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  3. TRAVEL: 2007 through 2011
  4. JULY AND AUGUST, 2011

TO OURAY

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Beautiful view and historic mining artifacts just north of Silverton.
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Beautiful view and historic mining artifacts just north of Silverton.

northsilverton

  • Beautiful view and historic mining artifacts just north of Silverton.
  • In the winter time, the stretch of highway between Silverton and Ouray is the most dangerous highway in the United States. Double hairpin curves, no guard rail, and areas where (unlike what is shown here) cliffs drop away after a very narrow shoulder all make it a drive deserving extra attention -- at any time of year. The reason for no guard rails, by the way, is to make it easier to plow the snow in the winter.
  • This is a panorama of 8 different photos. Unfortunately, this type of capture distorts things a bit. The creek does not really curve like this. From the time I started until I finished the panorama, I had turned at least 180 degrees. So, with a river running straight by, I started facing directly up stream and ended facing directly down stream. If you could curve your computer screen around your head you could see it more as it is on the mountain. On the other hand, the nice thing about panoramas like this is that they hold so much detail. If you are interested, hover your cursor over the photo and click "Original" on the pop-out menu. Give it some time to load and you will have the shot at full size (which will not fit on your screen: You will need to navigate using scroll bars to your right and at the bottom of your screen). Once you are finished, click on the picture to return to the Smug Mug screen.<br /> <br /> There are places in the bushes where the focus seems a little off on "original" size, because of how the panorama program stitches the shot together, but otherwise, the detail is pretty awesome.<br /> <br /> Notice Bev standing at your far right.
  • VIDEO: CLICK ON THE PHOTO AND ALLOW IT TO BUFFER A BIT
  • Spectacular Ouray. We ended up at a campground at the base of that red / purple cliff to your left.
  • I think Zac may have been tired of sitting in the car. Nice to stretch out on a rock in the sun.
  • Time to set up camp and enjoy some microbrew from Carver Brewing Company (of Durango). Interesting that their premium brews are not carbonated. They are NITROGENATED instead, which supposedly gives a creamier consistency. I'm not sure I could really tell a difference, but they do have excellent beer!<br /> <br /> The red cliff you saw two photos earlier is just beyond the KEEP OFF sign.<br /> <br /> This was our first night to use our brand new tent.
  • After dinner, we walked into town. I liked the name of the shop Bev and Zac are looking into here.
  • Untitled photo
  • We got into Ouray too late to see Box Canyon Falls, so we arose fairly early the next day to go to it. A true jewel in the Rockies.
  • The trail you saw Bri and Bev on in the previous shot ascends to a high foot bridge, from which you have this awesome view.
  • Here you see the bridge.
  • The bridge is an integral part of a trail system which entirely circles Ouray. To take the trail, one traverses the bridge and then continues through this tunnel.
  • From the bridge.
  • The vertical stripes you see were originally horizontal -- from sedimentation in an ancient sea. Then compressive forces buckled the striped formation and stood the lines upright. Now, see the horizontal stripes above the vertical ones? Those came from deposition in a later sea. The time period between the formation of the vertical stripes and beginning of the formation of the horizontal ones: about one billion years! This particular geologic feature is famous among geologists, who flock here from all over the world to study it.
  • Now it's time to descend down to river level.
  • Can you find Bev, Paul, and Bri?
  • You can't really capture Box Canyon Falls in photographs. Videos help.
  • The canyon walls are so close and tortuous (full of twists, turns, and bends) that photographs just don't capture it well.
  • Here you see part of the falls, but they are mostly hidden behind the rock.
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