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.

The Alpine Loop (8-26-22)

 

Our reason for coming all the way back to Lake City Colorado, was to drive the Alpine Loop 2.5 in the Jeep.  The 2.5 is a rating given to the trail by Jeep enthusiasts.  The description of a 2.5 road is “ Rutty and rocky road. Slow going with 4WD.  Low range helpful for speed/traction control and to minimize damage. Some rocks/ledges that require low range and some skill to navigate.”

The numbers range from a 1.0 for a paved road, to a 5.0 for something that probably isn’t even a road.  I am not sure, because I never plan to go on a 5.0 adventure.

Reading about this trip the consensus is that it takes about 7 hours to complete. We thought that was pretty long, but we set out early anyway, after packing a lunch and anything else we thought we might need, like tools. There are several offshoot trails that can be done, and we explored a couple of those along the way.

The road did have some easy parts, with beautiful scenery- those were the parts I enjoyed the most.

Many times we could see exactly where we would be going…

...and we were glad that most people were driving in the same direction as us. It wasn’t always easy to find a wide enough spot to pass someone.  It’s all well and good if there is room to go off the road a bit, but that wasn’t usually the case.

A good percentage of the trip we were driving on what they call shelf roads- they are essentially roads cut into the side of a mountain, and zig zag their way up and over (if need be).

I marked parts of the road in this picture so it’s easier to see.  This is where we ( and most other people it seemed) stopped for lunch.

We were in the small historic mining town of Animas Forks. In 1885 this town had a summertime population of 450 people, when mining here was at it’s peak.  The town had a post office and even a newspaper. It weathered the ups and downs of metal prices until the 1920s, when the town began to die a slow death.

There we two major passes we went over along the loop- Cinnamon Pass 2.5, at an elevation of 12,640 feet, and Engineer Pass 2.5, at 12,800 ft.

The last half mile up the “road” to Engineer Pass was the worst for me.  I didn’t get any pictures because I had my head down and my eyes closed. Just picture a narrow path with a very steep drop off, and boulders in the road so big that the Jeep bounced around to the point that it felt like it would tip over (I was assured by the driver that we were perfectly safe).

Once we actually made it to the top, I was happy to get out and take a bunch of pictures. along with everyone else who had made it to the pinnacle.

By the way, the black blob that shows in the bottom of the picture whenever we are in the Jeep, is part the part of the hitch that stays on the Jeep that hooks it up to the truck.

My favorite side trail, so to speak, was the short trip we took into the American Basin.  The scenery was stunning, and reminded me a lot of Scotland.

In addition to the spectacular mountain scenery, there were a fair amount of waterfalls along the way…some we could see in the distance…

Some were a little closer…

Some were right next to the road…

and some actually went through the road….

We didn’t see too much wildlife along the way…

But were surprised to see a ton of sheep at Engineer Pass, at an elevation of 11,000 feet.

All in all, except for a few minutes of terror, it was a great drive with incredible scenery along the way.  And it took 7 hours, 15 minutes.

As a humorous side note, several years ago, Paul and I tried to take the F450 dually on one of these 4x4 roads in this area.  We made it part way but we got lots of stares, as if we were crazy, and very soon the road became impassable for the large truck.  Paul wanted to go back and do that trail in the Jeep but we couldn't remember what it was called, so I checked back on my blog and sure enough I posted the name of the trail back then- The Alpine Loop.