On the Trail – Cortez to Telluride With Great Company

When we finalized all of the plans for our RV trip, I realized that my birthday fell during our visit with some dear friends from our Army days in Germany over forty years ago. Things couldn’t have worked out better. Helen and I both looked forward to returning to Cortez, Colorado, and celebrating the big day with Paul and Dayna.

Cortez, Colorado, is in the four corners area of the state. Paul and Dayna have a lovely home and farm with a magnificent view of the Mesa Verde mountain range and the National Park. We toured the National Park and the remarkable cliff dwellings two years ago and came away impressed. We bypassed that opportunity this time, but I recommend it highly.

We arrived late in the afternoon after a long drive from Albuquerque, NM, and greeted warmly–it was great seeing them. Only my friend Paul would have a full-hookup RV site adjacent to his home, complete with water, electric, and sewer connections. We plugged in the RV and reconnected as friends.

My friend Paul is one of the greatest (and most unique) guys I have ever known. We first met in the halls of the Third Infantry Division Headquarters in 1972. He was very outgoing, and I was pleased to learn that he lived in a house next to ours in a small village outside Wurzburg, Germany. Over time, we developed a solid friendship.

Paul had and still has the energy of a ten-year-old. He attacks every challenge with great gusto. When I first met him, he was always fixing things, making things, or making things happen. Paul adores animals and has a great passion for the outdoors. He is outrageously funny, can swear with the best of them, and yet, a heart of gold beats inside that chest. I’ve never met anyone like him.

As much as Paul is rambunctious and non-stop, Dayna is gentle, sweet, and lovely, both inside and out. She spends hours gardening, raising almost anything that grows in a sizeable garden and her greenhouse. She has a passion for western art and artifacts which adorn the walls of her spotless home. Dayna loves anything with four paws.  Together, they make a wonderful couple.

For our first full day, they planned a trip to Telluride, Colorado, for us.  Helen and I grinned broadly at hearing the plan since we had heard good things about the town but had never been there. We left Cortez in mid-morning for the hour or so drive to Telluride, where we would tour the area, have lunch, and return.

Once underway, it didn’t take long to reach snow-covered ground.  Southwestern Colorado is facing drought conditions and, although this appeared to me as a lot of snow, it was nowhere enough for relief this year. Nevertheless, it was pretty to drive through.

After Paul retired from the Army, he spent several years working in the area around Telluride, overseeing the reclamation and redistribution of soil and the tailings of mineral mines prevalent in the past several decades. He took us to several projects and gave us some history of the mining industry and the work necessary to restore the area, preventing chemicals from leaching into the streams and destroying habitat.

In Telluride, I was impressed with the Victorian architecture of the homes.  I felt confident that, although the houses seemed small, they commanded steep prices. I felt the same way about the condominiums at the ski village. Thankfully, the hoards of visitors had not yet arrived, and we could move around well.  A clerk at one of the resorts told us that visitors begin arriving around Memorial Day.

We chose to have lunch at the Cornerhouse Grill. A couple of local contractors sitting at the table next to us recommended the Cheesesteak Sandwich and the Fish Tacos.  That was good enough for us.  Helen and Dayna had the tacos. I had the cheesesteak; Paul had chili.   All said their meal was delicious. On the way back to Cortez, we passed a herd of elk.  They looked as sleepy as I felt.

For our final night with our friends (that afternoon, Paul replaced a defective toilet seat in our fifth wheel), Paul grilled marinated chicken thighs, and Helen prepared cheese grits. After an excellent meal, we had a (low key) birthday party.  Birthday parties for me are usually events I avoid like the plague–never wanting to be the center of anything. My reluctance notwithstanding, I enjoyed myself immensely.

Besides the sumptuous meal, Helen and Dayna found a cake consisting of four quarters–chocolate, red velvet, carrot, and caramel. I sampled all.  Dayna gave me a “potato” cactus (Opuntia Fragillis) from her greenhouse. My challenge will be to keep it alive, but, thankfully, it is a hardy species.

After the party, Paul and Dayna helped us carry everything back to Dora. We needed to turn in early for the next day’s drive to Bryce Canyon. We hated to leave but left with good memories of a great time.  I can’t thank them enough for the hospitality, but it’s time to be Easin’ Along.  Join us next week in Bryce Canyon…awesome doesn’t begin to describe it.