Such beautiful obstacles, Spring Pasque Flowers, they sure can hamper a hikers progress along Sutton Mine Trail. It's just one of many car-free adventures Lovely Ouray offers up to residents and tourists alike. This year's crop of Pasque Flowers is bumper and defies our unusually dry spring. "Mother" is a mystery sometimes.
Bobbie and I enjoyed having the entirety of Sutton Mine Trail all to ourselves. We squandered four hours lolygaging through passels of Pasque Flowers, photographing, picnicking and ogling Bear Creek's precipitous falls.
One odd thing, Sutton Mine Trail takes you to Neosho Mine. I know, weird. The trail dead ends cross-canyon from the Million Dollar Highway a ways past Bear Creek's cross-canyon falls. There are a couple of mine shacks that have Designated Historical Landmark status, one of which has a completely restored exterior. Since this building is in plain view of travelers along the Million Dollar Highway it has become a prank/tradition for locals to carry articles of clothing to hang on a clothes line next to the mine shack... as if someone was living there. It baffles tourists; from the highway it looks impossible to get over there, let alone live there.
The mine it's self has a couple of propped up outbuildings and a small rail ore car sitting on the edge of tailings pile. I couldn't imagine living on such a steep slope... being hemmed to a sliver of a bench. Then I remembered I live on just such a bench. Thank God our's has a driveway.
Just another day in paradise... spending time like it's the last day of vacation.
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| Bobbie, shooting reference photos of Pasque Flowers for watercolors |
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| Bear Creek Falls and the Million Dollar Highway |
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| Neosho Mine |
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| Artifacts from the past... I wonder what kind of elixir was in the medicine bottle in the upper right hand corner? |
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| Some days I feel like this old rusted bucket looks... can't hold "water" like I used to. Help spread the Box Canyon Blog "Virus!" If you enjoy thoughts and/or photos on this post please "Like" on Facebook or "Tweet" by clicking the "F" or "T" icons below. Thanks for your support :)) |
I love the last photo of the rusted bucket in front of the window. I'm officially putting in a request for more photographs of that type. As for the scenery, well, you know...
ReplyDeleteBoonie,
ReplyDeleteThat is the trail we hiked in the rain last October, remember? We didn't make it to the mine that day due to weather or else you would have seen that rusty bucket for yourself :)).
Re: "scenery," you are an incorrigible old bat... blind to Mother's beauty.
I can see where the flowers would be a little distracting. Amazing views. And funny about the clothes on the line. But I'd live there, during the summer anyway.
ReplyDeleteGaelyn,
ReplyDeleteYou are a canyon lover. :))
Hi, I'm working at Mesa Verde right now, living in my RV. I want to go hiking on my days off - do you know of any hiking groups in the area? I travel solo, but don't want to hike solo. I hope to drive to Silverton some weekend.
ReplyDeleteTeri,
ReplyDeleteYes, Ouray has an active hiking group. They call themselves the Hardy Hikers and are a group of over 50 ladies. A contact would be,
Karen Risch
Bobbie has hiked with these gals and they do get over near Silverton for some hikes so maybe Karen can get you a schedule.
Otherwise, you can come hike with us :))
Hey Mark, I've spent the evening visiting your older posts..If I leave a comment on an older one do you get it? And where would I look for your response, back to this post?
ReplyDeleteThanks, David