Denver through Four corners loop.

Million dollar highway

A bright, crispy cold morning greets us and with the sound of the river running by, the lovely Fall colors and snow capped mountains in the back ground, it felt great to be alive !

Our first port of call this morning was the short walk into the mountain town of Ouray, just 10 miles Northeast of Telluride as the crow flies but a 50 mile drive on the scenic San Juan skyway winding it's way through the mountains . You can see why this town is referred to as the "Switzerland of America", nestled amongst the steep slopes of the mountains, it is in an amazing setting.

We wander through the town and look in the stores, everyone is so friendly. It really feels like a town run by locals, for locals, where visitors are welcome. I think this helps with the unique feel of the towns around here, all to often places loose there identity to the lure of the tourist trade, not in these parts !

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We head back to the RV park where we meet 'our neighbours', a wonderful family who now live in Texas. We had a great chat, swapping stories of our adventures and we exchanged contact details. I also told them of the RTA site so if the 'J' family are looking in, Hi and a big wave !

Time to leave and get on the "Million dollar highway". The 550 [San Juan skyway] between Ouray and Durango is often referred to as the Million dollar highway, but as I understand it the section of the highway between Ouray and Red mountain summit is the original section so named. How the name came about has never been agreed upon, it was said to have "Cost a million dollars a mile", or there is "A million dollars of gold ore in the road fill gravel", but my own personal opinion is that it's because it is made up of
Million dollar views !

We stop at the "Box canyon waterfall on the way out of town and then head up the mountain, looking back on the town.

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Along the Uncompahgre gorge, a narrow section with sheer drops.

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The Idarado mine trestle is part of one of the old gold mining operations. Apparently the mines run some 5 miles under the 13000 ft mountains to Pandora mill near Telluride, Wow !

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We travel over Red Mountain that summits at a little over 11000ft and the remains of the Yankee girl mine can be seen near the base. This is truly an amazing drive, one of the best I have done, and I am sure that the sun shining on yesterdays snow is an added bonus.

We make our way down the mountain and into the equally lovely town of Silverton.

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Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

We make our way down the mountain and into the equally lovely town of Silverton.

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I am surprised that you took the RV there, considering that most of the roads up there are unmade. Or have they sealed them all?

Was it snowing.... it snowed all the time when I was there (May 2007), and having taken the train from Durango, did not have any warm clothes with me. It was quite warm in Pagossa Springs and Durango. I had not given it a thought.

But what a lovely little place it is. And did you visit the shrine on the hill?
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Livey who is reliving her trip with this report

Hi Lifey,

The roads are "sealed up" and in really good shape, although still challenging in places.

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and having taken the train from Durango,

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Perhaps you mean the back roads of Silverton in the old town ? Coming in by train the road through the older part of town is still unmade, but the main Street and roads in and out of Silverton are good.

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Was it snowing....

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We had snow at high elevation coming over the mountain to Telluride and then sun all the way around the Skyway to Durango with the fresh snow glistening on the peaks, amazing !

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And did you visit the shrine on the hill?

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We didn't,a good excuse to go back !

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what a lovely little place it is.

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Amazing, more coming soon !

[Great photo BTW ! ]

Without the snow

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Dave.

Silverton to Pagosa Springs.

What another great town ! We park the RV in the main street and start to wander into town admiring the colorful buildings that are surrounded by snow covered peaks.

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A snow mobile, Silverton styleeee !!

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As we turn off the main street the road is unpaved [as mentioned by Lifey] and there are some fantastic old buildings with boardwalks. Without trying to hard it really does represent the "Wild west" to us folks from across the sea and I half expected a cowboy to come flying out through the window of the "Shady lady Saloon" with ensuing gunfight.
[Yep been watching to many Westerns !]

To add to the atmosphere the Silverton to Durango Steam train leaves town as the Mountains mimic the 'puff' of the engine and the 'cry' of the whistle and the only visual clue is the funnel and trail of steam left in the sky, I love this town !

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We have a nice lunch in the "Pickle and Barrel" before strolling back through town to the RV and start to head for our destination for tonight, Pagosa springs. Continuing on the San Juan skyway to Durango we witness more great mountain scenery along the way.

Looking back on Silverton.
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The road continues over Molas pass @ 10,970 ft and Coal bank pass @ 10,640ft and down past Electra and Haviland lake.

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It took longer than expected to arrive in Durango as we were caught behind a slow moving escorted wide load, we eventually passed it only to be caught behind another 5 minutes down the road, still more time to enjoy the scenery.

So it was only a brief stop in Durango to get gas and some provisions and we were off on US 160 and arrived in Pagosa just as the light was fading. There was a small RV park behind "The Spa" that we had hopes of staying at and enjoying a dip in a hot tub but unfortunately there were no vacancies. The friendly lady behind the counter phoned another campground a mile or so out of town to see if they had vacancies and they did, great news but no dip in the hot tub.

Louise was the "Food Guru" for this trip, carefully noting places of interest to eat along our chosen route. So far she had done a great job and tonight was no exception. We had a wonderful meal in "Kips grill and cantina". It was only small but very vibrant, a place the locals come, yet everyone is welcome. The Apple pie is delicious and after enquiring in my best possible "Deep South" American accent [WHICH ISN'T GOOD !] "Is this real Home made American apple pie ?" I discovered it was made just across the road.
Note It should be noted at this point that my companions had sunk in their chairs with embarrassment and the poor waitress was momentarily lost for words Lol !

We head back to the campground and turn in for the night, Tomorrow we head to Taos and hope to be in the Sand dunes NP for the night.

I wonder if that was on 160, by the river. That was a lovely campground, and those wonderful people even drove me to the doctor and chemist when I became violently ill after spending a day at the Hot Springs.

You did go to the Hot Springs!! Surely there is no way you could miss them.

Lifey who is reliving her 2007 trip with this report

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Originally Posted by Lifemagician

I wonder if that was on 160, by the river. That was a lovely campground.

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No, but I know the one you are thinking of from research. We stayed at Cool pines in a wooded area off 160, really nice.

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You did go to the Hot Springs!! Surely there is no way you could miss them.

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To them, but not in them. :-(

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when I became violently ill after spending a day at the Hot Springs.

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Maybe just as well ;-)

To Taos.

There is light drizzle in the air this morning as I take a first look at our campground in the light of day. Cool pines campground is set in a wooded area [as the name suggests] where Autumn Fall is well under way but still full of colour and easy on the eye, very nice.

After we have a shower and breakfast I go to the office to say Hi and settle the bill. A nice old Gent greets me and we have a nice chat as he gives me a tour of the cabin that has guest amenities such as a TV lounge complete with gym equipment, it's huge. He obviously takes great pride in the place, which I was already aware of by how nice the showers were. He was quite a character and I had imagined him being there all his life but as our conversation carried on he informed me that in a couple of days everything was going to be locked down and he was off home to Florida for the winter.

"Some bad weather to the North" he informed me "Where yer headed" he asked, and before I could reply he continued "Be careful headin' over the Wolf creek pass, it gets real bad at times". I replied "Actually, we are hea......" he continues "A lorry came over the pass just before Thanksgiving one day and went right off the road" I was just about to say "Oh nasty, but we are.." "Yep" he interrupted, "Had a load of Turkeys on board and he lost them all down the side of the mountain," he said as he looked at me with a wry smile and a glint in his eye. That sounds familiar I thought as I nodded my head attentively, Mmm, same story as I heard in Leadville, only a different pass. He continued "Yep for the next few days all the folk around here were going up the mountain and collecting their Turkeys, ready frozen it was so cold" he added with a chuckle, "best dam Thanksgiving ever"! Yep, exact same story but I kept my little secret to myself and replied "Wow, what a fantastic story" as he lost eye contact and had a little grin to himself. I even read his thoughts "Another gullible tourist, Ha Ha!" It was in good spirit and he was happy to have spun a yarn to a visitor, so we said our goodbyes and soon after we were off to town. We went to the shops and had a walk along the river, opposite was the
"The Springs Resort".

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We were soon on the road and heading into New Mexico on the 84 towards Charma and then on the 64 towards Taos.

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Soon after crossing the border there was a typical wooden ranch entrance leading up a dust track. What stood out about this one was the effigy of a person hanging by the neck with a sign reading "We do things the old fashion way around here" ! Nice welcome, but I think we will keep going, Lol!

On route to our next stop, the Rio Grande gorge bridge, we pass the "Earthship community", a bunch of Eco friendly homes built from old car tyres, glass frames and the like where the community live off the land and only have solar power.

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Soon after we are at the bridge rest area car park and take a short walk to it. The bridge and the views are pretty spectacular as you look along the Gorge and to add to the occasion every time a rig crosses the bridge it vibrates and feels as though it's swaying.

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We head back to the RV where we enjoy lunch in the midday sun before continuing to Taos Pueblo for the afternoon.

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More to come.

Back to Colorado.

It was quite busy as we arrived at the Village on this warm and sunny afternoon and we was directed to a car park along a muddy unmade road and took the short walk back to the pay kiosk. I am not one to grumble, but I thought it a cheek that after paying $10 a head to enter, you were then charged $5 for each camera you wanted to take in. For 4 of us and 2 cameras @ $50 compared to the $80 paid for an unlimited pass into all of the National parks for a year, at first seems a bit steep but I guess it's more a reflection on what good value the National parks represent.

We entered the village and our first site was the old church ruins and burial ground [pic in post above] and then we made our way around some back alleys to the "village square". Our route took us away from the main crowds and the quiet gave us a little time to soak up the feel of the village. The Adobe buildings, made from Earth and straw then packed by using water were quite remarkable. The edges of the buildings sharp and defined with locally gathered timber beams for the roof support poking through, some of the walls are several feet thick. They are constantly maintained by re plastering with the mix and are thought to have been occupied continuously for over a thousand years. The inhabitants know the history as it was passed down the years through word of mouth, but it is a secret society due to religious beliefs and the time line is based on Archaeologists finds.

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The church was a wonderful structure.

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Most of the inhabitants now live outside the village area in homes that have running water and power, and the village is mainly used for ceremony's and visitors these days, although it does have a community feel to it as they sell their wares. The only thing I found a shame was the coming and going around the village of the locals in their 4x4's and kids on quad bikes, it was hard to dismiss the modern day life that was now present which took away from the past a little, but they have to go about their daily business and it was an experience well worth taking the time for.

We left the village to get to our destination for the night, Sand dunes NP. I had planned to drive around the "Enchanted circle" to Questa via Eagles Nest and Red river on the 64 but time was against us and we took the direct route on 522. I had one more stop to make in St Luis, the oldest inhabited town in Colorado.

On the way the weather started to change as the most amazing storm started to brew up, I felt like a "Storm chaser" heading towards it.

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It wasn't long before the heavens opened and it bucketed it down. As we arrived at St Luis it had eased slightly for which I was most grateful. It wasn't the fact it was the oldest town in Colorado that made we want to stop here, it was the "Stations of the cross shrine" I had come to see. A hill top shrine that you had to walk up the steep hill to get to and on the way were "The Stations", statues and plaques that depict the last hours of Christ in the form of the most fabulous bronze sculptures, true works of art. I think it is 14 Stations in total, from being condemned to death, picking up the cross and carrying it to the Crucifixion and resurrection, the detail amazing in each sculpture. You cannot help but feel a little moved as you make your way up the hill, it's almost surreal. As we got near to the top the heavens opened once more and we ran for cover into the Shrine. I can tell you it was quite an experience sheltering in there while there was thunder and lightning cracking off outside, quite memorable.

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The storm soon passed and we made our way back down the hill in the drizzly rain and continued our journey through Fort Garland to the Sand dunes NP where we arrived just after dark. The girls cooked up a great bacon pasta that washed down with a couple Coors and it was off to bed.

That looks like one fun storm!! Glad you didn't get washed out to sea!!

I definitely feel my trip to Colorado edging up the 'to do' list a couple of slots as I read on more and more... :)

Yeah, that storm was quite something ! Although it went as quick as it came and long before arriving at the Sand dunes NP it had settled down again.

We felt lucky throughout the trip because at no point did the weather stop us doing things, and the worst of it came when we were on the road or overnight, and not when walking around. [Other than at the Shrine of course but that's another story. ;-) ]

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I definitely feel my trip to Colorado edging up the 'to do' list a couple of slots as I read on more and more

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Well I only have a couple more days of this trip to convince you to push it up even further.