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Yesterday my work brought me to Telluride, Colorado, where I'll have the good fortune of staying another night. If you haven't had the chance to see this corner of God's green earth, then by all means start making plans soon. I have traveled to many corners of this hemisphere, and this area is by far one of the most breathtaking places I've seen.

The mountains shoot straight up from the gently rising valley floor, and offer an endless palette of colors from the deep umbers and reds, basalt shiny blacks and greys, and many other striated earth hues of the dramatic rock formations, to the infinite shades of green of the pine, ash, aspen, and many other trees and bushes. As you hike less than a hundred feet from town, the terrain rises rapidly and all along the trails you see wildflowers of every color from bright orange, white and yellow to deep purple and light blue, as well as bushes spotted with red berries.

Once you've acclimated to the altitude (almost 2 miles high), I highly recommend the Bear Creek trail, which is not a technically challenging climb, but is very rewarding nonetheless. It follows the stream steadily up the valley, and as you approach the top you are greeted by an astonishing view of the Bear Creek Falls.

Words fail me, it is just such a mesmerizing place. The warmth of the climb is so pleasantly soothed by the gentle breeze bringing the cool mist of the falls across the trail, the roar of water is deep and hypnotic, and the towering wall of rock behind the falls is like a dramatic stage framed by the equally theatrical mountain slopes rising on either side. As you turn to look down the valley and across to the alpine slope rising behind the town, the awe and majesty of the place is overwhelming. I've posted some of my photos, taken with a digital point-and-shoot, but they really can't convey the incredible feeling of being surrounded by it, hearing sounds of water over rock and wind through trees, and smelling the freshness all around you.

The town has a uniquely western feel to it; everyone you see seems to exude an awareness of just how special this place is and how lucky we all are to be here right now. I've been told that all the retail shops and restaurants are locally owned, and the ones I've visited certainly have a unique and authentic feel to them . It is considerably smaller than Aspen or Vail, and has not yet been overrun with tacky souvenir stores and uppity haute couture fashion shops.

People tell me that the skiing is spectacular here in Telluride, and although it is not hard to believe looking at the precipitous slopes everywhere you turn, I have only been through during the summer.

The staff at the New Sheridan Hotel have been welcoming and helpful. The hotel was built in 1895, so the rooms are smaller than contemporary business travelers might expect. However, they are warm and inviting, and have an old-world charm. There are odd little nooks and crannies everywhere, and you'd be well advised to keep an eye out for stairs and small ledges at every turn (being naturally clumsy myself, that warning is from experience and not merely out of courtesy).

Next door the Chop House restaurant and bar offers a wonderful selection of steaks and standard American fare (with a distinctly upscale treatment), as well as elk and other game. If you appreciate good coffee, be sure and stop in at the Steaming Bean where they roast their own custom blends and serve a rich, well-balanced latte. I've heard good things about some of the other coffee shops here also, expectations seem to be high.