|
Imogene Pass tops out at 13.114 feet and is the second
highest pass road in the nation. It
passes through gold mining country with deserted mines dating back to the late
1800s. Many of those mines are
interconnected deep inside the mountain with a maze of tunnels following veins
of gold in every direction. A retired
mining inspector told us it is possible to enter the Camp Bird Mine near Ouray
and come out at the Idarado Mine in Telluride.
On the telluride side of the mountain is the Tomboy Mining
Camp in Savage Basin. Before it closed
in 1927, Tomboy filled the entire basin.
It was serviced by a daily stagecoach that ran up and down the road to
Telluride. The area is active again, but
for a different reason. Engineers are
attempting to clean up the water that passes through Savage Basin on its way
down the mountain.
We arrived in Telluride shortly past noon and stopped for a
quick lunch before heading on to Ophir Pass.
The four door Geo Tracker had proven it is capable of trekking across
the second highest pass road in the nation without hesitation. But then, many of you already know that. That’s why there are already so many Trackers
ambling merrily along the many miles of trails in the San Juan Mountains of
Colorado.
Happy Trails.
|
The Stony Pass Road
The San Juan mountain roads opened up just in time for our trip. The Rio Grande Car Wash on the
Stony Pass Road was a bit deep but everyone crossed without incident.
|
