Saturday, October 17, 2009

highways and byways

 off-roading from Silverton to Telluride, Colorado, USA
 Ophir Pass 11,789 ft elevation (mid September; 2 days later it was snow-covered and closed)
The Ophir Pass Road winds through a narrow valley up through tundra to a rocky summit.  It was once a wagon toll road used for transporting ore from the town of Ophir to Silverton for processing.  
The views of the mountains and valley are spectacular.  The road winds down through lush Aspen groves into the valley.  Below are a few views of the road and scenery.
The richness of the Autumn colors-greens, golds, earthy reds and browns, gray; and the sky fading from turquoise to a darker blue, makes this one of the most spectacular places on earth.






printable map here

This post is for The Brenda Photo Challenge.  Read about it HERE and HERE.
This challenge was hosted by Judy:  The Road to Here  and Through Squirrel Eyes

photos by me © 2007
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38 comments:

  1. SallyOctober 17, 2009 at 8:17 AM

    Gorgeous photo's!! Thanks for sharing!! :)

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  2. AlOctober 17, 2009 at 8:58 AM

    The first photo was a rocky road and a very nice place for road tripping!

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  3. SalitypeOctober 17, 2009 at 9:10 AM

    that is one amazing view to see..i could walked that road for hours to take me just there!

    eng

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  4. Elizabeth POctober 17, 2009 at 9:56 AM

    Outstanding landscapes beautifully photographed! ;)

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  5. Mama ZOctober 17, 2009 at 10:06 AM

    Wow, what beautiful pictures! I'd love to go there! It's been such a long time since I went hiking!

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  6. wennOctober 17, 2009 at 10:36 AM

    wow..so beautiful..

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  7. BrendaOctober 17, 2009 at 11:20 AM

    Spectacular views!! I would love to see some of your bi-ways some day. Thank you for joining us!

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  8. storybeaderOctober 17, 2009 at 11:59 AM

    great photos! Beautiful country we have here. Let's hope people realize that! {:-D

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  9. WR October 17, 2009 at 12:56 PM

    Beautiful country we live in! Are we lucky or what! Great shots...thanks!

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  10. SquirrelQueenOctober 17, 2009 at 1:54 PM

    Awesome photos Margaret, that is some gorgeous country. I love the shot of the valley with all those beautiful colors. Your post shows that some of the very best byways don't require pavement.

    Have a great weekend,
    Judy

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  11. SOULOctober 17, 2009 at 2:32 PM

    wow ! those are sumthin else!
    very niiice.
    thanks

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  12. AnonymousOctober 17, 2009 at 4:36 PM

    That's so pretty! I like the mountain view!

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  13. DonnaOctober 17, 2009 at 5:16 PM

    What BEAUTIFUL Country!! I can almost hear John Denver singing!!
    These are great...hard to imagine snow there just 2 days later!!
    Well done!!hughugs

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  14. DonnaOctober 17, 2009 at 6:42 PM

    Be still my heart! What gorgeous photos and gorgeous country! You must have been out there on vacation, huh? We saw Silverton last year and rode the old train down to Durango. Great fun!

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  15. BeadedTailOctober 17, 2009 at 6:49 PM

    I love that part of Colorado! It's so beautiful!

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  16. PatOctober 17, 2009 at 9:26 PM

    Absolutely stunning photos - love the golden aspens, the staggering blue mountains. The vistas are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing these beautiful views.

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  17. AudreyOctober 17, 2009 at 9:31 PM

    Beautiful Photo's!!! I just love the mountains, maybe because here we can see for miles.

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  18. JaniceOctober 17, 2009 at 10:02 PM

    Thank you for a wonderful view of mountain paths. I've only seen a few miles of Colorado and would love to explore more of the highways and byways of the state.

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  19. KathleenOctober 17, 2009 at 10:09 PM

    Beautiful! That is breath taking scenery!

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  20. CarlettaOctober 18, 2009 at 1:35 AM

    BEAUTIFUL!
    The first one of the road between the mountains makes me want to see what's around the bend.
    I'm guessing one needs to watch the weather rather closely. :)
    These are gorgeous!

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  21. AnonymousOctober 18, 2009 at 1:48 AM

    Wow!!! Beautiful photos.

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  22. EbieOctober 18, 2009 at 1:57 AM

    Love the roughness of Ophir Pass, but just too soon to be snowing!

    The mountains and the colors of autumn is just breathtaking!

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  23. HermesOctober 18, 2009 at 2:40 AM

    What fabulous views. So inspiring.

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  24. My name is RietOctober 18, 2009 at 3:53 AM

    Oh wow, beautiful photo's of a beautiful country. That view is fabulous

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  25. TesOctober 18, 2009 at 7:35 AM

    Lovely roads, great shots! Love the lush green -very refreshing! Makes for a cool walk or a breezy drive! Thanks for sharing, Margaret!

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  26. JeanneOctober 18, 2009 at 7:54 AM

    WoW! Magnificent! Your's is an area I've always dreamed of visiting. Thanks for giving such a beautiful look at it Margaret.

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  27. Karen MOctober 18, 2009 at 11:08 AM

    OH! What beauty! Great capture of some awe inspiring highways and byways! Thanks for sharing.

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  28. LynnOctober 18, 2009 at 12:23 PM

    Beautiful, beautiful photos. Makes me miss the mountains even more. Thanks so much for that. ;o) Have a lovely day!

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  29. UnknownOctober 18, 2009 at 1:15 PM

    beautiful shots! Fab blog!

    Missy
    Last chance to enter my giveaway:
    http://thefashionfusion.blogspot.com

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  30. Pamela BakerOctober 18, 2009 at 4:44 PM

    Absolutely beautiful photos - I would have never wanted to leave.

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  31. Memories for LifeOctober 18, 2009 at 5:42 PM

    Great photos...love that first one!

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  32. SunnyOctober 19, 2009 at 1:53 AM

    What amazing views, makes our mountains look like molehills! LOL
    Sunny :)

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  33. Very VerdantOctober 19, 2009 at 8:54 AM

    These are beautiful!

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  34. PatOctober 19, 2009 at 10:19 AM

    What a beautiful place! It would be a great place to hike or take a road trip. Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog.

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  35. Maia TOctober 19, 2009 at 10:38 AM

    Spectacular view and landscape scenes indeed. The autumn colors in the foreground contrasting the snowy background make up amazing compositions.

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  36. Anitra CameronOctober 19, 2009 at 12:36 PM

    What a gorgeous drive! You make me want to jump in the car and BE there. So beautiful and wild...

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  37. AnonymousOctober 19, 2009 at 4:18 PM

    Totally changed my breathing...

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  38. AnnieOctober 20, 2009 at 10:19 PM

    You have an interesting blog here..some wonderful photos!

    Thanks for your visit to my blog!

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