Colorado

Do a trip report here....go to another city and want to relate it to what KC is doing right or could do better? Give us a summary in here.
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Roanoker
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Colorado

Post by Roanoker »

If pictures are missing, see them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/115393943@ ... 327286316/.

On 9/28/10, my son and I left for a trip to Colorado. These pictures were taken on 9/29/10 as we drove west via Canon City and
Highway 50. The Fall colors were beautiful.
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I had to give this little flower credit for its Herculean effort. The Shadow Knows.
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And wasn't the sky a nice color.
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This little tree was yelling, "Look at me! Look at me!"
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We took a bunch of pictures at this stop. The trees were so pretty.
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This formation is called the Dillon Pinnacles. Very impressive.
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Last edited by Roanoker on Wed Feb 19, 2014 9:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Colorado 2010

Post by loftguy »

Roanoker wrote:On 9/28/10, my son and I left for a trip to Colorado. These pictures were taken on 9/29/10 as we drove west via Canon City and
Highway 50. The Fall colors were beautiful.
Image

Image

I had to give this little flower credit for its Herculean effort. The Shadow Knows.
Image

And wasn't the sky a nice color.
Image

This little tree was yelling, "Look at me! Look at me!"
Image

We took a bunch of pictures at this stop. The trees were so pretty.
Image

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This formation is called the Dillon Pinnacles. Very impressive.
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I just made that drive west of Canyon City last week. It's disconcerting to see the yellow rustling aspen photos, when I just saw them in new growth. I know time is moving quickly, but whoa!

Thanks, as always, Roanoker.
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Re: Colorado 2010

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Don't tell a soul but a short drive south of US 50 west of Canon City into the Wet Mountain Valley along the front of the Sangre de Cristo's, particularly south of the town of Westcliffe, is a drive through the closest thing to paradise on Earth. The Crestones rise up to over 14,000' without foothills and are some of the most precipitous peaks in the lower 48 and the area is still retains a vestige of pre-condo boom Colorado with well watered ranchland providing the foreground for photos. Nice place to see the aspen's turn colors in the fall too. If I could ever get into my photobucket account again - I'd post some photos myself.
Last edited by Highlander on Mon May 28, 2012 2:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Colorado 2010

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Thank you for your nice comments, Loftguy and Highlander. Since you both mentioned the aspens, I must repost my "seasonal wish" for 2010
(http://forum.kcrag.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=17152. Having a similar, emotional attachment to the aspens, I took many pictures of
them on that trip, trying to capture their essence. I included this one in my Christmas card for that year, although I won't post it in this thread
until I get to that day, weeks from now:
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We must go back. Next time, I will try to visit the Wet Mountain Valley. I'm sure the aspens' new growth this spring was beautiful, too.
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Re: Colorado 2010

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Highlander wrote:Don't tell a soul but a short drive south of US 50 west of Canon City into the Wet Mountain Valley along the front of the Sangre de Cristo's, particularly south of the town of Westcliffe, is a drive through the closest thing to paradise on Earth. The Crestones rise up to over 14,000' without foothills and are some of the most precipitous peaks in the lower 48 and the area is still retains a vestige of pre-condo boom Colorado with well watered ranchland providing the foreground for photos. Nice place to see the aspen's turn colors in the fall too. If I could ever get into my photobucket account again - I'd post some photos myself.
And while there, Roanoker, save some digital memory to capture Bishop Castle. A maginficent obsession.
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Re: Colorado 2010

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loftguy wrote:And while there, Roanoker, save some digital memory to capture Bishop Castle. A maginficent obsession.
Will do. Thanks!

There was a marvelous aroma in the field of sage that served as a foreground for the beautiful lake and pinnacles.
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I like fences.
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And curved roads.
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And lens flares.
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I took over 500 pictures on this day. Mercifully for you, I will post only a few.
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Always a wonderful subject.
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Back side of Visitor Center.
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Folks are peering into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
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Looking back up to the Visitor Center.
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Re: Colorado 2010

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loftguy wrote:
Highlander wrote:Don't tell a soul but a short drive south of US 50 west of Canon City into the Wet Mountain Valley along the front of the Sangre de Cristo's, particularly south of the town of Westcliffe, is a drive through the closest thing to paradise on Earth. The Crestones rise up to over 14,000' without foothills and are some of the most precipitous peaks in the lower 48 and the area is still retains a vestige of pre-condo boom Colorado with well watered ranchland providing the foreground for photos. Nice place to see the aspen's turn colors in the fall too. If I could ever get into my photobucket account again - I'd post some photos myself.
And while there, Roanoker, save some digital memory to capture Bishop Castle. A maginficent obsession.
A very strange place. The Wet Mountains in general have some very strange and paranoid people.

So Roanoker - what was the ultimate destination of your trip or are you going to make us wait?
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Re: Colorado 2010

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Highlander wrote:So Roanoker - what was the ultimate destination of your trip or are you going to make us wait?
Ha! I'm just now going through all the pictures taken on that trip. It started on 9/28/10 and ended on 10/8/10. My son came up with the itinerary, focusing on rock things because he likes geology. Here is a rundown on each day:

9/28/10. Drove to Colorado Springs.

9/29/10. Drove west via Canon City and Highway 50 West through Colorado. Saw Blue Mesa Lake and dramatic pinnacles. Drove to Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Learned that I can get a lifetime National Parks pass for $10 because I am old. Drove to Montrose.

9/30/10. Went back to Black Canyon and got a lifetime pass to all National Parks for $10. Anyone with me can get in free. Drove to Ouray, CO. Walked around the town, which is surrounded by giant mountains. Charming town.

10/1/10. Drove through canyon along Dolores River. Stopped at a very nice resort in Gateway, found a picnic table with a great view, and ate the rest of our Mexican food from last night. Tried to find a room in Moab, but none was available because of a bike event. Stayed in Green River, UT.

10/2/10. Drove to Arches National Park. Drove to Moab for a place to stay.

10/3/10. Drove to Arches again. Went to Devil’s Garden. Saw the Landscape Arch. Drove through Castle Valley. Drove back to Moab.

10/4/10. Drove to Canyonlands. Weather was fun. Took pictures of distant rainstorms and then got caught in one. Son’s camera threw craps, so he used mine. Drove back to Moab.

10/5/10. Spent most of the morning washing clothes. Drove through Canyonlands National Park. Saw Newspaper Rock and Dutch Shoe Arch. Drove to Cortez, Colorado. Had dinner at a micro brewery.

10/6/10. Left Cortez and drove through Mesa Verde National Park. Drove to Durango, Colorado and bought tickets for the Durango/Silverton train trip tomorrow.

10/7/10. Rode the train from Durango to Sliverton. Took a lot of pictures.

10/8/10. Left Durango and drove to Albuquerque. Stopped in Guymon, OK on the way back to Kansas City.
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Re: Colorado 2010

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Roanoker wrote:
Highlander wrote:So Roanoker - what was the ultimate destination of your trip or are you going to make us wait?
Ha! I'm just now going through all the pictures taken on that trip. It started on 9/28/10 and ended on 10/8/10. My son came up with the itinerary, focusing on rock things because he likes geology. Here is a rundown on each day:

9/28/10. Drove to Colorado Springs.

9/29/10. Drove west via Canon City and Highway 50 West through Colorado. Saw Blue Mesa Lake and dramatic pinnacles. Drove to Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Learned that I can get a lifetime National Parks pass for $10 because I am old. Drove to Montrose.

9/30/10. Went back to Black Canyon and got a lifetime pass to all National Parks for $10. Anyone with me can get in free. Drove to Ouray, CO. Walked around the town, which is surrounded by giant mountains. Charming town.

10/1/10. Drove through canyon along Dolores River. Stopped at a very nice resort in Gateway, found a picnic table with a great view, and ate the rest of our Mexican food from last night. Tried to find a room in Moab, but none was available because of a bike event. Stayed in Green River, UT.

10/2/10. Drove to Arches National Park. Drove to Moab for a place to stay.

10/3/10. Drove to Arches again. Went to Devil’s Garden. Saw the Landscape Arch. Drove through Castle Valley. Drove back to Moab.

10/4/10. Drove to Canyonlands. Weather was fun. Took pictures of distant rainstorms and then got caught in one. Son’s camera threw craps, so he used mine. Drove back to Moab.

10/5/10. Spent most of the morning washing clothes. Drove through Canyonlands National Park. Saw Newspaper Rock and Dutch Shoe Arch. Drove to Cortez, Colorado. Had dinner at a micro brewery.

10/6/10. Left Cortez and drove through Mesa Verde National Park. Drove to Durango, Colorado and bought tickets for the Durango/Silverton train trip tomorrow.

10/7/10. Rode the train from Durango to Sliverton. Took a lot of pictures.

10/8/10. Left Durango and drove to Albuquerque. Stopped in Guymon, OK on the way back to Kansas City.
These are all areas I have frequented for much of my life - including, believe it or not - Guymon! I hope you got a chance to eat at the atmospheric Ray's Tavern in Green River. It's frequented by oil company and university field trip geologists studying ancient deltaic systems in the nearby Book Cliffs. I suspect Gladstoner loved it there.
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Re: Colorado 2010

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Highlander wrote:These are all areas I have frequented for much of my life - including, believe it or not - Guymon! I hope you got a chance to eat at the atmospheric Ray's Tavern in Green River. It's frequented by oil company and university field trip geologists studying ancient deltaic systems in the nearby Book Cliffs. I suspect Gladstoner loved it there.
My notes show that we grabbed food from a local food mart, so we missed out on Ray's. We'll have to go back. We did see the Book Cliffs, although we did not dwell there. I must have some pictures, although I probably do not have them named properly. You will recognize them. And yes, Gladstoner loved every rock and layer.

Incidentally, son Gladstoner posts frequently on TheFossilForum. Just tack on the prefix www and suffix .com. He is known as Missourian there. His "Backyard Trip" thread features Kansas City, and it has quite a following, from around the world.
Last edited by Roanoker on Sat Jun 02, 2012 1:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Colorado 2010

Post by IraGlacialis »

Love the pictures of the quaking aspen.
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Re: Colorado 2010

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IraGlacialis wrote:Love the pictures of the quaking aspen.
Thank you. Those trees are beautiful.

We're looking out of the visitor center window onto the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
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People are looking at the canyon.
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The stripes along the canyon walls were of particular interest.
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Have to throw a tree in here.
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It almost looks as if someone painted a design on the canyon walls.
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You can see the bottom of the canyon here.
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More painted walls.
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It is the next morning, 9/30/10, and we have returned to the Black Canyon.
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Top to bottom.
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And now for a little something different.
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I do like layers. They remind me of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in Roanoke, Virginia.
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Sometimes a different camera angle provides a better perspective of the subject.
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Re: Colorado 2010

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We're still at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
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My son is trying to get a good shot.
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Painted walls.
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A closer look.
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I am probably in only one of a thousand pictures taken with my camera, so here you go. I appear to be sitting in a giant baseball glove.
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This must be one of my "staged" pictures. "Squat between those two bushes."
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Again, I like grass. This is a picture within itself.
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All the paths were much appreciated, affording good views.
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My son is near the edge.
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Nice view of the Black Canyon, and the river flowing through it.
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My son appears to be driving a dead tree. This is actually a picture within itself. I chopped off the dead branch, originally in the upper right
part of the image, when I cropped away everything but the oval selection.
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Notice the moon between two of the stalks. This was a portrait-oriented image, placed on the left side. I added three blends to the
underlying layer, taking first and last samples from each of three sections in the primary image. Then I feathered and cut away the right side,
eliminating the hard edge. It came out better than I expected.
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Re: Colorado 2010

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Still milling around the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. This is as close as I could get to "flowers."
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Beyond the canyon.
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You never know whom you might meet while on a trail.
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These rock structures look like buildings to me.
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My son is trying to get a good picture.
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We have to look down, inside the canyon once in a while.
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Well, this place must be going to the dogs.
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I think it odd that the rim of this gigantic canyon is on a flat plane. It is so innocent at first glance.
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The terrain is ever changing. Who would have thought we'd see sand dunes? On the other side of what appears to be farm land.
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Not sure why, but I like big, bold branches like this. They suggest something dramatic. The "designer" frame is made up of a small
section of the image, subjected to all kinds of Photoshop things. And the background is a small section of the center of the image.
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Another view of the same place.
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I liked those branch shadows, so I stuck them in the background.
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Re: Colorado 2010

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We're still visiting the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

I hung around this view for several pictures.
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Fingers tapping...
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I do like these black branches. They have spook value.
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So they remain.
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Now it has become gothic art.
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We still have the canyon to explore.
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Maybe a rock or two. This one almost glows.
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I was really looking for a good background to use for the photo, but I liked the result of this filter better than the original. So here you go.
This filter actually made its own background. Those Photoshop programmers are pretty smart.
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These mountains are struggling to meet Colorado's expectations.
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I do love grass, especially with this color.
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Some trees seem to scream, "Take my picture!" This one did. So I did.
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And so did this one. I wonder how its trunk got so twisted.
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Re: Colorado 2010

Post by IraGlacialis »

So far, have any of the places you visited remained unscathed by the fires currently affecting the area?
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Re: Colorado 2010

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IraGlacialis wrote:So far, have any of the places you visited remained unscathed by the fires currently affecting the area?
I think only Colorado Springs. The fire problem is terrible. Very sad.
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Re: Colorado 2010

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More focus on interesting trees. This is a not-so-subtle pasting of a portrait-oriented image within a larger section of itself.
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Framed, framing tree.
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Canyon companion.
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As the object states, this is a geological survey bench mark.
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Sometimes a person in a picture can provide a sense of scale.
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We have all sorts of terrain represented here, at the rim of the Black Canyon.
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We're done with the canyon, and I have spared you many canyon pictures. Now we're on the road.
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Beautiful scenery floats by.
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I don't think I noticed these houses until I started fussing with the pictures today.
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We have arrived at Ouray, Colorado, a charming little town.
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Another view of the town.
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And one more.
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Re: Colorado 2010

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Very nice pictures Roanoker.

The proliferation of tacky vacation homes in that area is among my greatest pet peaves. The area between Ouray and Telluride (near Ridgeway and the Dallas Divide) has had many pristine views of the Sneffels Range ruined by people who feel they need an intrusive and ostentatious home that suits them but detracts greatly from the ambience of the area. Anyway, the road named "Box Canyon" out of Ouray leads to Camp Bird mine and then up into Yankee Boy Basin for some of the most spectacular scenery in the United States. The wilderness designation closed the road into the higher part of the basin meaning that thoughtless Texans with four-wheel drives cannot plow up the tundra and the carpet of wildflowers any more, so to see it, one has to walk a bit but it's well worth the effort.

There are a couple of pictures of Yankee Boy Basin here: http://forum.kcrag.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=16575

so, did you head south from Ouray to Silverton and Durango on US 550 or head over to Telluride? Either way is a delight.
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Re: Colorado 2010

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Highlander wrote:Very nice pictures Roanoker.
Thank you, Highlander.
There are a couple of pictures of Yankee Boy Basin here: http://forum.kcrag.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=16575
Those are truly spectacular pictures. Thank you for providing the link. You won't see any pictures like that from my camera. (Unless my son borrows it.) And you won't see pictures of places where helmets are advised.
so, did you head south from Ouray to Silverton and Durango on US 550 or head over to Telluride? Either way is a delight.
I don't pay much attention to the routes we take (sorry). It must have been the former, as we did ride the train from Durango to Silverton. I'll ask my son.
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