Ouray, Silverton & Corkscrew Gulch (10/26/2016)

It had been more than a month since I visited the towns along the Million Dollar Highway, so I figured it was time to return and see how things were going.  I knew the fall color was long gone, but I wondered how much snow was there.  With the above normal temps in Montrose, I really didn't expect much snow, even in the mountains.

In Ouray, I explored a couple roads that were new to me.  One of them led to an old mine that offers tours, but it was closed for the season.  A trail riding outfit was nearby, but I couldn't tell if it was open or not.  The road followed a stream high onto the mountain, but ended abruptly at a Forest Service trailhead.  There were a few houses  and some very nice scenes.

Farther along the highway, I made the obligatory stop at Crystal Lake.

In Silverton, the restaurants were generally open, and I enjoyed my lunch at the Brown Bear Cafe.  Many of the gift shops were closed for the season, despite the fact that the Durango-Silverton tour train was still operating (but only for a few more days).  I left town on a road I last used about ten years ago, thinking I might re-visit the beautiful Velocity Basin.  However, my memory was faulty (imagine that) and I missed the turn that goes to that spot.  By the time I realized my mistake, I was too stubborn to turn back.  There was surprisingly little snow on the mountains, but enough to inspire a few photos.  Also, I stopped for a few minutes at the pool of rusty water where it mixes with the creek.  Looks toxic, doesn't it?  The road passes several old mine sites, one of them demonstrating how water flowing over old tailing piles can also discolor the streams.

 

 Eventually, I reached the Corkscrew Gulch Road and had great views back to where I had come from.  I could also look directly into Velocity Basin and see the road I had missed.  Maybe I'll remember the way next time.

 

 There were patches of snow on this road as shown in the photo below (taken through the windshield).

  Near the top, I stopped for a photo of Red Mountain #1 and an overview of the mountains along the Million Dollar Highway.

 

Lake City, CO (10/21/2016)

The road over Alpine Plateau descends onto Highway 149 which follows the lake Fork Gunnison River gorge into Lake City.  The river has carved some fantastic scenery on its journey to join the regular Gunnison.

The town of Lake City was incorporated in 1873 after gold was discovered in the surrounding mountains.  Relatively easy transportation into the town, first by road and later by railroad, made it a natural supply center for goods into the area and ore out of the area.  The mining boom raised the population up to nearly 5000 at one time, but it didn't last long.  After the boom played out, the population fell to its current level of just under 500, and the main industry is now tourism.  The quaint Victorian style buildings have been nicely maintained.

 This late in the year, most businesses have shut down.  Only one restaurant was open for lunch, the Packer Saloon.  The original owner was a Green Bay Packers fan, but the name also refers to one Alferd Packer, the town's most infamous resident.  Packer led a team of five miners into the mountains in 1875, where they became trapped by a blizzard.  In the spring, he was the only one to come out, claiming he had been abandoned by the miners.  Their bodies, however, showed evidence of cannibalism.  Packer was tried, convicted and spent time in prison.

You'll notice the Packer Saloon advertises the "Cannibal Grill".  Even more ghoulish, Lake City holds an annual Packer Day Barbecue.

One of the major attractions in Lake City is Lake San Cristobal, the second largest natural lake in Colorado.  The lake was created when a major earthslide occurred more than 800 years ago, damming the Lake Fork Gunnison and creating the lake.  The movement of earth is still occurring, sliding about twenty feet each year, making a gradual incursion into the lake.  Some of the lake front homes may not be on the shore forever.

 

 Another source of tourism is the Alpine Loop, a series of 4WD roads that connect Lake City, Silverton and Ouray.  People come from all over the country to drive these roads, enjoying the mountain scenery and ghost towns left from the mining days.  In the summer, incredible patches of wildflowers add to the spectacle.

Nearby Uncompahgre Peak, the highest mountain in the San Juans, also attracts people who have the silly ambition of climbing all of Colorado's "fourteeners".

Returning to Montrose, I took another shortcut, this one over Blue Mesa.  This route provided good views of the river, the mountains, a few houses and even passed a llama ranch.