Colorado, Day 1: Across Red Mountain Pass

Since I had nearly 550 miles of driving–more than 80% of it not on Interstate highways and including clearing two high mountain passes–facing me on this day, I figured that the photo opportunities would be limited…and so they were.

I left Oakley, Kansas nearly two hours before daybreak, reached Colorado Springs by mid-morning and, by around noon, was crossing Monarch Pass on US-50 heading west.  Shortly before reaching Monarch Pass–which was more or less at peak color when I went through–I stopped at a spot in the San Isabel National Forest that I noticed from the road and made my first images while in Colorado during a brief pause between rain drops.

Aspens, San Isabel National Forest, Colorado

Aspens, San Isabel National Forest, Colorado

Aspens, San Isabel National Forest, Colorado

I drove over Monarch Pass, through the town of Gunnison, through the Curecanti National Recreation Area, over the (relatively) low Cerros Pass and reached the junction with US-550 in the town of Montrose by mid-afternoon.  From there, it was about an hour south to the town of Ouray, which brought me to the last leg of the journey–the 21-odd mile drive over Red Mountain Pass to the small town of Silverton where I would be baesd for the next few days.

The drive over Red Mountain Pass is pretty eventful under the best of circumstances.  The pass itself is more than 11,000 feet above sea level and the section of US-550 that accesses it is steep, winding and mostly devoid of guardrails.  By the time I reached the town of Ridgway, about 10 miles south of Ouray, it was raining, lightly but steadily.  When I hit Ouray it was a moderate steady rain; the air temperature was about 40 F.  Ouray is situated at about 7800 feet above sea level, so the trip up to the pass from Ouray–which is 10 or 11 miles–involves an elevation increase of more than 3200 feet.  You can probably see where this is going…

Just north of Ouray, in the early stages of the trip up to the pass, the rain increased in intensity.  Water was cascading down the steep mountainsides–which, at this point of the trip, run right alongside the highway to the east–and pouring across the road.  By the time I was about halfway up to the pass, I was beginning to see signs that the rain was changing to sleet and shortly thereafter, as the temperature continued to drop with the elevation increase, it was coming down as a heavy, wet snow.  Within a short time, the snow was sticking on the pavement as well as the side of the road and when I got to within a mile or so of the pass itself, it had already accumulated to the tune of three or four inches.  We crawled along–I was stuck behind a huge RV, with Florida plates, no less–and then, just below the pass, we came to a full stop, smack in the middle of a steep hairpin turn.  I noticed motorcycles (!) abandoned along the side of the road.  Why people were trying to drive motorcycles over Red Mountain Pass when it had been raining–hard–below, is beyond me, but the full stop was caused by a group of motorcyclists who were abandoning their bikes and boarding an RV which was presumably going to take them down the mountain.

I mentioned that this drive is a pretty iffy one for many people, even when the road is bone dry.  People with a fear of heights often find it difficult, bordering on impossible, to make the drive given the proximity to long drop-offs and a lack of guardrails.  These conditions were anything but bone dry.  I’ve driven in snowy conditions so many times over the years that I’ve lost count…but in snowy conditions on steep, windy mountain roads (while following an RV with Florida plates)?  Not so much.  But I was careful (as, apparently, was everyone else on the road).  We cleared the pass and began the somewhat shorter descent to Silverton (elevation approximately 9300 feet) and, ultimately, the snow turned back into rain by the time I reached town.

It was no more than two hours before sunset when I reached Silverton; shortly after I got there, the precipitation stopped and, after the long drive, I was itching to get out with my camera.  I headed back in the direction of Red Mountain Pass, but stopped before I got very far to photograph an area overlooking the South Fork of Mineral Creek.

South Mineral Creek, San Juan National Forest, Colorado

I continued back to the south, gaining elevation the entire way, and reached an area a few miles below the pass where it had been cold enough to snow earlier.  I made heavy use of the telephoto lens at this location.

Snowy Red Mountain Pass, San Juan National Forest, Colorado

Snowy Red Mountain Pass, San Juan National Forest, Colorado

Snowy Red Mountain Pass, San Juan National Forest, Colorado

Abandoned Mine Site, Red Mountain Pass, San Juan National Forest, Colorado

The clouds kept rolling in and out, periodically revealing breaks of clear sky.

Snowy Red Mountain Pass Black & White, San Juan National Forest, Colorado

Snowy Conifers, Red Mountain Pass, San Juan National Forest, Colorado

Eventually I made my way to a spot just a few hundred feet below the pass where an unofficial pull-out provided access to some 270-degree views of snow-covered conifers and mountain peaks.

Snowy Red Mountain Pass, San Juan National Forest, Colorado

Snowy Conifers Black & White, Red Mountain Pass, San Juan National Forest, Colorado

Snowy Conifers, Red Mountain Pass, San Juan National Forest, Colorado

Snowy Conifers at Sunset, Red Mountain Pass, San Juan National Forest, Colorado

By this time it was no more than 15 minutes until sunset.  I got back in the car, drove just past the pass and parked on the side of a road near a small tarn, part of which was covered with ice.  Still, in the open water part of the pond, the reflections were captivating.  I moved to the north end of the tarn and, facing more or less due south, waited for what light might come.

Tarn at Sunset, Red Mountain Pass, Uncompahgre National Forest, Colorado

Tarn at Sunset, Red Mountain Pass, Uncompahgre National Forest, Colorado

Red Mountain Pass at Sunset, Uncompahgre National Forest, Colorado

That brought the day’s photography to an end.  The next morning would be my first full day on site and I was determined to make the most of it.  I planned to spend daybreak at Crystal Lake, about five miles south of Red Mountain Pass.  I was counting on being able to make the drive, in the dark, on this icy mountain road…