In mid-May, I had planned to go south from Arches National Park in Moab, Utah to Monument Valley, just over the Arizona border with my photography group but due to COVID-19 restrictions, the area, which is on the Navajo Reservation, was still closed to tourists. Our group split up at this point and we went in separate directions. Since I had a week to fill before my next campground reservation, I opted to go to western Colorado to see some of the Rockies and take the opportunity to visit with a childhood friend I hadn’t seen in about 40 years.

OURAY, COLORADO – May 14-20, 2021

OURAY

This area of Colorado is littered with small towns that were built around the gold and silver mining operations of the late-1800s. Now they draw visitors for the spectacular scenery and great alpine skiing. In fact, Ouray is known as the “Switzerland of America.” Ouray was my home base for the week from which I drove to the towns of Silverton, Ridgway, and Telluride. My favorite drive was on US-550 heading south from Ouray to Silverton. This scenic byway is known as “Million Dollar Highway” because it supposedly cost one million dollars per mile to build. It is also on the list of scariest roads in America but I found it thrilling. The twists and turns take you through the San Juan Mountains and over the 11,000 foot Red Mountain Pass.

Ouray is known as “Switzerland of America.”

The view of Ouray from the lookout point on US-550 heading south out of town.

Click on the image to take a drive with me on the Million Dollar Highway near Ouray, Colorado.

The spectacular view from “Million Dollar Highway” US-550.

An old mine building still sits on a hillside next to US-550.

When I was young, our family was close friends with the family across the street. After both our families moved, our parents kept in touch for a few years but eventually stopped. As we children became adults, we found each other on social media and I have visited with a couple of them who live in New England. Now I had an opportunity to see another member of the family who lives in Colorado. Doug drove to my campground from Crested Butte and we spent the afternoon walking around Ouray and having lunch at The Outlaw Restaurant on Main Street.

Doug lived across the street from me when I was little. We keep in touch through social media and he visited me in Ouray, Colorado.

My campsite at the Ouray KOA.

Downtown Ouray, Colorado.

Doug and I had lunch at The Outlaw Restaurant, which boasts having a hat belonging to John Wayne that he left behind when here filming a movie.

John Wayne’s hat hangs on the wall behind the bar next to an autographed photo of The Duke.

SILVERTON

A welcome banner stretches across Greene Street in Silverton, Colorado.

Brightly-painted old buildings line Greene Street in downtown Silverton, Colorado.

San Juan County Courthouse in Silverton, Colorado.

A creek containing mountain snow runoff.

An old mining structure just outside of town.

RIDGWAY

Some scenery from Ridgway, Colorado:

TELLURIDE

Telluride is a picturesque town known for great skiing. It is undoubtedly busier in the winter but I found a nice little Mexican restaurant for lunch.

FILLMORE, UTAH – May 20-27, 2021

I moved 360 miles west to Fillmore, Utah not because there was anything to see here but because it was a good place to stop on my way to Nevada. I stayed at a KOA owned by friends of the owners of the KOA in Grants, New Mexico where I stayed last year. I was able to extend the good wishes from New Mexico to Utah, albeit, a year later. While here, “Big Ass Truck” needed an oil change and the nearest Ford dealer was 75 miles away in Richfield. In fact, this was the nearest location for any type of vehicle service. To put this into perspective for my friends at the Jersey Shore, it would be like driving from Toms River to Cape May for an oil change. Traveling throughout the west, I got to see just how remote many places are.

My site at Fillmore KOA in Utah.

One day my microwave/convection oven stopped working and after checking the Grand Design Facebook page for help from fellow owners, I found it was a simple fuse replacement. I found a hardware store down the street (At least it wasn’t 75 miles away!) and bought a couple of fuses. The hardest thing about this project was getting the vent cover off the front of the oven. It just didn’t want to cooperate and took me over an hour and I broke two fingernails in the process. Unfortunately, this fix only lasted a couple of weeks and I went through two more fuses until I determined I had a bigger problem—the unit would need to be replaced.

I tried to repair my microwave oven by replacing the blown fuse.

I went through three blown fuses before I decided to give up and contact the manufacturer for a replacement.

ELY, NEVADA – May 27-June 3, 2021

By the end of May, I was moving to Nevada, about halfway up the east side of the state. This location had several things of interest to keep me entertained for a week. There was a wonderful—and rugged—scenic road called the Success Loop Scenic Drive. It’s nearly 40 miles—most of which is unpaved—with wonderful scenery that hardly anyone seems to know about.

In downtown Ely is the Nevada Northern Railway Museum in the 1907 train station where visitors can take a 90-minute ride on a historic train that serviced the copper mining industry in the early 1900s.

Sixty-six miles away is Great Basin National Park, which, quite frankly, I’d never heard of before coming to this part of Nevada and I have to say I wasn’t impressed. There are numerous back-country trails for serious hikers but otherwise, only a single road to the summit of Wheeler Peak. But, at least I got to check another national park off my list!

I was in good company with another Reflection next to me at Ely KOA in Nevada.

SUCCESS LOOP SCENIC DRIVE – Ely, Nevada

Click on the image to view the video of my drive on Success Loop Scenic Drive.

NEVADA NORTHERN RAILWAY MUSEUM, – Ely, Nevada

GREAT BASIN NATIONAL PARK – Baker, Nevada

My 700-mile route from Moab, Utah to Ouray, Colorado; Fillmore, Utah; and Ely, Nevada.

Next post: The Pacific Northwest.

My name is Lindsay Reed. I’m a photographer and retired graphic artist with a passion for both lighthouses and road trips. I am living as a full-time solo RVer in my 33 foot Grand Design Reflection Fifth Wheel trailer and have been traveling the U.S. and Canada since May 2017 photographing not only lighthouses but everything else there is to see in this wonderful land. I hope you enjoy my blog and will follow my adventures in the months and years ahead.