Our adventures in Montrose and the surrounding area continue. In the previous post I mention that we have two tours scheduled with Switzerland of America Jeep Tours so, after a quiet Thursday, we head back to Ouray early Friday morning for the Corkscrew Gulch and Hurricane Pass tour.
Corkscrew Gulch is aptly named for it’s narrow and winding ascent to the summit of Red Mountain Two….The softer sediment on the trail offers a little smoother climb than some of the other 4×4 trails….Leaving from Ouray, Colorado, travel up the Million Dollar Highway…and turn onto Corkscrew Gulch just before Ironton townsite….Leave the tree line and continue up the winding ‘corkscrew terrain’ to a summit of 12,400 feet almost directly across from Imogene. — soajeep.com
Our driver guide today is Joel. With him is another guide, Jason, along for the ride. After a brief introduction and some rules of the road, we load up and head up – literally. The temperature this morning is in the 50s which proves to be rather brisk as we start up the Million Dollar Highway at full speed. We didn’t bring our coats this time since we didn’t use them for Yankee Boy – big mistake. We stop briefly to walk out on the overlook of Bear Creek Falls but the lighting is not conducive for photos. From there we continue through East Riverside Avalanche Shed and turn onto Corkscrew Gulch. Winding (hence the name Corkscrew) is an understatement when describing the ‘road.’
Although perhaps not as rough as the upper part of Yankee Boy this is a totally different experience. We traverse hairpin after hairpin all the while going up until finally we arrive at the summit (over 12,000 feet elevation). The views are amazing and we take our time soaking them in.
We follow the same route down with the added thrill of meeting other vehicles on their way up. Since the road is barely wide enough for a single vehicle someone has to give way for the other vehicle to pass. So sometimes we back up, sometimes they back down, or sometimes one of us pulls onto the ‘shoulder’ at a crazy angle. It’s fun in a daredevil kind of way. At the bottom, we stop to walk around the ghost town of Ironton before getting back on the Million Dollar Highway.
After our successful return to Ouray, we grab some lunch and visit some of the stores that we missed earlier. Then it’s back to Montrose.
Saturday we decide that surely the third time is a charm and attempt yet another bicycle ride. This time we successfully complete a 9 mile ride using mainly back streets. Finally a complete bike ride! My recliner feels pretty good when we get back so I think spending the rest of the day inside is a great idea.
After a leisurely breakfast on Sunday, we decide to visit the nearby Ute Indian Museum. The museum, originally built in 1956 near the ranch of Ute Chief Ouray and his wife Chipeta, is now housed in a new building with new exhibits. The exhibits tell of the history and tribal life of the local Ute tribes and chronicle the treaties through which the tribes were forced to surrender their land.
Early Monday morning we head for Grand Junction to visit the Colorado Monument National Park and the town of Palisade. It’s a bit cooler in the Grand Junction area than the previous week when they hit 106 but the temperature today is still in the high 90s.
We drive into the park from the west (Fruita) entrance and follow Rim Rock Drive as it twists and turns past Balanced Rock and through two tunnels on our way to the Visitor Center. At the Visitor Center we pick up a map and I purchase a Passport to Your National Parks and the Colorado Monument stickers. I should have purchased a passport a long time ago but never did. At least I have it going forward. We continue on from the Visitor Center stopping to admire the view from the various overlooks. We walk a few of the trails for better vantage points. The views are simply gorgeous. We hope to see some wildlife but it’s just so hot that most are probably sacked out in some shade.
Since our time is limited we head for Palisade around 1:30 for a late lunch. Palisade is known for stunning scenery, fresh produce direct from the farm or orchard, wineries, and lavender fields. We stop first at 13° Brix which has just recently opened. Unfortunately they are not serving food yet but we are able to sample some of their hard cider. We would like to have more but decide that’s not a good idea before lunch. Still in search of a lunch place we stop at Palisade Cafe 11.0 where I try a BLC (bacon, lettuce, and cherries) sandwich. It sounds strange but is actually very good. The cherries are in season and are very sweet – a nice counterpoint to the bacon. For dessert we split a peach cobbler made from fresh locally grown peaches – yum. After lunch we drive out of town on one of the fruit and wine loops. We stop at a couple of fruit stands and purchase fresh cherries and peaches. Continuing on, we drive by peach and cherry orchards and several vineyards before stopping at a lavender farm. Our final stop is at Graystone Winery to sample some of their port wine.
Now that I have a National Parks Passport I conjol Bill into going back to the Black Canyon Tuesday afternoon. I’m able to get the park sticker and stamp at the Visitor Center as a reminder of our visit. This also gives us a chance to drive the East Portal road down to the Gunnison Diversion and Tunnel.
The road is extremely steep and has many hairpin turns. It’s a long way down to a recreation area near the Diversion and Tunnel. When the Tunnel was dedicated in 1909 it was the longest irrigation tunnel in the world. The Tunnel is 5.8 miles long cutting through the sheer cliffs of the Black Canyon, diverting water from the Gunnison River to the semiarid Uncompahgre Valley. The area surrounding the Tunnel entrance is fenced off for safety so we can’t get a good photo. We retrace our route to exit the Canyon.
Where has the time gone? Our two weeks here in Montrose are almost up and it’s time to start packing up and doing some of those pesky chores. We’ve had a great time here and made some new friends. I think this is our favorite spot so far. It’s definitely going on the list of potential spots to spend the summer.
