I AM SORRY THIS IS SO LONG, BUT IF YOU HAVE TIME I THINK IT IS DEFINITELY WORTH YOUR TIME TO READ AND LOOK AT THE PICTURES.
Hey,
normally i would just contribute to an old thread, but this trip was so spectacular that i have to share it with you. I went to the San Juan Mountain Range which is about 5 hrs away from Colorado Springs. So I got into a little Mountain town called Lake City at about 6:30 PM and started the off-roading. I went Across Cinnamon Pass at Sunset and got to my campsite around 9:30.
Here are some Pictures of Cinnamon Pass
Click Here for More Images
http://s156.photobucket.com/remix/pl...fs=1&os=1&ap=1
I woke up the next morning at 6:30, I guess because i felt like it and took a trip to Eureka, which is an old mining camp way up the mountain probably at close to 13,000 ft. again. There is a ton of wreckage and old mining equipment up there including the mines themselves. Take a look at the pictures and then imagine how tough life was back then. First you have to ride a horse/walk out across the country to Colorado the Cross several sets of Mountains, hope that where you are going to mine isn't still under 9 ft. of snow, then live up at 13,000 feet where it rarely gets above 60 degrees and climb down into one of the caves in the dark with a candle and dynamite strapped to your ass. Look at the mist coming out of the picture of the cave with the grate on it. That was nasty mildewy, sulphuric, humid, thirty degree air blowing out of that cave constantly. Look at the other one with the 6 inches of nasty water sitting in it. Seeing this gave me the ultimate respect for our ancestors. How much would would someone have to be payed to do that? Also, they had to haul all of the wood from treeline, usually 11,500 or so up the thousand feet + and put it together. Sorry about the rant, here are the pics.
http://s156.photobucket.com/remix/pl...fs=1&os=1&ap=1
So after an hour up there, i headed over a pass called Picayne, which had more mines, and great scenery.
http://s156.photobucket.com/remix/pl...fs=1&os=1&ap=1
Next I crossed California Pass, which still had a ton of snow on it and a Great view of Lake Como. Connected with it is Hurricane Pass. The pictures are off of Hurricane Pass.
http://s156.photobucket.com/remix/pl...fs=1&os=1&ap=1
Next was Corkscrew Gulch/Pass
http://s156.photobucket.com/remix/pl...fs=1&os=1&ap=1
It was about 1:30 as drove into Ouray Colorado Which is an awesome town and is known as the Switzerland of America. From Ouray i went to Yankee Boy Basin, which is on of the most popular places in that area. Here are yet more pictures.
http://s156.photobucket.com/remix/pl...fs=1&os=1&ap=1
Next Was Governor Basin. Which was pretty dificult due to the Narrow Shelf Road with 2 to 3 foor rock out croppings on the ground that you have to climb while tipping toward the very long fall...
http://s156.photobucket.com/remix/pl...fs=1&os=1&ap=1
After Governor Basin was Imogene Pass, which was very rough and narrow in many spots. Several years ago someone rolled off of it trying to let traffic moving the opposite direction go by. needless to say the roll did not end well. Imogene has some of the best variety i have ever seen and so far is my favorite pass in Colorado, but it is not for the light hearted.
http://s156.photobucket.com/remix/pl...fs=1&os=1&ap=1
Imogene Spit me into Telluride, which is a really cool town. I got to my campsite around 9:30 to end the 15 hr. 150 mile day.
The next morning i got up at 8:00 and did Ophir Pass.
http://s156.photobucket.com/remix/pl...fs=1&os=1&ap=1
Followed By the Red Mountain Mining Area. This is really cool, because mining continued into the 1900s so there are some great ruins that are still standing.
http://s156.photobucket.com/remix/pl...fs=1&os=1&ap=1
Last, was mineral Creek and Engineer Pass plus another Drive home to total the 31 hours of driving from Friday afternoon to Sunday Evening. Mineral Creek is a lot of one with many large rock platforms to climb, many of which are built into tight switchbacks. This trail is hard, but a lot of fun, it is locally referred to as Engineer Mountain.
http://s156.photobucket.com/remix/pl...fs=1&os=1&ap=1
And that was the trip.
200 miles off road, 450 miles on road, 31 hours 
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