San Juan Mountain High...........

Connecting back into the internet is a beautiful thing when it isn't readily available unless you drive somewhere.    I'm at a place called the Looney Bean in Montrose.....big, comfy chairs, lots of tables and a big fireplace and VERY fast free wifi..... and a delicious frozen mocha to boot (that was a bit pricey at $4.75 for a regular size ! ).    Anyhow, I'm putting up some pictures of our trail rides, sort of in order and you can get the idea of the scenery and our reason to be here.   

 This is the view as we leave the CG and head towards Ouray.....(pronounced U-ray) and named after an Indian Chief.

 As you get closer, you can see why it's called Little Switzerland as it is located over that middle hill and nestled deep in the mountains at about 8,000 ft.    It is a quaint Victorian town with well maintained  historical buildings......Google it as I have no good pictures.

 We headed out one day on the Alpine Loop ( a combination of trails that go to Ouray, Silverton and Lake City.   This is the back side of Red Mountain....

 As we approached the top of a pass, there was this outhouse,  sitting on the edge of a steep ridge...and functional.  

 On the other side was Lake Como, and it really is that color.  

 In case you want to do some exploring but don't have a Jeep, there are many rental companies that will gladly send you out in a shiny bright red or orange one.    (You have to wash it before you return it !! )  Or, you can go on a guided ride in these open air modern stage coaches....

 Or, you can rent a Razr.....very popular and a bit noisy but with a narrower track, they might not be so intimidating on the shelf roads.  

 Everywhere, there are remnants of the glory days of mining.    Some of the mines have been reopened with the price of gold and silver so high.

 We eventually came down a bit to the historical Silverton.    It is a bit rougher around the edges than Ouray but very busy as the Durango-Silverton steam train comes into town every day.     We have never done it and might think about it before we go.    You buy a roundtrip ticket but can go one of the ways by bus if you choose.    Next year, the All-4-Fun Jeep rally will be based in Silverton and we plan to sign up again.

 Every town, big or small, have gorgeous hanging baskets EVERYWHERE.    They really are amazing and huge.    This one is not big but I liked the colors.

 Another day, we headed out to do Cinnamon Pass, another section of the Alpine Loop.    Outside of Silverton is the old historical town of Animas Fork....the river that begins here eventually flows to Durango.    I remember this old town from many years ago and now they are restoring it...new siding, new roofs and paint.    It is a popular destination as it can be reached by regular car from Silverton.

 The trails look benign from a distance but there are always challenges and moments of "why are we doing this?? " when you look out the side window and all you see is air.... but it is breathtaking and stunning and no adjective can fully describe the privilege of being part of this amazing landscape.

 The Aspen are starting to turn....easily rivaling the colors of New England.
The day ended at Lake City.....it's trying hard to look vibrant but mostly it seems like more of the free spirits moved here .     We decided to grab a bite at the place recommended by TripAdvisor....I hope you use that site for recommendations....it's really handy and usually pretty accurate.     Anyhow, we tried out the Packer Cafe and Cannibal Grill.......  you can also google Alfred Packer but basically he was accused of heading into the mtns to seek his fortune in Feb 1800 something despite warnings from Chief Ouray.....he came down a few months later minus his 6 "friends" and having money in his pocket and no signs of starvation or deprivation.    He was in jail in Lake City, spent time in prison before being pardoned and was a doorman at the Denver Post offices .........     Anyhow, the food was good and ........tasted like chicken.....

 So, yesterday, we set out to tackle Imogene Pass.    Starting in Ouray, below in the above picture, we soon came to this narrow passage....I remember not liking this years ago but now it seemed a bit tame.

 We headed up to Yankee Boy Basin, noted for it's Twin Falls ( they used to say the falls were depicted on the Coors labels way back ).   The wildflowers were mostly gone everywhere but this place is noted for it's brilliant color in July.

 We forded a few streams....

 And after a very rough ascent....the trail is rated moderate but I thought it was a bit difficult in spots....We air-down the tires before we start climbing to make the ride more comfortable and to try and avoid slippage on rock and and steep areas.   This is the top of Imogene Pass, at 13,113 ft, the 360 degree views are stunning.

 That line in the middle of the picture that points up to the right, is the Telluride Airport, the highest commercial airport in N America at 9,075 ft located 5 mi from town.  

 Starting down........not as rough as going up but steep and very narrow in spots.  

 This is a partial view of Black Bear Trail, located at the end of Telluride and above Bridal Veil Falls.   It is a dangerous and difficult jeep trail and one person I asked said that two people had been killed on it this year.    It used to be that Jeep rentals wouldn't allow you to go on it.    I'm not even tempted.     The thing about Jeep trails....we enjoy the easy to moderate ....  we don't need to have special equip added to our Jeep and I think the scenery is the same.....the fear factor is the only variable.

And so, we came down into Telluride......these yellow daisies were about the only thing in bloom.    Telluride is a beautiful Victorian town, full of the rich and well appointed.    The historical houses are painted in lovely colors and trims......And if you have an extra million or 5, one of them can be yours.  

We have plans for more trails, we need to explore the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, visit friends and enjoy our nightly campfires......