I just got back from a week in southwest Colorado. Saw alot of fall color and did quite a few rugged back roads in the Element.

After a day and a half drive up I set up camp near the town of Ridgway which is on the San Juan Skyway that runs a loop through SW Colorado. I got there to find some color and mostly rock mountains. All that changed fast as the temps dropped and the rain started falling on Sat the 22nd. It rained all day on the 23rd too and that may have been rain at 7,000' but it was snow above 11,000' so we got nice white frosty peaks to look at.

The colors were slow for this week. I have been here in the past when this was peaking during this week, but this year it was peaking on Red Mountain pass and behind around Ridgway.

I spent a rainy Sunday checking out several of the Forest Service roads and some of the vistas I know to be good. The roads were really mucky the E was a champ like always. She looked like a two tone after the day but made it up some really muddy hills with ease. Never could even tell if the 4WD kicked in.

Had two days of severe clear and the roads dried out fast. I managed to explore several areas and found the aspen in various states of yellow or yellowing-green.

Drove around to Telluride one day and the color was great over there. Came back to Ridgway over Last Dollar Road. It is listed as a 2Wd drive rad but they mean 2WD pickup or better and not car. The E did great. Had to bounce over a couple talus fields, through mud and was often on a trenched one lane road. It is pretty easy at either end but the mountain in the middle was a little more demanding. A great road for views and your E.

Did a little movie fanboy stuff and photographed several locations used in the classic John Wayne movie True Grit which was filmed in the area. There is a cafe in Ridgway called the True Grit that has great food, Duke memorabilia, and a wall has a mural seen in the movie. Found a couple other locations including the one where the big final gunfight takes place. Where Robert Duval calls out "that's bold talk for a one eyed fat man" and the fight was on. Neat location that is right near the top of Owl Creek Pass if you are looking.

Saw the narrow guage train come into Silverton but did not ride it.

After a week of camping in the cold I made the two day trip home. As I was driving through a thunderstorm in New Mexico I was playing Wagner's Ring Cycle highlights on CD when I looked down to see 30,000 roll on the odometer. Driving in a T-storm, listening to the Ride of the Valkyries, and rolling 30,000.........ahhh bliss. :-)

I had just put a new set of Michelin LTX M/S in stock size on the E as the OEM Goodyears had just reached the wearbar at 28,000 miles. The tires worked great and I saw the same types of highway mileage as I saw with the GY (25-26 hwy).

And if you are every in that area and looking for good eats the True Grit in Ridgway is a must, the Handlebar in Silverton is really good, and Dell's in Tucumcari is fantastic.

A few images to start. Here is the E on some back roads and then the view along US 550. This is one slow moving highway with a big drop at the edge of the pavement.

Here are some of the muddy road/trails. I was leading the Jeep and a couple other SUV's as you can see.

The drive up the mud is worth it for the views. The area around Ridgway and Ouray is called America's Switzerland. As you can see, it sure is amazing.

A few more images. My camera set up near Owl Creek Pass. The E at night, can make out a few star trails. The third pic is the meadow near the top of Owl Creek Pass used in True Grit. You can still see John Wayne charging across the meadow.

Finally another image from the Red Mountain Pass area in peak color.

Here are some images from the Last Dollar Road drive. Pics may be woth a thousand words but they cannot begin to do justice to the view from here. See one of the talus flieds you have to cross and the view back down the ridge from about half way up (one of the few flat spots) this steep section. Last image is going down on the Dallas Divide side.

This road is easy on either end but a bit more of a challange in the middle.

More views of the mountains in the area. Big views here. Really put the big camera to use and did at least 2,000 digital images too.

Last one is on the way home, when I caught sunrise at the Caddilac Ranch near Amarillo.

We visited this area in 2004 about this time of the year. Coming from Moab we hit Teluride during a 'blues and brews' festival, so didn't spend any time there. We found a rustic camp site above town at Alta Lakes, and spent a stormy night there. Since it continued to rain the next day, I opted to stick with the paved roads, looping around to Ridgeway, Ouray and Silverton.

Your pictures almost make me wish we'd stayed a few more days in the area. I had been planning on driving roads in the Animas Forks area. Instead we headed on to Cortez and across south Utah.

In Ouray I learned that our rain came from remnants of a tropical storm that hit Baja.

paulj

http://www.pbase.com/paulj3/s_colorado

550 (Million Dollar Hwy) in the rain

http://www.pbase.com/paulj3/image/47180929.jpg

Jedi - to say your pics are fantastic does not do them justice. Thank you so much for posting them. Interesting to hear how the E performed,too. :)

Paul -- pretty cool pic you posted, too.

Thanks sooo much for sharing those pics. They are amazingly beautiful.

I've tried taking my E up some dirt logging roads only to smell the tranny at the top. You had no problems it appears.

Great pics! Now you're making me want to take an impromptu weekend trip. Although I do have a long weekend this coming weekend....hmmmm.....

WOW.........super nice pictures
I can't wait to take my trip to CO next year

And PaulJ yours are incredible too.........nice albums on the pBase site

Been a few years since I've been to that area...it never ceases to amaze. We used to do annual mtb trips to Durango/Telluride/Cortez/Moab. Camped one year near telluride on Ophir pass, spectacular views. We went several days down to Ouray for a dip in the hot springs...quite refreshing for sore biking legs. The highway climb out from Ouray towards Silverton is a little like the Alps...the slide sheds make you stop & think how untamed that area still is!

There's a great easy mtb ride to do out of Telluride w/some great views. It's an abandoned narrow gauge line so the grades are easy. IIRC it's called the Blue Goose trail after the old rail line.

Thanks everyone, glad you liked.

Yes, the San Juans are very untamed still and other than Durango (crowded) and Telluride (priced past mere mortals) are still rather remote and not overly heavily visited. Great dives, hikes, climbs, etc. If you have the means to get there, I saw go sometime.

BTW-One of the County Roads drives right through Ralph Lauren's ranch. Let's just say Ralph has a very nice spread.

Paul- I liked your images from 2004. I was there then too and think I experienced some of that same weather. Colors were much farther along then than this year. Still any day in Colorado beats a day at the office.

Beautiful pics as always, Jedi.

We don't have autumn here in Hampton Roads. Our leaves die and fall to the ground. Period. That's why I want to go camping as much as possible in the next few months, obviously west of here. :rolleyes:

A few more of the sights and the fall color. Some of the mining buildings in the area. Also the view from Molas Lake. I have climbed the peaks in the clouds in the past, but not this trip.

Your pics would make good wallpapers on my comps:D
Makes me want to drive there just to see in person. Curious what camera you were using and any special settings you had to capture the color, those are great pictures

jedi... I'd die to have your eye(s).

Thanks again.

Your pics would make good wallpapers on my comps:D
Makes me want to drive there just to see in person. Curious what camera you were using and any special settings you had to capture the color, those are great pictures

Glad you like. In some of the pics you see my 4x5, that is my real camera. However, all the images posted here were with my new Canon Rebel XTi. Makes it alot easier to post on the web and gives nice quality.

For Canon users with "Picture Styles" I would suggest the "landscape" setting as that seems to give a little punch to your colors much like Velvia would in the film world.

Of course, going to a scenic location makes great pictures easy ;-)

I am officially jealous! What do you say everyone.... lets all drive to CO!!

jen