Colorado winter loop

[pmatusov]

It's been a long while a Grenadier trip was posted, so I'll try to keep it alive.

Our good friend decided to have his birthday party in Copper Mountain, Colorado; we (my brother Nikolay and I) aren't people who fly within a thousand-mile radius, so we packed up the Grenadier and set out.
I also abhor Interstate highways in general and I-15 in particular, so we picked up a path minimizing our exposure to brainless long-distance commute.

Early morning: we're on Interstate 8 making our way towards Anza-Borrego desert. The beautiful part about I-8 is it is nearly empty, 99% of the time.

In a couple of hours or so, we're passing a relic of old days - Space Age Lodge in Gila Bend, Arizona:

Our waypoint for the day: Payson, AZ, and Mogollon Rim. Soon we're through Phoenix/Mesa/Chandler/Gilbert/whatnot, and lumbering uphill along Salt River.

The views along Highway 87 are changing with elevation; organ pipe cacti yield to Joshua trees, then to junipers at 5000 ft, then nearing 7000 feet the pine forest takes over.

30 miles after Payson, the Mogollon Rim looms over:

We take our time for a detour up Mogollon Rim and take photos looking West. The views here are some of the best in Arizona.

By this time, we've been on the road over 8 hours. Our trip is "front-loaded" - the plan for tonight is to sleep in Durango, Colorado. It is a full gas tank, and over five hours, away.
In Durango, everything is already closed. Gas-station sandwiches and a couple of apples work as our dinner, chased down by Sazerac. This picture's colors and composition are pure Flemish.

 

[pmatusov]

The cold morning in Durango brought an unexpected event.
I stopped at a deserted-looking gas station, but with pumps enabled - where we met the slowest gas pump in the universe. It was so slow that it would not shut itself off until gas started flowing out from the filler hole to the ground. I was fully prepared for yet another CEL due to fuel level sensor being out of whack, but - it never happened!

A sensible person driving from Durango to Copper Mountain would take U.S.160 and 285 to Buena Vista. We take U.S.550 North instead.
Soon, we are greeted with a view of nearly-13kft Engineer Mountain:

We pull over to enjoy the scenery and take a rare photo of the Grenadier on the shoulder near Coal Bank Pass (10640 ft).

By the time we reach Silverton, it is still in the shadow of the Kendall Mountain:

... and it is very, bitterly, cold:

By the way, we've learned that the outside temperature sensor is probably the most-trustworthy indicator in the Grenadier. At least, its indications change.
We have a coffee in Silverton, and enjoy the emptiness of town. So unlike summer and fall!

The Silverton-Durango railroad seems to be taking a winter break.

We're definitely looking forward to driving on a 22-mile section of U.S.550 known as "Million Dollar Highway." It was reasonably clean of snow and ice, but with enough small black ice spots to drive under the speed limit (I have to admit to it).

Ouray looks cold and peaceful. The streets are almost empty - but the parking lot near the ice wall is full - people are busy with Ouray's #1 winter sport.

 

[pmatusov]

Ridgway and Montrose are almost snow-less.

In Montrose, we turn onto U.S.50 towards Gunnison. In retrospect, we should have stopped by the Black Canyon of the Gunnison - but didn't, not knowing how long it would take us to drive to Copper Mountain.
The Gunnison Reservoir and river valley are blanketed with snow, and very cold - between 4 and 5F.

The road keeps climbing to Monarch Pass (11312 ft), and then drops to Poncha Springs and to the valley going to Buena Vista. Interesting just how local is the weather in the mountain basins of Colorado - among the towns near 8000 ft elevation, it was 6F in Ouray, 3F in Gunnison, and 40F in Buena Vista, with people strutting around in shorts and t-shirts.
A parking lot fest with an AMC Eagle:

Our desire for a coffee morphs into a full-blown lunch at Crave in Buena Vista; our future roommates request a purchase of eggs since egg shelves in supermarkets near Denver seemed to be empty. We visit the local Family Dollar, and emerge with three 18-packs at $5.59 apiece - far cry from $13/18-pack in our local Vons in San Diego at the time.
U.S.24 takes us to Leadville - already at twilight.

By the time we arrive to Copper Mountain (after yet another mountain pass), it is already dark.
to be continued.