Slumguillion Pass

Colorado Highway 149 between Creede, in Mineral County, and Lake City, in Hinsdale County, goes over 11,350 ft Slumguillion Pass. The north side of the pass, with a 9% grade, has the steepest grade of any continuous paved road in Colorado. For more information on the pass, check out this article from Wikipedia.

We once drove an RV over the pass--years ago towing our 24 ft Komfort fifth wheel. Especially for John, who was driving, it was a nail-biting experience. Last week we went over the pass with just our truck, each of us driving one direction. We could really enjoy the scenery. It helped that we have a better truck with good brakes and an exhaust brake.

There isn't a lot I can say about the photos below, except that they show the beauty of the Colorado Rockies in summer.

There are large stands of aspen trees.  The pass must be spectacular in the fall.

On the trip back to Creede, we even encountered snow! Yuk.

In some areas, we saw a lot of dead trees. First we thought if was from a forest fire several years ago. Then we decided it was a pine beetle infestation that killed lots of trees.

They are beginning to cut down and clear away many of the dead trees. This helps lessen the chance of forest fires among the dead wood.