Educational Adventures in Arizona

Discover Arizona's unique beauty, scenic diversity, and colorful history! We are a homeschool family that enjoys learning about Arizona’s history, geography, and environment while exploring every corner of the state together. We invite you to join us on our family’s adventures in Arizona, the Southwest, and beyond.

Sunday, September 09, 2007

OURAY TO DURANGO ~ September 3, 2007

The most spectacular portion of The San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway (US 550) extends from Ouray to Silverton. The route goes by mountain passes, ghost towns, and canyon walls with waterfalls. It’s a paved two-lane highway but it’s slow-going with many sharp curves, switchbacks, steep grades, no shoulders, and an appalling lack of guardrails.

For the first seven miles south of Ouray, the byway follows the Uncompahgre Gorge. You will be driving along the vertiginous edge of a deep canyon the whole way. The weak-hearted should do themselves a favor and don’t look down to avoid having an extreme panic attack. There are several pullouts for stopping to enjoy the breathtaking views if you dare.

The stretch through the gorge is characterized by steep cliffs with no guardrails, and by the number of hairpin “S” curves used to drop elevation. There is a tunnel to go through, followed by a narrow bridge over Bear Creek Falls, and then the road passes beneath a reinforced concrete snow shed at the deadly Riverside Slide avalanche zone.

After that you will breathe a brief sigh of relief when you leave the gorge and enter a nice flat valley. It was kind of a weird marshy area, though, with steam rising and strong sulphur fumes – you know, the “rotten egg” smell. We weren’t sure if it was the leachings from a nearby mining operation or naturally occurring swamp gas.

Then the road again ascends several switchbacks past the Idarado Gold Mine. The mine tunnels extend beneath the 13,000-ft. mountains a distance of about five miles to the Pandora Mill near Telluride on the other side. (It would take more than 60 miles to get there by highway!) A portion of the trestle bridge is still standing, extending into thin air. A few houses are also still standing, awaiting renovation by the Colorado Historical Society.

Soon the road crosses Red Mountain Pass at 11,018 feet, providing views of Red Mountain and several ghost towns. The last large scale mine was the Standard Metals operation on Red Mountain Pass which continued until late in the 20th century. From there, the highway descends through another steamy, ghostly valley to Silverton.

South of Silverton, the byway goes over Molas Pass (10,970 ft.) and Coal Bank Pass (10,640 ft.), then parallels the Durango & Silverton narrow gauge railroad track before returning to Durango.

Travel Tip: Driving south on the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway from Ouray to Silverton puts you on the vertiginous outside edge of the highway; driving north from Silverton to Ouray allows you to hug the inside of curves. Between Durango and Silverton it’s just the opposite. Driving north from Durango to Silverton puts you on the outside edge of the highway; driving south from Silverton to Durango allows you to hug the inside of curves. At first I thought the northbound Durango to Silverton route was scary, but it turned out to be pretty tame compared to the southbound highway out of Ouray, which is mile after mile of sheer terror for anyone who has acrophobia. It gives me nightmares just thinking about it!


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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.

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