“USA 🇺🇸 ~Colorado Telluride, Ouray and Rico in the Rocky and San Juan Mountains”

• August 11, 2022
• By Pen
• 2 Comments

Having Motorhome Fever, and with a break in the monsoon weather, we were more than ready for an adventure!
We were up early, and heading out for a full day of driving, some easy hiking, and fun exploring. We had such a memorable and beautiful day, driving from Montrose, through Rico, on to Telluride in the Rocky Mountains, and just 40 miles away, to Ouray, in the San Juan Mountains.

I’m pretty late getting this blog posted, because a local tech guy had my computer, helping me back-up 58,800 pics and videos (mostly pics) from our world travels. It’s been very slow going, even for the tech guy. Without my computer, I was unable to process my photos! 

While many states are in severe drought conditions, we are experiencing much rain, here in southwestern Colorado. No flooding, so we are grateful, but the temperatures are still summer hot.

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Colorado has some additional, beautiful lakes we want to visit, as well, but taking photos of lake water requires sunshine, otherwise the water in the photos looks gray. To be more specific, we call it “Vietnam gray,” as a joke; remembering our two month we traveled in that country with too much rain, and very little sun; making our photos, primarily gray.

Anywho…I digress! On with the photos, from our beautiful sunny day! ⬇️

Telluride ⬇️

Because of its significant role in the history of the American West, Telluride was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1964. Colorful Victorian-era homes, clapboard storefronts and historic buildings are now a mix of boutiques, art galleries, gourmet restaurants and Telluride’s luxury hotels.
As a former Victorian mining town in the Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Telluride is set in a Box Canyon, amid forested peaks at the base of a popular ski-and-golf resort.
The town’s historic district houses landmarks, include the Sheridan Opera House; a performing-arts venue originally built in 1913, and the Telluride Historical Museum, which showcases local history in a converted hospital, built in 1896.
Once called the “City of Lights,” Telluride was the first city in the world to have electric streetlight. The Bridal Veil Hydroelectric Power Plant was the second AC generating power plant to be built, after the Ames facility.

The old mine ⬆️
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While in Telluride, there is a way to drive to the base of Bridal Veil Falls, but we took one look at that one-way road, straight up the mountain, and decided to save the wear and tear on “Rusty” and be happy with the falls, from a distance. There is also a hiking option: The 2.0-mile out-and-back is considered a moderately challenging route, is at about a 1600 feet in elevation incline, and takes an average of 1.5 hour to complete.

⬆️ Depending on the time of year, the name behind the falls derive from the water falling in a way, it looks like a woman in a wedding dress and veil.

Telluride is a place of legends, nestled at the end of a lush canyon, and surrounded by some of Colorado’s most rugged peaks. Nowhere else in the country, or perhaps the world, does such a place exist.
To some, this area is known for incredible alpine skiing. To others, summers are full of cultural events and endless outdoor activities. By everyone, it encompasses full-on authentic mountain character, unpretentious attitude, and celebration of four seasons of adventure in the most beautiful spot of the Rocky Mountain high country.

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⬆️ This was a place near Galloping Goose trail head, in the mountains, passed the ski resort, above Telluride
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Mountain Village 

is a ski resort, located in Mountain Village, Colorado, near  the Town of Telluride.
The Telluride Ski Resort is a year-round destination.
Though we drove into the mountains, way beyond the ski resort entrance, in hopes of spotting wildlife, Colorado Village is worth a drive through. There is even a gondola to take, if such a ride inspires you.

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The canyon-clinging stretch of the spectacular roadway between Silverton, Durango and Ouray is called “The Million Dollar Highway;” either because it cost so much to build, the amount of gold ore that remains in the roadway’s fill, or the figurative price for those amazing San Juan Mountain views ⬇️

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Ouray

I read that Ouray is called the “Switzerland of America.”
Regardless of whether that description matches yours, it is a beautiful mountain town, surrounded by rugged canyons, and the unparalleled beauty of the San Juan Mountains.
Also located in Southwestern Colorado, Ouray is famous for its hot springs, outdoor activities, and its historic charming downtown.

⬆️ The historic Ouray Hot Springs 
These geothermal pools have been utilized for hundreds of years, including by the Ute Native American tribe. These springs are nestled into a valley, surrounded by 13,000 foot snow-capped peaks. Rain, snow, or shine, the Ouray Hot Springs are open year-round, for public use.
The Ouray Hot Springs Pool and Fitness Center houses five pools, three of which are geothermally heated. The water contains a vast number of minerals, including, iron, manganese, zinc, fluoride, and potassium, among many others.
The pools are all odorless. This is because our water does not contain any sulfur. Temperatures range from 75 to 104 degrees, which total to 750,000 gallons. Geothermal water is sourced from the ground near the Ouray Box Canyon Waterfall, at 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, there is an aquafer in Fellin Park, adjacent to the Ouray Hot Springs, which supplies us with water that is 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Our cold water pools are supplied with domestic water, which is procured from a local source known as Weehawken Spring.

Ouray’s Box Canyon ⬇️

⬆️ If you look close, you can see the letters “Box Canyon”
Looking down over Ouray ⬆️

The falls were great. It was a short walk on the main trail, to get to them. There is a metal walkway and plenty of stairs, which takes you up to, within a few feet of the falls. It’s easy enough for the entire family. The waterfall sound is so intense in this canyon, one can “feel” it, as well as see it!
Do watch your head as you wind your way along, when you get close, because part of the cliffs protrudes out above the metal walkway.
There is a small charge of $5 pp to go up to see them, but it is well worth it.

There is another part of the Box Canyon that can be accessed for free. We did both trails and we absolutely recommend, both.
This free one, is a straight up incline, but not for that far; but just far enough to offer more great views. Also seen here, is the water piping system, which takes the natural hot springs, into town, to the community pool center.
We parked our vehicle and saw the only large wildlife sighting, of all day. We did see plenty of smaller critters, like squirrels and chipmunks ⬆️
That’s  “Rusty” our vehicle, down below, where we began this hike

There is the big guy ⬆️

⬆️ I spy with my little eye a…….

Rock climbers ⬆️⬇️

** Incidentally, there is an almost identical box canyon and falls near Pagosa Springs, where we will visit, when we move to Durango, next month, because Pagosa Springs is really awesome, too!  It was like dejavu for me, to be in Ouray’s Box Canyon, so I gotta show Mr Terrific.

By end of day, after we had a Mexican Food dinner in Ouray. The clouds were back in force, as another storm was brewing. So, we headed for home base.
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⬇️ Enjoy the Scenic beauty as we saw it, driving from Montrose, through another old town called Rico, on our way to Telluride and Ouray

Rico ⬇️
Settled in 1879, as a silver mining town, Rico is a quaint community tucked away in Southwest Colorado, and is situated 27 miles south of Telluride, on CO-145. The town motto is “A Slice of Paradise.”
Rico is an incorporated town and Home Rule Municipality with a population of 265 residents in 2010. The name of the town comes from the Spanish word for “rich.”
The downtown section still features many historic buildings; including a bar and grill that is  open, year round.

More Scenery ⬇️

⬆️ The trail this boulder left, as it rolled down the mountain two years ago, is still there today. Many of the locals that day, felt it, before the saw it; as it measured 2.8 on the Richter scale out of Mesa Verde.
When the boulder fell onto Colorado Highway 145, just  outside the town of Dolores, it also shook up tourism a little bit when they decided to build the road around the fallen boulder, instead of blowing it up.
As a result, Delores has a big, huge; eight million pound rock, to call attention to their tourism!

This where the giant rock used to live ⬆️

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