Engineer Pass is part of the Alpine Loop, that runs from Ouray to Lake City and Silverton by way of 4wd roads that once were part of the huge mining industry that helped settle this region. Today, the roads are enjoyed by many off road enthusiasts, including not only Jeeps and other off road vehicles, but also dirt bikes and ATV’s.

The day was filled with sunshine and good times as we began our expedition up Engineer Pass. The trail has remained roughly the same over the years with a few exceptions where mother nature decided she needed to rearranged a bit. It’s not a difficult trail but it is unmatched in scenery. On the way up we pass the Mickey Breen mine. Located in 1874, it saw most of the mining action in the 1890’s. It was also in production as late as the 1980’s, seeing some on and off use.

About a mile past the Mickey Breen we came to the Poughkeepsie Gulch turnoff. Normally, Poughkeepsie is still closed on the 4th of July but this year the snow has melted a bit quicker and it is open for travel. We opted to follow Mineral Creek on up Engineer. Our next stop was at the little settlement called Des Ouray. It received its name from investors from Des Moine, Iowa. It was comprised by some twenty claims. It also had a sawmill and a hydroelectric dam on Mineral Creek that served for electricity throughout the town and mines. After a picnic and some exploring we were ready to venture onward.

Another mile or so we turned off the main road and headed up to the ruins of the San Juan Chief Mill. Just to the south on a rough and rocky road is the remains of the town of Mineral Point.

We then proceeded to the ghost town of Animas Forks. There were a lot of people there today. The road from Silverton is a graded dirt road and makes easy access for the “car bound”. We opted to bypass Animas Forks till another day, and another story. From there we drove up California Gulch, past Bagley Mill. At the top of California Pass we decided to head down Poughkeepsie Gulch. With just a small amount of snow on the road we mad it down safely to “the wall”. This is the toughest spot on the trail. It’s a rock outcropping that just get better with age. Since we were going down, it wasn’t too difficult. But being “adventurous we had to play on the wall. There are two or three options available to climb so we spent about a half hour trying them all. From there we headed back down and joined up with the Engineer road and went on into Ouray. It was a great day in the mountains. The sun was shining and the temperature was perfect. Plus we were with the best of friends.

Check back often for more adventures of the Wild Bunch

“The skiers will be flying 50 feet or so. The horses will reach speeds of 40 miles per hour and the skiers may be going as fast as 50,”

Ski-joring

When: Saturday and Sunday. Feb. 6 and 7. Starting time is 11 a,m. for Saturday and 10 a.m. for Sunday. Pre-registration will be at the Brown Bear Café from 8 to 9 a.m.

Where: Notorious Blair Street

Information: Rob Conaty, (970) 769-4825.

Montrose, Colorado and the entire San Juan Range should be ready for some serious snow the next few days.

Check out the weather report and radar map. Right now it is coming down with visibility at less than 1 mile! Bring on the white stuff!

This is the first of our event updates that will be featuring all local programs and special events that are scheduled to occur during the week. Keep an eye out weekly for a new list of events and come by MontroseVacation.com/events to keep up on whats happening near you.

Are we missing an event? Please let us know. Calendar@MontroseVacation.com

Wednesday the 17th

• Cultural Class at the Ute Indian Museum

Thursday the 18th

• Candlelight Coffee at Jovis
• Live Music at Canyon Creek B&B

Friday the 19th

• Montrose Home, Garden and Business Expo

Saturday the 20th

• Montrose Home, Garden and Business Expo
• Snowshoe the Black Canyon

Sunday the 21st

• Snowshoe the Black Canyon

Sweet Heart Package

50 Minute Massage, 50 Minute Spa Facial, Spa Pedicure, Wine and Truffles: $195.00

Give Relaxation

Spa Gift Certificates Start at $65.00

Sweet Heart Deal from Rib City Grill

Feb 12th – Feb 14th

Choice of Appetizer: Okra or Fried Green Bean

1 1/2 Rack of Baby Back Ribs with 2 Sides

2 Pieces of Toast & Special Valentines Dessert

$24.99!

See Rib City Here

Halfway to camp, she turned and looked at me, with a worried expression, and asked if there were really bears up there. I laughed feeling no need to feed her already heightened fears. On the first turn up the steep hill, she let out a yelp. She screamed, “This truck is going to fall apart with all the bumps in the road! Are we even supposed to be driving on it?” I had grown up bouncing around in a truck and thought nothing of the steep grade and sharp turns! She cried out around every corner in fear that we would fall off. She almost jumped into my lap when she saw a cow in the road. She thought they would bite her through the window!

After we arrived, I let her calm down as the rest of our group started setting up tents. She was so exhausted from the short thirty minute ride I figured I would do it myself. She was munching on some food in no time when I heard her say, “Seriously! bears!” She ran over to me and said we needed to go home. I explained that there are bears and deer and all sorts of animals everywhere in Colorado at all times. As long as we kept all of our food stored away and didn’t leave it out, we should be fine.

During the rest of the trip, she was a real trooper. We took four-wheelers all over Kinikin driving as fast as we could around narrow dirt roads, admiring the trees and smells of the forest as we zipped by. We caught two very small fish, which she thought was quite a feat. The trip ended in a night of singing songs around the campfire. That morning we rinsed our hands off in the water and I knew that she and I were gonna have a blast teaching each other the greatest lessons in life. I’d teach her about Colorado and how beautiful girls are the best outdoorsmen. She’d teach me what real courage and adventurous spirit looks like!