After a fun day in Utah, we awoke all the way down in Montrose, Colorado. Our one fun thing today was going to be driving through the old gold mining district between Ouray and Silverton, CO. This road is almost as spectacular as The Road to the Sun in Glacier NP. Ouray is the prettiest site of a town in the USA in my opinion. What do you think?
By mid-afternoon we visited a mine, tried unsuccessfully to go on a trail ride, watched a blacksmith, and only driven 60 or so miles! Time to drive - and it was apparently time to rain too. It rained until 5 pm and broke as we were driving past the Great Sand Dunes National Park (it was only a monument until 2004) -- one of the most amazing sites I've experienced. To turn in would certainly mean we wouldn't get home as scheduled...the schedule is too tight...but off the road we drove, another 20 mile detour!
As we were leaving the park, it began to rain again--and all indications were for flash flooding. We drove about 80 miles through an unrelenting downpour. When we got to the interstate we decided we'd better check into the Best Western motel. No vacancy! The clerk told us that the flooding south (our direction of travel) had shut roads and every motel in 100 miles was booked! But if we backtracked 5 miles....
In my opionion, the $107 for the room was a very steep price! I wouldn't tell Mom how sleezy the night clerk was, and she was pleased the room was clean, but I'm sure the stained carpet could tell some tales.... The following morning the Pretsch gang was up, showered and back in the car by 7:40 am - an adventure record!
We're 987 miles from home. Look forward to seeing you soon!
Dad
P.S. The motel sign isn't the "River Cockroach Inn" as some speculated, but "Spoon River Inn".
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