Wednesday, April 7, 2010.

We are as deep into the Rocky Mountains as you can get! Today we are going to Silverton, Ouray and Telluride. The cell phones do not work too well here.
At 6307- 6539- 6947 elevations the mountains are in the clouds. The sun is shining brightly; but wherever it's shady, the road is icy. We saw horses, cows, lhamas and 3 small deer on the side of the road grazing. The icicles were hanging off of the red rock.
7706 elevation- town of Ouray, Colorado- a historic town with unique cafes and stores- ie- Billy Goat's Gruff Bistro.
9022 elevation- the Alpine Loop and frozen waterfalls. The icicles are 5 feet long! The roads are covered in snow.
9526 elevation- 25 degrees outside, the speed limit is 20 mph up along the switchbacks, but on the high plateau it's 50 mph.
9767 elevation- Red Mountain Summit is closed.
10,000 elevation is 21 degrees. An avalanche area at 10,495 elevation. The road has evaporation steam on it from the sun shining so brightly. There are signs for Open Range which we don't understand because they're not posted where there is open land. At places we see these little shacks of dark brown wood which actually cover a mining shaft. You can see the water sluices.
9318 elevation- Silverton is a Victorian mining town with a Brown Bear Cafe, brewery that was incorporated in 1876. We ate at the Pickle Barrel, which opened in1976 as the Iron Mountain Cafe. They have 2 fireplaces and we chose a table right next to 1 of them. Really good lunch and desert was peanut butter pie. Yum!!! When we asked what there was to see here, they said everything is closed until the snow melts. The main thing is the scenery. When we took the train the day before Easter, it was supposed to go to this town; but couldn't because of the snow covering the tracks.
The mountains jut up at 60 degree angles, and we drove through 3 sets of 180 degree switchbacks in a row. In Ouray, Colorado, we stopped at the town's hot springs. It was soothing. They have 4 pools all heated naturally fromfissures in the earth. We went in the one that was 99 degrees. Daddy also went in the 106 degree one. We floated around this hot tub and looked up at the red mountains with snow on them. It's 31 degrees outside, but you don't even feel it. This was a very unusual experiencs. I spoke to a couple from Hungary that have been here 4 times now! There was a mountain sheep up on the mountain too. Andrea, there were water turtles in a heated pond there also. I took their pictures for you!
On the way to Telluride, Colorado, we saw a herd of about 30 bighorn sheep. They don't seem to be afraid of people. Daddy climbed up the little mountain to get pictures and one posed for him. They seem to have a short mane just behind their heads, which makes me think they're not sheep, but the locals oughta know. One sheep was just laying on a rock ledge sunbathing. The next town was Ridgeway- an old town with a True Grit Saloon. All of these towns are extremely crowded in the summer months, but in the winter most everything is closed. Just before the town of Telluride we saw a prarie dog sunbathing on a rock. It is really rather warm feeling outside. The thermometer may say 30s, but it feels like upper 50s because it's dry and very sunny. In the next field we saw a gray fox stalking something!
Telluride is your typical ski town only even more expensive. The landscape is gorgeous- you see the river on one side and the majestic mountains on the other. The snow is still abundant, but the slopes closed on April 4th. We saw some people with skis and snowboards, but don't know how they arrive up at the top of the mountains since the lifts are closed. They will reopen in May, when the snow is gone. To ski here costs $92. a person a day. All of this from some old mining town!
On the way back to the Cedar Creek RV Park we saw a hawk sitting in the top of a pine tree and about 20-30 deer grazing alongside the road several different places. At the Double Shoe Cattle Ranch there were really nice cattle and horses. Some of the horses had blankets on since the sun is setting.
Back in Montrose we ate at a Mexican restaurant that puts La Nolapolera to shame. It was delicious and all of the meat was done on a charcoal grill. We were to see the Pioneers and Miners Museum in Montrose tomorrow; but it doesn't open until May 1st. This seems to be the story in so many of these towns. But we are determined to come back here for a visit, maybe in the fall.
So tomorrow we will go to the Black Canyon.