7/14 Drive to Crested Butte

I was getting a bit bored sitting around and working online, so today I drove north through Gunnison to the ski town of Crested Butte, Colorado.  Crested Butte is at about 9,000' in elevations with a bunch of snow-capped mountains surrounding it. 

Very alpine looking.

Who says you can't find a good parking spot in a small touristy town?  You just have to go down side streets.  Found this nice spot about two blocks away.  Note that everyone is parking inside the curb.  There are signs telling you NOT to park on the roadway. 

Anyone need to be arrested?  Check out the bars on the window.  It was built in 1883 and is used for non-profit offices, but it still has two usable jail cells. 

Some very interesting buildings in town.Notice that most of the buildings have windows on the side and space between them. 

I thought this was a neat sign until I realized the little shop was men's wear!  Guess women never head out with a friend and a full tank of gas. 

Nice little gift shop and town museum.  It originally was a blacksmith shop, and then they added a hardware store on the front.  If you come to Crested Butte, stop here first and pick up one of their brochures for a walking tour.  It gives the history of most of the buildings in town.  I stopped here last, but I wish I had stopped first! 

It has all the original fixtures and shelves on the walls. 

 More pretty, old buildings.

This is the old town hall. It is now has a cabaret theater inside.  

And this side of the old town hall is now a bus stop.

Nice mountain stream with crystal clear water. 

Nearly all the buildings in this town have metal roofs, but the one on the right has a metal side.  I suspect this was added over the original structure built in the 1800s.  

The building on the left is even more interesting.  It seems to have been built with vertical posts and then filled in with short, heavy timbers. (Maybe they could only get short boards for some reason.)  Again, there are windows on the sides of both buildings so there is space between them.  Also, check out the cross-beams sticking out.   

The building on the right used to be a barber shop. 

I assume the metal roofs are so heavy snow can slide off.  This one has a warning sign for people parking cars next to the building. 

Do you need any old tools?  They are right on this building! 

Another old, unpainted building.  Notice on the addition to the left how the exterior planks only go part-way across the expanse.  I assume there is some sort of hidden vertical beam they are nailed to.  Interesting.