July 15, 2013

Posted on by

This a photo of the Black Bear road into to Telluride–

Black-BearSince Telluride was in a box canyon all roads in and out of Telluride were (by necessity) very sharp and steep.  We traveled over Imogene Pass from Ouray to Telluride, but there are many more passes in an around this old, old mining area leading to other well-known (now days) tourist areas — Silverton, Ridgeway, Ophir, Telluride, Ouray, Lake City…I think you get the idea.

These roads (although now jeep roads) were the first roads into the gold and silver mining towns. They are startling beautiful and terrifying all at once.

The name Telluride derives from “tellurium,” a sulfur compound that is sometimes found around gold deposits or even in the gold itself . Experts differ on whether the Telluride area mines contain the compound. But, reportedly the name arose in 1887 after a large piece of telluride ore was found in the San Miguel River near the site.  You will still hear the tale that the name came from “to-hell-you-ride,” a phrase that described the difficulties traveling to the area.

The butterflies and bumble bees were many, here is one that I wasn’t sure of the name, maybe someone out there does

ButterflyTo answer a question about how the Quacking Aspen got it’s name (from our trip to Paonia) and good friend of mine (Rene Atchley) told me the following story:

The Aspen quake because the Indian Gods commanded all creation stand still in the Nature Gods presence.  Because the Aspen didn’t so the Indian God punished them by making them quake for life.

I liked this story so wanted to pass it on to you!

Set

Monday is here …. back to a very busy week!

Have a good one-

Linda

19 thoughts on “July 15, 2013”

  2. My hubby has done a lot of outdoor living in the Telluride area. Backcountry hiking, mountain biking and skiing. We vacationed there as a family and loved the the steam train ride from Durango to Silverton and back. I refused to take the jeep ride over the pass to Ouray. Too scary!

    Like

    Reply ↓

  5. I think there is a stanza in Longfellow’s Hiawatha which says – ‘willows whiten,
    aspens quiver,
    little breezes dart and shiver.’

    Like

    Reply ↓

  6. Add that to the list of things we want to do WHEN we visit you all…. That must be a fabulous trip into “To-hell-you-ride” from those mountains… I love the name Telluride… I also enjoyed the story about the Quaking Aspens….

    Hugs,
    Betsy

    Like

    Reply ↓

  7. Have been over Imogene Pass several times….Black Bear twice, but walked from the top down several switchbacks as I didn’t want to “die” that day! Am enjoying your blogs…Donna sent me the clipping from the newspaper…was glad she did.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  12. I certainly like the back country roads. My wife is terrified of these roads. I guess that’s why I like backpacking. You could stand on the exposed areas and take a good look at what’s below.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  13. That is most excellent scenery. I’ve been in to Durango and looked up that those mountains. And I’ve heard Telluride called ToHellYouRide so it’s good to get the real story. Although the other one is more fun.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  15. Beautiful scenery…scary road!! I used to love roads like that, I’ve been on the Million Dollar highway a couple of times. There is also a tiny, tiny town called Tin Cup that has a sign that says “this is God’s country, don’t drive through it like hell”! I miss Colorado! Love your pictures, the sunrise/sunset is gorgeous!!

    Blessings!

    Like

    Reply ↓

  19. Pingback: I Couldn’t Resist! | Life on a Colorado Farm

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.