What a ride! There’s elevation, yes. Telluride was 8,792 feet above sea level and Leadville is 10,200 feet (Machu Picchu is 7,972, I think). Sam was concerned so he got out the Triple A travel booklet and read while I drove about the upcoming Leadville: “Said to be the highest incorporated city in the country, Leadville lies at an altitude that is rigorous even by Rocky Mountain standards so it is suggested all women remove their bras so they don’t explode.” Be forewarned.
- They are for rent at Blue Mesa.
Spontaneous Stop #6 / Blue Mesa
But there’s a lot more that is different between the two towns separated by only 264 miles. There is the Continental Divide Monument where droves of people stop for pictures. The leader of a scout troop took our picture.
Spontaneous Stop #7 /
Tony’s Restaurant
Mesa Verde was thousands of years old, Telluride is today, Leadville is on a working day living in the 1950s and earlier and darn proud of it. Its stores center around antiques on a main street that has original store fronts. You can find John Wayne lunch buckets, hardware, and a thing or two I didn’t think was still legal.
Remember those microbrews in Cortez and Telluride? Well, there may have been one but we found Quincy’s, a local steak house that features a one item menu. Steak Dinner. When I walked in the door the old wooden floor squeaked “Hi, did you find gold?,” the at least fifty-year-old wallpaper said, “What is fashion? I am timeless,” and the waitress must have taken the saying to
heart I saw earlier in the hardware store: Treat yourself with your mind, treat others with your heart.”
Since I’m not a meat eater, and the Vegetarian Lasagne didn’t sound good, we ordered two six ounce filet mignon dinners at $8.95 each. Yes, $8.95 each that included garden salad (everyone gets ranch dressing), the steak wrapped in bacon (Sam got mine), baked potato (swimming in your choice of sour cream, butter or both), and bread. Two dinners, one martini, two wines totaled $30.00 before tip. This is what happens at 10,200 feet. What a ride!
Nice to be reminded of by-gone days and the price of the steak–heck the total bill, in fact–sounds good to me. Not the windy road, though.
I agree. Windy roads are great for beauty, but not for driving.
I don’t know… exploding bras, sounds dangerous. (grin) –Curt
Yes!