Saturday, June 26, 2010 U.S.BASIN, RED MTN MINING DISTRICT, CORKSCREW

We were finally able to get all the way across U.S. Basin today.  We turn off of Hw 550 just north of Silveton and follow the trail up to an elevation of over 12,000 feet and then it loops around back to 550 south of Ouray.  Then we went back out on 550, headed north and picked up the Red Mountain Mining District.  After that we picked up Corkscrew and took it back to Silverton.

Starting out

This is where we were stopped last week by the snowdrift, finally able to get through . . .

. . . only to run into a snow/sleet/rain storm

 A few switchbacks and wer're back into the sunshine

A mine on private property

 Some of the old mines in this area are Longfellow, National Bell, Genessee, Yankee Girl, and Cora Bell.  The townsite was once known as Guston.

Longfellow Mine:

  Following - Don - a UF Gator!  But we don't hold it against him.

Once again, Gary found a place for lunch that none of us had ever been to before on a dead-end side-road:

 Back into some rain

Mine tailings

 

Looking down onto a working mining operation

 

The famous "Yankee Girl" mine, with the vertical shaft. 

You can stand on a grate over the shaft and feel the cold air coming up from the bottom.

 

  

 

Seriously, guys, which way is it? 

 (No, they didn't know I was taking their picture.  It's really not posed)

 

We like Gary to take the lead so he can intimidate everyone into pulling over for us!

This may be my favorite pix for the day:

 

Why use a bridge if you don't have to?

 

Gary did spin out a little;  we went the same way.

Onto Corkscrew and across Red Mountains

 It was a long, but good day.