Silverton, CO

Friday (9-25-09): It was a slow drive today up and over the Red Mt Pass (11,018 ft) with all the "S" curves. We are now camped at the Silver Summit RV Park , site 8 on 640 Mineral St. [800-352-1637] in Silverton, CO. This is the highest place that we have camped (9,318 ft). Pete and Martha Palasota have joined us and now we are 14. Several of us had lunch at the Handlebars Restaurant and tried Rocky Mountain Oysters. After a couple of us walked the town and did some shopping. It is a great town to find jewelry and alot of it was 50 to 60% off! The stores close up after Halloween in this town. I bought some Rhodonite (pink) earrings that the stones were mined right here in Silverton. I also bought some Denim Lapis earrings and pendant. I'm still looking for more turquoise jewelry. This evening we ate at Natalia's. The building was originally a bordello on Blair Street.

Campground [We're right in front of the red topped building]

Inside Handlebars Restaurant

Rocky Mountain Oysters--Yum!

Sat (9-26-09): We rented a jeep and went out on the trails in this area along with JimC, BobN, NanC, and JR & Betty Mertz, who brought their own jeep. It was a beautiful sunny day, though very cold up on the passes. We jeeped up to Stony Pass (12,650 ft), Picayne & Placer Gulches, down to Animas Forks for lunch; then up to California Gulch and Hurricane Pass, where we had a beautiful view of Lake Como; and finally up Corkscrew Gulch and out to 550 and back to Silverton. We were not allowed to jeep the Pououghkeepsie Trail with a rented jeep as this trail is considered "Difficult". So was had to look at the Lake from up on the pass.

View from Top of Hurricane Pass

Jeep Trail Views

Lake Como and Trail Below

Nan Cooper at Stoney Pass

Sun (9-27-09): It was fix it, clean it and rest up day. Tomorrow we head south to Cortez, CO and warmer weather. Nights have been in the upper 20's and low 30's! Though the days have been sunny and in the 60's. Some of our friends took the Durango/Silverton train.

Durango-Silverton Train