Walking towns are our favorite
kind, so we're jazzed when we get to the center and see people
milling around, having coffee or beer on outdoor patios, and
browsing the charming boutiques and galleries.
The main
street is just a few blocks long, but every inch has something
interesting - crystal bowls, art galleries, acupuncture,
specialty clothing, designer jewelry, real estate offices and
restaurants.
|
Teocalli
Tamale
|
| Here's map
to put things in perspective.
|
Sticking to our strict schedule,
we plop ourselves down at the Brick Oven's open air bar and
order the featured drink, Grande Vodka for $2.50. It's
lemonade and vodka. A few Grande's later, we're clear
that it was an excellent choice. We collected some
local gossip from the bartender - bartenders just know
everything, don't they? - met a few locals and hung around for
the music to start. It was rap, so we didn't stay.
Time to check into our hotel and get ready for the evening
event, a Picnic in the Pines.
| Crested Butte Wild
Flower Festival |
|
We've come for the Crested Butte Wild
Flower
Festival because this is the wildflower capital of Colorado and
they just don't get any better anywhere. |
| But if you think
its about driving around in a car for a couple of hours and snapping
some pictures, you couldn't be more wrong.
This is a major event - not just
festive, but educational. There are almost 200
events to choose from. Here's a mini list just to give you
the idea: |
-
Hikes.
Long, short, easy, difficult, overnight, in the flowers, to
waterfalls. Some to secret places. No kidding.
We heard about one to Mancos Falls and thought we'd find it
on our own. NOT. Didn't even show up on our topo
map. An this after someone TOLD us where it was.
-
Photography.
Sunset, nature, gardens, amazing alleys. We opt for
the Amazing Alleys. Sounds sinister.
-
Folklore
and Fairy Houses - build one and leave it for the 'little
people'.
-
Wild
flowers,
of course. Edibles, medicinal. Walk, paint,
photograph.
-
Blossom buffets, picnics in
the pines.
Many many more. Birding,
winemaking, ceramics, slide shows, van tours, horseback
riding, journaling... Each year, of course, there will be
variations.
|
Here's
how it works.
Sign up and pay for your workshop or event:
1. Online at the Wild
Flower
Festival website.
You will still have to register
and sign a Waiver of Liability when you get there.
(Mountains present natural hazards)
OR
2. Register when you get
there. Some of the classes fill up, so you take a
risk of not getting the one you want.
If you become a member (for as
little as $20), you will receive notification of the
schedule of events before the general public.
The Wild Flower Festival organization is a non profit
corporation and is "dedicated to the conservation,
preservation and appreciation of wild flowers through
education and celebration." |
|
And the Beat Goes On
When the wild flowers are gone
there are other events. In fact, the annual Music
Festival is in progress now. A "unique festival
for a unique town" is the goal, and included on the venue
are some-known, some-not, artists in ballet, opera, chamber
music, bluegrass and jazz.
After that is the ReelFest,
then The Festival of the Arts, a juried show named one of the
top Fine Arts and Fine Crafts Shows in the country by The Harris
List and The Network Guide.
The Mushroom Festival vows to
"put the fun back in the fungi" - OK - the Fall
Festival combines a chili and salsa cookoff with a brewfest
(makes sense to me) and many more.
Oh, yes, and then there's skiing.
Crested Butte's ski area just got
new owners. There's a flurry of excitement, because the
locals are hoping for a comeback. A comeback?
Let's see: a charming, historical community thriving
artistically with top notch talent, happy, peaceful citizens,
genuine service in the crowded bars and restaurants, and real
estate that's been escalating for over 4 years. Hmmmm...
Well...it was my first time
there.
|
