To Hell You Ride!!!

I’d tried to make it to Telluride a few days ago, but had to turn around 25 miles into the trip due to several avalanches coming down on the road making the mountain pass impossible to cross. When I reached the top of Coal Bank Pass a snow plow had the road blocked and the driver said “it could take hours to clean up”. I headed back down to Durango, and drove though blizzard conditions. It was 25 miles of white knuckle driving down a huge mountain with very few guard rails, covered in snow, with visibility of about 20 feet. It was one of those times when you ask yourself, how in hell did I get knee deep in this bullshit??? Well, good luck stung me and I made it down with no problems after stopping several times to clean the snow and ice off my windshield...
All bullshit aside, it was the scariest drive of my life!!!
Once back in Durango, I rubbed and kissed the dashboard of my jeep and thanked her for getting me safely down the pass. I then went to the nearest saloon, found a warm bar seat, and watched the Cowboys get their asses kick.



The next day was blue skies and sunshine. I went around to Lizard Pass, not wanting to take a chance on the road not being cleared at Red Mountain Pass. Making it to Telluride I found a motel and hit the streets. The small mountain town is boxed in by beautiful mountains and has a nice warm charm to it . Staying there for two days I meet some nice people, but I never really felt like I fit in. I’m sure it’s because “I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SKI” and this is a major ski destination. It was pretty damn good odds I was the only person in that town that couldn’t ski. I was worn out from the roads and hiking around, so I caught up on some rest and just chilled around town. After riding the free ski lift “ The Gondola” over the mountain to the next town of Mountain Village several times to drink beer and listen to all the rich folks from all over the world talk shit and flash their money. I decided it was time to pull the pin and roll out .
Damn, I wish I could ski though... Oh well, “ Where’s the beer? I’ll learn to ski later...”










Back over a hundred years ago, word around the campfire has it now that when miners packed up and headed into the mountains of Telluride to find their dreams and a pocket full of gold. People would tell them” To Hell You Ride” as they rode off. Supposably, because the road there was hell to travel, and that’s the way the town got it’s name.
I don’t know, but I do know hell froze over for me to get there. The ride out of hell was beautiful though, driving along what is known as “The Million Dollar Highway”. 13,000 foot snow covered mountains, half frozen pure flowing rivers, and million dollar views everywhere I looked. This land is big magic the Indians may say!!! And they would be exactly right, this part of the country is paradise, and then some!!!