This is the part where I say, "Hey, do you want to see my vacation photos?" And I pull out my projector and an enormous box of slides. You muffle a groan and hope that I'll at least offer you some popcorn.
Gloriously creepy hotel built in the 1880s (#1). This was in Silverton, "the town that goes to sleep at 6:30 p.m." No telephone in the room. No outlet in the bathroom. Bullet hole over the bar supposedly from Batt Masterson.
The first of many decimated old mines that we stood atop, hoping not to tumble down an open mine shaft.
Abandoned mine near Picayune Gulch, the most harrowing four-wheel drive trail I've ever been on, made even worse by pouring rain, thunder, and lightning. (Hence no pictures. Too busy gripping edge of seat, white-knuckled.)
It was no small feat to climb up to this perch. Luckily, the stairs inside were in surprisingly good shape, if covered in mouse turds.
Sheep.
The traditional extended-arm family vacation self-portrait taken by Travis.
Another tumbling-down old mine, with a huge village of Picas living inside. Picas are small, rotund, big-eared, cuddly-looking, mouse-like creatures that make a high-pitched "meep" sound. We preferred to call them Meeps.
One small view of the amazing Animas Forks ghost town.
A rainbow high above the trail that winds up toward California Pass.
California Pass and... a pot of gold?
The rocky side of California Pass. Funny, it looked SO much scarier in person.
The moment I said, "Hey, take a picture of me!" and Travis inexplicably obeyed, causing him to lose the PERFECT photo op, where the light was breaking through the clouds and saturating a verdant green valley with golden, glowing peaks breaking over the top. Sorry, Trav. (You noticed that the truck is in focus rather than me, right?)
Ophir Pass, between Silverton and Telluride. I drove this. Me. Note the red arrows pointing out the trail.
Ophir.
Telluride. I love little shops like this.
There is a road that crosses that trickling waterfall right there. As we drove across it, our tires were about 6 inches from the edge at the narrowest point. This is near the beginning of Imogene Pass, from Telluride to Ouray.
The view from the top of Imogene Pass. Far, far in the distance, you can see the runway for the airport at Telluride. (It's a straight, diagonal line.) We started the afternoon's journey right about there.
Imogene Pass, elevation 13,114 feet.
Again, it seems SO much steeper from inside the truck.
A hairpin turn on the way down the mountain.
Gloriously creepy hotel built in the 1880s (#2), this time in Ouray, where I spent only one sleepless night. The top floor was roped off, and I didn't even want to begin to think about why.
The second of two giant Bavarian pretzels that we shared. A great end to a great vacation.
Sorry I didn't offer you any popcorn.
Addendum August 25:
Alert reader Judy Hardwick pulled my rainbow photo into online photo-editing website Picnik and increased the saturation and decreased the exposure. I wanted to include this to show the dramatic difference a bit of simple editing can make. Thanks Judy!
