2010 Tour Part 4: Ouray, Colorado |
| Gordon White | Sunday, 18 July, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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After a few days off the cell phone and internet grid, Angela and I needed to return to civilization to get some work done. Angela charted a course from Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park to Ouray, Colorado, and hit the diesel. 4J+1+1 RV Park
No, you’re not having a nightmare flashback of middle school math. 4J+1+1 is the name of a family owned RV park located within easy walking distance of Ouray’s downtown restaurants and shops. In fact, everything we wanted to do in Ouray was within walking distance of the 4J+1+1 campground. Even better, the Uncompahgre River flowed just feet from the rear door of our camper. The last time our camper was this close to water was in Geiger Key, Florida last January. We are truly spoiled. That evening we walked to an Irish pub on Main Street called O’Briens, ate “all you can eat” fish and chips, and stared out of the pub’s front window at a waterfall tucked away in the surrounding mountains. Maybe it was the beer, maybe it was the scenery, or maybe it was my most beautiful company, but that was definitely a dinner to remember. And yes, I packed away a few extra helpings of fish and chips. Delicious! Box Canon Falls
The next morning we worked on the magazine with sounds of water rushing behind our rig. After lunch, Angela and I walked up the steep road to Box Canon Falls. We paid the $3.00 per adult entrance fee and continued our ascent. Soon the dirt and rock path was replaced by a steel grate attached to the canyon cliff walls. The metal grate looks and feels very substantial, but you can see right through it. Initially this wasn’t a big deal, but it wouldn’t be long until this grate set off my fear of heights alarm at maximum volume. As we followed the grate path, the sounds of a raging waterfall grew louder and louder until all you could hear was the furious water. When the rock walls of the canyon finally turned to reveal the falls, we were so close we could feel the water spray.
For the daring, the path leads to a multi-story steel grate staircase down to the base of the falls. It was disorienting to be able to see through the staircase to the stairs and ground below, but it was also really neat. After the fifth landing, it felt like we were next to an exploding wall of white water. The Grate Beyond 
Don't look! That's me freaking out and loving every minute of it. Yikes!
After a few photographs of Angela climbing back up the staircase, I followed her up and we continued to explore the park. Another path takes you up and above the falls. This path was all dirt and rock, until you reach the top. At that point my fear of heights alarm started going off big time. You see, the path led to another stretch of metal grate bridging the narrow canyon above the falls. It was at least 100 feet or more down and you could see straight past the metal grate to the raging waterfall below. After a few words of encouragement to myself, I walked across the grate, and then stopped half way. 
Evidently I can't even focus on my feet when I'm freaking out.
Now I know you’re not supposed to look down, but on some level I knew I was safe and had to freak myself out, just for fun. A quick glance down and wow! You can really see all the way down. I broke out my trusty Nikon and snapped a poorly focused shot of my feet, the see-through grate, and certain death below. Then I scurried across to the other side where Angela was looking at me with her, “What’s the big deal?” look. That was fun. The Dark Tunnel  After my brave and death defying bridge walk, I was more than prepared to enter the dark tunnel and head towards the light. That was a good thing as immediately after the bridge was a dark tunnel with a bright light on the other side. Where did this tunnel go? Who knows. Go towards the light...  On the other side of the rock tunnel was the four mile perimeter trail that goes completely around the town of Ouray. Angela had heard about it when we visited Ouray’s Visitor’s Center and knew the path would lead us back to town. As we walked down the path, we could see all of Ouray in the distance. After the dark tunnel and the light, Ouray is heaven! If I Had a Million Dollar Highway
Take a long hard look at the photograph on the left. Talk about terrifying. Wow!
The next morning we set out on the famous Million Dollar Highway towards Silverton. The question is, do they call it the Million Dollar Highway because of (a) what it cost to make a road through the mountains, (b) because of the amount of gold and silver in the rock carved to make the road, or (c) because you would pay anything to keep your vehicle on the road as you go around yet another hairpin curve, next to a cliff, with no guard rails? I pick C. Silverton Bison Burger
About an hour later we drove into Silverton and parked next to City Hall (look at the bottom left of the building). After exploring some of the stores and reading a few menus, we chose an old west themed restaurant called Handlebars. They were featuring a Bison Burger and sweet potato fries special and I can honestly say it was the best bison burger I’ve ever had. Of course it’s also the only bison burger I’ve ever had. On our way out of town, Angela insisted that I get my picture taken next to Grumpy’s Restaurant and Saloon. Yeah, I can get grumpy.
After leaving Silverton, we drove over a few more cold mountain passes to Durango. The scenery continued to be amazing and we pulled over numerous times to take pictures and enjoy the views. To cap our exciting day in southwestern Colorado, we camped at the Cortez WalMart. The next day we would leave the Rocky Mountains behind, enter Utah, and head to red rock country. Monument Valley, here we come. |
