On Sunday, we had plans to meet Jacque, Ryan, Oliver and Murphy in Telluride, another amazing ski town about 3.5 hours southwest of Crested Butte. And, to top it off, we had permission from Jim to take his 1986 red, convertible Alpha Romeo along for the ride. Now, there are some very sexy attributes to an Italian sports car with some "history" (there are also some less sexy attributes, which we'll get into later). But, on the way there, it was incredible. Beautiful weather, cool air, the sun on our shoulders, winding mountain roads and amazing scenery. We cruised into Telluride on a high from the drive. We were in love with the Alpha. And Telluride didn't look so bad either. The town and ski area are nestled in between steep, jagged mountains with Bridal Veil Falls, a 365' waterfall, at the center. Coloradans actually refer to Telluride as the Alps of the West as they more closely resemble the European mountain range than their American counterparts. European or American, they are stunning.

One of the great things about Telluride is the gondola system. Three separate gondolas take you from the mountain to town and even to the market. Imagine going to the grocery store via gondola! Pretty unreal. It also makes for safe travel, as we found out after a fun night on the town on our first night.

Monday morning was beautiful and beckoned us outside for the day with a hike up to Silver Lake. By far the most difficult hike so far on the trip, the Silver Lake trail is more like a game trail than a man-made hiking trail. It is decently steep and took us through several creek crossings, an Aspen forest and up about 2,500 feet of vert (vertical, for those new to Colorado terminology like me). In the end, like most things, it was well worth the work. Silver Lake is unbelievable. The water is crystal clear, with 20" trout swimming just below the surface and multiple waterfalls feeding the pool. And, with the exception of a few fishermen, we had it all to ourselves. Brendan decided to make his dad proud and stripped down to his skivvies to take a cold plunge while the rest of us cowards watched from the warm rocks on the bank. With some rain clouds looming, we packed up our stuff and headed down the trail. A few slips, loose rock and branches grabbed later, we were back where we started, amazed by how much easier it is to come down than go up and completely satisfied by the adventure. We headed back to the condo to freshen up, had a quick cocktail (Ryan and Jacque make the best Moscow Mules - vodka, ginger beer and fresh lime), and headed to dinner.

As many of you know, we LOVE food and appreciate great food experiences. So, I feel like we have to tell you a bit about our dinner. "There" is an Asian-influenced tapas bar in a small house in Telluride. The comic-book themed menu features everything from elk steam buns to king crab ramen to curried beef lettuce wraps. It's mountain meets Asian and it is delicious. To top it off, the owners / creative partners have created a "blacklist" cocktail menu that is full of unique concoctions that, despite odd pairings, had us all impressed (and maybe a bit tipsy). If you ever find yourself in Telluride, check it out. And, Texans will be lucky soon. "There" is opening a sister restaurant in Lowest Greenville in Dallas within the next six months. Yum.

Tuesday morning marked our departure and we were excited to get back into the Alpha for another romantic road trip. Unfortunately, the weather and the Alpha had other plans. The day we left, the temperature was a good 10 degrees warmer, with no cloud cover. Meaning, the warm sun that had kissed our shoulders on the way in was burning down on us. We stopped about half way home to grab a bite, cool off - I should mention the the Alpha has no A/C - and put the top up. Apparently, we were not the only ones hot and bothered. The Alpha refused to start. We realize that this is an entirely ridiculous and first-world problem, but being stuck in Montrose, CO was not what we had in mind to end the trip. Luckily, we made it home (with only one more breakdown along the way). Bottom line, if that's the worst of our problems, life is good. Very good.