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Photo of the Day: Colorado National Monument
Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction, CO
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Where the Sun Don’t Shine
Cleaved by the Gunnison River over the course of two million years, the Black Canyon in Western Colorado is so deep and narrow that some areas rarely see sunlight. So forbidding are its chasm walls that no people ever occupied the gorge. Even today, access to the river and lower sections of the canyon are reserved for skilled watermen and climbers. Being neither, we happily kept to the miles of hiking trails along Canyon’s rim.
Because That’s Where The Money Is
It is said that at the height of the gold rush there were more millionaires in Telluride, Colorado, than there were in Manhattan. And while most of those fortunes were made mining, lifting ore out of the ground wasn’t the only way to strike it rich. Butch Cassidy also started a productive career here. His first job lightened Telluride’s San Juan Bank of $24,580 during a brazen 1889 robbery. The sum, worth about $600,000 in today’s dollars, was never recovered.
Over 100 years later, millionaires still flock to Telluride. No longer drawn by the prospects of making a fortune, they come to spend one. A more upscale version of its neighboring mountain towns Ouray and Silverton, Telluride is so used to celebrity guests that we witnessed a casual Kelly Ripa walking the sidewalks completely unmolested and largely unnoticed by citizens apparently familiar with seeing such sights.
Getting There Is Only Half The Fun
The saying “getting there is half the fun” seems tailor made for Silverton, Colorado. However you choose to get here, be prepared for an incredible travel experience. Approaching from the south, you can reach Silverton’s 9,318 mountain elevation on one of the world’s greatest train journeys. Or from the north, take one of the world’s most exhilarating drives along the Million Dollar Highway, as we did from Ouray.
But getting to Silverton really is only half the fun. Exploring this old mining town’s boisterous past is the other half. Old west style architecture still dominates the city’s often dirt roads and tells the tale of a town once divided.
The “Switzerland of America”
From street level the majestic San Juan Mountains tower above Ouray, Colorado, in nearly every direction you look. It is no wonder the small town has taken to calling itself the “Switzerland of America.” We’ve yet to visit that European country, so we can’t comment on the similarities. What we can attest to, though, is the awesome natural beauty found everywhere in this corner of Southwestern Colorado.
We arrived in Ouray via the San Juan Skyway; a 233 mile scenic loop connecting several historic towns, including our last stop, Durango. Not wanting to drive the motor home over the mountain passes of the Million Dollar Highway, we took the Skyway’s longer western route, and are glad we did.
Everywhere Once 