Having had pretty good luck finding Fall colors on Grand Mesa, I decided to take a drive to the Telluride area in San Miguel County. In particular, I wanted to find some waterfalls that I only recently learned of, despite many exploration trips to that area over the years. The plan had been to wait until the falls could be photographed with colorful trees all around. As it turned out, the colors weren't as far along as I had hoped. Still, there was just enough color to show the season.
Since Ridgway is on the route to San Miguel County, I took time to drive up County Road 5, which I knew from experience would offer some good views of the Sneffles Range. The first snowfall of the season had occurred only a few days earlier in the high country, which only added to the scenic value.
After a few miles back on Highway 62, I made the turn onto Last Dollar Road, not the fastest route to Telluride, but a favorite of mine due to the scenery. I've photographed this area many times, but it never gets old to me. Every time I'm there is a little different. The last time was in January, when snow was everywhere and the road was closed after a few miles. The people who live along this road are well-prepared, with snowmobiles and snowcats to get around in those conditions.
I didn't want to take the time required to go over Last Dollar Mountain, so I chose the road that goes to the village of Sawpit, back on the main road again. Approaching Telluride, I turned onto the gravel road into Ilium Valley. There were some good mountain views from that road, too, and a small herd of mule deer were down in a gorge crossing South Fork of the San Miguel River.
Although I had driven through this valley before, I had not been aware of a small dirt road that leads to Ames, a community of just a few homes scattered about the valley. My instructions led me to the Ames Power Station, which was the first commercial plant to produce Alternating Current in the U.S. At that time, 1890, Thomas Edison was pushing Direct Current, while Nikola Tesla was a proponent of Alternating Current. Westinghouse Electric Corp, under contract with the Gold King Mine to build a hydro-electric plant, elected to use Alternating Current. This soon became the preferred system of electricity throughout the entire country.
An obscure, unmarked two-track from the power station went into thick forest. This narrow, rocky, muddy trail is the one I needed to reach the waterfalls. On the way, I passed a small cabin that has clearly been abandoned for many years.
After a couple miles, I came to a small parking area with a trail leading to Upper Ames Falls, two streams of water pouring over a cliff and dropping some 80-90 feet.
After spending a while trying to find a good viewpoint for my photos, I back-tracked down the rough trail to a spur trail heading to the west. Even muddier than the first trail, this one soon reached another parking area only feet from Lower Ames Falls. Here, a narrow stream was falling some 200 feet into the gorge below. The gorge is fairly narrow, making it impossible to get the entire waterfall in a single photo. Only about half of it is shown here.
A trail around the top of the waterfall took me onto a rock peninsula between two creeks. The second creek has Mystic Falls, two streams plunging into another 200 foot gorge. Again, I was unable to fit the entire waterfall into a photo, but I did go to the edge and take a couple.
These waterfalls are known to only a relatively few people, but are familiar to ice climbers who come here in the winter. From the second waterfall, I had a good view across the gorge to the LRJ, as well as the Ophir Needles a few miles away.
Being so close and still lots of time, I decided to visit Trout Lake, one of the prettiest spots around. The dam that forms Trout Lake was built in 1890 to provide a steady stream of water to turn the alternators at the Ames Power Station. Once there, I noticed a "For Sale" sign on the rustic cabin there. Not the nicest home, but what a view.
Leaving Trout Lake, I took a dirt road that passes Priest Lake, really just a small pond with very green water.
Starting back toward home, I stopped at an overlook into Ames Valley, roughly a thousand feet deep. No wonder there are so many waterfalls as the creeks descend to the valley floor. I'm sure there are some nice ones, just too hard to get to.
Here is the view as you approach Telluride from the south, the San Miguel Mountains forming the box canyon where the town is located.
Back on Last Dollar Road,I snapped a few that show the wide range of housing to be found there. The last one was used in filming the 1969 movie
"True Grit". It has been abandoned now for many years, but you often see fans of the movie there checking it out.
Before getting back on the main highway, I spotted a coyote stalking his prey about 100 yards from the road. He finally leaped and caught whatever it was, then turned and gave me a proud stare. As usual along here, there were lots of mountain bluebirds, but few of them willing to pose for very long.
It's nearing that time when I will be leaving home for my regular winter trip. Utah, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, California, and Nevada are all on the agenda for this tour.
