Awesome Webs -- Our Vacation -- Skyway Scenery -- Locations

CO -- Scenery -- Locations

The San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway is one of the most beautiful parts of Colorado. A 233 mile loop in SW Colorado, we arrived on 9/30 -- typically a little late for the turning of the Aspen, but just right for this particular year. Aspen trees turn bright gold and then orange as they lose their leaves, and the beauty must be seen to be appreciated.

We started our trip in Durango and went clockwise through the circle, ending back up in Durango, where we took the Durango/Silverton train on our last day of our 6-day adventure.

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Dallas Divide	Last Dollar / Sawpit	Owl Creek Pass
Red Mountain Pass	Red Mountain Pass -- Ironton	San Juan West
"True Grit"

PICTURES

(Some may have been taken while moving, so please pardon them being a little blurry.)

Click on thumbnails to view full-size picture.

Dallas Divide

Last Dollar / Sawpit
























		Oreo® cow?

Red Mountain Pass

	2012









	2011

Red Mountain Pass -- Ironton Ghost Town

	These pictures were taken going south from Ouray to Silverton. As you approach the pass, the sign for Ironton (left) and the one visible building (right) indicate you're there.
Several small roads go off to the left (east), prior to the building in the upper-right picture. Drive cautiously, as some were impassible in our passenger car. We had no trouble avoiding the "bad" roads. The pictures in this first section were taken on the east side of the road, the location of most of the ghost town. Buildings are maintained by a historical group; some have been propped up to keep them from falling. It's rather surprising the public is allowed to go inside the buildings.



















	Crossing the highway to the west side, we see an old building next to the road (both sides). Toward the back of the area, there is a mine. The picture below (lower left) was taken through an opening in the door. Very little is on the west side of the highway.

San Juan West


















Lake at Lizard Pass, south of Telluride

Owl Creek Pass


Deb's Meadow	Deb's Meadow	Chimney Peak

	Famous rocks in Deb's Meadow

True Grit* -- Comparisons from then (left) to now (right)

	The Ross homestead. The movie looks at it from the hill, with the barn in the foreground. Our picture was taken from Last Dollar Road because we didn't want to trespass. The front porch of the house on the right will be on the left (unseen) side of the house in the movie (left).
	Mattie and Yarnell walk away from the hanging area, 1969. Note fire station in background and buildings on far right. Right -- picture taken in Ridgway, 2012
	Hanging scene (the convict in the middle was Jay Silverheels -- Tonto)
	The upper left of this section shows the Fort Smith Saloon where Tom Chaney was playing cards. The picture below shows Chaney about to shoot Frank Ross, noting the rope & post fence behind Ross and that same fence in the two lower pictures where the prisoner wagon was unloaded and prisoners were taken into the building (lower shot). The upper right shows the Fort Smith Saloon in 2012 -- a curio shop. Two doors down is the True Grit Cafe, now on what was the vacant lot where the prisoners were unloaded. The same wall sign seen in the lower 2 left pictures is seen on the wall of the True Grit Cafe (right). This is all across the street from the park where the hangings occurred. Lower right is the prisoner wagon, now on display at the museum, vicinity of 550 & 62.



	View of downtown from Col Stonehill's stable. The picture at the right is from a different angle, as a post office is now where the stable was. Also, note white courthouse building. It was a fake building, made for the movie. The inside was the courthouse in Ouray.
	Ned Pepper's gang rides onto the field where they had the shoot-out. Right (2012), the aspen trees are starting to turn, so the picture was taken slightly later in the season.
	Messed up a bit on the camera angle. It had begun to sleet, and it was cold!
	Rooster Cogburn approaches. There is a clearing in the trees in the newer picture ... not sure why. Pipeline, perhaps?
	The first time I saw True Grit, I wondered why there was a berm behind Ned Pepper. If you can't see why in the picture to the right, click here.

True Grit -- Pictures from 2012


Courthouse where Mattie met Rooster after his court appearance. The courthouse in Ridgway was fake. This is the courthouse in Ouray, 10 miles south, and it was used for interior shots.	Entrance to small parking area in front of Deb's Meadow. The rocks where Ned Pepper made his entrance are on the left. Cogburn entered from the right.	This stream passes Deb's Meadow. It was used prominently in the camping and turkey-shooting scenes.


The famous stream, again.	Location of Ned Pepper's entrance	"Famous" rock by Ned Pepper's entrance

View of Deb's Meadow from the county road. When Ned Pepper was injured and about to shoot Cogburn, his back would be to the camera in this shot.	About a mile uphill is Owl Creek Pass. We didn't realize it at the time, but the back is this rock is supposedly the rock where Mattie slept. In reality, their camp was in Ouray, about 20 miles away.	The stream, slightly upstream from Deb's Meadow.


Ross homestead -- Barn, hill, and remnants of fence where cemetery was -- taken from Last Dollar Rd.

"Home"

Ouray

Ridgway

Scenery

Silverton

Telluride

Train

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* We were unable to determine if True Grit (1969) is still copyrighted. Images used from the movie are being used for educational purposes, the purpose of which to educate the public on the location of filming of this movie classic. While we feel this falls within the "fair use" doctrine, we will promptly remove any copyrighted images upon request of the copyright holder.