THE LAND OF CHAPS AND TRUE GRIT…

Ranches and
Rugged Peaks

Ridgway, Colorado lies in the Uncompahgre Valley, surrounded by the rugged peaks of the Cimarron’s and San Juan Mountains. The town was originally founded as the headquarters for the Rio Grande Southern narrow gage railroad serving the areas rich gold and silver mines, ranches and farms.  In the 1960’s the town and surrounding landscapes served as locations for various western movies, including How TheWest Was Won and John Wayne’s True Grit.  Today, the railroad is gone, the mines are closed but ranches still dot the valley. The town is home to art galleries, studios, boutiques, restaurants and is designated a Certified Creative Arts District by the State of Colorado.  It’s like walking through a Ralph Lauren Catalogue, which is no surprise, since the designer’s 1,700 acre Double RL Ranch is just outside of town.

Ridgway St. Park

The Pa-Co-Chu-Puk (Ute for Cow Creek) Campground at Ridgway StatePark is our home this week.  Our full hook-up spot backs up to the Uncompahgre River below the Ridgway Reservoir Dam. 

Ouray - The Switzweland of
the Americas

Just south of Ridgway at the base of the San Juan Mountains is the town of Ouray (pronounced You-Ray.) Ouray is famous for year round spectacular scenery, shopping, dining and hot springs.  In the winter the frozen waterfalls in the Ouray Ice Park draw climbing enthusiasts. We go to the Ouray visitor center to get the 411 of the area.

The Ouray Historical Museum is housed in the original (1887) Ouray Miner’s Hospital.  Each of its 30 rooms hosts a different collection, including: mining, gems & minerals, the original hospital, ranching, railroad and Native Americans.

Phosphorescent Minerals

Nesting Black Swift

Box Canyon Falls

The City of Ouray Box Canyon Park is just above the city. It boasts a nature center, the Box Canyon Falls and three short trails. We start with the High Bridge Trail.  This takes us up to a footbridge at 8,100 feet above sea level that crosses the falls and connects to the Ouray perimeter trail.  The short climb rewards us with outstanding views of the mountains and surrounding forests above the town.  Unfortunately a large number of evergreens are victims of the Pine Bark Beetle.  The Falls Trail is mostly expanded metal walkways and stairs.  It winds along Canyon Creek all the way to the falls.  The thundering water cascades between and behind walls of stone it’s wet and loud, but that doesn’t discourage the rare Black Swift that summer’s here in the Rockies.  The final Nature Plant Loop winds along the creek, past the hot springs pipe that feeds the public hot pools in town and back to the visitor center.

Colorado's Forests are not
too healthy these days...

The San Juan Skyway Loop – considered one of the most scenic drives in the U.S. is an all day 232-mile loop starting in Ridgway and passing through Ouray, Silverton and down to Durango.  It loops back up through Cortez to Dolores and up to Telluride and back to Ridgway. What makes this loop so special is the spectacular variety of scenery.  Some places it’s a four-vomit-road that clings to the mountain without guardrails. It winds along rushing rivers fed by towering waterfalls, through forests and flowering alpine meadows past old mines, and ghost towns and over sagebrush mesas. A great sampling of what this area has to offer.  We’re now convinced to explore the area more… and of course we’ll have to stay around for the Palisade Peaches and Olathe Sweet Corn through the summer…