Kremmling, CO

The town of Kremmling, population around 1500, is located pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Steamboat Springs is 50+ miles northwest; Grand Lake is 40 miles northeast. Other smaller towns such as Hot Sulphur Springs and Granby are closer. But, the scenery and terrain in this Grand County town in north central Colorado is some of the most spectacular I've seen. Wonderful yelllow-gold meadows abound around every corner, and the mountains of the more southern parts of Colorado can be seen in the distance. There is an endless number of hikes and scenic drives to be had, and Kremmling turned out to be the perfect hub for them.

The town was established during the boom days, but there were not enough minerals in the mountains to sustain it for any length of time. Ranching became the main industry. It's also along the route of the Colorado River Headwaters Scenic Byway, bringing in tourists and sightseers from everywhere.

I arrived in Kremmling on a Saturday, and it was the last weekend of the rodeo at the fairgrounds. So, I wandered over to see what was happening. Well, the most exciting thing I came across were these beautiful and rare show birds. This one is called a White Silkie.

I was trying to get pictures of the birds through the cage when a teen came up and asked if I wanted him to take them out of the cage for better pictures. Of course, I said yes. I got names for most of them, but for this one and the one on the right, I did not. If anyone looking at these pages can identify them, I'd be grateful if you could email me with the names.

County Road 22 which originates just behind the RV park where I'm staying travels for some 10 miles or so before becoming a dirt road. It was a pleasant drive, little traffic, so I was able to stop often for photos. The next several shots were taken along the C22.

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On the Highway 40 just east of Kremmling is this conglonmeration of barns and fences, once certainly with a busy and healthy life. It sits down in the valley between the highway and the creek that runs behind it. As I was overlooking it and taking pictures, someone in the truck (the photo on the left) was coming up the road. The driver, whose father still lives in the brown building, struck up a conversation. We talked, mostly about the sights of Colorado, at length. The name of this wee village: Troublesome.

In earlier days (the town was established in the late 1800s), the little bulding on the left side of the road was the post office. The postmaster would walk to the railroad tracks (seen going across the middle of the photo) each day as the train came through to pick up and drop off mail.

There's a wonderful and beautiful loop trail, about 2 miles, around the Lower Cataract Lake which is some 12 or 15 miles from Kremmling. The trail meanders through aspen stands, pine forests and a meadow which in the spring is filled with wildflowers. It's located in the Eagle's Nest Wilderness Area of the White River National Forest. In the distance, the Eagle's Nest, a 13-er, can be seen. On the day I did the hike, smoke from Idaho fires diminished the views somewhat.

The folks of Kremmling seem pretty proud of this old smithy. The little white sign on the right side of the doors says it was erected in 1885, so they should be proud. However, only the facade is left standing; the rest of the building is long gone. A passerby resident told me the guys from the bar next door go back behind the facade and play horseshoes.