Is “love” too strong a word for a historic mining town turned outdoor playground? I don’t think so.
Mandy and I finally returned to Lodi from Crested Butte, Colorado, after changing our flights once to extend our stay and seriously considering doing it again once Monday rolled around. We were there to support the Crested Butte Land Trust at their annual Wine & Food Festival and get a toe-hold in the Colorado market for our wines.
Our good friends Aaron and Mariane Combs graciously hosted us for the weekend in their home, a historic ranch house known around town as ‘the yellow house on Gothic Road.’ No need for addresses here. Aaron’s niece, Cari Guittard, and her husband Clark, also joined us for the long weekend.
The Yellow House
One of the perks of the trip was Crested Butte’s awesome mountain biking and I had great guides in Aaron and his friend, Tony. Crested Butte is an outdoors playground – mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, hang-gliding – you name it.
Taking a breather…@ 10,000ft!
Our first ride was up the 401 trail, where Clark, Aaron and I met Tony. Well, maybe ‘met’ isn’t the right word…Tony started about an hour after we did and caught up to us at the top. By the time we reached the peak, I was definitely feeling the altitude – 10,000ft or so – but it was a gorgeous climb.
Check out the shot below for a taste of the scenery: snow-lined peaks, green meadows, blue skies – oh, and did I mention it was a a ‘hot’ day in CB? 75 degrees or so. Perfect!
Joe, Clark, Aaron
Knowing how little time I had to enjoy the epic mountain biking in CB, I jumped at the opportunity to hit another trail after 401. Tony and I kept riding towards town and looped in Snodgrass Trail. It was a trek well worth the effort – Snodgrass winds its way through the aspen trees, sometimes just barely leaving enough room for you to pass.
Now, of course it can’t be all play on a business trip – we had work to do! We were matched up with Lil’s Sushi Bar & Grill at the Evening on Elk pouring, where Chef/Owner Matthew Smith made delicious plates of sushi appetizers for the crowd. He also had a chance to taste our Viognier, which is a killer match to spicy sushi.
After our pouring duties, Mandy and I pulled up a couple seats at Timberline’s bar for dinner. Timberline Restaurant is one of the only restaurants in Crested Butte that stays open year-round, even during “mud season” when the snowpack is melting in early Spring. As the night turned late, Chef/Owner Tim Egelhoff was nice enough to take a minute to speak with us about Colorado wine distributors which helped point us in the right direction.
It was a packed day, but much more was to come over the weekend. Stay tuned for more on the rest of our trip, including some mountain biking video!
