The scariest, most dangerous part of Black Bear Pass is the section where a number of switchbacks must be negotiated. The driver must go to the very edge of a 1500 foot drop-off, then reverse to gain enough room for a turn. Shifting gears here, particularly with a standard shift, requires great nerves because one wants to always keep a foot on the brake pedal. The road here is rock, so having the rain makes it even more treacherous. Being on a tour, we simply trusted our experienced driver and he did great. A big part of success here is staying calm. Impulsive moves could be fatal.
After a nice lunch in Telluride, we returned to Ouray over Imogene Pass, an even higher road than Black Bear. However, Imogene isn't as difficult or as scary as Black Bear. That experience will be remembered for a long time.
This pretty much ended our travels for 2007. I'm going to take a break from the travelogue while I make plans for the summer. If possible, I will do a trip of some sort and share that with you. Otherwise, I'll be back for more re-runs of past travel.
