Thursday August 6, Ouray. CO

This mornings drive was really on the “road less travelled”. Initially it followed the Blue Misa Lake which was formed in the 1960’s after damming the Gunnison river, and it is part of the Colorado River system that not only provides flood control for many states, but also irrigation and power generation. We have passed by many of the lakes that have been created in this system, and these are now such wonderful recreation areas. We heard that the fishing in this lake is superb.

We left the main road and took a route that climbed up into the mountains to over 10,000 feet. Spectacular granite rock faces in the canyon, and further up some really interesting contours, we are just loving the many faces of Colorado.

After a few hours of driving we were back into civilisation, and arrived at the town of Hotchkiss. The County Fair was on, another true country fair with side shows, exhibition hall and animal exhibits.

Somehow after such a spectacular morning with little traffic, it was hard to adjust to the busier roads around Delta and Montrose. For the last 4 or 5 days, the afternoon weather has been so changeable with electrical storms in the distance and at times coming pretty close, and dumping localised rain. There was another this afternoon as we were driving, and the wind around the edges was really gusty, making driving a bit difficult.

The traffic thinned as we started climbing back into the mountains and Ridgway was worth a stop. These little towns that were mining towns years ago seem to have been reinvented as a destination for holidaymakers, and in this area 4 wheel driving seems to be the number one attraction. Rental Jeep Rubicons are everywhere. This town had a southwestern influence with a number of stores selling Mexican products.

Ouray is called the Switzerland of America, and the location is amazing, it is nestled in the bottom of a deep canyon. Another destination town with heaps of character. We were lucky enough to get the last campsite in a campground that was within close walking distance to town, and the high granite cliffs tower behind us and we look across at another range on the other side. We parked Ruakiwi, and set off to explore, the town which really is touris orientated. Found a pub and watched the world go by enjoying a beer.