An alpine village along the San Juan Mountain Skyway, and a favorite place of mine.

Ouray Colorado Photo by Nicki Hurd

Ouray is named after a Native American Chief of the Utes.   Ute means Land of the sun.

We gazed at it from above as we wound down the Million Dollar Highway. We arrived at the end of a rain storm as the sky cleared. The village has a timeless feel with turn of the century buildings among more recent additions.  A cozy place but with enough shops and restaurants to stroll and linger.

We stayed at Lane’s Victorian House with windows all around and a 360 view, making it clear  why Ouray is nicknamed the Switzerland of America. It was an easy walk to a Bistro for dinner, which was delicious, with potatoes whipped as soft as snow, and cocktails that had the special altitude boost.

I read stories in the local post of bears eating the rubbish outside of eateries in the wee hours of the mornings.  I could not convince Andrew to wake up early and walk down to take a peek.

Ouray was originally a miners town for those after gold and silver. We took the Bachelor-Syracuse Mine Tour just north of Ouray.

Hiking anywhere was beautiful with gorgeous views of the Rocky Mountains. We circled around the town, took a short jaunt out, and had a visit to Box Canyon.

We finished the day by looking up into the mountains while soaking and melting in the sulfer- free hot springs healing minerals, testing the many soaking sections at temperatures ranging from 88 to 106 degrees. August, 2009