For three years (2014, 2015 & 2016) I published a photo a day (not shot and posted a single photo). My version of a less stringent 365 project. Throughout that period I shot a significant amount of photos that were not published for whatever reason. Here are the miscellaneous images from 2016 (60) images).
For three years (2014, 2015 & 2016) I published a photo a day (not shot and posted a single photo). My version of a less stringent 365 project. Throughout that period I shot a significant amount of photos that were not published for whatever reason. Here are the miscellaneous images from 2015 (121) images).
For three years (2014, 2015 & 2016) I published a photo a day (not shot and posted a single photo). My version of a less stringent 365 project. Throughout that period I shot a significant amount of photos that were not published for whatever reason. Here are the miscellaneous images from 2014 (60 images).
Ouray was originally established by miners chasing silver and gold in the surrounding mountains. The town at one time boasted more horses and mules than people. Prospectors arrived in the area in 1875. In 1877, William Weston and George Barber found the Gertrude and Una gold veins in Imogene Basin, six miles south southwest of Ouray. Thomas Walsh acquired the two veins and all the open ground nearby. In 1897 the Camp Bird Mine opened. The mine produced almost 200,000 ounces of gold by 1902, when Walsh sold out to Camp Bird, Ltd. By 1916 Camp Bird, Ltd., had produced over one million ounces of gold. ~wikipedia
BOX CANYON
The economy today is based solely of tourism. Known also as Little Switzerland because of its position at the narrow head of a valley, enclosed on three and a half sides by steep mountains. This enclosure is referred to as a box canyon.
OFF ROAD
The one noticeable inhabitant in town is Jeeps. Jeeps everywhere; along with all sorts of ATV/UTV’s. This is understandable as there are off-road trails surrounding this area. We did not venture out and rent a jeep or go on a tour…on this trip anyway. There are certainly enough videos on youtube to make you think twice about venturing out on the trails. That said, it still looks like a grand adventure to me. Some day. The following video provides some insight into the area trails.
AROUND TOWN
Ouray is a beautiful place to visit. The downtown is lined with shops, pubs and restaurants. We stayed at Ouray Main Street Inn; The Miners Cabin. It was a great home-base for a few days while we explored the area. We very much enjoyed our dinner at Bon Ton. The Artisan Bakery serves up fantastic breakfast burritos. Ouray Candy & Ice Cream Parlor served up a delightful scoop of just that – ICE CREAM – each evening we were there. We will definitely be back to Ouray. Love this town.
Most of U.S. 550 in Colorado is two-lane mountainous highway. It is one of only two north–south U.S. Highways in Colorado which runs west of the Continental Divide. The section from Silverton to Ouray is frequently called the Million Dollar Highway. -wikipedia
Though the entire stretch has been called the Million Dollar Highway, it is really the twelve miles south of Ouray through the Uncompahgre Gorge to the summit of Red Mountain Pass which gains the highway its name. This stretch through the gorge is challenging and potentially hazardous to drive. It is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails. The ascent of Red Mountain Pass is marked with a number of hairpin curves used to gain elevation, and again, narrow lanes for traffic—many cut directly into the sides of mountains. Large RVs travel in both directions, which adds a degree of excitement (or danger) to people in cars. The road is open year-round. -wikipedia
The Million Dollar Highway is a thrill to travel. The sweeping views and abrupt drop-offs are spectacular. If you are afraid of heights, you should avoid this route or take a nap. There are not many places to pull off and capture the beauty this route beholds. We did manage to find a few spots.
Uncompahgre River
The Uncompahgre River is a tributary of the Gunnison River, approximately 75 mi long, in southwestern Colorado in the United States. Lake Como at 12,215 ft in northern San Juan County, in the Uncompahgre National Forest in the northwestern San Juan Mountains is the headwaters of the river. It flows northwest past Ouray, Ridgway, Montrose, and Olathe and joins the Gunnison at Confluence Park in Delta. ~wikipedia
It had rained a fair bit the day before we traveled the Million Dollar Highway. The runoff turned the river reddish-brown.
Red Mountain No. 1, 2 & 3
The San Juan Mountains are undoubtedly the most colorful mountains in Colorado. Mineral deposits have created slopes that are red, orange, yellow, purple, silver, brown or black. These colors combine with the blue skies, white snow and the various shades of green that grow on the mountains to produce a dazzling kaleidoscope. Red seems to be a recurring theme. At least three such mountains aggregate near the “Red Mountain Pass” (11018 ft) on U.S. Route 550 that connects the towns of Montrose and Durango via Ouray and Silverton. The three mountains, unceremoniously named are Red Mountain #1 (12592 ft), Red Mountain #2 (12219 ft) and Red Mountain #3 (12890 ft) all of which are visible from the road (north of the pass). ~www.summitpost.org
Commodore Gulch
Right along side the road in Commodore Gulch lives this beautiful unnamed little mountain stream.
The Gunnison River is formed by the confluence of Taylor and East rivers at Almont in eastern Gunnison County. It winds through desert canyonlands, where it receives Kannah Creek before it empties out of the Dominguez Canyon into the Colorado in Grand Junction.
The Gunnison River ranges in width from 100 to 1,000 feet and 3 to 50 feet in depth. The river’s powerful current and many rapids make upstream travel nearly impossible. It is navigable for small craft throughout its course and by larger boats below the Black Canyon. Parts of the Black Canyon are non-navigable to any sorts of craft because of giant cataracts. Navigation through the entire canyon is dangerous and for experienced boaters only.
Through the mid-1800s, the river held various names. Names included: The Eagle, Eagle Tail, South Fork of the Grand, Grande, and Grand River. Exploration reports and published maps in the 1850s and 1860s most commonly referred to the river as the Grand River. In subsequent years, the river was renamed for U.S. Army Captain John W. Gunnison. He was one of the Topographic Engineers who was ambushed and killed by Pahvant Utes while mapping a trail west in Utah Territory in 1853. ~wikipedia
The target was to view the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. We approached from the the north through Crawford on our way to Ouray. There isn’t a “through-route” to speak of on the north side. Just south of Crawford Reservoir, Black Canyon Road to the west that will get you to the North Rim area. We continued on 92 heading south toward the river. The views were spectacular.
Hermits Rest Picnic Area
Our first stop was at Hermits Rest Picnic Area. From there you can see Morrow Point Reservoir. There are restrooms here. Here you will find Hermits Rest Trail down to the edge of the reservoir. 1800 feet down, then 1800 feet back up; approximately 6 miles round trip. We continued on by car.
Pioneer Lookout Point
There are numerous areas along 92 to pull off. There are only two areas with restrooms. The second stop was Pioneer Lookout Point. Here you can see Curecanti Needle, a 700-ft granite spire.
There are several locations at this stop to take in the magnificent views. Here you will find Curecanti Creek Trail that descends down to the river edge. 900 feet down, 900 feet up; approximately 4 miles round trip.
Highway 92 was an excellent way to see parts of the Gunnison River. On a future return trip to the area I hope to visit the Black Canyon of The Gunnison National Park in its entirety. I would love to visit both the North Rim and South Rim. The views (seen through Google images) of those two areas of the park look amazing.
Independence Pass was originally known as Hunter Pass. It is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States. The elevation on the Continental Divide in the Sawatch Range is 12,095 ft. The pass is midway between Aspen and Twin Lakes, on the border between Pitkin and Lake counties. State Highway 82 traverses it. The is the highest elevation of a paved Colorado state highway on a through road. ~wikipedia
The land around the summit is flattish, windswept, lonely, and covered by sparse vegetation of grass and delicate tundra plants – the treeline is a thousand feet lower down – and yet all around are higher mountains, especially to the south and east. Several shallow pools line the road around the pass, and patches of snow are likely to remain for most of the summer. There are no visitor facilities at the summit, just a large carpark and a short, paved loop path leading to two overlooks of Lake Creek valley and surrounding peaks. A longer trail (2 miles) heads southwest, following the continental divide, to an unnamed peak 700 feet higher up. ~http://www.americansouthwest.net
Aside from traversing Trail Ridge Road in RMNP, Independence Pass is my favorite to drive. The road gets a wee bit narrow in spots, but the views are incredible.
1: N39 07.484 W106 34.909 — 0.0 miles : Independence Lake Trailhead
2: N39 07.577 W106 34.996 — .15 miles : Linkins Lake Trail split + Wilderness Boundary
3: N39 07.833 W106 34.889 — .48 miles : Cross Roaring Fork River to east side of valley
4: N39 08.205 W106 34.694 — 1.0 miles : Steady climb in expanding upper valley
5: N39 08.543 W106 34.189 — 1.8 miles : Independence Lake (12,487′)
6: N39 08.920 W106 34.035 — 2.35 miles : Lost Man Pass (12,810′)
7: N39 09.119 W106 34.048 — 2.75 miles : Lost Man Lake (12,482′)
We returned for another look and hike. This time we made it a wee bit further up the path amidst the thin mountain air. Our previous trip in 2016 we made it to the Roaring Fork River crossing (3) and this trip we made it to the upper valley (4). Some day we’ll make the entire journey round trip.
Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park’s heavily traveled highway to the sky. It inspired awe before the first motorist ever traveled it. “It is hard to describe what a sensation this new road is going to make,” predicted Horace Albright, director of the National Park Service, in 1931 during the road’s construction. “You will have the whole sweep of the Rockies before you in all directions.” ~National Park Service
We were in Denver for a family reunion in August 2017. Afterward we set out to visit a few favorite location around Colorado. Cyndie and I had the privilege once again to visit Rocky Mountain National Park in August 2017.
One can never tire of the views on this road to the sky. I revel in every opportunity to spend time peering out over these mountain-scapes. I am grateful for each opportunity to add more photos of this extraordinarily beautiful place to my collection.
Mountain Plants
Forest Canyon Overlook
Lucy Loo
Our amazing little lovable bundle of energy, Lucy, accompanied us on this trip. She did well with the altitude and all the excitement. She appeared to be very thrilled with being compared in size to a Marmot.
Custer State Park is a South Dakota State Park and wildlife reserve in the Black Hills. The park is South Dakota’s largest and first state park, named after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer. The area originally started out as sixteen sections, but was later changed into one block of land because of the challenges of the terrain. The park began to grow rapidly in the 1920s and gained new land. During the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps built miles of roads, laid out parks and campgrounds, and built three dams that set up a future of water recreation at the park. In 1964 an additional 22,900 acres were added to the park. The park covers an area of over 71,000 acres of hilly terrain and is home to many wild animals.
The park is home to a famous herd of 1500 free roaming bison. Elk, coyotes, mule deer, white tailed deer, mountain goats, prairie dogs, bighorn sheep, river otters, pronghorn, cougars, and feralburros also inhabit the park. The park is famous for its scenery, its scenic drives (Needles Highway and the wildlife loop), with views of the bison herd and prairie dog towns. This park is easily accessible by road from Rapid City.
The popularity of the park grew in 1927, when U.S. President Calvin Coolidge made it his “summer White House” and announced from the Black Hills that he would not seek a second full term in office in the election of 1928.
~wikipedia
Wild Life Loop Road
South Dakota is a ruggedly beautiful land to explore. High on our list of favorites is Custer State Park. The whole park is absolutely beautiful. The Wildlife Loop road is so convenient. It is very easy to drive and the wildlife sighting are frequently and plentiful most of the time.
Wildlife Loop Road travels through 18 miles of open grasslands and pine-speckled hills. This beautiful land is what the park’s wildlife calls home. Depending on the day, you might see bison, pronghorn, whitetail and mule deer, elk, coyotes, burros, prairie dogs, eagles, hawks, and a variety of other birds. A medley of colorful wildflowers and prairie grasses surround the road, making for a picturesque drive.
Our trip in late July 2017 was another memorable one filled with wildlife, scenery and of course, the burros.
The Bison
We had a bit of a rain shower when we found the bison.
Resting in the shadow of Colorado’s tallest peak, Twin Lakes is one of Colorado’s most scenic locations. The community lies adjacent to the state’s two largest glacial lakes. It is situated along the Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway.
Once a mining transportation hub that served the communities of Leadville and Aspen, today Twin Lakes is a place to get away from it all. The area is especially popular for fishing, boating, hiking, snowmobiling and photographing quintessential Colorado scenery. ~colorado.com
Twin Lakes is located about 20 miles south of Leadville, on State Highway 82. The altitude of Twin Lakes is approximately 9200 ft above sea level, somewhat lower than Leadville.
This small historic town tucked in the San Isabel National Forest offers a snapshot of life deep in the Rocky Mountains. To the west, as the Top of the Rockies courses through a deep valley toward Independence Pass, La Plata Peak towers over at 14,336 feet and the road twists to reveal unparalleled mountain views in all directions.
Hiking around the lakes is plentiful as some of Colorado’s most popular trails are close by. The Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Trail rim the mountains surrounding the lakes. Trail heads for Mt. Elbert and LaPlata Peak, two of Colorado’s fourteeners, are located on the lake’s edge, and the 12-mile Twin Lakes Loop provides brilliant scenery with little elevation gain.
History
Prospectors founded the first village here, Dayton, in the 1860s. After a bust in mining, the silver rush brought the area back to life. Dayton then became known as Twin Lakes.
In 1885 it was named “the most charming summer resort in Colorado.” It had 3 hotels, several saloons and many log cabins. There was also mining done in the area.
Mountain View Observation Site
The photos below were taken at the Mountain View Observation Point on the east side of Twin Lakes.
