Aug 25: Grand Jct, CO, to Durango

A challenging drive coming up! I pick up my car, a Toyota Camry, and head out on Route 50 to Montrose, then R-550 down to Ouray, with 101.9 FM Moose Legends on the radio... country legends from the 70's 80's & 90's. It's a pleasant change to be able to see sweeping western vistas from the highway and not be hemmed in by roadside foliage and forests as is common back east.

Well, if I thought Grand Junction was at elevation, I've got things to learn. At Montrose, I divert onto R-550 and head into the mountains. Ouray [YOU-ray], elev. 7,792 ft and nicknamed the 'Switzerland of America' manifests at the end of a valley along the Uncompahgre River [say "un-come-PAH-gray". It's a Ute Indian word]. I stop for coffee and a thing about the size of a vol-au-vent but filled with a chorizo filling. Ouray is charming... reminiscent of Arrowtown in New Zealand, but much larger.

Leaving town you're instantly, and with no warning, on the Million Dollar Highway which will take me through Silverton and all the way to Durango. If you're a New Zealander, it's the Crown Range (including the zig-zags), the Kawarau Gorge, Nevis Bluff, and Devil's Staircase all rolled into one and about 100 times longer. And it's at elevation. I drive across Red Mountain Pass (11,018 ft), Molas Pass (10,900 ft), and Coal Bank Pass (10,640 ft). The name for the highway is uncertain, but people will say it includes the figurative value of the San Juan Mountain views, the per-mile cost of building the road in the 1920s, or that the construction fill dirt was rich in gold ore, worth a fortune. I'm happy with the views, even though I'm driving. Truckers need something called a Mountain Pass to drive this sinuous but beautifully-paved highway.

I drop down a valley beside Mineral Creek and arrive in Silverton. Just to tempt and tease me, I spot an engine in steam on the turning wye, but I know I'll be back here in two days' time on that train, so I continue back up into the mountains and on to Durango. At one point, I round a curve and find myself in a queue to wait for an hour for roadworks to be completed, and the road to open. Taking a walk as we wait, I feel that faint nausea feeling again and a degree of breathlessness just from walking uphill along the road. I expect I'll acclimatise.

I arrive in Durango during a thunderstorm and am relieved to get to my hotel, a short walk from the train station. But tomorrow is a 'down day' and I've got laundry and blogs to do, as well as have a look at the town.Lue lisää