2011 Ouray, CO - Day 4 Yankee Boy Basin

Day 4 turned out to be our first true adventure day in Ouray.  Our original plan we put together the trip was to climb Mt Sneffles, a 14er to the west of the Ouray area.  After doing some additional research on the Sneffles trail and climb we decided that it would be too technical for our novice Oklahoma hiking skills.  The Yankee Boy Basin at the base of the Mt Sneffles trail was supposed to be really beautiful and we still wanted to get a chance to see it so we decided to take a day trip and drive to it.

We headed out fairly early in the morning and was immediately presented with what a Colorado county road was.  Non-paved, possibly rocky in areas, and more then likely a steep drop off throughout the drive.  Wow was not expecting that at all!  Heath had inquired at the campground if his truck could make it to the Yankee Boy Basin and they said he would have no problem since it was 4 wheel drive and higher off the ground.  So trusting their expertise we forged ahead on the road.  I do have to admit that in taking these smaller roads you see a much grander scale of the beauty of Colorado. Since the surroundings are virtually untouched there are several waterfalls and streams, abandoned mining towns, wildlife, and wild flowers to enjoy during the drive.  I have to admit at the end, the first 3/4 of the trip to the basin was not that bad.  I later would discover that we were on a fairly "wide road" that was also fairly smooth.
At this point we got to a set of waterfalls called the "Twin Falls" at the lower end of the Yankee Boy Basin.  These were gorgeous waterfalls that fell several times in a small valley area, surrounded by wildflowers and the mountains.  We got out and explored the area, climbing up and down and taking pictures.  I was definitely beginning to see why people loved Colorado so much - everything was beautiful.
We saw that the road continued on from the point we were at.  Since none of us had been here we weren't sure if we had actually made it to Yankee Boy yet, if this road continued to it, if we could even take it.  As we sat and pondered for a while we saw several vehicles pass us and head up the road (one very unsuccessfully).  There was a tour group by us so Heath asked if we could make it up the road, he said he was pretty sure (comforting huh!) and so we decided to head on.  While this road was much rockier and had several water crossings, it was all flat in the valley without drop offs - something I liked much more.  There was a Y in the road at one point and we chose to go one direction (remember this for later).  When we made it to the end of the road we were in the top portion of the Yankee Boy Basin.  Several mountains came together in a valley at this area and it reminded us of the opening scene in the "Sound of Music".  For several hours we took pictures, walked around, hiked a small ways on the main trail, and ate lunch.  It was so secluded with only a few people passing during the time. 
After lunch we packed up and headed back down the road.  For adventure purposes we decided to try the other portion of the Y on the road.  Bad idea - this had a much steeper decline back to the bottom area with deeper water crossings.  At one point we got stuck on the edge of a rock just past a stream crossing backing up traffic for about 5 minutes as we maneuvered our way out of the mess.  At this point I decided I had enough of the front seat and seeing the road so I switched with Sandy and took up the back seat.  Later I would post on facebook "I saw God today - Between the beauty of the mountains and the terror of driving on the road barely wide enough for the truck"  Oh if I only knew what was coming up the rest of the week!
The remainder of the trip back to camp was uneventful.  I discovered I saw a lot more of the landscape from the backseat as I was not concerned about the road in front of me.  I did however see the drop off the side a little better though!  Once we got back to the main highway we decided to drive south to Silverton and go shopping and explore the town.  Silverton is a Victorian mining town so all of the building were more of a Victorian style look.  Unfortunately Silverton didn't appear to put as much work into upkeep of the town.  It was much more run down then Ouray - reminded me a little of a wild west town by the look.  We started by going to a restaurant and bar called "Handlebars" (like the mustache) for some french onion soup that was recommended to us by a friend.  The bar had a ton of character and the soup was very good.  After that we walked through the stores, bought a few shirts and other items, got some ice cream and headed back to Ouray.
After the excitement of the day we kicked back and relaxed at the campground that evening and ordered food from the cafe and enjoyed the campground area.  

2011 Ouray, CO - Additional Photos

If you would like to see more photos of our trip - follow this link and check them out.  There are lots, but hey we were there for 8 days!!!

2011 Ouray, CO vacation pictures

2011 Ouray, CO - Day 3 Shopping Ouray

Our morning started walking up to cool temperatures and mountain air.  The cabin was a cozy little place to sleep but we definitely weren't use to the cool temps.  After stumbling in the dark to find sleeping bags in the middle of the night to warm our feet (as well as throwing things a Heath so he would stop snoring and a quick visit to the camp restrooms) we went back to sleep and woke up "refreshed" - or atleast with the knowledge we were on vacation and there was not a work week looming over us.  We started the day out right with a full breakfast from the KOA campground cafe - Heath and Sandy had pancakes, bacon, eggs - normal breakfast food; and I had yogurt and granola (yes I know - you are supposed to eat real food on vacation, my body needed something simple after all the fast food!)

Our first full day in Ouray.  What better then to spend it shopping!? (none of us could really qualify as hard core shoppers so the fact that we spent the morning browsing shops seems only a little odd.)  Like most tourist minded towns there were tons of little souvenir shops as well as collectibles, book store, and other various products - including a "gourmet" kitchen store.  We wandered around for a few hours looking at possibilities for gifts, shirts, and other various must haves (like ghost chili hot sauce...).  Like all shopping trips, at some point you need food to sustain the extreme effort.  We started a little backwards with huge scoops of ice cream from the ice cream parlor and then in our sugar induced coma we wisely sought out bread at the german restaurant in the form of a giant pretzel.

After more then enough shopping for all of us we decided to go to a couple of the waterfalls located within the town.  The first was the Lower Cascade Falls (the upper portion will come to haunt us later in the week).  This was a beautiful waterfall that can be seen from the north end of the shopping district and was a simple walk to get to.  After waiting for some annoying OSU Cowboy fans (and why did they feel the need to crash our party?) to finish their very long turn at the waterfall we went over and felt the cold water and snapped a few pictures.  Not knowing what was to come later in the week I was in awe with the beauty of the fall and how cool it looked cascading over the rocks above.



Next we moved onto the Box Canyon Falls.  I had read a review online that this was a pay attraction but was well worth the cost. Taking the advice we paid our $4 and headed in.  Box Canyon is a very cool gem of a waterfall.  As you start the walk toward the fall all you hear is the trickle of the stream below, but as you move farther into the rock canyon the roar of the waterfall envelopes you.  You never get a clear glimpse of the fall, it is completely hidden within the canyon, but you can hear it and feel the spray.  We hiked up a 1/2 mile to a bridge that overlooked the fall (long way down!) and the stream that feed it - once again you never actual saw the fall.


After leaving Box Canyon, we headed a few miles south on the Million Dollar highway  to a small waterfall off the side of the road.  Later in the week we would see the stream feeding this waterfall, but for this time we only saw a water fall that appeared to spring out of the side of the road (and go a long way down!)  A few more pictures and we headed back to our campsite.

On the recommendation of a friend, we decided to visit a restaurant called Buen Tiempo.  Amazing mexican food.  Everything had a different flair then we were use to with our authentic mexican and tex-mex we have in Oklahoma.  I tried tamales, Sandy had carne asada tacos, and Heath had a mammoth burrito.  We also shared taquitos and sopapillas.  We trudged home stuffed and ready for a good night sleep.  I throughly enjoyed my first full day in Colorado and all the beauty I had seen so far.

2011 Ouray, CO - Day 1 & 2 Travel Days

My first real trip to Colorado.  I've been twice before.  Both times to see OU football games, one on a bus to the Air Force game in Colorado Springs and one by plane to Boulder for the Colorado game.  Neither of these really count in my mind as trips to Colorado because I didn't really see what it had to offer.  It did lay a good foundation for my love of Colorado however - I had thoughts of picking up and moving there after graduation, but I found a job in OKC so I stayed.  I have been wanting to take a trip to Colorado for years and finally got something organized - I spent the whole summer excited about finally seeing the true Colorado.
We left on a Friday afternoon after work and after a stressful couple of weeks of work I could not wait to get away from the world.  I wasn't sure where we were going (okay I knew we were going to Colorado, but the route we were taking) so the whole trip was going to be an adventure - after Amarillo it would be an entirely new world to me.
If you have never driven through western Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle I will spare you the pain - it is boring.  The best view is from the massive Texas rest stop that overlooks a canyon area - I thought that was beautiful, no views like that in Oklahoma.  Besides that there is a giant cross and a leaning water tower and lots of windmills.    After Amarillo we turned NW and headed towards New Mexico - not much different then the rest of the trip so far but we did see a thunderstorm - first one in months!  8 hours later we pulled into Raton, NM - and at 9pm Raton has rolled up its streets! (a surprise from a group that comes from a college town where everything is open till midnight or later!).  We finally settled on Arbys and headed off to bed.

Day 2 we slept in a little and had breakfast at a nice little diner cafe next to the hotel.  Heath had eaten breakfast here for years on all his trips to Colorado so it was tradition. After our first bear encounter  Pancakes, biscuits and gravy, eggs and more filled us up and we prepared for the remainder of the 8 hour trip.  17 miles into the day we entered Colorado.  After stopping for our picture with the welcome sign we continued our journey.  We immediately turned onto a scenic byway which took us by some cool rock formations, lakes, and small vacation towns.  First thing I thought was "this is so beautiful!" The mountains were covered in evergreens and there was something great about not being able to see for miles.  Unfortunately the mountains faded away as we headed into the desert regions of Colorado (ummmmm never knew that!).  I sat back with my Nook for a few hours and read waiting for more of these majestic mountains.
The next set of mountains did not disappoint.  Our next set of mountains started with the Continental Divide which is the spot where all the water on the east side runs to the Mississippi River and all the water on the west side runs to the Pacific Ocean.  More surprise for me, never thought of this since in my world all the water runs to the Mississippi.  We continued through the mountains, stopping at scenic turnouts, watching mountain waterfalls and streams, and being generally awed by the beauty.
After a quick stop at Walmart in Durango to stock up on camp ground supplies and McDonalds for some french fries we headed out on the last leg of our journey.  The trip to Silverton and onto Ouray was the most eye opening on the whole day (in several ways).  To start with I have rarely been out of Oklahoma and when I do leave I tend to stay on flat terrain - so the idea of skirting along the side of a mountain with no shoulder is completely foreign.  I was sitting in the front seat and just sure we were going off the side at some point.  Outside of that, I was just amazed at the beauty of the mountains.  We stopped at one of the passes between Durango and Silverton and the colors of the wild flowers was amazing.  on the road the streams and waterfalls took my breath away.  Then there was the Million Dollar Highway which just looked like it was jutting out from the side of a mountain.

Finally we came down the side of a mountain into the valley where Ouray was settled.  A cute little picturesque town known as the "Switzerland of America".

We drove through the town to the north side where our KOA campground was located.  We checked in and settled into our cute little cabin we would call home for the next week.  The view was amazing and the air was cool and clean.

Wonderings on my Wanderings

Well this is more of a blog to look back at trips I take - I've got a couple of really good ones coming up over the next year and I suck at keeping a diary during the trip, so maybe if I come back and create a blog then I will have something I can look back on and share with others. So hopefully you enjoy my thoughts and my travels!