Perimeter Trail, Ouray

Ouray's gem, built and maintained perfectly by the Ouray Trail Group.  The Perimeter Trail can be accessed from several points right in town and completes a loop around the tiny city.  Don't be fooled - its not some street-level, paved tourist "trail".  It's a butt-kicking, rocky, narrow-at-times legit hiking trail that gains 3,559 ft of elevation over 8 miles!  And oh by the way, the air is really really thin up there if you haven't acclimatized. But the views - oh my eyeballs!!!  This was our first hike when we arrived and it was a fantastic introduction to the area, even if we both thought it was trying to kill us on numerous occasions.

If you want to see some beautiful photos of what this looks like during summer, check out our neighbor's blog post here:  https://boxcanyonblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/an-ordinary-hike-on-lovely-ourays.html#more

Ouray Area Breweries

1.  Ouray Brewery, Ouray

This one is kind of a no-brainer.  It's walking distance from the RV.  It has good beer.  The bar seats are swings.  There's a rooftop deck.  And even though we've only been there 3 times, the staff already knows our name (cue Cheers theme song here).   The only downside is that they don't allow dogs.

That's right, kids, we're swingers!

Rooftop deck with amazing views ..... that's now closed for the winter.  😕

Why yes, yes in fact I did wear my Garmin the last time we went.  2.7 miles round trip and we (allegedly) burned 395 calories along the way.  That's like 2 beers, right??

2.  Ourayle House Brewery (a/k/a Mr. Grumpy Pants Brewing), Ouray

This is kinda like going to a Dick's Last Resort, but in a tiny town with hand-painted signs and a woodstove.  The beer is OK, and they have all the usual suspects on tap.  The owner, Mr. Grumpy Pants, can be viewed through a window, mixing up his latest brew.  The bartender - at least for the winter months - is a Scot who also owns a mobile axe-throwing business.  (Yes, axe throwing).  

Apparently if you dare to ask for a taster, its served in a plastic sippy cup.  They charge $.50 extra for IPA (because, you know, hops).  The insults and dry wit are free flowing.  The hand-painted signs hanging on the walls are entertaining.  There's no schedule of open or closed - you just get lucky or you don't.  While we've only been once, I do foresee a few winter trips if not for the beer, then for the rocking chairs around the woodstove. 

Considering that my pet name for Doug is "Mr. Grumpy Pants", this place has promise. 

Reminds me of the "closed on powdah days" signs in North Conway. 
And yes, that is Mr. Grumpy Pants on the other side of the window.

This one definitely spoke to me.

3.  Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery, Ridgway

On the very first day when we checked in to our RV Park, the owner told us the best pizza and beer -- where the locals go -- was at Colorado Boy.  She was right.  

The Ridgway location is just 10 miles to the north of us, and conveniently located on the way home from a lot of the good trails in the Sneffles Wilderness.  There is also a location in Montrose, but we haven't tried that one yet.

We've eaten there once and  ..... Oh.  My.  Gawd.   The pizza was amazing.   Also, how do you not love a place that gets all of its electricity from wind generators, all of its hot water from solar panels, and feeds all of its spent brewing grain to local cattle? I mean, really. 

Sharing a table outside after a motorcycle ride to Telluride. 

Picking up freshly canned beer is my assigned task after hikes!

4.  Red Mountain Brewing, Ouray

Red Mountain is in downtown Ouray, and has only been open for a year or so.  The day we went, they only had 2 of their own beers on tap, and the rest were just big commercial beers.  The menu didn't do anything for us, and the seats were wicked uncomfortable, so we didn't stay.  Maybe we were just tired and cranky, but with so many other better options, we haven't been back. Maybe in the spring, we'll take the pups to their patio. 

  

 

5.  Avalanche Brewing, Silverton

Loved this place!  We stopped in Silverton on the way back from riding the motorcycle over Red Mountain Pass down to Purgatory Ski Area to take in the scenery.  Although it was tough to find, that was part of what made it awesome.  When we couldn't find it at first (and had no cell signal to Google Map it), we settled for the Golden Block Brewery, on the main street of Silverton.  But, it was filled with tourists and children, and we just couldn't get a server's attention.  So we left and walked around the tiny little town, and finally saw a sign for Avalanche Brewing.  The beer was fantastic and there was a tiny little deck that looked out on a snowy mountain.  The pizza looked amazing, but we settled for just our beers and got back on the MC.  This is definitely a go-again, the next time we're in Silverton (which probably won't be until spring unless I can convince Doug to take me to the Silverton Skijoring event in February).

6.  Steamworks Brewing, Durango

Durango totally can't be considered the "Ouray Area", but we went there from Ouray on the motorcycle so it gets blog recognition.  Durango was supposed to be the next stop after Ouray, back before we fell in love with Ouray and decided to stay.  We had some hiking boots that we had ordered and had shipped to the Durango RV park before we knew we wouldn't be going there, so we had to go pick them up.  Since we hit all the local breweries on our 2014 trip to Durango, we knew which ones were worth revisiting.  Steamworks was one of them, mostly because of the awesome deck out back, overlooking the mountains.  Unfortunately, on this visit, the deck was closed for the season already, so we had to settle for a table in the bar.  The beer was good, the food was pretty good, and we were nourished enough for the long MC ride back to Ouray that afternoon.

Side note:  although we loved Durango in 2014, we both agreed that it is way too crowded for us now.  And this visit was during the off-season.  Clearly, we're getting old.  

      

Heaven Exists!!

BREAKING NEWS:  Heaven is real and its in Southwest Colorado!!!! 

The little mountain town of Ouray, nestled in the San Juans.

Just over three weeks ago, we arrived in Ouray, and despite it being Heaven, they let us in.  The plan was to stay for four days, then continue fleeing winter by heading south to Durango, and then New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona.

We're still here.  We reserved our RV site through winter.  Which, around here, is the end of April.  We're not giving up the nomadic lifestyle, but the beauty of having a house on wheels is that when you find somewhere this awesome, you can just stay.  

I mean, really, how do you leave when this is the view from your living room window?

Ouray is a small town, with about 1,000 year-round residents and not a single stop light.  Its history is as a mining town - and there are abandoned mines everywhere - but these days, its main economy is tourism.  We were lucky enough to get here during shoulder season - so the summer tourists are all gone and the winter tourists haven't started to flock here yet.  We don't think winter will be too bad - while Ouray is known as the "Ice Climbing Capital of the US" because of its Ice Park, the closest ski area, Telluride, is about an hour's drive away.   Kind of like North Conway, but without all the Massholes flocking in every weekend to ski.  

The snow covered peak in the background is Telluride and the pools in the foreground are the Hot Springs.

Ouray's other claim to fame is its moniker as the "Switzerland of America".  And when you see the photos we post, you'll know why.  (Fun fact:  Switzerland was the first trip Doug & I took together when we first met!).  

Since we've been here, we've done a ton of hikes, found two amazing local breweries, registered (painlessly) with the VA, purchased a gym/pool membership and even rented a P.O. Box (which, for true nomads, is a huge step!!).  I religiously pick up every real estate flyer I see, but the reality is that we're just not ready to be that permanent anywhere ... even Heaven.

Visitors during the first snow.  This photo was taken from the RV - that path right there is the river walk.  

We couldn't ask for a better location to hunker down for the winter.  The RV is literally just steps from the Uncompahgre River Walk, which is also groomed for XC skiing in the winter.  That River Walk also offers a direct link to the outdoor Ouray Hot Springs - just 1/2 mile away from the RV - where we can soak our sore muscles in 104-degree sulfur-free mineral water as often as we want.  

Soaking with a view!

I keep trying to find a reason to not like it here, but the only thing I can come up with is the lack of a Trader Joe's.  But, the city of Montrose is only about 30 miles to the north, where there is a Natural Grocers, a Kroger, and a Target.  I think I'll survive.  😉

The pups also lobbied hard for us to stay here.  This is the most dog-friendly town we've visited in the United States.  Nobody bothers to leash their dog anywhere, and Sunday loves playing ball on the town park by the Hot Springs.  Neither pup has complained about hiking almost every day, or hunting for moles on the trails, or stopping by the Ouray Dog Company - right next door - for treats on our walks.  

Pups playing ball on the town park right after the first snowfall.

Mountain mole hunting is dirty work!

Even Mookie is getting into the spirit of winter in her new kitty sweater!

We did have to order some new winter gear, though.  Since we never planned on staying anywhere with snow, all of our winter stuff is in the storage unit in Arizona.  Snowshoes, winter boots, XC skiis, crampons - all of it - is in Arizona.  When we calculated how much it would cost to drive down there and retrieve it all, it was actually less expensive to just order new stuff.  Oh, gee, darn.  

Santa came early to the Nomadic Norvells!!

We're not sure how we'll fare in the RV once the snow really starts to fall, but we did buy a snow shovel, some paw-friendly ice melt, and a second Dyson heater, so we should be all set.  Our RV is insulated for winter use, but the propane furnace gets finicky at high altitude (we're at 7640 feet!), and ultimately, the RV really is just a metal tube.  I'm sure it will get old soon enough, but for now this middle-aged lady with a propensity for hot flashes is absolutely loving snuggling with the pups under a bunch of blankets!  

First snow at the RV Park.  Hopefully there will be a lot more to come!!

Grand Junction & Fruita

Just over the Utah border, are Fruita and Grand Junction, Colorado.  Best known for the  Colorado National Monument, but Fruita has always been on my list as a MTB destination.  Unfortunately, I'm not strong enough yet to take the MTB out, but we did enjoy hiking on some of the MTB trails.

We also went on two motorcycle adventures.  Since dogs aren't allowed in any National Monuments, we explored Colorado National Monument on two wheels.  Unfortunately, it was cold and raining, so not all that picture-friendly (especially because I kept forgetting to wipe the raindrops from the camera lens).

Click on over to You Tube to see a video of the ride here:

The really spectacular ride we did was down to Gateway, Colorado, which is just across the state border from Moab.  Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe this part of the country, and the video just doesn't capture the magnificence of the landscape.  But take a look anyway:




Of course, we explored the local breweries, but they get their own post.  Bottom line:  we'd definitely stop in the Grand Junction/Fruita area again, but wouldn't necessarily make it a destination in-and-of itself.  It's definitely worth a few days stay on the way to somewhere else.

Grand Junction & Fruita Breweries

1.  Copper Club Brewing Co., Fruita

We hit this one after our Pollock Bench hike, so we were very very thirsty and had the pups with us.  Although they didn't serve food, they had a stack of local menus and allowed food to be brought in.  We settled for the little buckets of (free) pretzels, and sat outside on the sunny patio.  The beer was really good.  This one definitely warrants a return trip!

Little buckets of pretzels complemented the yummy beer.

The patio gave Finn plenty of room to do his silly brewery dance.

Although you can't see the detail in this photo, all the tap handles were MTB parts!

2.  Suds Brothers, Fruita

Meh.  Beer was drinkable.  We didn't order food.  Inside felt more like a sports bar than a brewery.  Most memorable thing was the sign in the women's bathroom.  Wouldn't go back unless we were really thirsty and everything else was closed.

It was beer.  The end.  

This made me want to spend all of my money here.  Even if the beer wasn't that good.

3.  Kannah Creek Brewing Company, Grand Junction

Good beer.  Great service.  It was in the college part of town, so the tables and floor were kind of sticky, but that also meant the prices were reasonable.  Doug got the pizza and said it was really good.  We also hit it on Firkin' night, which meant they had just tapped a limited run keg - much to Doug's delight, it was an ESB!

4.  Edgewater Brewery, Grand Junction

This was a more upscale version of the college-vibe Kannah Creek, and its actually made by the same brewery.  There were more beer choices here, though.  We went on a Saturday afternoon, so it was pretty busy, but the service was great.  We ordered the Fried Cheese Curds appetizer, which was super yummy.  The beer was really good.  There was a large dog-friendly lawn area, although we didn't have the pups with us.  This is a go-again next time we're in town.

Grand Junction & Fruita Trails

1.  Lunch Loops Trails

This is a huge network of singletrack trails just a couple of miles up from the center of Grand Junction.  Super well maintained, lots of signage, plenty of parking, and even an outhouse in the parking lot.  On both of the days I walked there, I only ran into 3 other humans and one other dog.  The pups were able to romp off-leash with no worries of crossing a road or bothering other hikers or riders.  There are (at least) two ways to access this network - I used the Little Park Road Staging Area, but it seems like most people use the more convenient (and more crowded?) Monument Road trailhead.

The first day, the pups and I did the Gunny Trail to the Gunny Connector.

Great views of the plateau all along these trails.

Plenty of moles for puppies to dig up!

The second day we walked here I forgot to turn on my watch, so there's no track.  Aaaaand....I left my phone in the truck, so no pictures either.  Took a totally different route, and the pups had just as much fun!

2.  Pollock Bench Trail

This was our big hike with the whole pack.  There was some elevation gait at first, but then the trail wound around the top of the plateau with only small ups and downs.  When we started, it was foggy and grey, but then the sun came out and the colors exploded.  The photos just can't do it justice.

Finn:  "I'll sit for another dumb photo, Mom, but I won't look at the camera!"

As the sun started to come out, the colors just popped.

Pictures just can't do the enormity of this landscape any justice.

The trail went all around that rim that you see on the left.

Almost done - the trail circled this entire rim.

Way down there in the Valley is Fruita.

Moab Brewing, Moab UT

Meh. 

Just meh.

We had been here before - back in 2008, before we were so skilled at hunting out breweries.  It's still the only brewery in town, and I guess its got that going for it.  But we were underwhelmed.

The beer is average.  So average that we didn't even consider getting any to go. 

The food was below average.  They had a decent vegetarian selection, but it wasn't very good (at least the hummus wrap wasn't).

If you're in Moab, I'd say you should skip the Brewery and head straight to Eddie McStiffs.  It isn't a brewery, but they have lots of Utah and Colorado beers on tap and the food was really good.  Doug got a BLT that had a "schmear" of egg salad.  I know, it sounds gross, but it was really pretty awesome. 

Grandstaff Canyon, Moab, UT

Grandstaff Canyon might be one of my favorite trails on this adventure so far.  With only a few hundred feet of elevation gain, it wasn't a lung buster, but there was enough bouldering to keep the heart rate up.  The trail ran along and criss-crossed a beautiful flowing stream with several spots deep enough for the pups to swim.  There were birds, lizards, and one snake that (thankfully) I didn't see.

Ignore the last mile of that one - I kinda forgot to stop my Garmin when I got in the truck.

AllTrails GPX is here. 

Two days later, I headed out with the pups to do it again.  I didn't go all the way to the end because I could see the thunder clouds rolling in.

I've never seen Finn this dirty!

The end/turn-around point.  

Standing under the arch at the end.

Hot and tired, but still smiling!

At the very beginning, looking into the canyon.

Look at how clear that water is!