What a wonderful view we have out the front window of the coach...

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...and a waterfall on the mountain behind us!

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As we were heading to town to the visitors center, we recognized some people in camp that we had met 10-years ago when we were here in Ouray. We joined them at the campfire and found that they still went out jeeping every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and we were welcome to join them as we had when we were here years ago.

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Went into Montrose today and found they were having a farmers market. Several new to us veggies for sale - I had never tasted salad turnips before - like a radish without the sharp taste. We also saw some round zucchini which were interesting.

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I have told many people about the fried biscuits the Texans made and in our honor, Sonny treated us to them when we joined them at the campfire tonight. They were every bit as good as I remembered!

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Yankee Boy Basin jeep run was our destination for today. Our first encounter with an old mill was in the ghost town of Sneffels. Founded in 1875, this mining town peaked at a population of 2,000 between 1880 to early 1890. This mine employed over 600 men and produced gold and silver worth one billion before it was closed. This is the remains of the Atlas Stamp Mill.

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According to local lore, Twin Falls was used in at least one Coors commercial.

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As we continued, the trail narrowed and we got to drive on a shelf-like road right under this overhang.

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Yankee Girl was one of the great silver and gold producers within the Red Mountain Mining District. Unlike most mines in the San Juans, this was a vertical shaft mine with a hoist house that housed equipment used to lower miners and raise ore.

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Finishing our run, we found ourselves fairly close to Silverton so off we went to find a great place for lunch. Handlebar Saloon seemed to fit the bill so in we went.

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Today is Wednesday so the Texans are leading what we know will be a fun trip. We headed back up the Million Dollar Highway, a rush by itself to get to the beginning of our journey. Just as we started out, we saw this snow bridge with a creek running under it.

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Animas Forks' first log cabin was built in 1873 and by 1876 the community had become a bustling mining community. At that time the town contained 30 cabins, a hotel, a general store, a saloon, and a post office. By 1883 450 people lived in Animas Forks and in 1882 a newspaper, the Animas Forks Pioneer, began publication and lasted until October 1886. Every fall the residents of Animas Forks migrated en masse to the warmer town of Silverton. In 1884 a 23-day blizzard inundated the town with 25 feet (7.6 m) of snow, the residents had to dig tunnels to get from building to building. Mining, speculation and processing mills helped Animas Forks grow. This is one of the ghost towns that you are allowed to walk through the buildings and check out the wallpaper and floor covering from days gone by.

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Continuing along the Alpine Loop, we began climbing higher and encountering more snow. When we were close to California Pass, which is at 12,930 feet, the snow banks were higher than the jeep and narrow. We encountered an oncoming jeep, pulled in our mirrors, and hugged the snow banks so we could pass one another. What an experience!

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Continuing to Hurricane Pass (12,407 feet) we came upon Lake Como which was still pretty frozen over but beginning to break up. I sure didn't do much walking around at this altitude!

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Red Mountain is a set of three peaks in the San Juan Mountains. The mountains get their name from the reddish iron ore rocks that cover the surface.

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Our destination today was the Ophir Trail. It began as a narrow shelf road and climbed up to the pass which is at 11,789 feet. It was a pretty simple road to travel until we began our descent through the switchbacks which were narrow, covered with loose shale and quite steep!

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Our run today on Last Dollar turned out to be gentle and scenic. We began by going through an area with lots of beaver dams and lodges.

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We must have been at the peak of wild flower season. As we drove Last Dollar we were treated to this field of yellow arnicas with the mountains in the background.

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Driving further through areas of old and newer ranches, we encountered a couple of marmots playing on the boulders.

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If lupines are a sign of spring here as they are in California, then it is really spring here! What a delight to see not only blue lupines but white as well.

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It was like a wonderland as we drove through this aspen forest and heard the leaves sounding like water as they moved in the breeze. Not a technical run today but certainly a beautiful one!

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The trail ended near the town of Telluride so we decided to take the gondola from Mountain Village to...

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...Telluride.

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The Fourth of July is a big deal here in Ouray. Love the small town parades. We had to get there early to get a place on the shady side but it was worth it. There were fire trucks old and new, and jeeps all decorated in red, white and blue. Lots of water was being sprayed even from the fire trucks! Carrie Nation was on one float and a 92-year old tuba player with an oompa band on another. Fun time!

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Since today was our last full day in Ouray, we decided to do one more run. It was to be a short one, first switch-backing through the forest, then riding a shelf road to reach an altitude of 11,308 where we came upon this beautiful waterfall.

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As we continued driving through the upland meadow there were wild flowers of every color. We also were treated to the antics of a couple of marmots and even saw a deer!

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The mountain vistas on our return trip had us ooo'ing and ahhh'ing.

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Back at camp, our friends invited us to join them for some homemade ice cream. What a wonderful way to end our stay here in Ouray.

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