Christmas Trip 2013 - Conquering the CO Passes

Wolf Creek Pass - 10850 ft

Poncha Pass - 9012 ft

Trout Creek Pass - 9487 ft

Red Hill Pass - 9986 ft 

Kenosha Pass - 10001 ft

Christmas Trip 2013 - South Fork Rest Stop

Zephy enjoys her luxury dog house.  She even got a chance to play frisbee when we stopped.

It is like a different day after you get over the pass.

Christmas Trip 2013 - Wolf Creek Pass

Very snowy and slow going, but we are making our way

Luminaries night at Mesa Verde 12/05/2013

Thousands of candals in paper bags makes the place beautiful.  This year was like a true winter wonderland with 5 inches of fresh snow and temps in the teens.  

Fog at Mesa Verde on 12/2

On Monday 12/2 we woke up to a sunny blue bird sky.  When I drove up the road I saw the Mesa Verde was an island in the ski sourounde by fog.  People that have worked here for 20 years said they have never seen fog like this.

1st X-Country Ski of the Year

This morning we decide to head up to Lizard Head Pass for some fresh "Pow Pow," well as much powder as you can get xcountry skiing.  Of course we brought the Zdog and she had the crazy eyes. 

The pass was not groomed so we decided to go to Priest Lake.  The conditions were pretty good with a bit of ice and early season obstacles.  We had an excellent time and skied for an hour and forty minutes. 

We found this neat area with steep climbs and roller coaster downhills.  We nicknamed it Zdog's playground.

After skiing we drove to Mountain Village and rode the gondola down to Telluride for some food and Christmas shopping. We found that telluride is not the best place to find Black Friday deals. 

We ate at the Brown dog pizzeria.  We highly recommend the spinach artichoke dip. Unfortunately, I think we ate the calories we burned off skiing.  

Nerd dog

Z dog has tuned into the nerd dog

Our Aliner

I finally convinced the Bear we needed a camping trailer and boy oh boy we enjoy it!  Take a look and see what you think! 

Fall Colors in the La Platas

Well we were a little late for peak colors.  On Thursday there was a significant snow in the area and it reduced the number of leaves.  We still in enjoyed the drive and Zdog loved running around smelling things.  We hope you enjoy the pictures.