HOORAY OURAY

Another day of exploring, this time they drove to the town of Ouray, Colorado. Yet another beautiful small town filled with lots of tourists. There are steep mountains on either side of the main part of town which has shops and saloons from one end to the other.  A completely different experience from yesterday's drive in the National Park.

Ouray was established by miners looking for gold and silver and at one time had over 30 active mines. Because of the alpine environment it is now known as the Switzerland of America, and the entire economy is based on tourism, focusing on mountain biking, hiking and four-wheel driving. Of course, my humans helped the local economy by having lunch in a pub and shopping for T-shirts, hats and jewelry.

Much discussion about the next destination, Durango, Colorado. They were planning to drive the million dollar highway which is known as one of the most beautiful drives in America. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most dangerous as well with 3 mountain passes and no guard rails. We will probably opt for the longer route which takes several hours longer, but will be safer.