Idaho Springs to Silverton

Going west from Idaho Springs, I-70 climbs to the Eisenhower (and Johnson, a former CO governor and senator) tunnels. The two tunnels are about 1.7 miles long at an average elevation of 11,112 ft. and take you under Loveland Pass, which tops out at 11,992 ft. The tunnels make a good resonator for Tuzi's airhorns, too. As you travel through the Rockies on major highways you can't help but be amazed at the abilities of the explorers, fur-trappers, and miners who first penetrated these mountains, squeezed through the canyons, scaled the passes, survived and thrived. The road-builders are pretty impressive, too.

We stopped for lunch in Frisco, then continued west, over Vail Pass, then through Vail. The lodges, homes, and condos run for miles. Then, just past Vail, no more trees. Kind of a jolt after our previous few days. (Incidentally, bark beetles are really thinning out the CO forests, as they did not long ago in NM. The Winter Park area is particularly hard hit.)

This is new country for me. From Vail Pass it's 150 miles of gentle downhill all the way to Grand Junction. You could put it in neutral and coast. I-70 parallels the CO River, which last we saw at Grand Lake, for much of this distance, most spectacularly in the Glenwood Canyon. Much of I-70 is elevated here, as you see in cities. Here's a website pic.

We spent the night at the GJ KOA, then headed south Thursday morning toward Silverton, 120 miles away. At Montrose we took a side trip to see the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. That gave us some practice in driving Tuzi up a narrow, steep road, which we would soon put to use. We disconnected the PT and took the scenic drive along the canyon's south rim.

This is an impressive canyon, narrow, steep and deep, as the following pictures show. Maximum depth is nearly 2800 ft.

Here's a website picture:

These aren't

We had lunch in Montrose, then headed south, over the Red Mountain Pass between Ouray and Silverton, via the Million Dollar Highway. This road is carved into the side of steep mountain slopes, as seen in the following internet picture.

This picture doesn't do the road justice. There are no guard rails because there are no shoulders in which to plant them. And there are probably no good pictures because there's no place to stop and take them. You hug the yellow center-line and try not to glance at the waiting chasm just beyond the outside white line. There was also repaving going on that required us to squeeze up against the side of the mountain for a sizable distance. Anyhow, Tuzi did well, going up the mountain at an acceptable (slow) speed and engine-braking safely down the other side. I did clip a couple of cones that had been set up a bit too far into my lane, but no harm, no foul.

Here's a website picture of Red Mountain.

Got to Silverton in mid-afternoon, got parked and fed, found Dick Reinert who has been here all week, with his son, Scott, who will be playing in the Brass Band concerts. We'll be here three nights.

Gentlemen, start your horns.

Cheers,

Rob and Susie