The Therapy Road

It is called the “Million Dollar Highway”.

           US Route 550 winds around mountains and through passes as it runs its course and connects Durango with Silverton, Ouray, and points beyond deep in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

          Some say it is called this because it cost a million dollars per mile to construct (totally believable).

          Some say it is called this because of its “Million Dollar” vistas. (Again, totally believable).

          I call it that because I will need to spend a million dollars on Trauma Therapy after driving round trip from Durango to Ouray.

          All kidding aside, this road exhilarates and terrifies all at the same time. Let us talk about the Terror first.

          Extremely high elevations.

          No Guardrails.

          Twisty turns that can launch you to your death.

          But this is the West, where men are men and so are the women!

          If you can’t hack the drive, then get off the road!

          Unfortunately, I am used to driving back East, in New Jersey, where the DOT once wanted to put guardrails on a driveway. (Only kidding, but not far from the truth). Out here in the West there are so many miles of lightly traveled roads that putting up guardrails is an economic impossibility. Besides, we need something to help Darwin prove this theory of evolution and that only the strong survive.

          Hence, No Guardrails. Period.

          Luckily for us it was early November, and the tourist season was grinding to a halt until Ski Season arrives. So, there was no one on the road, and I was able to stop dead (maybe the wrong adjective here) in the middle of the road and take photos.     

          This brings me to the Non-Terror stuff.

          Every time you stop and take a photo and think “Ahh, this is magnificent!” and then get back in the car and go around the bend, you find that you need to repeat that exercise because you have found an even better M.P.O. (Magnificent Photographic Opportunity). It gets to the point where your eyes cannot take it all in at the same time. Luckily, you get the same view, but from the opposite perspective on the return trip. The San Juan’s are one of the prettiest mountain ranges around.

          They are also one of the most mineral-rich depositories in the world. They hold just about every important mineral that can be imagined, even uranium. Durango, Silverton and Ouray are just a small example of the towns that sprang up in the 1800’s when the Mining Boom was in full swing. Gold and Silver, those Treacherous Temptress’s of Treasure, were the most sought after, no surprise there.

          Nowadays, even though the Boom has gone Bust, these little towns have found new lives as outdoor meccas and driving destinations. The assortment of café’s, breweries, gear shops, galleries and most importantly, Chocolate Shops, has helped them survive the change-over.

          Unfortunately for us, Mouses Chocolaterie in Ouray,closed the day before we got there. I felt like the two guys in the movie Endless Summer who traveled around the world searching for the Perfect Wave. They would get to the beach where some local would inevitably say, “Ahh mate, Ya shoulda been ‘ere yesterday!”     

             After a really nice lunch on the patio of the Gold Belt Saloon (Sunny, 70 degrees, at 7500 feet of elevation) we walked down the street to find that they decided to close for November, spruce the place up, and take a much-needed rest.   

          Highly dejected, (at least I was) we headed back to Durango.

          I was counting on their Dark Chocolate and incredible Milkshakes to keep me out of Trauma Therapy.

          Oh well.