>>>Calculating online flight prices is curious:
>>>
>>>2way FRA BZN is ~630
>>>2way FRA TEX is ~455
>>>
>>>
>>>going via TX goes from 640 to 830 via BZN and 955 via TEX
>>>only 130$ less than two fly 4 times over the ocean. Weird...
>>
>>
>>Going to Telluride is probably much more expensive than going to Montana as the closest airports are all small ones. That's why when I fly home to visit family in GJ it costs sooooooooo much... and I fly into GJ which is bigger than Montrose or Durango...
>>
>>These are the airports that get you close:
>>
>>Telluride Airport (TEX)
>>Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ)
>>Cortez Airport (CEZ)
>>Durango Airport (DRO)
>>Gunnison Airport (GUC)
>>Grand Junction Airport (GJT)
>>
>>It's a good four hour drive (at least) from GJ (in good weather)... ignore the mapquest or google or gps driving times of 2.5 - 3 hours - nonsense. It's mountain roads. If you get behind someone sightseeing (which is common), it is almost impossible to get around them (and dangerous) It's hard to plan on a definite drive to/from too since the pass closes periodically in snow storms and you have to wait for the snow plows to make it through to clear it.
>>
>
>
>I'll second that!. I used to live in Silverton and there were many days we could not get out of town because of avalanches on Red Mountain and Molas Passes (the only 2 roads out of town). The San Juans are beautiful and the skiing is great. I really miss SW Colorado.

The San Juans (to me) are the most beautiful mountains in the world.... I love the rest of the rockies and the Appalachians and the Cascades, not to mention the Alps in Europe, but the San Juans are the most beautiful....and Silverton, CO is one of my favorite places...(Gunnison, CO is nice too - and Grand Lake, CO - and Ward/Estes Park - I could go on and on and on)

Favorite commercial mountain area: Leavenworth, WA or Estes Park, CO