Trout Lake RR Trestle, Trout Lake, CO

August 3, 2018 - Trout Lake RR Trestle, Trout Lake, CO

If you are in Telluride, Trout Lake is a short drive (15 minutes) South on State Route 145. We actually drove in from the South side from Rico to Lizardhead Pass and accessed Forest Service Route 626.  Lizardhead Pass has a paved pull-out with an informational board and restrooms.  Also, a very informative 'Galloping Goose' / D&RG RR information board is about 100 feet East of the pull out, which tells of the accessible sections of the railway in the Telluride area. Trout Lake Road (626) starts directly north of the information board.  Along this dirt road is a number of rv boomdocking sites that looked very inviting.




Photo courtesy of the web

The lake is natural, but it was dammed to increase the size to serve as a reservoir for the Ames power plant about 5 miles away. Ames Station is the World's First Generating Station. Wow!

 

In the past, the Rio Grande Railroad tracks circled the lake, running close to the northeastern shoreline.  A 28 car capacity siding was located here along with a standard 50,000 gallon water tank.  The tank along with Bridge 51-A (trestle) still stands today.  According to research, the water tank and trestle are two of the best preserved remaining Rio Grande RR artifacts.

 

 

    

The backdrop for this trestle is breathtaking and the trestle itself is so amazing that it is still standing in all its glory.   Because of the harsh weather it has been refurbished throughout the years.

Can you spot the chipmunk?

Even though we had sprinkles of rain throughout the day, the air was crisp and the scenery doesn't get any better.

San Juan Mountains

“What day is it?” asked Pooh.
“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
“My favorite day,” said Pooh.”  
A.A. Milne

 

 

Until our next adventure - Enjoy your 'today'!

 



Bolam Pass Trail, Colorado

August 1st, 2018 - Jeepin' from Cayton NF Campground to Durango, CO

Once we were settled into our camping site at Cayton NF Campground we researched the area for our next off-pavement Jeep adventure. We decided to drive the  24 mile Bolam Pass Trail which starts just outside the campground on FR 578 and ends at Durango Mountain Resort / Purgatory Ski Resort. After completing the trail we continued on pavement to Durango for dinner and proceeded to drive a loop to Dolores and back to the campground.  Roughly it was a 100 mile drive.

 

The weather was much cooler than Cortez but we did still have some of the smoke from surrounding fires plus the Utah and California fires were contributing to the haze. The scenery was awesome but a slight layer can be noticed in the photos.

 

Along the way we encountered cabins, ponds, flowers, deer and only patches of rough road.

 

The start of Bolam Pass Trail from Cayton CG

 

Un-named mining claim cabin but interesting all the same.

Look at the corner art work on the cabin.

Peek a boo !

View from Bolam Pass summit looking North at Lizard Head Rock. Just a little smoky.

 

The second cabin we can to was the Graysill Mines cabin.

Mining began at Graysill Mines in 1945 with miners looking for uranium. Only a few buildings are left standing and the area is rich in structural debris of the yesteryears.

 

The history of Graysill, as taken from Uncover Colorado, is that it was an old vanadium and uranium mining town. It wasn’t until 1945 after scientists had harnessed uranium to make atomic power that the uranium rush was on. New prospectors with Jeeps and Geiger counters hit the Four Corners area looking for riches. At one point the Graysill area supported 450 working claims, but only 20 or so men endured life year round at Graysill Mines. This new type of mining added a new threat from odorless, tasteless, radioactive radon gas. The mine operated from 1945 until 1963.



Wildflowers in bloom

The last cabin we passed was the Harris Ranch.



HistoriCorps is in charge of preserving the ranch and says that The Harris Ranch is named for John E. and Sterling Harris of La Plata, New Mexico who acquired the property in 1934 and used the area for summer pasture for their cattle business. The Purgatory Ski Resort purchased the ranch property from the Harris family in 1971 and used the property for recreational purposes. The property was transferred to the San Juan National Forest in a land exchange in 1991. The project at the Harris Ranch rehabilitated the cabin, barn and corrals of the historic ranch to serve as an interpretive site for the San Juan National Forest. Listed on the La Plata County Register of Historic Places, the Harris cabin, with its associated tack room and corral, is an excellent example of a late 19th/early 20th century ranch homestead, patented by George Pearson on July 5th, 1910.



Photo taken by HistoriCorps which are dedicated to preserving the structures.

And just over the hill is the Purgatory Ski Resort and the end of the dirt road.  We turn onto Highway 550 to Durango.

Purgatory Ski Resort / Durango Mountain Resort- Highway 550 to Durango, CO

When we arrived in Durango it was alive with tons of people enjoying the downtown eating and shopping district.  We ate on the rooftop of 'Fired Up Pizzeria'.  The food was good along with the service.  There is lots to see and do around Durango but that would be for another day.  We returned to the motorhome via State Route 160 to Mancos and took a shortcut on Road 184 to Dolores enjoying the farmland and wildlife along the way. At Dolores took Road 145 back to the Cayton Campground.

 

 

Until next time - find your adventure!

 

 

 

Coming up next:  Trout Lake RR Trussel near Telluride, CO.