Nestled into the mountains, on scenic highway 550, lies the pretty town of Ouray. I learned that it is pronounced ‘Ooh-ray. We caught our first and only sighting of a majestic elk, standing prominently in from of the historic Elks lodge. Brew pubs appear to be popular throughout Colorado, but since we arrived at lunchtime and had miles to drive and a canyon to visit, we forwent the pleasure and had deli sandwiches and soft drinks.
I learned that because of the heavy snowfall and the extended period of rain this summer, wildflowers lingered into August in the valley of Crested Butte, Colorado.
Between Durango and Silverton are a scenic highway and scenic railway. We saw mountains with traces of snow in August, waterfalls, lakes of melted snow, fishermen, kayakers, motorcyclists, ski resorts, and off-road vehicles. Silverton’s elevation is 9,318 feet, one of the highest towns in America. According to a full-time resident Silterton had over 100 inches of snow and as many avalanches last winter. Only a few hundred people remain all year. We met a group of motorcyclists from the Netherlands, who rented Harleys in Denver and were enjoying the dry and sunny weather. Once a wild silver-mining town, it now appears to be a family-oriented destination. A jewelry store features Astorite, from a nearby mine formerly owned by John Jacob Astor. The gem’s rose color comes from rhodochrosite.
The sand of the ancient lakebed was exposed when the mountains were thrust up by a tectonic plate shift. The sand blew up into dunes against the The Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range in South-Central Colorado. The Medano Creek bed usually dries out by August, but because of the enormous snowfall last winter, the creek still flows albeit a few inches deep. The summer temperature of the sand can exceed 150 degrees, so we walked in the creek bed, cooled by the ice melt. Some of the dunes are 750 feet high and range for 30 square miles. The grazing land of the San Luis Valley bumps up against the dunes that are nestled into the mountains, providing a great variety of ecosystems. Their beauty inspired many photos. If you look closely, you will see people climbing the dunes.
At the Valley of the Gods in Colorado Springs, rock climbers get permits to climb the rocks. Many people watched from below, amazed by the climbers’ skill and courage. The following sequence shows the ascent. I hope they returned to the ground safely!
Rock climber sets an anchor into the rock and attaches a carabiner to receive the rope
A long way from the ground
The trail of anchors, carabiners, and rope trail down to the ground
Closeup of inserting the anchor and carabiner
Rock climber finds new hand and foot holds
Above thr tree tops the rock climber has reached his goal
The next climber makes her way to the top
She is almost there!
The rock climbers express their elation at reaching this high perch
Garden of the Gods is a 480-acre park bequeathed to the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1909 by the children of Charles Elliot Perkins, former head of the Burlington Railroad. Perkins and his family “never built on it, preferring to leave his wonderland in its natural state for the enjoyment of the public,” per the park’s website. Sedimentary rocks of various types and colors were lifted up about 70 million years ago and the softer sediment is eroding to reveal harder rock. The geology of the area is described in depth at http://coloradospringsgeology.blogspot.com/2007/08/destination-one-garden-of-gods-colorado.html?m=1.
The dramatic forms, colors and textures of rock against sky and trees fill me with wonderment.
