Red Mountain Pass and the Yurt

Tuesday August 2, 2016

Got an early start – breakfast was fruit and chocolate croissants.   The plan was to drive north to Silverton, Ouray and camp overnight in Ridgeway.  The drive to Silverton left us speechless – the panoramic scenery was indescribable.  Taking pictures to show people what we were seeing would be like holding up a piece of cardboard at arm’s length with a hole in it the size of a postage stamp and trying to tell people about a football game.  All 360⁰ was breath taking – I would say wow as we rounded every hairpin turn and June Yvonne would tell me to stop looking and watch the road.

We saw several mountain lakes and I finally had to drive into one and do some fishing.  There were probably 10 to 12 people fishing with lures and bait but everyone was fishing not catching – I only came across two people who caught fish and they said they were very small.  I too was fishing and not catching but I did get the sheer enjoyment of fishing in such a pristine place.  We finally packed it in a got back on the freeway again.  Of course I wanted to stop at every lake we came across to fish but didn’t have the time.

We arrived in Silverton and the road wasn’t nearly as bad as what I had been told.  We looked around for a while and decided to have lunch at the Brown Bear but it was closed.  We walked a little further down the street and decided to eat at Thee Pitts BBQ.  Thee Pitts BBQ restaurant in Glendale had been on the Diners, Drive-ins and Dives show with Guy Fieri.  It was packed so we placed our order and waited for a table to open up.  We finally got a table for six.  While waiting for our order to arrive a family of four asked if they could use the table also – we said of course.  The parents had two kids – one was a boy about 7 or 8 and he started kicking up a fuss with his parent because he wanted to sit beside the cowboy.

Well that was me and he didn’t want just sit by me he wanted to practically sit in my lap.  The two of us had a great time during lunch and he wanted my email address so we could stay in touch.  He also wanted my email address so his mother put her address on my phone.  By the end of lunch we were taking pictures of each other and laughing.

Turns out the family is from Canada and are currently living in Toronto where the father, George, is a pediatric surgeon.  Even more interesting was that he was born in Ottawa Ontario at the Grace Hospital while I was born at the Civic Hospital just two blocks away.  The mother was born in Albuquerque New Mexico.

After lunch we headed north over Red Mountain Pass at 11,020 feet elevation.  The road from Silverton to Ouray was the road they were telling me was scary – and it was very narrow with a cliff straight up on one side and a cliff straight down on the other.  You looked out your window and saw the tops of the trees on the downhill side.  There were many tight hairpin turns.  We just drove slow and when there was a pull-out we would pull over and let all the cars behind us drive by.

We finally made it to Ridgeway and had a great pizza for dinner.  After dinner we drove to the CC Blue ranch where we had booked our overnight stay in a fully furnished Yurt.  It’s like a giant traditional Mongolian tent.  It was great but the scenery from the Yurt was spectacular as you can see in the photos.  The interior of the yurt was very nice however we had no running water and no electricity.  To do your business you had to walk about 30 yards to a composting toilet.  We both got up about 2:30 am and had to go potty so off we went with our flashlight.

When we walked outside the yurt June Yvonne could not believe how many stars you could see in the black night sky.  The light inside the outhouse was solar powered and stayed on all night long but you did need a flashlight to get there.  When we arrived back at the yurt it was not cold so we sat in the chairs on the porch and looked at the millions of stars in the dark night sky.  We could clearly see the Milky Way.  June Yvonne went back to sleep but I sat outside for about 45 minutes just watching the sky.   PRC

Today we took a day trip without our trailer. We headed up to Ridgeway with a stop in Silverton. Silverton is a touristy western town. We stopped for lunch at a bbq place. A French Canadian family sat with us as the place was crowded. The young son said he “wanted to sit by the cowboy.” I’m not sure how he decided that Peter was a cowboy, but they become fast friends. (See pic of Peter and Gabriel.) This interaction was the highlight of Silverton.

I ordered deep fried pickles.  It is something I’ve never had before and they were delicious.  There was a generous serving of them and Gabriel had a couple.

As we continued towards Ouray and Ridgeway and higher into the mountains, Peter could hardly contain himself it was so beautiful. The road was very curvy with lots of hairpin turns. (Glad we weren’t pulling the trailer.) Peter had to keep his eyes on the road constantly. However he did stop every 10 minutes or so take in the scenery and take photos. Then we started coming upon mountain rivers and lakes. He wanted to fish every body of water in the high mountains. We did stop at one lake where he did some fly fishing. Well, he did some casting anyway and I walked around the lake

We then continued to our final destination for the day – our yurt in the mountains of Ridgeway. We stopped for pizza first as dinner was not included with our accommodations.

There was no electricity or running water in the yurt. It was fully furnished with a comfy double bed – this was “glamping.”  The yurt included a large water cooler for brushing teeth, washing dishes, etc. Before we went to sleep we saw a gorgeous sunset where the mountains turned purple. Peter rigged up lighting for us with his flashlight so we could do some reading before bed.

As usual, I had to get up in the night to use the facilities.  It was pitch dark of course. I looked up and was overcome with the grandeur of the multitude of stars in the night sky. Peter had to stay up for a while and take the whole thing in as it was so magnificent. The night was cool, but not freezing.

A father and his young son were our neighbors in the teepee next door. What little boy wouldn’t want to sleep in a teepee?   JY

 

 

 

 

Wednesday August 3, 2016

We slept soundly and when I woke up June Yvonne was already dressed and sitting on the porch reading her book.

The sky was clear in the morning and the distant mountains were even more impressive.  The whole yurt experience was like medicine for my soul – I would like to have stayed another night or two.  But we had to move on to Telluride.  The drive was scenic to say the least.  Telluride is a nice typical tourist town.  We ate lunch and walked around the different tourist clothing, jewelry and art stores.  We rode the gondola up to Mountain Village which is where all the money people live.  In the grocery store in the village steak sells for $20 to $26 per pound.  Tom Cruise has a home there that he is selling for $59 million and Oprah recently purchased a piece of property – no home just the property – for $50 million.  Finally we rode the gondola down and departed.  It was a nice 2 and half hour drive back home to Bayfield.  We stopped and got groceries and went bed early.  It was nice hearing the rain on the roof.   PRC

We woke up to the sounds of birds, geese, chickens, goats. The farm where we stayed the night also had miniature donkeys and horses. I had made sandwiches to bring with us so we had a peaceful breakfast in a tranquil setting with the farm animals in the background.

Again, it was such a gorgeous setting. Our stay away from the city without all the creature comforts we are used to had a meditative quality to it. We left somewhat reluctantly and saw a deer casually jump a 6 foot fence on our way out.

We proceeded to our next destination, Telluride. If you are a skier you have probably been here. It’s a charming mountain town. We had a really good lunch in the Floradora Saloon. Peter had a hamburger of course and I had Pho-Ramen. I love Pho (Vietnamese soup).  I could eat Asian food every day and soup of every kind.

After walking around town we took the free gondola to Mountainside Village which I had never heard of before. If you think Telluride is upscale, Mountainside beats it. It’s a lovely self-contained village reeking of money. Some of the residents include Oprah and Tom Cruise. We heard Tom Cruise was selling his place for $59 million…

We walked around the village and checked out the farmer’s market that afternoon. Of course I like to admire the fresh fruit and lovely jewelry but what most caught my attention was the book sale sponsored by the local library. I purchased four books including one our Book Club is reading – Our Souls at Night which I recommend.

A friendly, young attractive woman rode the gondola with us back down to Telluride. She worked for a private airline company as a flight attendant and had flown in with her clients in a Gulfstream jet.

It turned out she lived outside of Chicago in the community of Geneva. This is where Dan (our son) was for several days. He was there to spend time with his dad’s family as his grandfather was dying. It was good that he was there with his abuelo and the family when his grandfather took his last breath. Joe was a kind, generous, adventurous and good man with a big heart. Our thoughts and prayers have been with the family during this sad and difficult time.

Speaking of family, our eldest granddaughter Maya (age 21) is on her way to the Philippines with her girlfriend and family. They are going to feed the villagers in the mother’s birthplace. However, their  flight had been delayed in Waikiki for a couple of days, all expenses paid. After some time on the beach they will continue their trip to the Philippines.  JY