After leaving Mesa Verde we drove US 160 toward Durango, Co. Along the way we discovered the Columbine Bar in the tiny town of Mancos. It has no relationship to the high school which is near Denver.
Mandy talked to an WWII era lady named Lucille who told of bye-gone days at the Columbine Bar while I fell into a conversation with John Candy (look alike), a geologist who came to the area to study rocks but the only paying job has has ever found is manual labor. John repeatedly cast racist slur at Mike, the jovial bartender. "Don't burn my enchiladas you wet-back," John yelled. "I'm not Mexican, I'm an Injin," Mike yelled back with a smile. The banter went on the entire time we were there. Mike looked as if he might be a little of both.
North of Durango, we found a campsite in a RV park. Our little bus was the smallest rig in the park.
The next morning we started north on highway 550 which leads through Silverton and Ouray (pronounced you-ray) to Montrose.
The highway is also called the million dollar highway, not because of the cost but because the original highway was built using gold mine tailings as a base. Locals say that a million dollars of gold lies under each mile.
Most of the highway has no guard rail as it winds within inches of a fall of hundreds of feet to the valley below. We saw no large RVs driving this stretch. Later, in Montrose, we were told that cars and some trucks roll over the side each year.
At a bar in Silverton, we met John Wayne on the wall.
We also met a few characters on the mantle. Enlarge to note the Native American in the Jim Beam poster.
Here is a view down the main drag of Silverton, Colorado.
The following photos are of the unnerving drive from Silverton to Ouray.
In Ouray, these mule deer casually crossed the street and sauntered into a yard.
Ouray, Coloradro
OSU versus Eastern Michigan provided the excitement of the day which we tuned in on Sirius radio. Mandy wore her favorite jersey for support.
Mandy made a sleepy friend.
More mountain roads.
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