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July 06, 2006
Elwood Pass - Post 1
| Ok before I went to Colorado I had said I wasn't going to head up into the high mountains by myself. Well once I was there I realized how comfortable I feel in the mountains so I decided I was going to do some research to see if it was do-able. In my research I read several sites that discussed scenic drives around Pagosa Springs and found that they recommended having a 4-wheel drive vehicle with high clearance (as though there are lots of low-clearance 4-wheel drives), no problem there they can easily be rented. I talked to some of the folks I met in town who said they didn't see why it you be a problem to drive to Summitville via Elwood Pass, just have a 4x4. I also spent some time talking to the folks at the Forest Service Office who agreed that it was a workable solo drive in a 4x4. Hubby said go for it so I did. |  |
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| This first set of pictures were taken near the beginning of the route. The route basically parallels the East Fork of the San Juan River so there is almost always water on the right of the drive up the mountain. At this point the road is a nice 1.5 to 2 lane dirt road...like most non-highway roads in Colorado...this does change though as you go up the mountain. You will see as we ascend. |  |
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| The weather had been damp but not stormy as I started out. It was cool driving up the canyon as I listened to KSUT's 30th Anniversary Celebration on the radio, until I lost the radio reception. The program opened with a Native American Drum group and I loved the combination of driving with the windows down listening to the sounds of the mountains while the drums played. |  |
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| As you head further up the mountain you pass through a privately held ranch called Piano Creek. The pictures don't do this property justice it is devastatingly gorgeous. Recently the owners gave up their plan to make it a golf club...I'm really glad they did so. Though it looks like shares are available in the property. The Durango Herald did a story on the history of the Piano Creek Ranch's name which is well worth a read particularly in light of the rest of my story. *w* |  |
| This shot looks back toward the western entrance to the property and the old homestead site. |  |
| Still on the ranch and gaining altitude. |  |
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| This sign marks the history of Elwood Pass, this site gives you the same info with better detail. It also says that a trip from Summitville to Pagosa Springs over Elwood Pass once took 3 weeks to make the 30 mile trip...the road can be that difficult for a wagon. |  |
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| I took a side trip up Quartz Meadow Road. |  |
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| I came around a bend and there they were...peaks with snow. I love the Rockies, I think I might have said that once or twice. LOL |  |
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| The Quartz Meadow Trailhead is located in a beautiful meadow...hence the name I'm sure. |  |
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| I actually had to ford this stream to get to the meadow and to get out. Of course I only took a pic going out. It was a bit scary going through the first time...the water splashed on to the hood of the truck though it was splash not underwater. Much of this drive could be a metaphor for life - more on that one later - but in this case the chant...just "floor it and go," worked nicely. |  |
| Back on East Fork Road, heading to the Pass. |  |
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| I took this pic so you could see the road...which was really more of a stream bed at this point than anything I would have called a road. |  |
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| Gotta love Aspens. |  |
| Another ford, faster but much shallower than the Quartz Creek ford. After this the road started going up steeply. Ahead of me I saw a Bronco-like truck stopped in the road with people walking up the road ahead of the truck. I stopped and got out so we could confab. In the truck was a couple who were deciding if they could make it up the mountain with a front-wheel drive vehicle...the answer was no. As we were talking I realized they had kids in the car, it looked like three kids under seven as I saw their heads sticking out of the windows. Why you would decide this was a good outing for really young kids is totally beyond me. We decided I would backup to the ford and let them come back and turnaround. Then I could go on forward up the canyon. |  |
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| I decided to grab a shot of the truck, while I was waiting for them to backup and turnaround. LOL |  |
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| Looking up the "road" where the truck had been stopped. After this the road got much dicier. It was very narrow with sheer drops on the right as I headed up the mountain. At several points I was repeating to myself that there was no place to turnaround so the only alternative was to press-on...not a bad metaphor for much of life. Oh have I mentioned that I'm afraid of heights? LOL |  |
| Well I keep pressing on up the canyon and I hit a rock shelf that I could not get the truck to go over. I did a couple of unsuccessful runs when I got out to study the shelf and find the best way over it. At that point a Bronco met me coming down from the pass. I walked up and met one of the gentlemen from the truck as he walked down to meet me. We discussed how to negotiate the road so that we could pass and each be on our way. He suggested that I pull way over on the right edge of the road so they could go by on the left. I explained to him that I couldn't do that...I would let them pull it up and one of them could pull it off on the edge of the canyon but I couldn't do it. Of course he was staring at me at that point asking what I was doing in the mountains if I was scared of height...like fear should stop me flat. I know my limits...on the road I can do it...on the grass next to the lip we have problems. So we settled that they would pull by me on the right so I didn't have to go off on that edge. He was watching me as I made three runs on the shelf before I got over it and when I did his eyes got really big...you see I was driving on a blown tire. The road is so rough I had not noticed that the tire had blown probably 0.25 miles before we met. At that earlier point I had hit something in the road that had bounced the truck a bit to the right and then we had gone forward with no noticeable problems...that is probably when the tire blew. Lucky for me the Bronco held four guys who were in the mountains camping with 40 of their friends...most were firefighters from Fort Worth TX. They volunteered to change the tire for me, which I accepted. I realized as I watched them that I haven't changed a tire on a car, never on a truck, in many years. I have no idea how to use a scissors jack, a point which I will be remedying shortly, nor do I think I have enough upper-body strength to loosen the lugs on a 4x4. |  |
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| I grabbed this shot while they were working on the truck. As you can see there are pipeline warning signs along this part of the route. Not sure where the pipeline is exactly, or how one would dig a trench for the pipe, OR why would would take pipe along this route. |  |
After the tire blew and was changed out, it seemed wise to turnaround and head back down the canyon and home to Pagosa Springs. I could call this trip a failure because I didn't achieve my goal of reaching Summitville but I consider it a huge win. I had a great time driving and I learned a few things about my self.
I grabbed this shot because it was a nice picture leading into Piano Creek Ranch. |  |
Posted by prolurkr at July 6, 2006 09:05 PM
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