10/4/17 Canyons, Peaks, Golden Aspen Trees and SNOW! (CO Western Rockies)

 

Fall In Colorado, Golden Aspen Groves

We left Colorado Springs to head to Aspen and then the Western Slope of Colorado – the Western Rocky Mountains.  We had to travel across the mountains, but the only direct way into Aspen from Colorado Springs involved going over Independence Pass, where vehicles longer than 26 feet are prohibited….so we took the long way around - north to Denver, and then west along I-70 to Glenwood Springs.  



Aspen Color

Our original plan was to spend some time with our good friends Lonna and Mike Stolper in Aspen, but an unexpected change in their arrival plans meant a modification in our travel plans.  There are no RV parks in Aspen (guess they don’t want us RVers parking in their beautiful town), so we camped primitive for two days in the White River National Forest campground near Basalt (a great little town!) about 30 min north of Aspen.  It rained (and hailed) hard as we were driving into the NF and just after we arrived, a landslide blocked the road (we found this out later from people who were delayed hours to get to the campground).   

Independence Pass near Aspen, CO

We drove our Jeep Cherokee southeast through Aspen and up to and across Independence Pass to Twin Lakes.  It was a gorgeous drive up the steep windy road; the aspen trees were turning into their fall golden glory, and amongst the green evergreens, the landscape was beautiful.  We stopped briefly in Aspen as we drove back to our coach (too bad the Elks Lodge is closed for reconstruction).  The traffic was very bad on the only road out of town, it compares to LA traffic with a 4-5 mile backup getting in and out of town at rush hour.  We were told it is all the workers who cannot afford to live in Aspen, so they have to drive many miles north to Basalt, Carbondale and Glenwood Springs.  

Sunrise, Independence Rock, Colorado National Monument

We diverted from Aspen to Colorado National Monument, just west of Grand Junction. The park is at the top of the mesa which juts sharply out of the plains, with steep 1,000 foot cliffs and canyon walls encompassing 1.7 billion years of geologic history.  Bob loved it because he could explore a 1.5 billion year unconformity (missing years of geologic history – earlier rocks eroded away before the later layers were deposited).  The landscape is dramatic and beautiful, with red walled cliffs, buttes and pinnacles in deep canyons.  The Rock Rim Drive is beautiful, especially at sunrise and sunset.  We were able to experience one beautiful sunrise, but the sunsets were obscured by overcasts and clouds. We saw a few bighorn sheep on the mesa, close to our primitive campground, which had fabulous views from the mesa top into the valleys below. 

Bighorn Sheep, Colorado National Monument

 

Steep and Deep, Blk Cnyn Gunnison

However, these cliffs were small compared to those we explored in our next stop: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and the Curecanti Recreation Area. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison has the steepest canyon walls of all the national parks;  the 2,000 to 3,000 feet deep canyon walls are only one quarter of a mile apart at the top and only 40 feet wide at river level at “The Narrows”.  It is so steep and deep that it is impossible to capture its beauty in pictures since you cannot easily penetrate its dark depths and shadows.  We hiked both the south and north rims, and enjoyed seeing various views from both rims.  Unlike the Grand Canyon and most other canyons, you could see people across the narrow canyon at viewpoints on the other side; the people on the other rim were closer than the Gunnison River below. 

Painted Wall, Black Canyon of Gunnison

This park was especially interesting to Linda.  She had tent camped with her niece Valerie here in 1993, when Valerie was 13 years old. They rafted the Gunnison River in the lower part of the canyon.  It was a “girls only” trip; Linda, Valerie and our two female dogs at the time! Linda had only seen the canyon from the bottom; so it is a very different perspective from the top! 

Fall Color, West Elk Loop, near Crested Butte

While in the area, we drove our Cherokee on the West Elk Loop, which included lunch in Crested Butte and a stop at the Gunnison American Legion.  The mountains were in the prime of the aspen trees color change, and there was a lot of traffic enjoying the beautiful vistas.  We also passed the three reservoirs of the Curecanti Recreation Area, formed by three dams on the Gunnison River.  Since it was now after Labor Day, all boat activities had ceased, including the Recreation Area Boat Tours, and the marinas were empty….winter is coming!!! 

Blue Mesa Reservoir, Curecanti Rec Area

Bob Teaching Ranger Antique Level Use

The local area to the west of the canyon is a verdant agricultural area, because of the Gunnison Tunnel and Diversion Dam.  This agricultural water tunnel from the Gunnison River was a surveying, engineering and construction miracle in its time (1904-1912).  The 6-mile tunnel was blasted through solid hard metamorphic rock, and required less than an 8 foot drop in elevation over the 6 miles from the river to the irrigation ditches.  They did it, but it took 8 years to complete – and it was initially funded by the local farmers only, but finally the Government (Bureau of Reclamation) paid for the completion!  

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park near Montrose was our third primitive campground in a row, which would normally not be a problem.  But it was getting COLD. And we were using a lot of propane in our coach every day and night to keep our motorhome toasty warm.  With a lot of rain and cold weather, we were really glad we were NOT in a tent.  We were fortunate to enjoy the warm bar and internet at the Montrose Elks Lodge several times during our stay. 

 

Telluride Valley from Gondola

We continued south to visit Telluride and Ouray, in the beautiful San Juan Mountains of SW Colorado.   We camped in a Colorado State Park in Ridgeway, grateful to have continuous electric heat in the colder weather; it was not unusual to have a daytime high in the 40s and frost in the morning.  The San Juan Mountains are spectacular: jagged volcanic peaks uplifted through the surrounding sedimentary layers of the Uncompahgne Mesa surrounding them.  Telluride and Ouray are on the north side of the mountains, both nestled into box canyons of the mountains which reflect the rugged nature of the area. 

 

Historic Bowling Lanes, Ouray Elks Lodge

We especially enjoyed our visit to Ouray, including lunch at Maggie’s Kitchen (a local’s hangout) and Friday night dinner at the Ouray Elks Lodge. We were lucky as they are only open on Friday nights except for special events and bowling leagues. Yep, the beautiful 1905-built historic lodge has its own antique 2-lane bowling alley.  It was included in the original 1905 building (the beautiful bowling lane floors have been refinished numerous times) and is still used 3-4 nights per week during the winter to this day (no full-automation here - local high school students are hired as pin setters).  What better way to get through the cold winter??  They described their nights as “fun drinking events with a bowling problem”.  Fun people and interesting place (Bob’s favorite of the area), but unfortunately too cold – because of the box canyon, the snow rarely melts during the winter.  

Intersection of Fall and Winter, San Juan Mtns

We drove the awesome San Juan Scenic Byway using the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton (in the center of the San Juan Mountains) several times, including Red Mountain Pass (during a light snow/hail) and Molas Pass. The aspen trees were at their peak color there, and the two days of rain we had in Ridgeway were the first snowfall in the mountains.  It was an awesome intersection of fall and winter.  The snow covered mountain tops and snow sprinkled green pine trees were interspaced with golden aspen groves at their peak color, also sprinkled in snow at the higher elevations.  It was one of the most beautiful landscapes we had seen in a long time.   Linda couldn’t get enough pictures of the beautiful landscape; each turn of the road and new vista was better than the last.  

Mountain Pass Lake, Million Dollar Highway

First Snow, Silverton, CO

Million Dollar Highway, First Snow on Golden Aspen

Durango Silverton Railway on Steep Canyon Wall

We headed to our last stop in the SW Colorado mountains – Durango.  Instead of driving our coach over the passes, we took the less mountainous route via Delores to Durango.  We enjoyed our narrated ride on the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway, even though it was still cold and raining (snow at the top) on and off.  It was a fun ride on the historic section (narrated by historic “Otto Mears” - the builder of the expensive original toll road which was later named the “Million Dollar Highway”), but we were glad we had already gotten our sunny pictures on our Jeep Cherokee transits.  With the two additional days of wind and rain/snow, much of the aspen had already lost their color. 

 

Historic Statler Hotel, Durango

 After our train ride to the mining town of Silverton (“Silver-by-the-Ton”), we walked muddy streets and saw the usual tourist tee shirts stores, but had a great lunch at the historic Imperial Hotel.  Bat Masterson was the jail keeper in Silverton for a while. We finished our visit in Durango with a fun evening at the original Statler Hotel, including a performance at the historic theatre.  

We are now headed to Mesa Verde National Park, the Four Corners area, and then on to the north rim of the Grand Canyon and Arizona.  It’s time to head south, and the sooner we finish up these higher elevation (colder) venues, the happier we will be.  

Unfortunately, with the end of summer, the “Ministry in the Parks” programs, which we have enjoyed on Sunday mornings in some of the National Parks, have also come to an end.  These young people do a great job sharing their faith to Park visitors. You have to search them out in the parks as they are not allowed to advertise. We would recommend any college age person consider doing this program; you get a guaranteed National Park job, which is very hard to get.   

We continue to thank God for his blessings and remain thankful to be able to continue our travels and exploration of this wonderful country.   

Feel free to pass the blog link on to anyone who might be interested.   

Best to all,

Linda and Bob