Fourth of July in Lake City

The most popular time to be in Lake City is the Fourth of July.  The town hosts a parade, and then everyone gathers for a day of festivities in the town park before capping the day off with fireworks launched from a ridge on the edge of town.

Historic downtown Lake City before the Fourth of July

Lake San Cristobal at Sunset

Lake Fork of the Gunnison flowing into Lake San Cristobal at sunset before the Fourth of July

Kyle getting ready for an outdoor concert

Another beautiful morning in Lake City

The parade

Kyle catches candy in a net during the parade

Kyle showing off his catch

Evening bike ride with the family

The Lake Fork flowing into Lake San Cristobal

The setting sun lights up the Continental Divide in the distance

Lake City Sunset

Exploring High Country Creeks

My family was in town for the Fourth of July (2014), so my dad, my brother, and I set off to explore some new water in the high country above Lake City.  We caught tons of little brook trout and brown trout.

On the trail

Looking down the canyon

We found some great small water

Climbing out after a successful day

Storm clouds building over the mountains in the distance

Trophy Hunting

There are some rivers near Lake City that have some gigantic trout.  Early in the season, guides from around the area descend upon these hot spots with the hopes of landing a hog before spending most of the rest of the summer putting other people on fish.

High Kicks!

Butterflies along the side of the river

Nice, big, colorful rainbow

A fish like this can make a tough day of technical fishing for picky trout worth it.

Two Year Anniversary

I still clearly remember loading all of my gear in my truck and heading north to Colorado, leaving my life in Dallas behind--or on hold--I wasn't sure which.  That was two years ago today.  Since then, I have been guiding for Dan's Fly Shop in Lake City, Colorado in the summers and teaching skiing at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah in the winters.   In the last two years, I've probably caught a few thousand fish, put thirty-something thousand miles on my truck, skied close to 275 days, and fished about 330 days.  I have made some great friends and have enjoyed (almost) every minute of this adventure!  I will try to do a better job of keeping this blog updated, but you can follow me on instagram @ellisoutdoors for more timely updates.

A nice rainbow on one of my few (hundred) days on the water

Early winter sunset at Deer Valley

Back to the Scene of the Crime

In late September 2013, my sister and I slid off the side of the road on Slumgullion Pass in a snow storm (see that story here).  The next summer, I went back to that spot to see if I could find my missing hubcap.  Sure enough, it was down there.

Looking back up the mountain side in the same spot we slid off the side of the road

Looking back at the bend in the road where the slide started