We slept last night in Crested Butte so that we could have a day drive to Telluride and enjoy the scenery along the way. It was a very pleasant way to spend the morning: oooooing and awwwwing and gaping out the window each time we rounded a bend or descended into a valley.

Telluride is located at the end of a box canyon, tucked away in the South West corner of the state. It is very difficult to get to and not particularly on the way to anywhere and probably would have remained relatively uninhabited if it weren’t for the discovery of gold in the surrounding hills. As a result it was quite a boom town at the beginning of the last century. Reminders of that era remain today: Main Street is lined with beautiful 100 year old, red brick buildings that have all been tastefully restored over the past twenty years with the money generated by the most recent gold rush, skiing. The mountains are forever providing.

Telluride seems to be dealing as best it can with the influx of people and money-interests. The condo developments, so far, seem to be relegated to the outskirts of the town which has pretty much left the village and main-street intact, which gives the place a sense of community. The smartest move has been to designate the other side of the mountain, unseen from the village, as the prime place for development. So the main ski-resort and the mall and the majority of the $16 million dollar ski cabins, are neatly tucked away giving the impression that not a lot has changed. At least, that’s the way it appears to an outsider. Those who have lived here for the past twenty or so years tell a different story…something about paradise rapidly sliding downhill towards hell.

We have been here once before. About ten years ago we played an outdoor festival. All that I can remember is that it rained all day and I had an altitude induced headache the whole time. This time through we played The Sheridan Opera House, which is a very special little theater located on Main Street. It was built back in 1913 at the height of both the gold rush and vaudeville. It is slowly being refurbished back to its original glory. The stage must have seen some pretty unusual and diverse acts over the decades: it was a pleasure to play upon.