An Afternoon of Scouting, Part II

I left off yesterday at the Hotel De Paris in Georgetown, Colorado. Georgetown's main street is only 2-3 blocks long but filled with historic buildings from the 1800's.

Across the street from the hotel sits an art gallery, of which you'll find several in town, as well as the town hall and police department.

The neighborhood of houses can be as wee as this sweet place . . .

. . . and is filled with charming clapboard homes from long ago.

This is one of the larger, Victorian-era homes in the neighborhood and has an unusually generous lot.

Above is the old schoolhouse built in 1874. It's been fully renovated and a testament to the architecture of the time.

As you travel away from the town center, you'll pass Alpine House; the old firehouse, which is now a firefighting museum.

Here's the former merchant and tailor shop that sits on a steep slope. At the top of this street, we'll turn left and head up onto Guanella Pass.

The Pass from Georgetown to the other side is 22 miles. However, we only drove to the top during this trip. We stopped along the way at this park where we got out and took a short hike in the woods. Here's my husband just before we crossed the bridge over the creek.

It was so beautiful, even on this overcast day.

Can you see the unusual face peeking out from this tree?

A sweet little flower.

The aspen trees.

We got back on the road and continued our climb up the Pass, where the aspens are replaced by fir trees.

The scent is intoxicating at this level!

The views, breathtaking!

I'm sure you'll agree that our trip that began with the hope of finding great places to photograph quilts was fruitful indeed!

An Afternoon of Scouting, Part I

Not too long ago, my husband and I took an afternoon and headed into the mountains to the west of Denver, Colorado. The goal was to get some ideas of places to photograph quilts.

I've often noticed this abandoned mine while traveling on the highway and we were able to get a closer look.

I love the patina of the building, and the broken windows and patched roof give it such character. You can still see the name of the company at the top.

We found that the property is part of the Stanley Mining Company, now owned by the Empress Gold Mining and Milling Company, Inc.

I wish I could go back in time to see this property alive with smoke poring out of the chimney.

We continued driving on the service road that parallels the interstate highway toward Georgetown. As you drive into the town center, you pass a chalet-style hotel called Hotel Chateau Chamonix, which sits on Clear Creek. It's a charming property and we often talk about staying here when we're in the area. Perhaps, some day!

A view from the back where the creek flows.

Driving into the town center is like stepping back in time. I didn't take a lot of photos because I have many from other visits. But here are a few for you to enjoy . . .

A taste of France in this small, mountain town. I've wondered what the rooms look like. Are they 1800's period-style or updated?

A lion guards the gate leading to a courtyard at the back of Hotel De Paris.

I'll share a few more photos of Georgetown and where we headed next in Part II.