Rocky Mountain High (Pt. 2)

We packed so much into our time in Colorado that it warrants a separate post! 

Colorado stops (Pt. 2): 

• Gunnison (briefly)
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
• Montrose (unplanned)
• Ouray
• Silverton
• Durango
• Mesa Verde National Park

While I was sad to leave Leadville (which was so lovely), I was looking forward to breathing a little easier at a slightly lower altitude (~8,000 ft). We stopped for lunch in Gunnison at the Ol' Miner Steakhouse, and had planned to spend the rest of the day and camp at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP - but the weather was already not looking good. On the drive into the park, the rain and fog got so bad that we abandoned the plan and decided to spend the night at a motel just past the park in Montrose, instead. Luckily, the weather was much more agreeable the next day, and we were able to take the scenic drive through Black Canyon, stopping at many of the scenic viewpoints along the way. The name says it all - it's a very steep, dark canyon (due to the lack of sunlight in many areas) that the Gunnison River cuts right through. This is a criminally underrated park that is sadly one of the least visited national parks in the country...but it's well worth checking out if you are in the area. 

Continuing along with unplanned stops, on my mom's recommendation (thanks, Mom!) we decided to look around Ouray ("The Switzerland of America"), and ended up finding a great deal at a lovely little mountain lodge (shout out Box Canyon Lodge & Hot Springs) situated next to natural hot springs! Ouray totally lives up to its nickname, and the scenery is absolutely stunning.  We had dinner at The Outlaw, the oldest restaurant in Ouray, and dessert (a "scrap cookie") at Mouse's Chocolates - both very yummy, then took a soak in the hot tubs at the hotel. It was a bit too 'natural' for my taste...but still relaxing, nonetheless. The next morning, we checked out some nearby waterfalls (Box Canyon Falls and Cascade Falls) and scenic viewpoints before letting Jesus take the wheel as we began our journey down the famously treacherous Million Dollar Highway...

The "Million Dollar Highway" between Ouray and Silverton is notorious for being one of the windiest and most harrowing mountain roads in America - primarily because many of the sheer drops are not protected by guardrails. We learned that this is because snowplows in the winter have to be able to push snow off the sides of the cliff...hence the lack of guardrails. It was drizzling for most of the first leg of the highway drive, which was a bit unsettling...but we took it slow and did just fine, but I was more to take a break from this stressful road as soon as we got to our next stop. 

I had visited Silverton once before as a kid when we took a family vacation to CO and rode the steam train from Durango, and Alex had ridden the winter version of the train to Cascade before, as well. While we didn't have time for the train on this trip (it basically takes all day), Silverton was well worth a return visit (although it also meant returning to pretty high altitude, too). We stopped by the train depot, and had lunch across the street at a historic bordello turned restaurant, Natalia's 1912. One of the most unexpectedly delightful stops on the whole trip was our tour of the Mayflower Gold Mill, which was a functioning mill for the nearby Old Hundred Gold Mine until the 90's. It's now open for tours, essentially exactly as it was when it closed - and you even get to demo some of the equipment! It's important to note that Alex's hat of choice for this trip was the red "God Bless Gram Parsons" hat we got in Nashville. For the uninitiated - Gram was the godfather of country-rock and what he called "Cosmic American Music," a member of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, performed as a duo with Emmylou Harris, and tragically overdosed at age 26 in Joshua Tree. We actually spent Alex's 40th at the Joshua Tree Inn, in the room where he passed...which surprisingly wasn't creepy - it's a really loving tribute to Gram now, and a very cute place to stay. Anyway, when we showed up at the mill for the self-guided tour, the clerk casually mentioned "y'know, I played with Gram back in the day." We talked to our new friend, Freddie, for close to an hour, hearing stories about his life as a session musician who played with tons of greats (John Prine, Neil Young, Muddy Waters, etc.) and as a horse stunt rider, his love of film, service in Vietnam, and finding his ultimate happiness in Silverton as a miner and rockhunter. He very kindly said we're "in the extended Silverton family now," and it was a totally delightful surprise for all parties. 

Our next stop, Durango, ended up being shorter than anticipated, due to a combination of factors...I messed up and booked a place to stay that was less than desirable (let's just say it included an outdoor port-a-potty...), and Mesa Verde (our next planned stop) ended up not having any tours available on the original day we wanted to go. So, while we only ended up being in Durango for one night, we luckily still had the opportunity to check out Honeyville market, which is absolutely incredible, and Ska Brewing, which is well-loved all over Central/Southern CO. 

Last but certainly not least for Colorado - Mesa Verde National Park! This is one of my very favorite stops, noted for its lush greenery and Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings. We had visited before, but it was well worth the return trip for both of us. The weather was a bit touch and go, but luckily we didn't get rained on too much throughout the day. Along with hitting the majority of the scenic viewpoints/exhibits of historic pit and cliff dwellings located throughout this incredible park, we had the opportunity to tour Cliff Palace (one of the largest dwellings). We stayed at the Lodge in the park for the night and had dinner at the Metate Room, which had stunning views. A major highlight of the trip, for sure!

Next up: Four Corners, Monument Valley, Las Vegas, Home!