Ouray to Montrose via Black Bear Pass & Imogene Pass
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From
Ouray we'll head south on US-550 to the Black Bear trailhead and head
west towards Telluride. Up-n-Over Black Bear we'll take a right turn
downtown Telluride and head up to Imogene Pass. Just as yesterday was
through a mining area today will be more of the same. LARGE mill
foundation with old tram cables spanning over the valleys to transport
distant mine material to the mill. From Telluride we'll connect back
with Ouray and make a drive up to Montrose for the night. |
| South on US-550 |
| One of the "jeep tours" |
| Panorama (Click for a larger size) |
| Panorama (Click for a larger size) |
| Panorama (Click for a larger size) |
| Looking down valley where we're heading |
| Still above timberline - but not for long. |
| Looking down at town. Airport landing strip visible at the left edge of the picture near the top. |
| Panorama (Click for a larger size) |
| Cables...
One cable still hanging across the valley and another laying on the
ground at the left. I think the cables were part of an aerial tram to
transport ore from mines to the left of this picture to the mill that
was over the ridge at the right of this picture - the mill we'll visit
on the Imogene Pass trail. |
| Right
about where the people are walking is the first be-at-attention section
of trail. To the right - a wall - no going there. To the left a few
foot drop into the stream just before it becomes a waterfall. Ahead -
not much in view - a lot of mountain view as the trail makes an
70degree right turn at the waterfall. |
| More cables |
| Stream
with waterfall to the left. A bit of a wall to the right. This is the
view over the hood. Just keep close to the wall and all will be well. |
| The trail isn't technically difficult - it just gets your attention. No photos, interestingly, through that 100 foot stretch... |
| At
the first switchback. There will be several. Even with the jeep's
somewhat tight turning radius it's a multi-point turn. This means the
front tires drive out to near the edge of the trail before stopping and
backing up. Somewhat common is to see passengers getting out and
deciding to "walk the switchbacks" |
| I wonder what it's like to drive through the stream during the spring melt - just before it waterfalls another level. |
| Yep - another level. |
| (Click for a larger size) |
| The Smuggler-Union (mine) Hydro-Electric Powerhouse. Also called the Telluride Powerhouse. |
| Down near timbeline - getting lower... switchback after switchback. |
| Out for a nice walk - away from the edge. |
| How close to the edge does one drive? Close = fewer back-n-forths. Life's a balance. |
| Tired of the pix yet? |
| Almost down to town. Switchbacks partially visible as horizontal cuts in the trees to the left of the waterfall. |
| Heading
into town - though, partially up that mountainside is the Imogene Pass
trail. We'll be traveling from left to right in this picture looking
down into the valley. |
| No pictures of Telluride - no interest. Starting out on the Imogene Pass trail. |
| A nice view of the first waterfall and the multiple switchbacks. |
| Ski runs |
| Straight lines in nature aren't natural - center left and far right - trail. |
| Going up at a decent rate. All of the mules that had to haul cargo up to the mill... |
| Easy trail. |
| In the valley - top right from the waterfall - is the old mill site. |
| The size of the mill must have been impressive. This probably was a good photo spot for it. |
| Graded land, footings, and assorted bits of the building strewn about. |
| Panorama (Click for a larger size) |
| If
you notice the "straight line in nature" - look above the silver jeep.
We'll take that trail from the low point on the right to the high point
to the left and that will be Imogene Pass. |
| The cement had to be hauled up... |
| And all of the metal bits. How many wagon trips did it take? |
| Count all of the individual pieces of lumber bolted together for one large item. |
| Almost to the top... |
| Panorama (Click for a larger size) |
| Panorama (Click for a larger size) |
| A
tracked dozer clearing snow - before the new fall snows come in - to
clear way to a mine. How long did it take for the tracked dozer to
drive up here for the task? |
| On the other side of Imogene Pass - more mine activity. |
| Panorama (Click for a larger size) |
| Follow the trail up a few turns - see the two jeeps sitting on the mountain? |
| Taking a shot into a mine. `wonder how extensive the network is? |
| Down to Ouray (Click for a larger size) |
