The Telluride Cafe

**Photos - Drive Over Black Bear Pass, Colorado (August 6, 2007)**

The Black Bear Pass Jeep trail is known as one of the scariest and most difficult passes in Colorado. It is also a pass that we have wanted to do for years, especially since it ends in Telluride, where we now live. The pass begins off of Red Mountain Pass (Highway 550) north of Silverton, before the summit of Red Mountain Pass. Every day has been extremely cloudy and rainy, but we decided to do it anyway since the pass is only open about 8 to 10 weeks a year. Because of this, many of my photos don't have great lighting, but still, weeding it down to 15 photos was difficult. Black Bear Pass is a Jeep trail that deserves respect and demands an experienced 4-wheel driver.
To give you an idea of why the pass is so difficult, the photo below shows the switchbacks from a sunny day when we drove over Imogene Pass. The switchbacks you see zig-zagging above Bridal Veil Falls are very tight and narrow. You are only allowed to drive down this part of the pass. There is a sign posted below that shows that there is a chance to turn around and head back to highway 550 if one does not want to go down these switchbacks.
Looking down on Red Mountain Pass.
Snow!!!
I'm pretty sure the view from the summit is awesome, but I guess we'll have to do it again sometime to find out for sure. And yes, I was freezing and it was raining.
Road construction! Also the weather started to improve here. Thank goodness for people like this that work so hard to keep the Jeep trails in drivable conditions. Black Bear was actually closed July 24 to about August 2 due to mudslides and rock slides that these wonderful workers went up and cleared.
A look at the road ahead of us.
Columbines, Colorado's state flower.
A lake that I don't know the name of. I was able to catch the reflection of the sky in it.
Finally able to see Telluride below us.
Last chance for scaredy cats to turn around!!
Driving over and through Ingram Falls, view of Telluride below.
View of Ingram Falls as we drove through it.
One of the CRAZY switchbacks!! We had to backup a couple of times and ease around these things.
View of Bridal Veil Falls and the power house station below us.
Not a great photo, but after we got home, God blessed us with a rainbow. Maybe he was telling us we were crazy to do Black Bear today, or maybe he was telling us he was there to keep us safe. All in all, I think this road is greatly exaggerated. The road crews have kept this in nice condition, ready for experienced Jeepers.

These photos were submitted by Jay and Lisa Wilson in Telluride, Colorado.

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