Kebler Pass & Marble, CO (9/27/2018) and Montrose, CO (9/29/2018)

On my way to Marble to re-visit the Crystal Mill, I felt there was enough time for a side trip on Kebler Pass, which always has lots of colorful aspen trees.  This road eventually leads to Crested Butte, but there wasn't enough time to go that far.  I decided to turn around at Lost Lake, about twenty miles away.

 

Back on the road toward Marble, the colors around McClure Pass were brilliant in the golden light from the setting sun.  I regretted not getting there earlier and having time for more photos.  Too much to see, too little time.

In Marble, I stopped at two different lakes to grab a quick photo at each.  I could see that mountains were beginning to block the light, making me concerned I might be too late to get what I wanted at the mill.

The six-miles from Marble to Crystal Mill is one of the roughest roads I've ever driven.  It takes at least forty-five minutes, even when driving faster than is comfortable.  I met several vehicles coming back from the mill and assumed I would be the only one there.  As it turned out, there were six vehicles still parked there when I finally arrived, and maybe twenty people with cameras scattered about.

Although the sun was just barely hitting the mountain tops behind the mill, I took photos from several angles and left as it was almost dark.  The road is even more treacherous after dark, and it would be a grave mistake to run off the side.  The people remaining were there to get photos of the Milky Way behind the mill.  That would make a lovely shot, but they were staying nearby while I had more than 100 miles to get home.

I'll finish here with a few more sunset photos from Montrose.  The recent cloudy weather has brought some much needed rain to the area and produced some spectacular sunsets.

Slumgullion Pass & Powderhorn Wilderness, CO (9/25/2018)

Slumgullion is a term the miners used to describe a stew made by throwing anything and everything they had into the stew pot.  It also was used to characterize  a particular mountain south of Lake City, where the unstable earth resembled the texture and color of the watery stew.  The Slumgullion Earthflow National Natural Landmark is a rare example of an earthflow, called mass wasting.  About 700 years ago, an area of Mesa Seco, composed of partially decomposed volcanic rock, slid down the mountain and blocked the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River.  This natural dam formed what is now known as Lake San Cristobal.  The earthflow is about 4 miles long and covers over 1000 acres.
A second earthflow began about 300 years ago and is still active today.  The United States Geologic Survey (USGS) tracks the movement of the slide, which in some places moves as much as 20 feet per year.  It covers some of the original slide, and can be detected by observing the trees growing on it that are tipped at odd angles.

At 10,530 feet, Slumgullion Pass is one of the highest and steepest paved roads in Colorado.  I've driven over it several times before, but wanted to do so again, partly to enjoy the great views it affords.  The mountain itself has beautiful fall color, but there are also pull-outs that let you see much of the San Juan mountains, colorful valleys and picturesque Lake San Cristobal.

Another reason for my trip to the pass is a Forest Service road that branches off the main highway and travels about fifty miles through some diverse landscapes, known as Powderhorn Wilderness.  I had only recently come across information about this road, having never noticed it in passing.  For the first 12 to 15 miles, the road descends the mountain through aspen and evergreen forest, with lakes and beaver ponds along the way.  Much of the valley has willow trees mixed in, making it prime habitat for moose.  The article I had read mentioned that moose are often seen in that area, but I didn't see any.  Opposite the forest areas, rocky cliffs formed one side of the valley.

At the bottom of the valley, large parcels of ranch land become dominant.  Many ponds store water for the cattle grazing nearby.  Based on appearances, I would think the cattle business in this valley is quite prosperous.

The road ends near the start of the Sapinero Mesa Cutoff, another short cut with a good gravel road.  That road comes to highway US 50 overlooking the Blue Mesa Reservoir, which is at an all-time low due to prolonged drought.  From there, it's smooth sailing back to Montrose.

Lake City, CO (9/25/2018)

Lake City was incorporated in 1873 and is still the only incorporated town in Hinsdale County.  It actually sits in the caldera of an ancient volcano that helped form the San Juan mountains.  The Ute Indians historically lived and hunted in a large area that included the San Juans.  In the 1860s, a treaty with the U.S. gave the lands here to the Utes, allowing European settlers to claim lands in nearby valleys.  However, discovery of gold and silver led to a new treaty that removed the Utes from the San Juans.  Mining was never as productive in Lake City as in other parts of the San Juans, such as Silverton, Ouray and Telluride.  The town did prosper as a supply center for mines in the territory.

When the train came to town in 1889, Lake City had a second boom due to reduced costs of mining and transporting ore.  The population may have reached as many as 5000 people.  Early in the twentieth century, mining had pretty much played out.  Since then, mining activities have been mostly exploration and speculation.  The population shrank to about 400 and has hovered around that mark since.

As mining decreased, the town began a shift toward tourism, marketing their beautiful summer weather for vacations.  The old mining roads through the mountains to Ouray and Silverton were designated as the "Alpine Loop" to attract folks with off-road vehicles.  The loop is 64 miles long, depending on which options are chosen, and includes several mountain passes.  The roads can be very rough and rocky, especially with recent increases in traffic, including ATVs that can travel pretty fast despite the surface conditions.  Wildflowers along these roads can be breathtaking during the Spring, which is July and August.  They are closed by snow most of the year.

On my latest visit, I only drove about ten miles up the Alpine Loop since I had other plans for the day.  My interest was primarily getting some views (and photos) of Fall colors that I knew from experience would be there.  The road is narrow in most places as it winds its way through canyons created by Henson Creek.  There are numerous side roads that I intend to drive some day, but not now.

The "Hard Tack Mine & Museum" was never an actual mine, but it has a tunnel that accessed a real silver mine.  The owners have gathered up mining artifacts for display and offer tours of their tunnel.  Not my kind of place, so I can't say if it is worthwhile.

Continuing on the road, there is a real mining operation that has been abandoned.  Entry to the buildings isn't allowed, but you can see a lot from the outside.  A dam used to create power for the mine is still there, but has a huge hole to prevent water backing up.

This mine, known as the "Ute-Ulay Mine" was productive from the 1870s until 1903.  From then until 1984, operations would sporadically resume, as optimistic miners are always ready to give it a go.  Finally, the property was donated to the town as a historic site.

In 1899, workers became fed up with harsh conditions and being forced to live in the company boarding house (very costly) and buy from the company store (very costly).  A large group of Italian workers went on strike until the governor sent troops to quell the uprising.  Afterward, the company advertised "we can use about 75 men...Italians need not apply".

There was some great color along the mountainsides, and I would have enjoyed going farther.  However, due to time constraints, I turned around at Capitol City, another mine site now simply a ghost town.  Look carefully to spot a couple of very nice modern homes that have started to spring up along this road.  I assume they are used only in summer, as snow gets pretty deep here.

Capitol City building