5. Scenic roads in southwestern Colorado

Day 11: Wednesday, July 31

Didn't sleep all that well, I guess the altitude of 8,000' is above my comfort level. It was a cool 46F outdoors during the night, and 60F inside the van. Got up at 7:00 AM and enjoyed a long shower in the superclean bathhouse. Went on the internet after breakfast to correct some faulty links from the menu page of this journal.

The morning view from the campground was a good start. By the way, those mountains aren't covered with snow, it's just the sunlight reflecting off the rocks.

Headed south on US 285 and then west on US 50. Climbed up to the Monarch Pass (11,312') which was an effort even for my Westy. Lovely vistas on the way up.

Then dropped down to Gunnison, elev 7,700, and got a very level site, almost under a shade tree, at the Gunnison KOA. My newly acquired KOA pass ($10.00 for one year) got me a discount and I ended up paying $21.92, saving myself $2.30. I'm sure the card will pay for itself.

Went to Safeway for some grocery shopping and then headed out on SR 135 for Crested Butte, a skiing and dirt biking center that draws crowds of tourists to its artsy-crafty stores. Good scenery along the way.

The best part of the excursion was driving back on unpaved Forest Service and County roads. Only doable in a van or smaller. Went over the crest at the Ohio Pass (10,120') and then found my way back to the paved state road and Gunnison. Street Atlas did an excellent job of directing me along the way.

Drove 150 miles today, was on the road for 5 hours. Temperatures ranged from 46F last night to 75F at departure to 105F during the day.

Day 12: Thursday, August 1

It was cloudy when I got up at 7:00 AM and pretty much stayed that way for the rest of the day. Scenery and mountain profiles just aren't as impressive as when the sun shines. Had a good night's sleep, especially since the outside temperature dropped to the high forties, and the inside of the van was in the mid fifties. Didn't need fans or air conditioning.

Was on the road by 9:30 and took US 50 west to Montrose. Along the way passed through the Curecanti NRA, pretty scenery -- but it's three lakes (reservoirs) were pretty depleted.

I expect that Colorado's tourism industry will be hurt for some time. The forest fires are keeping tourists away (private campgrounds are pretty empty, the state parks are way overpriced, and people seem reluctant to use the NFS sites because of the fire danger - and perhaps the fear of a deranged ranger starting another fire.) The drought means there will not be water available for making artifical snow for an early start of the winter season.

Shortly before reaching Montrose, took SR 347 to the south rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The gorge is about 2,700' deep, and the Gunnison river slams through there at high speed - it drops an average of 96' per mile, and over one two-mile stretch the drop is 480'. The river makes a hissing sound that can be heard up at the rim.

Draw an imaginary line vertically right down the center and a horizontal line about 1/4 up from the bottom of the photo -- the green spot is the river.

Below is the view from Chasm View Overlook.

Here are some photos of the Painted Wall -- perhaps the most impressive feature of the drive along the south rim.

Went on to Montrose. The Westy got a run through a car wash, and then we proceeded to Ouray, a very touristy little town. US 550 next switchbacks up into the mountains, and the vistas back down into the valley are splendid, if you dare to take your eyes of the road. Sheer drops to your right into Uncomphagre gorge, no guardrails, and a very narrow road combine to make this unlikely most of the time. 12,801' high Abrams Mountain dominates the forward look.

A few more switchbacks and the Red Mountains come into view

The are very prosaically called Red Mountain No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 -- they deserve better because their red, gold, and green colors are spectacular.

Kept climbing up to 11,075 Red Mountain Pass and then began a 1,700' descend over ten miles to get to Silverton, only to have to climb up to yet another pass, Molas, down again, and up to Coal Bank Pass. Beautiful scenery along the way:

The road gradually drops about 4,000' as it approaches the Durango plateau. Turned right at Durango onto US 160 for the drive to Cortez, my destination for today.

Got a very nice site at the Cortez KOA for $24.62 and spent most of the evening working on the journal and watching TV. The campground is modem-friendly, but charges $2.00 for access. Was on the road for 7 hours and drove 255 miles. Bought gasoline for $1.479 and averaged 16.9 mpg on the last tank. Elevation at the campground is 6,140' -- the forecast is for a cool night.

Day 13: Friday, August 2

I should have known better than to get the van washed yesterday -- it rained last night, and it rained on and off most of today.

Really had to give myself a push to get out of bed at 7:30 AM and start the day's drive. Was on the road by 10:00 AM and headed north on SR 145, following the Dolores River back into the San Juan mountains. From time to time the clouds would thin out to permit views of the mountain range.

Passed by Trout Lake and again noted that water levels are extremely low.

Detoured into Telluride. Of all the old mining towns that have been converted into ski resorts, Telluride appealed to me the most. Not tacky, a well-maintained Main Street, and the mountains surrounding the town look like they would provide excellent skiing. Even saw and admired the bank that Butch Casidy robbed back in 1889.

Continued on SR 145, now accompanied by the St. Miguel River. Shortly before Norwood the road climbs out of the Miguel Canyon and continues on a mesa to Naturita and Uravan. Then it gets very scenic again:

as I approached Gateway and Grand Junction.

Then I-70 to Utah and Green River. Found an attractive campground, Shady Acres RV Park and Campground, where $15.08 got me a level site. Don't need electricity and water hook-ups. Free cable TV connection. Altitude is 4,000' and breathing seems to come much easier to me.

Was on the road for 7 hours and drove 340 miles. Got gas in Grand Junction for $1.449, averaged 17.4 mpg on the last tank. Temperatures were 56F during the night, 60F when I hit the road, 80F when I got to the campground, and 70F after dark.

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