SW COLORADO, TELLURIDE

We hear the heat index in Culpeper yesterday was 109 degrees.  It was 48 degrees here this morning.  We return to Telluride and with good luck we get a campsite in the Town Park.  We unpack the bikes and take a 6.5 mile ride up the Idarado trail which follows Bridal Veil Creek to the old Pandora Mill.  Several times I give my bike a break and walk it.  We bike into town to try another cafe.

SW COLORADO, PLACERVILLE

We say good-bye to Ouray, the Switzerland of America and head toward Telluride.  We cruise through town to the Town Park campground which is full.  We cruise back through town and find a river the dogs can play in.  While we're touring the countryside we get a message from Chip Malone to stop and see Lindsay Malone who now lives in Placerville, about 9 miles east of Telluride.  We stop by and find her living in a spacious log home that was built in 3 stages.  The beauty of her place is the San Miguel River is right over the bank.  This is one of the few rivers in Colorado that has not been damed up.  We spend the afternoon sitting on her deck and catching up on over a decade of news.  We were last here in 2000.  She then drives us back to town (Telluride) where we have dinner on the sidewalk.  We park at her place for the night.

SW COLORADO, OURAY

Peggy works on the pictures for the blog while I read a book about prostitutes of the old west.

We drive out to Bach'Lers Stable for a 2 hour trail ride.  Our horses are Bandit and Bluebell.  Our wrangler is Will who talks so slow you almost fall over before he's finished.  We start a steep climb and before long I drop the reins and hold onto the saddle horn with both hands.  This horse knows where to go, I don't need to guide him.  Bluebell wants to go back to the barn but Peggy's will is stronger.  The trail leads to the top of Gold Mountain (9,300 feet) and we climb 1,200 feet to get there.  Going down is hard on the man parts.
We put on our raincoats twice to make it stop raining.  Peggy tries a rodeo move which causes Bluebell to rear up.  Back at the stable we give the horses apples and head back to town.  We have supper at the Ouray Brewery where we sit on the roof and watch the whole town go by.

View from Gold Mountain

Mitch riding Bandit

Another view from Gold Mountain

Will, our wrangler and Mitch

Peggy and Bluebell

Mitch and Bandit

Peggy and Fence Poste

SW COLORADO, OURAY

We spend most of the day lounging beside the pool.  A dog park was just recently opened in town, so the dogs had a chance to run off leash and also play in the little 'doggie' pool that was provided. We take a campsite across the creek and hike back into town for supper.

SW COLORADO, SILVERTON TO OURAY

The sun through the window wakes us up.  We clear our heads with fresh perked coffee beside a mountain stream.  One more time through Silverton for breakfast and groceries and then we head north.  We stop at Red Mountain Pass (11,018 feet) to inspect an old mine shaft and enjoy the many Colorado wildflowers.
Next we visit Box Canyon Park where Canyon Creek falls several hundred feet cutting through the rock to form the box canyon.

In the old mining town of Ouray we cruise down main street and stop at the historic Ouray Hot Springs Pool where we decide to take a bath.  The pool is huge, about the size of 3 olympic pools.  It has 3 sections ranging between 75 degrees to 104 degrees.  We go for the hot pool but are only able to stay in it for 15 minutes.

After watching a soft ball game we hike into town and have probably our worst meal so far at the Silver Nugget.  Not only was the food bad, but they only accepted cash as payment.  Main Street is about 1.5 miles long and packed with every kind of shop you can think of.  Plenty of saloons and restaurants too.  We stroll up one side and down the other before heading to our parking spot at the pool.  We take the dogs for a swim in Red Mountain Creek beside the pool.

Castilleja, Indian Paintbrush

Mertensia ciliata, Tall Chiming Bells

Clementsia rhodanthe, Rose Crown

Aquilegia coerulea, Colorado Columbine

Veratrum californicum, False Hellebore

Abandoned mine entrance.

Red Mountain Pass

Road through Red Mountain Pass from Silverton to Ouray, Colorado

Box Canyon, Ouray, Colorado

Box Canyon Waterfall

Rare Black Swift nesting.

View of Ouray, Colorado from Box Canyon

Mitch hiking up to top of Box Canyon

View looking down on Box Canyon

Tunnel entrance connecting trails.

Female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird at feeder.

Male Ruby-Throated Hummingbird at feeder.

Pine Siskin

Black-Headed Grosbeak

Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel

Chipmunk

View of Ouray, Colorado

Ouray, Colorado

Amphitheatre surrounding Ouray, Colorado

Ouray Hot Springs and Fitness Center

Mitch checking to see how hot the hot spring is.

Ahhh, just right.

SW COLORADO, SILVERTON

We bicycle into town for breakfast and then break camp.  That's easy to do in a motor home.  We then drive up to the Old Hundred Gold Mine.  This is a hard rock mine accessed by a 2,000 foot train ride.  At the ore site we are shown how all the air tools work and the history of the mine.  We learn about the 'tommy knockers,' little spirits that live in the mine and play tricks on you.  Next we visit the Mayflower Gold Mill.  Here the ore is brought down by a 10,000 foot aerial tram.  At first it was put through a hammer mill which turned it in to powder and then mixed with a liquid to make the minerals float. Mercury was then added to attract the gold.  It was then processed to remove the mercury.  Even though there is no placer mining here we are given the chance to pan for gold.  I'm pretty good at this but all I come up with is pyrite (fools gold).

We return to Silverton and tour the museum.  I don't think I'll ever get tired of looking at old stuff.  We now go to the Shady Lady again.  We want beer-soaked chilly dogs for lunch.  Peggy visits the Weathertop, a weaving studio and store, and comes back with a treasure.  We drive up the dirt road beside the Animas River.  We find a wide spot and park for the night.  Sleeping beside running water is always nice.

Old Hundred Gold Mine, Silverton, Colorado

Entrance to Old Hundred

Bailing buckets used in the mine.

Inside Old Hundred

Jack hammer used to drill into rock.

Bell signals meant different things inside the mine.

Cage Used to transport workers

Shaft inside the mine.

Muck bucket used to pick up rock .

The 'ole' honey bucket.

Mayflower Mill

Tram used to transport rock to the Mayflower Mill.

View from the Mayflower Mill.

San Juan County Historical Society Museum in Silverton, Colorado.

Restored Jail next to museum.

Mitch wishing he had bought Peg that necklace.

Weathertop Wovens in Silverton, Colorado.

Linda Davis, weaver and owner of Weathertop Wovens.

Preparing warp for loom.

Above warp is wraped on this beam and put on back of loom.

Peggy's future fiber studio in Silverton, Colorado.  Just needs a little TLC.

Lupine