HWY 550 in Colorado...know as the Million Dollar Highway

Today is June 18, and all day yesterday,  it was pouring down rain and even snowed!  I'm so glad that we didn't have to ride in rain like we've experienced here at home. It's always nice to be inside during a thunderstorm!

Writing about Durango, Silverton, Ouray and the Million Dollar Highway makes me smile! I've said it before in previous blog posts, I really can't believe how many interesting and cool things we experienced and saw all on one day.  We've been to 20 states and the journey from Taos, new Mexico was memorable!  Between everything in New Mexico until we reach our destination, Ouray the entire day was a wild ride!

After New Mexico and Pagosa Springs, our ride to Ouray took us through Durango and Silverton both fun towns that we've visited before. We're riding on HWY 550, known as the Million Dollar Highway which connects Silverton and Ouray and named because of how much it cost to build, and  Colorado State has  been tracking the costs since 1883 when construction began.  I'm sure they 've spent billions on this highway by now!

Yes, the roads are curvy!

Durango is a fun town with a great downtown, lots of restaurants and lots of outdoor activities. It's also a ski town with a ski resort that used to be called Purgatory. We make a quick stop for gas and head to Silverton.




Years ago, I was on HWY 550 both in a car and as a passenger on Randy's bike. I'm a little nervous about another mountain road and I question him about he complexity of the road. He tells me it's fine, that it's just like the roads in New Mexico. I don't really remember the road quite the way Randy describes, and when I come upon my first hairpin curve, I know I'm in for a wild ride. Although a nervous, I'm not too worried about the Million Dollar Highway especially since I've slayed the Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina. 

Well, I am here to tell you, that the Tail of the Dragon is nothing compared to the Million Dollar Highway, which is famous for 25 miles of narrow, cliff-hugging roads, with high elevations, sharp hairpin turns, steep roads, sheer cliffs, and no guard rails. My fear of heights kicks in and I hug the yellow lines, focus forward and try not to think about the sheer cliff I'm riding by. I don't stop to take any pictures (I know you're not surprised) and I barely look at the spectacular views but I found a few pictures online that are breathtakingly gorgeous and will give you an idea of my wild ride.

Check out the car and trailer...vintage!

Silverton Train - very cool experience!

Silverton is a quaint, historic miner and train town with lots of shops and restaurants. It's also the stop for the Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad that began in the late 1800's to haul silver and gold ore. Shortly afterwards, it started passenger travel too because of the great views and it's been continuously operating since it opened. Starting outside Durango, the train ride takes you back in time, to what the miners experienced. On other visits, to Silverton, we've ridden the train a couple of times and it's worth it!


I'm thrilled that I make it to Silverton and in desperate need of a quick break. We soon discover that road to Ouray is closed at Red Mountain Pass and learn that it is only open from 12:30-1:30 pm and from 6:30 pm-8:30 am daily because of a rock slide.

In January 2014 there was a huge rock slide on Red Mountain Pass and the road had to be completely closed for over a month for repairs. In Feburary, CDOT temporarily opened it as a one-lane road. The slide was so bad that it's going to take them awhile to make it a two-lane road and they are working on it daily.

January 2014 Rock Slide

Look closely...on the far right is a red bike with sidecar!

So we end up in Silverton, with a couple hours to kill. Which we did at the Handlebars Restaurant and Saloon. It's a western bar and quirky place with a curmudgeon of an owner/bartender, not worth my time writing about. Beers were cold and the bar was comfortable. There are lots of us hanging out waiting for the road to open.

At 6:00 pm we venture out and make it to Red Mountain Pass arriving right as the road was opening, promptly at 6:30 pm. We then ride very slowly in bumper-to-bumper traffic all the way to Ouray, which is about 20 miles away. 

We come to the slide area and it's truly a narrow, one-lane road with a sheer cliff drop-off and although there are lots of motor-homes on the road, the road doesn't look wide enough for a car let alone a huge bus! I would be terrified to be closed in one of those on this itty-bitty road. I ride as close to the mountain as I can, terrified of the sheer cliff directly to my left.

Here's a photo from the Ouray News of where we rode. Take away the equipment and that's what we rode on, except it was one-lane! According to the newspaper and townspeople, both lanes were supposed to open on June 12. After riding on it and seeing the traffic lights, they will probably open it to just one-lane, and alternate traffic. It looks like they'll need to do more work on the retaining walls to get it fully functional. All the work CDOT did is pretty impressive and those workers must not have any fear of heights!

We eventually ease into Ouray, and I'm so happy to get off my bike and simply enjoy our last night in what looks like an amazing historical mountain town.

This trip has pushed me out of my comfort zone in more ways than you can even begin to imagine. I've ridden on roads that I normally would have avoided at all costs.

However, I've discovered it that I'm stronger and braver than I ever thought I was. My riding confidence and skills are better than ever. Will I willingly ride on the Million Dollar Highway again?  I'd like to say no, but if I'm ever going back to Durango or Pagosa Springs, I probably will have to.  At least, I know I can do it!