After traveling to Colorado over the 4th of July, I knew I needed to get back as soon as possible, and I needed to bring a witness with which to revel in the beauty. I convinced Sam to tag along on another road trip over the last few days, and it was even more stunning that I'd remembered it to be.
We started out Thursday afternoon, stopping in Flagstaff for the obligatory meal at Pita Jungle, and made our way northeast towards the border. We ended up a few hours later, pulling in on a random dirt road somewhere in the desert with no signs of life around. I'd set up the back of the car with padding and blankets and pillows for us to crash in for the night. It was just lovely for about half an hour but didn't last long. Unfortunately, neither of us got much sleep. The wind was really bellowing outside and right around 3 am, we got a visitor. I heard the rumbling of a diesel engine and felt blinding lights coming up the road and sure enough, the guy was headed home from work and was wondering what we were doing parked off of his "driveway". Oops. We packed up and decided just to hit the road and make the best of it. A few hours later, we stopped in Dolores for breakfast at a little cafe called The Depot...and old train station in a tiny mining town at the beginning of the San Juan Skyway.
Along the way, we stopped at some really cool spots to explore, and then for a short walk in the rain (Sam staying in the car and took a nap).
I'd researched a scenic road just south of Telluride that had amazing reviews, so once I saw the sign to the right for Ophir, I turned off to check it out. The scenery was amazing and as we headed deep into the canyon, it just got better and better.
The higher we got, the more treacherous the road became. It was so steep and narrow, but then it became very rocky. The rock was so loose and sharp, I thought that we would either blow a tire or slide off of the side of the road down the mountain. We even saw a car down in the canyon that had rolled off of the road. The road had these ridiculous hairpin turns, so you'd lose momentum going up the hill and start to slide backwards once you straightened back out. Needless to say, it got very quiet for a while there...we were both super nervous. There was a particular part that was so steep that I wasn't sure if we'd make it, but we really didn't have a choice but to try...it wasn't like I could back all the way back down. So, Sam jumped out and guided me over it. Not far after that, we reached the peak and finally got to head downhill.
I wasn't sure where the Pass would dump us out, but we ended up almost to Silverton on the other side! We got back on the Skyway and headed back to Ridgway, where we were going to stay. We stopped for lunch in Ouray, wandered around town for a couple of hours, grabbed some snacks and then checked in to our motel. Sam crashed for another nap and I hit up the Jacuzzi and sauna for a bit. After settling in and cleaning up, we hit the town and decided on Thai Paradise for dinner. Then we watched HBO and hit the sack early...it had been a long day.
The next morning we slept in and had breakfast, and then I had a Glider tour of Telluride scheduled, so we drove into town, stopping for the most delicious Chai at Cimarron Coffee Shop. On the way, I saw the road that led to the Alpine Loop and Last Dollar Road. I wasn't sure how long it would take us, but we had a couple of hours, so I pulled off to check it out. I'm just going to say, it was pretty much the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I was having a "Hills Are Alive" moment at every turn.
After driving several miles and for a couple of hours, it donned on me that there was an hour difference between Colorado and Arizona, and it was actually only an hour from when I was supposed to be at the airport. Not knowing how far the road would go on or where it would spit us out, I backtracked to the beginning and picked back up on the path to Telluride.
The weather was a little sketchy, so we agreed to reschedule the flight and instead, Sam and I walked around town, settled in for lunch at Pie High and took the Gondola to Mountain Village where we explored, grabbed hot cocoa, and enjoyed the Slightly Stoopid and Dirty Heads soundtrack of Telluride Coffee Company..
We rode back down to town and headed up the switchbacks that leads up to Bridal Veil Falls, Ingram Falls, and an abandoned mine that I just can't get enough of. The Ingram Falls weren't raging quite like they were in July, so Sam and I crossed where the water cut across the road, and we drove up Black Bear Pass to the Hydroelectric building.
Soundtrack of the Day:
As we approached the creek, Sam jumped out of the car and scampered up to the base of the waterfall. The air was calm and the falls were light, so it wasn't nearly as treacherous as I'd remembered...perfect for some good photos.
I think that at some point, the combination of sugar and elevation began to mess with us...
A little bit farther up the road, we came to the old mine that I love so much.
We then continued up to the actual Plant and walked behind the gate...which wasn't something that I'd done before. Oddly enough, we saw a beaver up there! Who knew...it was a beautiful view though...
On our way down, the torrential downpour started, so we went back to Ridgway for the most amazing pizza at 520 Burgers and settled in the Jacuzzi before bed. The next day I ventured out alone...I'll post pics of that and the rest of the trip in my next post :)