MONTROSE TO OURAY, CO ~ September 2, 2007

Driving south of Montrose on Hwy. 550 you will pass through Ridgway. The area was made famous as the filming site of the John Wayne western movie "True Grit." We just missed their True Grit Days which was coming up on the second weekend in September. The True Grit Café is full of John Wayne memorabilia. Ridgway is also home to Dennis Weaver and supposedly Ralph Lauren. It’s a beautifully scenic area with green pastures and trees on the edge of the San Juans, with a spectacular view of Mt. Sneffels. The Uncompahgre River runs through the area and they say that wild animals such as deer, elk, and bear are commonly seen in and around town. Ridgway has a state park and reservoir, both of which have trout fishing. We almost thought about stopping and camping near there, but decided to go a little bit farther to Ouray.

The San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway starts at Ridgeway and heads south through the Victorian mining town of Ouray. The area is known as “Little Switzerland” because of its setting at the narrow head of a valley, enclosed on two sides by steep granite towers and dramatic waterfalls. Ouray has a hot springs as well as an ice climbing park. In addition, the town’s motto is “Jeep Trail Capital of the World” and Ouray serves as a hub to the dramatic Engineer Pass, Cinnamon Pass, Imogene Pass, and the infamous Black Bear Pass. Recording artist Bill Fries, a.k.a. C.W. McCall (and Ouray mayor for two terms) wrote a song called “Black Bear Road” based on the phrase, “you don’t have to be crazy to drive this road, but it helps.” Black Bear is a difficult, dangerous trail even for 4WD vehicles and is travelable in only one direction. The road descends over a series of infamous switchbacks. It takes two hours to drive 12 miles.

Originally established by prospectors who arrived in 1875 searching for silver and gold, at one time there were more than 30 active mines in the vicinity. The town was named after Chief Ouray of the Utes, a local Indian tribe. The entire town is registered as a National Historic District with most of the buildings dating back to the late nineteenth century and many of them also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ouray is only about 10 miles from the famous Telluride ski resort, but with the mountains in the way it’s a 60-mile drive to get there. Perhaps due to its isolated location, Ouray is friendly and down-to-earth, with none of the pretentiousness of standard tourist towns. A walk down the main street is an authentic old west experience.

The mountains were misty with rain, and Rich and Pete longed for a nice comfortable rest after their climb. So I suggested getting a room for the night rather than camping out. Even here, most of the hotels were all booked for Labor Day. However, this led us to discover the old Western Hotel dating back to 1892. This structure is one of the few remaining examples of a wood frame hotel from the 1880’s.

Wow, talk about authentic! The lobby looks just like it did in its heyday, with stained glass windows and an ornate tin ceiling still adorned with the original lighting fixture. (One of the world’s first to have alternating current.) After checking in at the historic registration desk, you climb up a steep red-carpeted staircase. Once upstairs, you walk down a creaky narrow hallway where there are a dozen or so small rooms featuring antique dressers, brass beds covered with quilts, and lace curtains fluttering in the breeze. The walls are not insulated, and there is no central HVAC system, not even a window unit. The only way to control the temperature is by opening or closing the window. No phones, no TV, no alarm clock, and the bathroom is down the hall. (Well, actually, the ladies' and gents' toilets are down the hall and the BATH – meaning an old-fashioned footed tub – is in its own separate room.)

At least it beat camping out in the cold and it sure was neat to stay in such an old-fashioned place right out of a classic western movie! Five of us slept in a tiny room with two twin brass beds – two of us in each bed and one on the floor, but that kept us nice and cozy. The proprietor (who also operates San Juan Scenic Jeep tours out of the hotel lobby) caters to hikers and jeepers, so he didn’t mind us bringing in a sleeping bag and pad to sleep on the floor.

It’s a family-owned business, too, with two sons (age 10 and 16) helping out in the dining area, mom and dad in the kitchen, and their little girl (age 6) hanging out with grandpa in the lobby. Grandpa was there until late at night and again at 7:00 in the morning, so I wonder if he lives in his own room at the hotel. Adjacent to the hotel lobby is the saloon with its original carved wood bar, historic paintings (one is an enormous western landscape; the other is a nude woman in a classic pose - just so you know!), and the famous “face on the barroom floor.” Check out their website at www.historicwesternhotel.com.

SWANSEA TO BILL WILLIAMS ~ February 10, 2007

We like to visit ghost towns to learn about Arizona’s history and get a glimpse of what life might have been like in past times. Unfortunately, other people apparently go there just to take advantage of the remote site and have a good time. There were a bunch of RV’s parked on one side with dune buggies riding around on the mine tailings. On the other side was a caravan of RV’s arranged in a circle around the site’s public restroom as if to claim it for their own personal use. I don’t think that’s very nice because the restroom is intended for the use of all visitors, not just them. And who would want to park so close to a stinky outhouse in the first place? The sound of dune buggies and ATV’s gets kind of annoying when you’re trying to immerse yourself in the history of a place. Here we are traveling to the middle of nowhere to get away from civilization, while other people are bringing civilization along with them wherever they go! In a quest to find peace and quiet, we drove through the town and continued on a jeep trail which was supposed to lead to the Bill Williams River (named for an Arizona mountain man who used to live in the area) and the remains of a pumping plant that brought water through a pipeline to the townsite.

This area off the beaten path is accessible by a high clearance four-wheel drive vehicle. You will find yourself literally driving along sandy and gravelly wash bottoms through a dramatic canyon. Route-finding is fairly easy but this jeep trail is not recommended for inexperienced drivers. We’ve been four-wheeling since our Bronco II days in the early 1980’s and this was one of the tougher roads we’ve been on. It has a combination of rough rutted dirt surfaces, steep rocky places, deep sand and gravel, narrow sections with drop-offs, and tight clearance. Wash crossings may have mud and water if it’s rained recently. Certain sections may cause traction problems. Flash flooding is possible in places, and even in winter we got hot and were glad to take a dip in the river, so this trip is definitely not recommended during rainy seasons or in the heat of summer.

A friendly old guy and his dog were coming back up from the river on an ATV and the guy seemed amused to see us going down there in our big SUV. Although he left the area, he doubled back later, perhaps to check and see if we were able to make it out okay. The river and both sides of the canyon are part of the Swansea Wilderness, which is closed to motor vehicles. You will have to park at the boundary sign and walk to the river (approx. 100 yards). The pumping plant was located on the east side of the canyon where it joins the river. Supposedly if you climb up the cliff you will be able to see the old remains (the ATV guy said it’s basically just a concrete slab), but we were having too much fun picnicking at the river so we didn’t bother doing that. The river was running nicely when we were there and it was safe for even the littlest child to wade in, but the water must rage through the narrow rocky canyon dangerously at flood times. In the distance we could hear the braying of wild burros, descendants of those brought by long ago miners. When the mines were shut down, the burros were set free to roam the hills. We saw some burro trails but never did see the actual animals.

After we came back from the river, we drove around the Swansea townsite once more before leaving the area. We had stopped to look at a ruin that just happened to be next to a four-wheel drive road that went down to the old railroad grade, but we had had enough four-wheeling for one day so we were going to turn around. But before we had a chance to, some guy who was sitting nearby in a lawn chair next to a trailer came running over with a beer in one hand and told us that we shouldn’t go that way because “you won’t get down there without a four wheel drive.” My husband graciously thanked him and told him that we did have a four-wheel drive vehicle but we weren’t planning on going that way anyway. Hmpfh! If only that guy knew where we had just come from! What do we look like, yuppies?

We didn’t get the Ford Expedition XLT with off-road package for driving around town, that’s for sure! We’ve always been a 4X4 family, having progressed from a Bronco II to a Ford Explorer and finally an Expedition as our family has grown. The Ford Expedition is a great vehicle, by the way, if you’re looking for a large go-anywhere vehicle that is comfortable, kid-friendly and rugged. The 4x4 Off-Road Package provides skid plates for the underside of the vehicle. It also includes black tubular steel step bars, fog lamps, special shocks, and all-terrain tires. It's too bad that SUVs are falling out of favor these days due to soaring gas prices, because some of us really do need the extra room, off-road capability, and heavyweight towing capacity that a full-sized truck-based SUV has to offer. Whether you live on a rural homestead or if you are planning a cross-country expedition – or if for any other reason you may need a large vehicle that has room for lots of people and their stuff, as well as good off-road ability and heavyweight towing capacity – the Ford Expedition is hard to beat!