Colorado Chris

not all those who wander are lost

Clear Lake

Posted on July 7, 2012 by chris

Date: 7/2/2012
Who: Michelle, Sammy, and myself
Time: 3.5 hours
Weather: sunny, hot

This morning we drove to Silverton and rented a jeep for a half-day. We were planning to rent for a full day, but we had no reservation and only a half-day rental was available. We drove the jeep up to Clear Lake.

While on route, we realized that we had been to Clear Lake once before, in July 2004, driving our 1993 Nissan Pathfinder. Although it was a repeat, we did enjoy the drive and the views. A “new” (new to us) flower seen today was the Elephant Head.

One lesson learned today was that I prefer mountain hiking to 4-wheel driving. I enjoy the exercise of hiking and the quiet time. One can certainly cover more distance driving, but I see and hear an order of magnitude more details when hiking. Sammy doesn’t seem to enjoy riding in the jeep, either.

View Colorado Chris Hikes in a larger map

Silvershield Trail

Posted on July 7, 2012 by chris

Date: 7/1/2012
Who: Michelle, Sammy, and myself
Length: 6 miles
Time: 5 hours
Weather: sunny, hot

We spent the first week of July in Ouray, Colorado, for our Summer/anniversary vacation. The Silvershield trailhead is only a block from the house where we stayed. The trail started out quite steep, working its way quickly up from the Uncompaghre River, across the valley from Gold Hill. The Silvershield then turned south towards Ouray, leading to some good overlooks of the town and the surrounding mountains and valleys. We took the Oak Creek trail down to Ouray, and then the riverwalk trail back to the house.

View Colorado Chris Hikes in a larger map