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Colorado "Rocky Mtn. High"


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US 550 into Ouray and Silverton. They call it the milliion dollar highway. I think it is because it cost that much per mile to build it. I think it is because it has million dollar views as you ride along it.

 

It winds up and over several mountain passes and you will see crystall clear rivers and waterfalls. There are stopping points along the way and during holidays, you will encounter some traffic. The road has lots of curves and you might hit some gravel occasionally on the road from pull out areas.

 

The town of Ouray has a public Hot Spring that is visible as you pull into town. Use it at the end of the day. It is great!

 

Lots of Hotels and Motels to stay in. The Weisbaden is the usual biker choice but I stayed at the Beaumont which is very lavish and expensive. Only place I could find a room on Labor Day.

 

The town is western and very friendly.

 

Silverton is more rustic and an old Mining town. There is plenty to see and do in both these places but the ride in is what makes it great.

 

I also had to add a couple pics from Grand Junction and the Mesa. Great country to ride.

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Absolutely one of the best rides our country offers. Wonderful scenery. I try to ride it at least once every year. Here's one of my pics of Red Mountain pass and the downhill into Ouray.

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  • 3 years later...

I plan to ride a whole month this summer in our Rockies. Hope to meet some of you there. Just la marvelous shot just outside the NW corner of Ft. Collins. Sorry, couldn't figure how to insert it here. THe insert button wouldn't work. ahhhhh.

Our beauty is everywhere! Come see! JackZ

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Take a 150 mile radius from Durango and you have some of the best motorcycle Mtn riding in the US. The reason they call it the Million Dollar Hwy is, during construction they used tailings from the mines in the area as road base and they estimates the tailings still had a million dollars of un-collected ore. To really see the beauty of this area you need to get off road on the jeep and dirt bike trails, traveling to some of the old mining sites that still stand.

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Take a 150 mile radius from Durango and you have some of the best motorcycle Mtn riding in the US. The reason they call it the Million Dollar Hwy is, during construction they used tailings from the mines in the area as road base and they estimates the tailings still had a million dollars of un-collected ore. To really see the beauty of this area you need to get off road on the jeep and dirt bike trails, traveling to some of the old mining sites that still stand.

 

If the price of gold keeps going up I can see pot holes starting to develope.... :) MOF that million probably came from the time when gold was valued at $350 an ounce. That highway is probably more like a 3 million dollar highway at todays prices.... :mo money:

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We rode that highway this last summer.

Thought the posted 15MPH switchbacks were great but when I saw the sign for 10MPH switchbacks and looked down and seen three of them linked together it went from great to WOW.

Edited by AKRefugee
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  • 2 months later...

... drive the rocky Mt Roads to the peaks. It will be a trip you will NEVER forget. I filmed it on video though, so no still shots yet. At times it scared the SHIFT out of me, as we were right on the edge, with the side of the jeep just 2' from stone, and in grandma gear. But on top?

 

There is a silence that is now where else. Nowwhere that I've been. I bowed to the almighty of this glorious world. THEN I felt safer back on Zfrebird.

 

JackZ

Ft Collins, CO

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It's certainly a great ride. We will be making our a yearly treck to Colorado in July. This year we will be riding out of Montrose for the week. I never get tired of riding the MIllion Dollar Highway. Still trying to figure out if I like it better north to south or south to north. I guess I'll have to keep going until i figure it out. :stickinouttounge:

 

David

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