Our trip plans didn't firm up until last week. We knew we wanted to go Telluride and camp in Telluride Town Park. They don't take reservations and it is hard to get in, so we figured our best chance is to roll into town on a Monday morning. Gunnison is halfway and we've never been here. A middle school friend, Abby, lives in Gunnison. I haven't seen her in over 20 years. She and her husband Patrick have made this leg of the trip very cool. They found a free campsite with awesome scenery and SHADE just a few miles from town, and were nice enough to save the spot by putting up a tent. They led us to the site down a long dirt road which we never would have found on our own. It's not a campground - just public land and you can just set up camp anywhere you want. The site was clearly a favorite spot because someone had made a rock-lined fire pit and benches out of old trees. Having this amazing spot truly has made our first few days on the road so relaxing. They stayed to visit for a few hours while the kids explored. Even though we aren't far from town, there is no one around us and the dogs get to roam free.
On saturday there was a lot going on in town. First a pancake breakfast (yum!), then a parade. Of course the kids LOVE a good parade with lots of candy. We wandered around the farmer's market then played in the huge playground.
After naps we did a bit of exploring around our site, then Abby and Patrick had us over for dinner. The dogs had some new friends with their 2 chocolate labs. Dinner was fantastic and the kids were on their best behavior. They were so good with the kids and let them get in the hot tub, which they of course loved. It was a great night and it was really fun to catch up on 2 decades with Abby. We are definitely coming back to visit!