San Juan Mountains, Colorado

I rode over to Silverton, CO and back home yesterday, 4/17/23. About 192 miles round trip. Surprisingly nice weather, temperature-wise. The road from Ouray to Silverton is a blast to ride with great views. It's CO550, the Million Dollar Highway, famous for its curvy road with no guardrails and end of life drop-offs. This time of year, there is gravel to watch out for. I tend to stay in the car tracks to keep clear of the worst of the gravel. And I usually stay in the outside track in case a car, truck, or semi goes wide in a blind turn. It's about a 75 mile ride for me to get to Ouray, where the fun stuff starts. The distance from Ouray to Silverton is about 20 miles. This time of year is best for me to ride this road, it's pretty crowded all summer with Jeeps and in the fall there's all kinds of leaf-peepers. Regardless, it's a don't-miss-it ride if you're driving/riding through.

 

A lot of the pullouts were a bit muddy, but the view is worth it. A CDOT truck driver was nice enough to stop and warn me about gravel ahead. This is coming down from Red Mountain Pass, heading north toward Ouray.

 

Yes, that's a great highway, been over it many times. First time was in the early seventies on a 650 Bonneville. Nice shots.

 

The road up to Red Mountain Pass in the background.

 

Mt. Abrams, 12,801 feet. One of Colorado's "small" mountains. This pullout has a waterfall view and catwalk, just south of Ouray.