Starting in Ouray, Colorado ( I took 239 photos, but you will only see a few of them, around 14) In the beginning Telluride was called To Hell You Ride, from this pass you can see why.
The way is narrow and steep
With a few four-wheeled drive vehicles, nothing like the Telluride side.
For some reason the flys were thick
This part of the road is pure rock
That is an old Miner’s house
We are headed to the top of Imogene at this point
Almost there! I always feel like I can truly say I am in the middle of the Rocky Mountains when I get here. Nothing but peaks and peaks of other mountains.
Looking down on Red Mountain. The major highway from Ouray to Durango goes through these mountains. Million Dollar Highway, Red Mountain, Molas, and Coalbank, all big passes and beautiful and dangerous in the winter.
The TOP! Elevation 13,114 feet
Starting down into Telluride
Down is always worse than up. No I do NOT do any of the driving!!!
We started to meet lots of people on this road. See the ski slope way over there?
I’ll post about the Tom Boy Mine next time. We are almost down at this point.
Life on a Colorado Farm 
I am now very dizzy!
NO WAY would I ever go on that
road trip!
Yikes, I can even smell the
“HOT” brakes.
Give me Terra Firma = gently rolling land!
The Scenery was breathtaking, in more ways
than one! 🙂
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Lovely pictures and I’m really glad it was you not me. Scary.
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That scenery is spectacular. And the plants blooming would have held up the procession. I would have been yelling to stop and making the driver crazy.
You are so lucky to go on a great trip like that. We’re all brown and dry in CA. 😦
Beau-tee-ful pictures.
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Oh my goodness, what amazing pictures. We have nothing like that in Maine. What a great adventure! Looking forward to more photos.
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Four wheelers are certainly the way to see that country. And it is gorgeous! That has to have been a super blast and freakin scary at the same time. I love the Colorado Rockies. I have been to Durango and seen the Narrow Guage Train but no time to take the trip up….some day. Thanks for the tour! Looking forward to more.
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Like Michelle and Liz – no way would I be on that mountain track. Maybe on a very sure footed horse but not in the safest of 4WDs.
Magnificent scenery but I think I’d be too busy watching for rock slides!
I’m sure it’s a lot safer in those corn fields???
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We used to go four wheeling when we had a Jeep. Our son totaled that Jeep within a couple of months of getting his driver’s license, way back when… we never did replace the old Jeep. But, now that the kids are out of the house, we’re thinking it is time to go four wheeling again. Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos. Wow, it really looks steep on the drop off… I’m not sure I could drive on that one. We went over one of those passes from Montrose to Durango several years ago and I got very dizzy and sick (I’m terrified of heights!)
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Ohh how I love the views from Imogene pass. The ride up was a little treacherous. One of your picture is of a point where Blinda got out and walked until I finished spinning over the little rock outcropping causing the jeep to slide toward the edge. The trails in Ouray are phenomenal, and so much fun. But personally, I love the ride down into Telluride, mainly for the vistas.
Thanks so much for posting such beautiful pictures.
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INSANITY !!!!!!
I absolutely could NOT do that drive without being petrified. I’ve got the heebie jeebies just looking at this photos.
I did drive down into Aspen once, from the north, I think, that road was bad enough!
Just glad you are alive and able to speak. LOL
~Faith
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Beautiful! but maybe a little scary, eh? Gorgeous Rocky mountains. Nothing like them.
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Amazing photos! Colorado is to pretty! My daughter is going to live in Colorado Springs when she is out of the Air Force, her husband in there, she leaves for Iraq for 6 mo on Sept 2nd.
I look forward to visiting her in Co. and seeing more of that beautiful state.
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There’s a reason I live on the eastern plains of Colorado. I don’t do heights. Sure do like looking at your pictures tho. When my brother was at Western State, we used to go camping in places like that, he drove.
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WOW! That looks like fun!!! I love that part of Colorado and always look forward to getting runs through Colorado on I-70, even in Winter..:-)
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Incredible scenery, the views are so lovely. That must have been a very exciting trip, I love doing drives like that except for the coming down.
Thanks for a great post.
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Is this really a road you can drive on ? My heart is bouncing from seeing these pictures, can’t imagine what it’s like to actually be there. I think I would leave the car and go on foot most of the time. Scaring but sooo very beautiful, thank you for sharing this !
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After having a second look at the magnificent scenery, I noted that the Imogene Pass is 13,114 feet above sea level. Well for your US viewers, the highest mountain in Australia is Mount Kosciuszko, named by a Polish explorer after a Polish hero. Kosciuszko is 7,310 feet or 2,228 metres above sea level – so Linda, you and your fellow travellers were up almost twice the height of the highest mountain in Australia! This area is where the Australian ski fields are. So come on “Down Under” – you won’t get dizzy from heights!
Cheers
Colin
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I’ve driven the highway there twice. The first time, the town was practically a ghost town, the second time it was revitalized. We even stayed in Ouray way back when. It was a cute little town back in the late 60’s.
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Beautiful,beautiful,beautiful…thankyou for the most amazing photo’s.
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Wow, that is just so beautiful!!! What a neat trip! I really hope to get to colorado one day!
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There used to be a sign before you started up Black Bear Pass – “You don’t have to be crazy to drive this road, but it helps”. Is that sign still there? I haven’t been on those “roads” for years, but sure do remember them. Your pictures sure make me want to go there again. Thanks for sharing!
Jan (San Luis Valley)
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Greetings! I just found my way here via Red Pine Mountain and your guest interview there. Wow,… that was an amazing ride. I don’t like heights and i got the chills with some of those shots. Nice to meet you and I will be back again!
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I’d have done that ride in a New York minute. I miss Colorado and wish many times that we had stayed there. I miss those magnificent mountains among other things.
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What on Earth were you thinking (o: We have started up that before and I just couldn’t take it. Our truck is just to big….If we had a little willies Jeep or something maybe. What were you driving?
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Oh these are GORGEOUS photos! We have a Jeep!! Can we come? We LOVE to 4wheel! Wow. I wish you’d post every photo you took. lol This is fabulous!!!! I’ve never seen it.
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absolutely beautiful!
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Thanks for the beautiful pictures!!! We are always talking about taking a trip home, but not telling anyone and actually going on vacation. 🙂 Don’t know how all the relatives would feel about that one 😉 but maybe someday. Ouray/surrounding areas would be first on my list!
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Just love the photos, can’t blame you for taking a lot! The roads and steep climb remind me of Lucy’s Long, Long, Trailer movie! Have a wonderful time. blessings,Kathleen
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In a word WOW.. I remember running up Mt Whitney in calif and elevation was similar at the top… You kiss the sign and thank the heavenly Father you made it 🙂
Looks like some of that would be so awesome to journey with my equine partner Gazi… GREAT shots
blessings
gp
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That is just fantastic beautiful! Can’t even begin to imagine it in real life. I hope to get out there someday. You make it very, very tempting.
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It really is beautiful, but I would be so scared, did you really drive that in a truck and not a four wheeler? You get my vote for brave….I would love to see it, but I dont know if I could…
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That is so much fun thanks for sharing, I think my heart would have been in my stomach the whole way down the other side. It looks like you could just reach out and touch the clouds.
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It’s so beautiful there. Truly God’s country. I just hope it stays wild and beautiful and doesn’t become one big subdivision. My heart is always in Colorado.
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Stunning scenery! I could never drive it..cause my eyes would be closed too much! Amazing photos..you did great..thanks for taking us along..I really enjoyed it! 🙂
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LOL, I told my husband as he walked in: there is the road I will never forget- I never need to go on it ever again to remember it.
You have guts!
I thought you might be interested in reading the latest blog post from Miles Away Farm- on selling produce at farmers’ markets here in Durango (not sure if this all applies to other Colorado towns but I’d sure like to hear your take on things from where you are, and your thoughts on what you sell).
It’s not terribly encouraging, but does say something about the tenaciousness of some women farmers… http://milesawayfarm.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/gratitude/
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I was married in Ouray in 1979. the marriage didn’t last but my memories of Ouray and the San Juans will live as long as I do.
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Waaaaay back in the mid 60’s my family lived in Silverton (I was about 7 or 8 years old at the time). Your second to last picture above reminded me of the time we had to take a jeep trail very much like this. Mom was nervous for oncoming traffic around the blind corners so she had me SIT ON THE HOOD of the jeep so I could see ahead around the corners for her! I remember it as being very . . . exhilarating, to say the least!
I have a bucket list that I wanted to do this summer but too many bills right now so maybe next summer. I want to ride my motorcycle from Durango, to Ouray, around to Telluride and loop back to Durango.
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