Gunnison, CO to Ouray, CO

SOUTHWESTERN USA
RS ROAD TRIP




August 21, 2017 (Day 14)

Gunnison, CO to Ouray, CO 
Miles Today: 105 / Total Trip Miles: 2,369

Today's Route

(Click on map to enlarge)

Today's destination, Ouray, Colorado, is located in the high and rugged San Juan Mountain range (highest summit is over 14,000 feet) within the Rocky Mountains. Ouray (elevation of 7,800 feet) was settled in the 1870s by gold and silver miners. It has been called the Switzerland of America.


PHOTOS
(Click on Photo for a Larger Image

Abandoned Motel 
Location: Cimarron, Colorado along U.S. Highway 50 at an elevation of 6,900 feet.
{Photo on flickr}

Rocky Mountain Valley & San Juan Mountains

Location: south of Montrose along U.S. Highway 550.

{Photo on flickr}

Main Street - Ouray

Ouray sits amidst the high and rugged San Juan Mountains. All of Main Street is a National Historic District, with most of the buildings dating back to the late nineteenth century.

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Tomorrow
Tomorrow, we drive southwest to revisit Mesa Verde National Park for a second time on this trip. The route follows two-lane U.S. 550 through the San Juan Mountains. U.S. 550 is one of only two north-south U.S. Highways in Colorado running west of the Continental Divide. There are seventy avalanche paths that intersect Highway 550 in the twenty-three miles between Ouray and Silverton, Colorado. This stretch of road is called the Million Dollar Highway. The twelve mile section south of Ouray through the Uncompahgre Gorge to the summit of Red Mountain Pass is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails. The ascent of Red Mountain Pass features hairpin curves and narrow traffic lanes cut into the mountainside. At an elevation of 11,000 feet, Red Mountain Pass is one of the highest paved passes in Colorado. The origin of the name Million Dollar Highway is uncertain. There are several explanations, including (1) it cost a million dollars a mile to build in the 1920s, and (2) its fill dirt contains a million dollars in gold ore. 

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Copyright
These photographs are the property of Leon Jackson, and are protected by copyright laws. Photographs may not to be downloaded or reproduced in any way without the written permission of Leon Jackson. © 2017 Leon Jackson. All Rights Reserved.

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