Ridgway State Park...September 11 - Day 16

(Kim's Perspective)

Today was another banner day.  Unfortunately, it wasn't long enough.  We were supposed to leave and start making our way back home but since we were having such a great time on the bikes, we decided we could stick around a bit longer.  :D  We still hadn't made it to Yankee Boy Basin and we also wanted to ride County Road 31 (another 4x4 road in the Red Mountain mining district that parallels route 550 between Ouray and Silverton).  We set out sometime after 9am and headed towards Silverton.  We knew C.R.31 was just north of the Ophir Pass access road we were on yesterday, but speeding along at 55mph while trying to find these poorly marked roads is more challenging than you would think.  We missed the road so pulled into the Ophir Pass pullout area and turned around.  The road looked questionable but was the only road at mile marker 76 so we jumped on and started to climb.  I noticed a county road sign about a 1/2 mile in that was marked as something other than C.R. 31 (it was either 825 or 14 - can't remember which).  I honked at Bill and we pulled over at our first opportunity (the road was one lane so we needed to find a spot wide enough for someone to pass).  We were also looking for a spot in the sun to warm up.  We were both pretty cold from the cool morning temps and the nearly hour long ride to get there.  We both took a personal moment and then warmed ourselves in the sun for a bit.  I pulled out the 4x4 book and checked to make sure we were on the right trail.  We were doing the ride in reverse so it took me a minute to confirm we were indeed where we needed to be.  After a short break, we climbed back on the bikes and continued the ride through a heavily forested area.  The road was somewhat rocky, but after yesterday's experience, I found it practically relaxing and easy to navigate.  After about a mile or so of climbing and the testing of our patience (we were stuck behind a Jeep that seemed oblivious to our ability and desire to pass him), we popped out on a high ridge.  The elevation was 12,000+ feet and the view was beautiful.  What?  Another beautiful view?  Shocking, right?  The below pics were taken as I panned left to right.  We were gawking at the myriad of trails that covered the mountain.  Why don't we live here??

Though we desperately wanted it to, Time refused to stand still for us so I packed up the camera and we continued on our way.  It wasn't long before we stopped again to take some photos of one of the many mines in the area.

Ewwww....toxic ick.

The road was somewhat confusing where it interconnected with other trails but we eventually found the right one and continued on our tour of the remaining mines.

 Yankee Girl Mine was by far the coolest and most photogenic. 

I reluctantly put the camera away and we made our way down the mountain and popped out on 550.  It was still somewhat early so we headed to Yankee Boy Basin.  There was some construction that had traffic stopped so Bill and I took the opportunity to get off the bikes awhile and stand in the shade.

I exercised patience and, though it was annoying to sit there for 20 minutes, took the opportunity to just appreciate the fact that it was a weekday and I was on one of the best vacations ever.  :) 

We eventually made it to the road leading to Yankee Boy Basin (and Imogene Pass). 

We stopped for a bio break which was conveniently located at the above intersection, and while I was otherwise occupied, Bill took the opportunity to scope out Imogene Pass.  He wasn't gone too long before he came back and said I would hate it.  No surprise there - it's rated as Moderate which of course means it's not.  I did walk across the bridge that leads to the start of the trail and took a peek.  It started out as an uphill climb, so rather than huffing up the hill while trying to avoid a broken ankle, I simply took Bill's word for it.  He knows me well and knows what I'm capable of.  If he said I would have hated it, it was for a reason.  We continued on and stopped several times for photo opportunities...

Portrait of Twin Falls

Landscape of Twin Falls.  :)

Bill and Kim completely blocking Twin Falls.  D'OH!

Some sections of the road were mostly smooth.  Other sections were rockier and a little more challenging to navigate, but for the most part, it was totally doable.  The climb from the junction of Imogene Pass up to Twin Falls was somewhat steep and we encountered a few waterfall crossings along the way.  The views just kept getting better and better as we climbed.  Of course, when you climb, the cliffs become ever steeper as well.  Oddly enough, there's an element of perceived safety when there are trees and grasses growing on the cliff side of the mountain (as opposed to Ophir Pass which was just a road built into the side of a barren mountain).  I recognize the fact that those trees are not really going to break my fall - on the contrary, they'll just help to break me along the way - but it's a mental thing and I like the idea of something blocking the thousand foot fall to my death.  Rational?  Absolutely not.  Comforting anyway? Absolutely.

Just past Twin Falls, there is a large parking area with an adorable, though stinky, outhouse...

...and lots of great photo opportunities...

Unfortunately, this was our turn around point.  It was getting late (remember, we were supposed to be on our way home by now!) and the trail back to the Basin would get significantly more challenging (according to the book anyway).  We both decided that we should wrap up on a positive note and just enjoy it for what it was.  No, we technically never made it back to the beautiful Basin at the end of the trail, but the views leading to this point did not disappoint, and the ride had just enough challenge in it to make it interesting without risking life or limb.  I'd call that a good ride.  We watched a few people head back the trail.  Some in cars...

...and some on their feet...

 I snapped a few more photos...

 ...before settling down with Bill for an afternoon snack.  Mmmmmm....organic dried mango.

After waaay too short a time, Bill reluctantly pointed out that it was time to go.  I may have whined a bit and pointed out that...."I don't wanna go home".  Like, who would?  Why don't we live here?  No, seriously, why don't we live here?  I'm sooo applying for jobs in Colorado when we get home. 

We begrudgingly made our way back and took a few more photos along the way.

I was enamored by the rock overhang (thus the multitude of virtually identical pics).

"Hey, is this silver ore?"

"What silver ore?"  :)

 

The cool thing about the overhang (and what you can't unfortunately make out in the pictures) was the waterfall running down it.  As we rode by, Bill stuck his arm out and drove underneath it.  The way that the water was falling amused me for some reason.  Not sure why - I think it was just the fact that we were riding the bikes on a kickin' road with cool overhangs and amazing views and neat waterfalls flowing everywhere.  Again....why don't we live here?

We headed back to the campground (after FINALLY getting that pic of the Ouray sign!) and made it back to the site around 3.  We quickly loaded the bikes on the truck, packed up the camper and pulled out.  We dumped our tanks and after slowing down for me to snap these photos as we were leaving the campground...

...we were on the road by 4:06pm.  We had no interest at all whatsoever in seeing the same stuff we'd already seen, so we headed north on 550 to Montrose (yep, I could definitely live here) and then turned onto 50 and headed east.  Like route 50 near us, this section of 50 was very winding - though far more scenic.  The best part was driving by Blue Mesa Reservoir.  First, it's huge.  Second, it's well, super blue.  Almost like a brilliant blue topaz.  Tell me I'm exaggerating...

The whole area (Curecanti National Rec Area) has tons of camping and off-road riding opportunities.  We definitely need to come back here.  You know, when we MOVE TO COLORADO.  :)

We drove through Gunnison and were reminded of the tragic events on this day 13 years ago.

Never forget that Freedom isn't Free.  And thank you to all those who have protected that freedom for me.

With a new reminder of how lucky we are to live in this great nation, we continued on while admiring all the beauty she has to offer...

 

  The sun began to fade and cast shadows on the mountains...

...and the clouds hovered over a peak making it look like a volcanic eruption.

The daylight waned and the road continued on its seemingly endless winding path...

...which made traveling with the hopes of making time virtually impossible.  In fact, pulling the camper behind us, we were hard pressed to keep to the speed limit after night fell.  We agreed that we would continue on until we became tired and needed to rest, so I mapped out a few options and, around 9pm, we decided we would stop at Cheyenne Mountain State Park for the night.  WOOOHOOOO!  We made it back after all!!  Once we checked the available campsites on the registration board, we drove around to scope out the best one.  We ended up in the same loop where we stayed in 2010.  <sigh>  Because this park totally rocks and has the best sites ever, we didn't need to unhitch and were hooked up to electric and water (they're actually full hookup sites for a scant $26!) in no time.  The speed in which we were able to do this was good because A) we were both getting tired and B) it was quite cold and windy.  We crawled into bed around 9:30 and briefly chatted about our adventures before we prayed and thanked God for yet another amazing day.  Now we just need to start praying for jobs out here.  :)