Cecil Talking – Up at 5, made fire. Cooked canned biscuits, turkey bacon, and coffee while Anne was on a run. She returned in time to eat. Laid the sorghum syrup to the biscuits. Mmmm! Boiled water and took a sponge bath in my swimming trunks before the sun rose. It was about 50 degrees. Had to get the smoke off before getting back on the road. If we were really tough we would have taken a dip in the lake.

Molas Pass
The high country road between Haviland and Silverton is absolutely amazing with it’s rugged, snowy peaks. We are at an elevation of 10,920 at Molas Pass Summit. Stared in awe at the bicyclists making their way up heights that our vehicle was struggling with. Before that we took a side road to Andrews Lake which was still halfway covered with ice.

Silverton
A historic mining city set in a valley at around 8,000 feet I would guess. Dusty streets with colorful A-frame buildings made the town very picturesque. Stopped to do laundry and take showers. Showers were going to be $10.00 a piece. I think our sponge bath from earlier will make due.
Silverton was old fashioned but its local atmosphere made it more appealing than the next town we went to, Ouray pronounced “u-ray”. Anne scoured the streets for a good coffee shop, and then purchased her first pocket knife. Felt like at any moment we’d run into a couple of grungy cowboys standing off, ready to duel to the death, like a scene out of a Louis L’ Amour book. We loved it.

Ouray
We dropped out of the mountains into this beautiful little town similar to how we entered Silverton, but Ouray had more tourists. Many more. Still beautiful, and as a singular destination would have been a great place to spend time in, but we had just been spoiled by the simplicity and independence of Silverton.

Ridgeway
After Ouray was Ridgeway. Much like Silverton. We stopped at the True Grit café where Anne ordered green pork chili and I had cream of spinach and chicken soup. Both were very good and we enjoyed looking at all the pictures of John Wayne. The cafe was obviously from his namesake and there’s more to come on that.

‍Anne Talking – Out of Ridgeway we headed towards Telluride, but instead of taking the main highway there was a dirt road called The Last Dollar Highway that was well worth the extra time and added dirt and dust on the vehicle. On this highway, True Grit, John Wayne’s infamous movie was filmed. Imagine the most idyllic snow capped mountains with serene grassy foothills, old-time fences and winding roads heading to beautifully secluded ranch homes tucked in beside rocky outcroppings. Altogether the scene made my eyes tear up at the remembrance that it wasn’t home and we would have to leave.

Last Dollar Highway Ranch
That’s where Cecil and I were today. At the top of every hill and around every turn the landscape kept changing and formed yet another unique picture of majestic splendor. When admiring God’s creation people often focus on the intricate symmetry of a flower or the unimaginable array of colors and order displayed on a bird or fish, but today I saw how God can put together the irregular flow of a hillside against the randomly placed peaks of mountains, beside wisps of clouds that altogether create a masterpiece.

Old Farm on Last Dollar Highway
This highway of inspiration eventually ended and we were back on the main road. We had been warned in Silverton that Telluride was strictly a tourist town, not as pretty as Silverton, and the buildings were built to make them look old. We went anyway for the experience.

Telluride
Telluride is a bustling town. Unfortunately we didn’t get the cowboy/western appeal of Silverton or Ridgeway, but who can complain about being surrounded by jagged mountains and outlets for every outdoor sport imaginable. 

Next destination was Cortez 60 miles away. Arrived at the KOA and stayed in one of their teepees, complete with a grass mat and two cots. Absolute luxury after camping the previous nights on the ground!

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