Desert Rose JK
Member
Well, I'm still in SW Colorado finishing up my construction project and really looking forward to enjoying another great summer here four wheeling and not fighting the heat back in Arizona... My wife got the notice on Friday that Engineer Pass was just opened after plowing all the snow and that there was some tall snow drifts. Well we couldn't pass on the chance to see that even thou we have been over the pass before, this sounded neat and headed out for a day of exploring the great San Juan's of SW Colorado. We first stopped in Ouray and had breakfast at the Bachelor-Syracuse mine and also took the mine tour.
They take you on a walk about 1500 feet into the mine and tell you about the mining process.
We then headed out toward Silverton but made a detour near the Red Mountain Pass on a bypass at Ironton to explore the standing old buildings.
And some great scenery around the area.
Then on up to some of the old mines in the area with great views of the area.
Then the next one was the famous Yankee Girl mine that was one of the richest silver producers in the area where they hit a natural column of silver ore so pure that it didn't have to go to the mill and went straight to the smelting room for melting into ingots.
After lunch in Silverton, we headed up the road to Animas Fork and the start of Engineer Pass.
We saw some of the local wildlife in a bunch of the Marmots running across the road ahead of us.
And this male grouse that was strutting his stuff for a hen sitting in the bushes next to him beside the road and they didn't react to us driving by...
Well we went on up the pass road and being last afternoon and it just opened, we had the road to ourselves.
So we did find the tall snow drift and it was neat to look at the amount of snow next to you. We then head down the other side and into Lake City and back to the house in Montrose.
We had a great day out exploring the back roads even thou none of it was 'rough' four wheeling !
More to come as the summer goes on....
They take you on a walk about 1500 feet into the mine and tell you about the mining process.
We then headed out toward Silverton but made a detour near the Red Mountain Pass on a bypass at Ironton to explore the standing old buildings.
And some great scenery around the area.
Then on up to some of the old mines in the area with great views of the area.
Then the next one was the famous Yankee Girl mine that was one of the richest silver producers in the area where they hit a natural column of silver ore so pure that it didn't have to go to the mill and went straight to the smelting room for melting into ingots.
After lunch in Silverton, we headed up the road to Animas Fork and the start of Engineer Pass.
We saw some of the local wildlife in a bunch of the Marmots running across the road ahead of us.
And this male grouse that was strutting his stuff for a hen sitting in the bushes next to him beside the road and they didn't react to us driving by...
Well we went on up the pass road and being last afternoon and it just opened, we had the road to ourselves.
So we did find the tall snow drift and it was neat to look at the amount of snow next to you. We then head down the other side and into Lake City and back to the house in Montrose.
We had a great day out exploring the back roads even thou none of it was 'rough' four wheeling !
More to come as the summer goes on....
