for approval of any plans they might have. In other words, the silence might very well be a tactic to insure public outcry doesn’t kill any plans before they get off the drawing board.

Regardless of any speculation, if you feel strongly opposed to an expansion in Bear Creek by the ski area, the time is NOW to talk with your neighbors, family, and friends … anyone who will listen …. since we might find ourselves in a position where there is not much time to talk and be heard!

I forgot to put my battery in the camera from the charger.

Must’ve been a subconcious thing … since I do find that when I’m at a concert with my camera, I tend to fluctuate from being an audience member participant to a “camera person”. While sometimes it’s very non-obtrusive, it can be a distraction. Often times, I will measure how good a concert is by how few pictures I’ve taken (the fewer the better).

Anyhow, I went for a great hike in the afternoon in Ophir … so I wound up catching Mumford & Sons and the Telluride House Band (Sam, Bela, Edgar, Jerry, Bryan, and Stuart) which closed the evening & bluegrass festival.

Mumford & Sons was a fun set. The were very tight & and had a good energy to them. I suppose my one “complaint” would be the lack of a true lead instrument as I found them to be very rhythmically oriented. Maybe this is my personal taste, but I’ve often found that bands such as the Grateful Dead (and most subsequent incarnations) seem to be comprised of melodic musicians who do not stick to just the “traditional” rhythm role and are often able to create a “composite” sound which captures both aspects in a way which truly elevates the spirit of the tune. Nonetheless, I still tought M&S delivered a very fun set … especially the closing song “Hey Jude” where they brought on a lot of other musicians & got the crowd involved.

The Telluride House Band was of course a great ensemble who featured another surprise guest of Peter Rowan for a couple of songs. This is the first time I can recall him sticking around until SUNDAY to sit in with the house band … would’ve loved to have seen him for the full set. They opened with Slewfoot … which was a great, played a few traditional bluegrass songs, a few quirky fun songs, as well as a few “experimental” type journeys which were taken for a walk in the woods.

Kind of funny how immediately after they ended their set, the lights came on and you could see all the trash around, people filing out, crews taking down the stage, vendors closing up … it became the Telluride Town Park again, but in need of a clean up. Kind of sad, as it is the point in time with the longest wait for the next Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 361 days.

UPDATE:   I learned it was Peter Rowan’s 30th time attending the festival, so this might explain why he stuck around until the end.  Also, forgot to mention my favorite John Hartford song Aereo-Plain was played by the house band’s closing set … very very VERY cool!!!!!  Here’s a link to an older version with none other than the maestro himself leading the charge (along with Tony Rice, Mark O’Connor, Brent Rowan, Matt Rollings, Jerry Douglas, Glenn Wor, Harry Stinson, and the late Vassar Clements on fiddle):

… actually I had forgotten to replace the batter after re-charging it, so no photos or video clips of the Bluegrass Festival today.

I basically saw everything from Yonder Mountain String Band until the closing act … which was Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

YMSB was great, as always.

Bela Fleck, Azkir Hussain, & Edgar Meyer were a nice departure from the traditional bluegrass ensembles. I like when music goes sideways.

Sam Bush Band was a great set highlighted by Peter Rowan’s guest appearance as a sit in … which, if I recall correctly, we’ve rarely seen over the years. He seems to always get an early slot and then disappears for the rest of the festival. I believe he sat in for “One Love” which came right after a great version of Maggie Mae. Of course, Sam always gets everyone else up on stage for great jam.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros: a mixed bag for me: on one hand, I REALLY liked some of the music they put out, but I have a very difficult time wholeheartedly buying into their “schtick”. Maybe it’s just me & just being someone who doesn’t like being “told what to do” (stand up, sit down, clap your hands, chant this or that, etc.) by performers … especially when it’s scripted. If it happens organically, then it’s another story. Maybe it all started this way with the Zeros, but it really seems to border on being a “revival” sort of thing. Otherwise, they put together some great arrangements which very rhythmically oriented & seemed to use vocals (from at least three primary vocalists) as the primary “melodic instrument of choice”. Personally, I think the addition of a lead guitar (or electric mando) would give them a HUGE boost to dial in their overall sound … although I can see how they might be hesitant to adopt this for a number of reasons. Strangely enough, I know — without hesitation — that I could be fill that slot very easily. It seems to want to have a psychedelic flare which goes around and around, yet PUSHES and INTERACTS with the larger sound. It’s kind of weird, they’d probably be just as adverse to having me do my thing with them as I would be to being a part of the “schtick” … but I would venture a guess that we’d all be blown away.

Here’s a short clip of Leftover Salmon performing Big River at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2010.   Sam Bush sat in for most of their set (as seems to be a tradition over the years), although I believe Leftover Salmon has been on again off again and mostly engages in reunion type performances such as Telluride Bluegrass.    Still, Vince travels quite regularly with his band “Great American Taxi” and Drew Emmitt has his own band and also collaborates frequently with Billy Nershi of the String Cheese Incident.  I recall Vince saying it was their 11th festival this year.

There might be an actual official name for it, but it’s what I refer to simply having a decent compact point in shoot camera with you (which can easily fit in your pocket) at all times. Having a camera always with you can lend itself to being in the right place at the right time for either a natural event (i.e. sunset, rainbow, great lighting, etc.) or some other human / group activity which converges at once.

Below are a series of photos take simply because I stopped my car on the way out of Ophir (on the Way to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival) and took a few shots of the mountainside during the sunset hours. I guess I’m going to have to figure out the precise names of the slide path picture in the photo. I believe it’s either Magnolia or Colorado.

Here’s another video clip of Peter Rowan and Crucial Country (with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and Edgar Meyer) at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2010. I believe this is a Bob Marley song (Every Little Thing), although I can’t seem to recall them playing the whole song & this clip is very short and essentially captures a jam segment without any lyrics.