Jeeping Colorado 2.0 (8-31-22)

 Yankee Boy Basin 2.5

The Yankee Boy Basin 4x4 trail is only about 12 miles long and leaves from the Ouray area and travels through some spectacular scenery.  We had heard that the last few miles is the best- but also the most difficult. Still, we were hoping we could make it.

We got as far as an area that resembled a parking lot, where we, along with a bunch of other people, stopped to have lunch.  The sign nearby stated that 4x4, high clearance and short wheel base are recommended beyond this point, so we walked up the road to check it out. 

Paul decided we had driven far enough, and we understood why there were so many cars in this spot.  We watched this truck coming back from the difficult section- his rear tire was 2 feet off the ground.

There is a hiking trail nearby, so we took that, about a half mile, to Wrights Lake.  A half mile doesn’t sound like much but we were going up hill and it was over 12,000 feet. Since the weather looked threatening (and cold) we wore our raincoats, and we did indeed get rained (and hailed) on.

This is the view from the hiking trail, looking at the section of road that we did not drive.  We watched these cars barely move for about 20 minutes, and then one of them decided he couldn’t make it and started backing down the hill.

I must be getting a little used to these “roads” since this one didn’t bother me…..too much.

I try not to look down, but look at the scenery around me- which was gorgeous.

Clear Lake 2.0

I admit I was happy the Clear Lake drive is rated a 2.0, which means its a little easier, less bumpy. I actually enjoyed this trip.  Usually I like the way home a little better, because I know better what to expect, and this was no exception to that.

There were still shelf roads on this trail but nothing outrageous.

Once we got to the lake, which was gorgeous,  it was time for lunch.  We walked around for a bit, and chatted with several people before heading back.

Its really cool actually, how the view going in one direction can be so different from the view going the other way.

We made a couple of stops on the way back….one to check out a waterfall…

and one to check out this guy…

Corkscrew Pass 2.0

The day we drove Corkscrew Gulch (we never made it as far as the pass) was a busy day because in addition to the 4x4 trail, we had a ghost town to explore and a hike to do- because of that, and also because we met people along the way who said the road ahead was sketchy, we drove a few miles and turned around.

This area seemed greener than some other areas, but maybe because we were at a slightly lower elevation, so, not above the tree line.

The hiking trail we were doing is called Grey Copper Mine Trail.  It’s 5 miles long, with 1700 feet of gain.  A little daunting, but if we made it to the end, there was some mining remnants, apparently. In any case, we set out, determined to pace ourselves and go as far as we could.

Along the way we passed a waterfall, but after the really nice ones we have seen lately, this was a little ho-hum.

I was very proud of us that we did indeed make it to the top, because even though it turned out to be a little disappointing because the mine is an active claim, and off limits, it made me feel more confident about possibly hiking to Havasu Falls next year.

On the way down, we caught sight of several elk.  I was surprised that they were aware of us, even though they were really far away.

Once we were back down the mountain, we went to check out Ironton Townsite.  The town was founded in 1883 and at one time had over 100 buildings.

After many years of on and off again mining, due to metal prices, the town was finally declared a ghost town in the 1960s.

Ophir Pass 2.0

Our final 4x4 ride before leaving the area, was Ophir Pass- and this time we made it over the pass itself.

I was feeling pretty comfortable an enjoying the scenery quite a bit, until I realized that one side of the pass is easy, and the other is not so easy- and of course, we had already done the easy part.

We stopped and chatted with a USFS worker going the other way, and when we expressed surprise at seeing him on this road, he grinned and said it cuts 1.5 hours off the trip from Silverton to Ouray- and with his vehicle, he was more than happy to take the shortcut.

My biggest surprise was that the town of Ophir is actually alive and well.  There are no stores etc but its definitely a thriving community of summer homes.

There is a hiking trail just outside town simply called “waterfall trail” but after about a half hour we realized we would not be able to figure out how to get to the falls. So, we left and went to nearby Trout Lake to have our lunch.

We have moved on from Colorado, and also from the Jeeping part of our summer- on to different kinds of fun.....

The Red Mountains of Colorado (8-28-22)

 Telluride, Ouray, and Silverton  are essentially a triangle of towns high in the Red Mountains of Colorado.

Paul and I have been to Silverton and (briefly) Ouray, but we had never been, together, to Telluride. So that’s where we started. We stayed at a lower elevation, in a state park just outside of Ridgway, CO. One of the things we were looking for here was wine glasses.  Somehow, we managed to break both my glass wine glasses, so  we  I was on the lookout for more. Ridgway has a thrift store that benefits the animal shelter- so yeah, I found a couple of wine glasses there.  I am spoiled in the sense that I really like to drink wine out of a glass.

Our first full day, we drove up to Telluride to check it out. We killed two birds with one stone, so to speak, by driving the back “scenic” road- Last Dollar Road 2.0 - to get from Ridgway to Telluride.

The road was actually pretty decent, and definitely had some great views along the way.  Not having to concentrate on driving, we started looking at the houses we were passing, and when I had signal, we pulled up Zillow to take a peek.

 

I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised that the lowest price we saw was $10,000,000, and the highest was $26 million.  But then, the view you see going to the store every day must be worth something!

Once we were down into town, we grabbed lunch, and then walked around.  There is a free gondola ride you can take up the mountain but the weather was not very good for that so we decided if we really wanted to do it, we could come back (We never did).

After leaving town, we checked out some nearby federal campgrounds to see if there was someplace nice to move to….nothing floated our boat, so guess what- that’s all we saw of Telluride.

The rest of our time in that area was really about the Jeeping and to a certain degree, the hiking- so that’s how I am breaking down what we did:

Perimeter Trail 7.0

The perimeter trail is in Ouray, and it’s a hiking trail.  After deciding against the federal campground, we actually ended up at a KOA- unusual for us, but the location was good. The 7.0 designation is mine and tells you what I would have thought of the trail, had it been a Jeep Trail.

We did hike part of the Perimeter Trail- but before we got  to that, we took a mine tour at the Bachelor Syracuse Mine.  The tour company offers breakfast on the weekends, so we bundled up (its outdoor dining) and had breakfast before our tour. 

As mine tours go, this one was beginner level.  We learned very little, and the guide didn’t know anything much beyond his script. My interest was sparked by something he said about Alfred Nobel. 

Nobel invented dynamite, the use of which made mining much safer, since it was more stable than black powder. After the guide’s  short spiel, I investigated online.  Interesting story.  Yes, Alfred Nobel invented dynamite which helped save lives but was also used as a weapon in wars.

Years later, Alfred’s brother died in an accident, but the newspaper got the brothers mixed up and reported that Alfred, the” Merchant of Death” had died.  Since that is not at all how he wanted to be remembered ( he invented dynamite hoping it would be so powerful it would end all wars)  Alfred wrote a will, for when he actually DID die- and left most of his estate for the establishment of prizes for individuals who stand apart in the fields of science, literature, and Peace- The Nobel Peace Prize.

After the tour we had signed up to do some panning for gold.  After being told we would get wet and “down in it” I decided to watch, instead.  I actually enjoyed this part of the tour- the woman who was teaching us how to pan is a Veteran who decided she loved traveling so much she bought a small camper to live in, and travels the country taking short term, or seasonal jobs along the way.

 

She was interesting to talk with.  One of the things I learned is that despite what movies show, panning for gold in a river will not get you rich. Usually panning in a river is to determine what metals are in the area, and whether it’s worth opening a mine.

So, the Perimeter Trail….We had stopped at the visitor center to get ideas on hikes and they gave us the sad news that many of the nearby trails were washed out due to recent rains.  But the perimeter trail was fine.  I was thinking it was just a loop around town but she said, no its a real  6 mile hiking trail that can be accessed several places along the way.

The nearest trailhead to us is the steepest access she said, but we weren’t worried about that. We elected to go the steep way, hike a mile or so to the waterfall, then cut off and finish walking through town to check out the stores. The views of the town along the way were pretty decent.

The beginning of the trail is very steep, but that was ok.  What wasn’t ok, for me, was that almost the entire trail to the waterfall was on a very narrow ledge with a very steep drop off. When it first started to bother me, (I get vertigo) I sucked it up and kept going, assuming that around the next corner we would no longer be on a ledge.

 

I went through that thinking 3-4 times and around every corner we were still on a ledge. Had I been able to turn around, I would have but it was too late.  Anyway, I got no pictures of that but Paul took a few for me. 

This is the hillside we were on and there is an arrow pointing to someone on the trail.

The waterfall was nice, once we got there, and we watched climbers rappelling down through the waterfall for a while before walking through downtown.

 

And now, this post got so long, the rest of the Jeeping will have to wait for the next one.

Silverton, CO–The First Time (07-29-17)

We finally left New Mexico behind and settled in for a few days in the Durango area of Colorado.

We have only briefly been here before, and we are always asked if we “took the train”.  Well at long last, we can say we did.  But that’s getting ahead of myself.

The first thing we did was hike. If you haven’t figured it out yet, that’s my theme for this summer.  It’s been way too long since we did some decent hiking, and I have missed it.

This trail followed Junction Creek for quite a while before making a run up the side of a hill. Our destination was Gudy’s Rest.

Gudy Gaskill worked tirelessly for many years, trying to make her dream of a hiking trail that traversed the state of Colorado a reality.  After 25 years of persistence, the first spikes were laid for the 486 mile Colorado Trail in 1987.

This spot was one of her favorite places to come when she needed to think.  We hiked 8 miles round trip, with 1100 ft of elevation gain to reach it.  Lest we feel too proud of ourselves, we met a couple who were just finishing the last 4 miles of the entire 486 mile trail.  It took them 2 months.

Hiking done, we made plans to spend the following day exploring in the truck.  Our goal was to take the Alpine Loop, a scenic byway, drive through the town of Silverton and head on up to the small town of Ouray.

The road started out great- it was dirt, but easy to navigate.  We were rewarded with picturesque views and lots of old mining sites with relics (and actually, there are some current mining operations).

The road was quite busy, and at least 90% of the vehicles we encountered were Jeeps.  Made us wish we had ours.

Eventually the road got much rougher, and narrower, and we really wished we had our Jeep!

And then, we decided we weren’t going to make it.  Even if we could survive the road, it was taking too long, and in our huge truck, it just wasn’t fun.  So we turned around and took the paved road!

It was still quite scenic and we stopped at all the pull offs to take pictures of the views.

Just because it was paved, doesn’t mean it was easy! There are tons of tight curves, lots of traffic, and steep drop offs with no guardrails.  I kept my eyes closed a lot of the time.

Finally, surrounded by mountain peaks, the small town of Silverton came into view. 

It wasn’t long before we were seated at the Handlebar Saloon, waiting for our lunch to arrive.

Although we chose the restaurant at least in part because it wasn’t that many years ago that Paul was sporting his own handlebar mustache, the food was actually quite good!

Once lunch was finished it was time to hit the road again…you know…the one that was carved into the side of the mountain.

By this time, it was already getting late in the day, so once we got to Ouray, we didn’t have much time to do anything.

We wanted to at least stretch our legs so we paid a few bucks to take the short hike to Box Canyon. This waterfall was created when the creek eroded a narrow and deep path through the limestone.

After a mile or so of hiking, it was time to get back in the truck and head down the hill before it got dark.