It was Tuesday September 30th at the Warm Springs
Inn in Ouray, Colorado. Following
breakfast I asked the inn keeper if she had any suggestions for some early
morning photography before we checked out and drove over Dallas Divide to
Telluride. Looking out the window at the
fresh snow in the high peaks she said, “One of our employees said Red Mountain
Pass was amazing – but you better hurry.”
Since LuJean and I wanted to be back prior to our 11:00 a.m.
check-out we did hurry, but I wasn’t sure why she thought we needed to
rush. After a long stop at Crystal Lake
to catch the colors and reflections, I told LuJean, “Let’s just drive to the
top of the pass and then work our way back.”
The further we went the better the colors got. As we neared 11,000 foot Red Mountain Pass we
shifted into four-wheel drive just to be safe as we started to hit snow, not
only on the hillsides but on the road.
Above the Idarado Mining complex I spotted a perfect spot for a
panorama, but it was on a narrow section of road at a hairpin turn. After re-driving the area we parked the Jeep
in the snow on a wide turnout, and then I walked down the road which was still
icy in the shaded areas. Fortunately
there was very little traffic so I didn’t get run-over. When, I got to my overlook clouds were
creating troublesome shadows. My
objective was to catch the iconic head frame building of the Yankee Girl Mine in
the sunlight, but it wasn’t happening so I took a series of photos anyway. Then, as I was about to give-up and head back
to the Jeep, suddenly sunlight highlighted the Yankee Girl. It was an amazing scene and resulted in some
of the best images I have ever captured in the San Juan’s.
 |
| Remains of the Idarado Mine property and the Yankee Girl Mine from near Red Mountain Pass |
Later, as we drove back down the Million Dollar Highway
toward Ouray, we made several stops to marvel at the intense colors. We also noticed that the snow was
disappearing quickly, thus our inn keeper’s advice. At one point, an old song came on the SeriusXM
by Al Stewart called “Year of the Cat.”
I guess I hadn’t heard that song for decades and it suddenly brought
back a flood of memories from adventures in the 70’s An amazing Colorado morning.
Reference our new gallery at: Outings>Jeep Trips>2014
Here is a copy & paste link to "Year of the Cat"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqZc7ZQURMs
