Monday, September 14, 2015
Before leaving on our ride yesterday, we decided to pack up for a few nights out and away from our camper. We had taken it about as far West as we could and we still had places to go and things to see. If we had to stay in a hotel for a couple of nights, we could suffer through it. Yeah, right. I was so ready!!! (Remember Ames, Iowa, back in August when we were stuck in a hotel for three nights because of rain? We haven't been in one since!) Anyway, after talking with Dick & Bonnie yesterday, we made plans to meet for lunch in one of my all time favorite towns in Colorado ....Ouray. It's a small town in a box canyon, just north of Silverton (of the Silverton/ Durango Railroad) and on one end of the Million Dollar Highway. It's just a beautiful place to meet and I'm so excited to see them. Rick and I stayed at The Black Canyon Motel in Montrose last night so we were only about 40 miles away. As a result, we got to Ouray a little early and decided to stop at the Visitor Center. We were there about a half hour, heard someone come in and guess who?? Dick & Bonnie!! So fun to look up and see their faces! Well, we didn't have long to talk before we needed to make a decision. You see, the Million Dollar Highway, between Ouray and Silverton, was closed south of Ouray from 8-12 and 1-5 and Dick & Bonnie needed to go 80 miles south to Durango, to get to their B&B that night. Any other route was way out of their way and about a 3+ hour drive. So, given the 15 minutes we had left in the 1-hour window between noon and 1:00, we hopped in and on our vehicles and headed over Red Mountain Pass towards Silverton. Despite rain and road construction, it was still a beautiful ride. Interesting and a little scary, but oh, so beautiful. We laughed a little when within about a mile, we saw signs that said; Blasting Zone, Road Construction, One Lane Ahead, Open Range, and lots of S- curves. Yikes!
We had a great lunch and fun conversation together at a place called Handlebars in Silverton. Recommended by the guy at the Visitor Center, it had a perfect western atmosphere; noisy, lots of stuffed wildlife and great food, especially the Green Chile Soup. Rick and I caught up on news from home and all was right in life.
The four of us parted ways later that afternoon after a nice little stroll through town. Then, Dick & Bon headed south to Durango and Rick and I north to Montrose. With the road closed until 5:00, we took a slow ride up with absolutely no traffic. It was even more beautiful the second time. Clouds were hanging low, but the sun was trying to peek through. We had a short wait for them to open the road and then were on our way. A perfect day and perfect
Happy trails.
Stu & Lynn...wish you could have been with us!
Wow Nancy. Awesome pictures and lunch was so good!
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