Ophir Pass is known as "the scenic route" from Telluride to Silverton. Experts suggest planning for 5 hours to complete the journey, and dogs are welcome. Experts also state, "While it is not required, it is certainly recommended to have a 4x4 high clearance vehicle to traverse Ophir Pass Road safely." (Source: AllTrails) Alright, Forester, let's see what you can do...we checked for a skid-plate - affirmative. We are good to go...
Is that how the song goes? To grandmother's house, we go... We hit the trail and were excited to get going, a little apprehensive but excited.
It started drizzling, but we had faith and pushed onward. It quickly passed. First, we passed UTV (essentially a giant off-roading go kart), which did not inspire confidence, but then the next person we passed was driving a Toyota Corolla. Confirmed. We were not crazy for giving this a shot, or at least not the craziest. We have around 95% confidence that the Corolla had turned around and given up (and did not just complete the trail from the other side). If they did, I bet it was a hell of a ride.
You know you're getting close when it starts to look like winter during the middle of June.
The pass itself is the halfway point of the journey. On the way there, we had a few switchbacks and nice views, but the second half proved to be the real action.
Surrounded by lifted Jeep Wranglers, we felt proud of our little Forester.
Speaking of scenic views:
The second half was much steeper, with a 10% grade downhill and enormous rocks. You could tell there had been some recent avalanches and rockslides. The skid-plate saved our butts.
We scraped up the plate at specific points, but with some tactful driving and the courtesy of a few friendly and patient Jeeps behind us, we made it through with zero problems. [Insert Subaru Commercial] The grand finale was a convoy of wranglers going over this creek:
Ophis Pass: Mission Completed.
Yvonne-spiration: Yvonne once planned a road trip in Arizona for our family, and we did 20 miles off-road as a "scenic route." I remember we rented an "SUV" from the airport and received a GMC Acadia - not precisely an off-roading machine, but we made it! It reminded me of this story. If anyone else knows of other good "scenic routes," - please comment below! Ps. I coined the term Yvonne-spiration on Urban Dictionary while writing this. Journey Back to Boston: We returned the car at the airport in Durango, CO, and jetted home. This was Hazey's first time flying, so we had to buy a carrier for her. To be safe, we booked the flight 1st class (a new experience for all of us). I'll never forget trying to get Hazey into the bag in the airport for the first time (ever), and she was not happy about it...eventually, with the top of the bag open, she was calm.
Nowadays, Hazey jumps into the travel bag if she can see we are packing to go somewhere. This was a short flight; they allowed us to keep her on the arm rest the whole time. Most airlines enforce that she is under the seat and in the bag.
On the long-haul from Denver to Boston, Hazey stayed under the seat with minimal protest. This was the first of many flights for our little nugget Hazey, so subscribe to get an update when there is a new story available - weekly updates, no spam. Thanks for reading; you are fantastic!
Missed the beginning of this 14-day journey? See the following posts: 1. Boston to St. Louis 2. Colorado: Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak & Steamboat Springs
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