550 To Montrose

Last year we drove Highway 550 from Silverton to Ouray with an audio tour and learned a lot of news about the Million Dollar Highway.

No guard rails, plunging canyons and forty minutes of winding summer driving. We took considerably longer last year: 

https://conchscooter.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-million-dollar-highway.html?m=0

This year we were in a mission to get to the Ram dealer in Montrose who was going to take care of a factory recall for our Promaster. Layne stayed in bed quite possibly the first person to try to sleep through the spectacular twists and turns at high altitude. 
The highway got its name for some reason lost in history. Some say it was the expense of building it which seems the most likely to me. In the early twentieth century it was a toll road to offset that cost of construction. 

Mining and logging have given way to tourism and we get to drive the  Million Dollar Highway for fun not profit. Another story is that a sceptic on hearing that a road was to be built in the impossible canyons remarked that you couldn’t body him a million bucks to drive such a dangerous route. 

Guard rails are scare as winter plows need to push the snow over the edge to get it off the road. Something would have to be seriously wrong with my life if you were ever to find me driving this area in winter. 

Eight in the morning in Ouray (pronounced like Hooray Henry with a silent “h”) and the town was stirring before the sun protested the valley. I had places to go. 

The excitement ends shortly after Ouray as the road flattens and straightens to cross the 6,000 foot high plateau to Montrose home of the expensive and very effective Cactus Car Wash. $12 later on our American Express card (=Hilton Points) the weekend dust was gone. 

All that remained was to remove the interior dust after our transmission got electronically updated at Flower Motor Center, Jeep Fiat Chrysler Ram dealer on the north end of town. James took care of us promptly and let us fill our water tank from a spigot after my shameless wife asked permission. I was far too shy. 

We picked up some Asian food to go from an  unprepossesing shack that made superb Nepalese food of all things and after loading a few fresh groceries made for the hills. 

7900 foot altitude camp site on free BLM land outside the entrance to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Layne looked around and pronouncers we could stay here a few days.

Last year we spent a night here after visiting the park and this year we have a couple of weeks before visiting friends in Chicago so a few days doing not much seems suitable on this spot.

I’d like to see Aspen, Leadville and Boulder before we make the trek to the Windy City but in retirement plans are suggestions not requirements. Just as I like it.