This morning was our first rainy day since we left Ohio. We boarded the Narrow-Gauge Train in Durango and enjoyed the next three hours riding the rails through incredible vistas that defy description. I couldn’t help myself, snapping picture after picture, knowing as I did so that none of them would capture the beauty outside the train’s windows. Sheer rock faces above deep green pines and brilliant yellow aspens brought exclamations from our group time and again. Mist covered the peaks and snowmelt waterfalls cascaded downward ending in the river far below, flowing swiftly over the rocky riverbed.
One of our tour guides today told us that the largest living organism on the planet is the Aspen. He claimed that they are all connected to each other. I researched a bit and he may have overstated. It is true, though, that all aspens in a stand are interconnected below the surface. And the sound made by their leaves when rustling in the breeze is known as psithurism, the Greek word for whispering. It is magical, much like they are whispering secrets to each other.
We had lunch in Silverton and walked through town, shopping and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Over half of us left for Ouray in Jeeps, taking roads only passable on 4WDs and the others traveled with the bus up the Million Dollar Highway, known for its dangerous curves, high elevation, sheer drop-offs and lack of guard rails. Steve, our tour guide, said theories on the highway’s name come from several possibilities. One is that it refers to the cost of the highway. Some say it comes from the legend that there is gold dust in the gravel base. And some say it’s because “even if you paid me a million dollars I wouldn’t drive it again.” So take your pick or make up your own theory.
Our tour over the mountains in Jeeps was filled with information and sights of old mines. The day was cool and rainy so we took the lower route since the plus 14,000 foot (altitude) trail was shrouded in mist that hid the views. While much of our riding was off the main road we could see the Million Dollar Highway in the distance and occasionally we returned to drive on it for a mile or two before turning off again onto side roads that were little more than deeply rutted trails. Once, on the highway, Steve pointed far up the sheer mountainside to a building barely visible from where we were. A sign saying “Antiques” hung on the front although I took Steve’s word for that because it was much too far away to see with the naked eye. Clothes hung on a line and Steve explained. It seems one of the nearby towns (nearby by Colorado standards that is) being filled with “snooty” millionaires, decreed that no one is allowed to have clothes hanging on a wash line on their property. I guess it was too common or something. Anyway, someone built this little store and hung up a clothesline with laundry and all to thumb their nose at the snobby rich folks. And there it stands, permanently, for all to see.
We saw mine after mine, all abandoned now, with only skeletons of buildings remaining. Most of the mining around here was for silver and Steve told us how much pollution results from the processing of the ore removed. Most of the processing is now done in Canada since regulations in the states make it prohibitive.
We saw stream beds with dark rust colored rocks and water that comes from water contacting rocks and minerals containing sulfur and oxygen which creates sulfuric acid and iron. Steve told us that mines were a thousand feet deep back in the early days and so filled with sulfuric acid that if a miner left his shovel stuck in the dirt at the bottom overnight, the metal would be gone in the morning. He also told us that most miners did not die in this area from cave-ins or explosions but from pneumonia. No surprise there.
At three dollars a day miners made triple the normal wage for their time. It was brutal work in terrible conditions but tempting for young men who wanted to make a lot of money. Steve also told us that having a woman in the mine was considered bad luck, therefore there were no women miners. And then there were the Tommyknockers.
Mines make a lot of sounds. Creaks, groans, and sighs. Or so Steve said. I have no firsthand knowledge nor will I ever. I was rather relieved to find out that females are not welcome below the surface. The Tommyknockers, according to myth, inhabit all kinds of mines and the sounds commonly heard in the deep recesses of the earth come from them. They are thought to warn of imminent cave-ins, or to express their displeasure with human intrusion. Miners sometimes left apples or other treats to appease these creatures of the deep.
According to Steve, there is still one mine in the Silverton/Ouray area that has a tunnel running for seven miles straight through a mountain. Imagine, if you will, a dark narrow passage that runs for SEVEN MILES without lights, ventilation, or any other perks of open air space. Sorry, I’ve watched Lord of the Rings and I will not be tempted to travel that trail. Nothing good happens down there. Although supposedly there are still crews that do move through those tunnels.
In several places there was still some evidence of the mining towns that were booming a hundred years ago, high up on the cliffs, in what is the most dangerous avalanche area of the USA. Once abandoned many of the buildings were destroyed by the avalanches, ending up in heaps at the bottom. With over 5,000 avalanches each year, Colorado is the deadliest state in the nation and Ouray is in its epicenter. Even with snow tunnels created to protect those caught off guard, they are not always successful. Snow has been known to fill them to the top, trapping those in its path.
Our Jeep drivers delivered us to the door of our hotel in Ouray. We were tired and hungry and thankful for indoor plumbing (although a few of us made use of the woods along the trail). A short walk to one of the several excellent local restaurants fulfilled our eating requirements nicely. The town is charming and quaint, situated at the foot of the surrounding mountains which rise so high on all sides that I doubt whether sunrise nor sunset can ever be seen here. I would miss that but these peaks are so majestic I think seeing them every day on waking would make up for it.
No comments:
Post a Comment