Sat, Aug 17th - JIM'S CURIOSITY aka SILVER CLOUD MINE

A lazy morning & a really late start, so we chose a short trail.  We call this one Jim's Curiosity because he had always wondered where the trail off Hwy 550 went.  We tried it a couple of years ago only to become stopped by a huge snowdrift that caused us to make about a 100-point turnaround on a ledge road to get back down.  We have been up several times since then with no problems.  There is a mine at the bottom called Silver Crown and the mine at the top is Silver Cloud (elevation: 11,416 feet). 

Several waterfalls:

 

Old Mine debris up really high:

 FOUR padlocks makes me really wonder what is inside:

 The old rails going off the side:

Not a bad escape for the afternoon:

 Views across the way: 

 

 Not far off the highway, but still a loooong way down!

 

This evening, we went into town to hear The Great Western Rocky Mountain Brass Band perform.  There are about 50 members and they were AWESOME!   The members live all over the United States and meet here once a year for a weekend of concerts.  This is their 32nd year; our first year to attend.  We had no clue what we were missing!  Wish I could put their music on here for you to hear.