ENGINEER AND CINNAMON PASSES

On October 2 we made the 180 mile trip from Ouray to Silverton, through  Animas Forks, over Engineer Pass to Lake City and back to Silverton on Cinnamon Pass.There is a shorter way to go, but it involves driving 5 miles on road so rocky that the tourist jeeps avoid it. We drove it last year, and it took us about 2 1/2 hours to go the 5 miles.

 

 

Animas Forks and California Gulch from the Engineer Pass road.

 

 

View of many 13,000 ft. and higher peaks from Engineer Pass, 12,800 ft.

 

 

In the distance is the road down Henson Creek canyon to Lake City, made famous by Alferd Packer.

Google his name for a fascinating true story.

 

Good views of yellow and reddish aspens.

 

 

Good stretch of read dropping down to Lake City.

 

This creek has a short run above ground

 

Here we are descending from Cinnamon Pass bound for Animas Forks.

The aspens in the foreground have lost all of their leaves while some of  those in the background still have theirs.

 

One on highway  550 with sharp eyes,  while north of the entrance to the Engineer Pass road,  can look across the Uncompaghre  canyon to see this cabin with washing out on the line to dry and a sign reading “Antiques 9 – 5:30”

This is a continuing practical joke. I am told that someone in Ouray makes the difficult hike to the cabin every year to hang out fresh clothing, giving the impression to gullible passers by that someone lives there and sells antiques. This shot was taken with  a 12x telephoto lens.