Weathering the Weather

It rained all night
The day I left--
The weather it was dry.
The sun so hot
I froze to death.
Susannah, don't you cry.
-"Old Susannah" folk song, Stephen Foster

"If you don't like the weather in Colorado, wait 15 minutes."
-ancient Chinese proverb


The first time I ever came to Telluride I thought, "Colorado. Mountains. Cold." And while the wool socks and sweatshirts were perfect for the cool evenings, I was sweltering during the 85 degree days.

The second time I came to Telluride I thought, "Colorado. 9,000 feet closer to the sun. Hot." Needless to say, my suitcase of t-shirts and shorts was hardly sufficient for the windy, rainy afternoons and 40 degree nights. My one sweatshirt & 2 pairs of jeans got a lot of wear that weekend.

Since then, whenever anyone asks me what to pack for Telluride, I just say, "Everything." T-shirts & sneakers for the early afternoon, raincoat & boots for the late afternoon, sweaters, jacket, long underwear, hat, scarf, & mittens for the nights. A typical summer day is high 80s, low 40s, and afternoon showers. And let's not forget a chance of snow. Now do you still wonder why I had to pack the car full just to spend 2 weeks here? Pack everything.



I see more weather in a single day here than you would see in 5 years in Southern California. For instance, here was the weather for Sept. 21, 2005 (the 1st day of fall, no less):

4am: severe storm with thunder so loud it sounded like it was in my backyard
7am: 60 degrees (i.e., warm), overcast skies
10am: downpour, chilly
noon: sunny & warm
12:30pm: downpour, chilly, snow suddenly appears on mountaintops
5:30pm: sunny & warm
6pm: sunny & raining, moderate temp., rainbow sighting
7pm: sunny, no rain, very cold
9pm: thunder so loud you can hear it in the movie theatre, no rain
10pm: amazing lightning that causes frequent momentary blindness, no rain
10:30pm: downpour
10:40pm: dry road, warm (55 degrees)

In grammar school they told us the song "Old Susannah" was a "nonsense" song. My teachers had obviously never been to Telluride. It makes perfect sense to me now--I've lived it.

I'm rapidly becoming acclimated, though. I have an umbrella stashed in all strategic places (work, home, car). The other night I got home about 11pm and was ecstatic because it was 55 degrees--warm enough to open my bedroom window again. If it hit 55 degrees in L.A., I'd turn on the heat and pull out an extra blanket.

And one of the most enjoyable aspects of the frequently changing weather is a plethora of rainbows. It is not uncommon for it to be pouring at one end of this small valley & have sunny blue skies at the other end. A few weeks ago I saw something that not only had I never seen before, but never even thought to look for--a "moonbow." I was driving home at night, it was raining, and the full moon was out. And then there it was--a pale blue arch across the sky. Simply astounding.

No matter how much you know about the science of light, it cannot detract from the total miracle and wonder of rainbows. Every single one is perfectly beautiful. Every one fills you with delight. Here people stop for 5 or 10 minutes in the middle of the sidewalk to enjoy a rainbow, even if they've seen a hundred of them. Even if they have to stand in the rain. They do the same thing when the alpenglow turns the mountains purple. Everyone just stops where they are to catch a fleeting glimpse of beauty, whether they've been here 10 years or a day.

Dorothy sang about finding someplace better over the rainbow, but here the best place is under it.