We recently had a nice rain to somewhat alleviate the drought we've been experiencing. After that, a hot spell moved in with the ten-day forecast calling for highs of 89-91 every day. What better time to head to the mountains? After an enormous burger in Ouray, I headed for Yankee Boy basin. As I turned off the highway, impulse struck me and I pulled in to Box Canyon Falls. There's no telling how many times I had passed it over the years without stopping, but today I felt like checking it out. What a pleasant surprise to find that I am a "Super Senior" and get in free. Such a deal.
On the path to the falls, I came to a fork. One branch took a level/downhill trail, while the other gains 200 feet over half a mile. Of course I took the easy one, but I now suspect the view of the waterfall is better on the other route. I'll take that one next time, since my admission is free.
A steel catwalk leads deep into the canyon, overlooking a deep gorge with Canyon Creek flowing through.
A metal stairway drops down to creek level, putting me in a very cool alcove.
As I said, the view from way above is probably better, but this is pretty good.
In a little while, I was back in the LRJ and headed up Camp Bird Road. There are spectacular views of Canyon Creek and Sneffles Creek, as well as several nice looking homes on the mountainsides or down in the gorges. I was intrigued by the trail required to reach this one house perched on a cliff.
It's a little early for the wildflowers that have made Yankee Boy Basin famous, but there were some colorful patches of dandelions and a couple other types of yellow flowers.
The main attraction right now is the water flow, with many waterfalls to entertain visitors.
Of course, the mountains that form the basin are always scenic.
On the way back, I drove a short distance up the road to Governor Basin and the trail to Imogene Pass. There was no point in driving too far on those roads, since they are still closed by snow up higher. I did ford a couple more streams and saw the only wildlife of the trip, a young mule deer.
Here's a shot of an overhang that illustrates how the road had to be carved out of the mountainside.
Finally, here's the sun rising over Black Canyon and the adobe hills.
Now that was beautiful .. what a lovely day
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