Early Season Storm

We had an early season storm drop 14 inches yesterday and it was our first powder day of the season. It was a bitter day, but the skiing was great and some pictures turned out. Hopefully there will be more days like this...

Thanksgiving & Early Winter

Bacon makes everything taste better. The turkey was garnished with a few slices of bacon and it turned out delicous. There's also a few winter shots!

Turkey Bingo

Last night the local Elks Lodge held their annual Turkey Bingo and I'm pretty sure the whole town was there. If you won a game, you won a turkey. I won the first turkey and Sandy won a second toward the end of the night. Here are the pictures along with a gratuitious Mako shot and some snow making.

Halloween & Mako

Halloween has come and gone, but here are some entertaining shots of Mako and her various costums. We also had our first decent snow fall and winter weather.

Hiking & Biking

It was another active weekend full of hiking and biking. On Saturday the three of us went for a hike up the Whipple Mountain Trail, which is just west of town. Here are some pictures of the trail as we trodded up the side. There is also a shot of some bear markings on an aspen.

Then on Saturday we put the bikes in the rack and drove south to Cortez. Once again our friend Jim showed us the way on a fantastic rolling single track called Phil's World. Here is a video where I did my best not to drop the camer. Hope it doesn't give you motion sickness. Enjoy!

Prospect Trail & Ajax

The gondola closed this past weekend and it is now officially offseason, but before the doors closed we rode the Prospect Trail. Jim showed us the way on the beautifull fall day and then invited us over for dinner and pumpkin carving.

On Sunday, Sandy and Mako went for a hike up Ajax to catch the views before the winter snow falls. Here are the shots of the busy weekend.

Santa Fe Finale

For my Mom & Dad's weekend finale of their Colorado tour the four of us met in Santa Fe for lots of food and some big city culture. The New Mexican Capital has a city center square where museums, great food, plenty of shopping, fun music and tourists all come together. The rain or sleet was on and off and didn't present many photo opportunities, but it was a great excuse for the next meal.

Here are a few pictures of the San Miguel Mission, which was built in the early 1600's, the "oldest house in the U.S.," and the four of us.

Silverton To Mesa Verde By Train

Mom and Dad Bruer are here in Southwestern Colorado and taking in the diversity of the mountains, desert and plateaus that make up the area. They have timed the trip to coincide with the peak of the fall colors and the Aspens did not disappoint.

This past weekend Mom, Dad, Sandy and I went south to Durango to catch a 19th century coal powered train on the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The train is on a narrow gauge rail, which has 36 inches between the rails instead of the normal 4 feet 6 inches. The narrow gauge rail allows a tighter turning radius through the canyons and passes, which is needed for some tight turns.





From the train ride we moved on to Mesa Verde National Park where took a tour around the park, enjoyed the sites and learned some history. The weather was a bit colder than anticipated and the wind didn't help. It's a beautiful and amazing place. Here are some pictures.

Moab

Sandy and I took off for Moab this past weekend to test out our new bikes. It was a throw back to summer as there was about a 30 degree difference between Moab and Telluride. On Saturday we road the Klondike Bluffs trail about 15 miles north of Moab and then the DiVincent's joined us for the Bar M trail on Sunday. Mako kept up and found shade and water at every opportunity. Here are some pictures and an action shot of Jared.

Lizardhead

We went for a hike up to Lizardhead today with a mix of sun, rain and sleet. With the weather a bit crazy, the light made for some nice pictures or some shoddy ones. There are also a few pictures where you can see the weather approaching and of course one or two of Mako.

Blues & Brews

The 2008 Blues & Brews Festival has come to pass and I think all had a great time. Here are some pics of the fiesty crowd plus a couple pictures of an early snow.

Boston in September

We caught up on our city life and humidity last weekend when we visited Boston. My ol' college roomate Kenny got married to Christie on Saturday and we took in some sites and good times with the East Coast Friends. Here are some shots from around Copely Square, the plane ride somewhere over Texas and one of Paul Revere's Monument.

Marshall Basin

We all put on our packs and went out for a hike yesterday afternoon. Our goal was Governor Basin on the other side of the ridge, which wasn't far away just all uphill. We went up the Liberty Bell trail and over the ridge to Marshall Basin and then finally peaked over the ridge into Governor Basin. Here are some of the pictures of tired legs, a sunset and maybe one or two of Mako.

Hope Lake

Hope Lake is a 5 mile hike a little south of Telluride. The flowers were in bloom and the dogs loved the water at the end of the trial. Here are some pics.

Lazy Days of Summer

Summer is going quick and Mako is sleeping as much as she can. She's picked her favorite spot in the place and made a dent. In between her naps we had a fun rafting trip with some friends down the San Miguel River.

Mako's big cheese

Mt. Sneffels Highline

The Mt. Sneffels Highline is a loop just north of Telluride, which we set out for yesterday morning. We started early to avoid thunder stoms, but the weather held and hike was great. Here are some scenic shots, some of elk and maybe some of Mako.



At the pass...

4th Of July And A Few More

The Fourth of July weekend has come and gone along with some other festivities. So, here's a collection of the various events...

Kate's birthday was the weekend prior and a few of us gathered at Fat Alley to celebrate and our other friend Kate from Mammoth was in town for the festivities and the Johnny Lang concert. There's also a few shots of our hike up Bear Creek and on up to Gold Hill at the ski resort. Then of course the fireworks in the canyon. It was a fantastic show with the fireworks all around us and the echo up and down the canyon.

Tomboy Road

A little under two weeks ago we went up Tomboy Road where the waterfalls were flowing and the passes were starting to open. The three of us walked up the road aways and here's what we saw. There were a couple off-roaders, waterfalls and some great views of town and the box canyon.



Also, an action shot of Mako's hydration

Hiking Season

The long days of summer are here. That means we get to sneak in some after work hikes around town. Here are some shots of the Bear Creek and the Jud Wiebe Trails.

Trout Lake

It was a beautifull day here in the San Juan's, so we grabbed the dogs and went to Trout Lake for the afternoon. Chaos was ready to swim til he passed out while the other two tried to keep up.

Mako's New Dog House...

California, Uhauls, boxes, loading, driving, flea markets, Bill & Christine's wedding, unloading, more boxes, driving and finally a new home. It was a long few days and lot of trips up and down stairs, but it feels great to have a new home.

Bill & Christine's wedding was in the wine country setting of the Anderson Valley, which is a couple hours north of San Francisco and our stuff was still in Mammoth. So the logical rental car was...a Uhaul. A short six hour drive later we were in Mammoth loading the Uhaul in Tetris fashion to fill the new digs in Telluride.

Here's a few pics of the trip and the new place. There's a spare bedroom if anyone wants to visit!

Family Time

This past weekend I went back home and the place was in full bloom. Green was everywhere, but I guess that's about an eight thousand foot difference. Maybe we're just behind the times over here. Anyway, here's the little people in my family...and my brothers.

National Park Fever!

Back to back weekends at National Parks....and they're both only a couple hours away! Here's a few pictures from this past Sunday with Sandy's parents. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park isn't one of the biggest parks, but it's beautiful with the sheer cliffs and gushing water. The elevation drop for the water creates an enormous amount of energy running through and the sound of it can be overwhelming. Here are some shots and maybe next time we'll make it into the canyon.

Walk in the park

Sandy's parents have been on the road for a while now, so we gave them a break and took them to Ridgeway for a walk in the park. There was a little chill in the air, but it was a beautiful day. Mako went shirtless for the first time since her tussle with Lady the Rottie. We'll be off to Black Canyon of the Gunnison tomorrow for some more National Park pics.

Flashdance!

The dog bite has brought out her inner 80's. O.K., so the shirt does actually have some functionality, but she does do a pretty good Jennifer Beals impression. Can't you tell?
At least in a couple weeks she can lose the shirt and get into the water again.

Teeth Marks & National Parks

Over the Weekend Mako learned that not all tennis balls are hers. She was the reciepient of a bite to the leg that left her with six stitches. I have a feeling she didn't learn her lesson. She now struts around in a punk rock t-shirt and shows off her wounds.

The good news of the weekend was that Sandy's parents were in town for Amy's birthday week. We showed them around town and then drove a couple hours south to Mesa Verde National Park. Lots of ruins and archeological sites to see, plus some hands on tours. Highly recommended. Here's a few pictures of the park and of around Telluride.

April 12th

Here's last week's hike to Coonskin. It was a beautifull day with a lot of heavy, sticky snow.

I'm glad there are more pictures of humans than dogs in this post. I was starting get a little worried.

Lunch Break!

Kate & Dave hitting the concrete.

...

Super Mako and Captain PBR

And an action shot...

A little more poodle than lab on this day

Resting
Originally uploaded by Mako's Mark

Dog skiing

Dog's eye view for the return to the car.

Hope you don't get motion sickness.

Mako Skiing

A few turns outside Last Dollar Hut. Spring skiing has arrived!