Last Hurrah
Well, we decided to finish the summer with a camping trip. We hadn’t been to Southwest Colorado since before we moved to Colorado over 10 years ago. So, we packed the Jeep full of our camping gear and headed for Durango. Destination, unknown.
Before we got out of town, we took in a rock concert down at Fiddlers Green in South Denver. The headliner was Nickelback, a Canadian rock band, and a few warm ups. It was a great venue, especially for people watching. Watching the sun go down to the west and great rock music was a bang of a start for our last hurrah.
Thursday morning, we started out through Pueblo, passing such exciting places as Alamosa, Del Norte and Pagosa Springs. Pagosa Springs was actually a very nice place and looked like it was on a boom. Once we hit Durango, we ventured out for a nice dinner a local place, Ken & Sues, which turned out to be fantastic. Well, Jodi’s New York Strip was to die for anyway. Then, that evening, last showers until Sunday.
First stop, Silverton and onto Cinnamon pass. However, prior to getting up into the high-country & the jeep trails, we stopped off at an old abandon mine just out of Silverton. Here we scavenged for quartz and pyrite for our up coming Hallows Eve plans. From there, it was one awesome vista after another on our way through the old ghost town of Animas Forks and then finally into Lake City. After an ice-cream and chocolate stop in Lake City, it was out to Engineer Pass where we pitched a camp in preparation for the next days adventures.
Waking up to another gorgeous day in the Rockies was/is a great way to get your day going. Our camp site was all our own and we discovered that we were just a short distance from an old Lime smelting plant, one of many abandoned business from the 1800’s. Heading out the pass was one abandon mine after another. Just before the pass, we went by the most remote modern cabin that has to only be reachable in the summer or by a very long snow-mobile ride. It sat on a cliff and the only access was across a suspension bridge. Very remote.
After the pass, we were once again dazzled by numerous vistas. Just before the decent on our way to Ouray, there was a little mountain just off the road that had a narrow jeep crossing and afforded a panoramic view of the San Juan’s. There’s a shot of my jeep on the mound up around 12,000 feet with spectacular mountain ranges in the back ground. Awesome is the only word that describes it.
Once we hit Ouray, we were pretty much done with Jeeping and Jodi said her butt just couldn’t take another long trail. So, we grabbed a camp ground at the Amphitheater camp grounds just above the city. I think we took the last tent spot. Just as we setup camp, a gentle rain began and set in for the better part of the afternoon. After a warm latte’ and a little shopping down in Ouray, we decided to hike despite the rain and see the Chief Ouray mine and falls about 3,000 feet above the town. We weren’t disappointed, well, except for the 2,000 foot elevation change in less than 2 miles in which I proceeded to nearly die, we weren’t disappointed by the views anyway.
The next day was pretty much, hoof it home to our own beds and an over-due shower.
Just another weekend in Colorado!!
Shane
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