Suspecting that reader boredom is sneaking in, I will give the Cliff'sNotes version from here on end, though the next several days of pics in these batches were fabulous driving, and sights: Route 212 from Red Lodge Montana, into Wyoming, aka BearToothPass Highway, to the 'top of the world', at 11,000 elevations. Almost like Antarctica...

V drove the whole 2 hrs and I shot pics. Then a half day run down the Chief Joseph Trail to Cody, WY. The Chief led the Nez Perce Native Americans and spent a year running the US Calvary round in circles in the area, trying to avoid extermination. Outfookinstanding roads, and sights, as I repeat myself...

I remain enamored of MT & WY, and...

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WY State Rt 296 aka Chief Joseph Scenic Hwy, to Cody...
a couple of shots in Yellowstone, (it was literally bumper to bumper), and a couple shots of the Tetons. Our last night in WY, and then we headed south back into UT and into Colorado.

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The continental West is so intriguing and looks to have some nice scenery; I've been to Yellowstone in a tour bus but everything's always nicer when driving oneself. Too bad I live on the opposite side of the country.......

Not bored, mD, not bored at all. You write well, so write well-written writing No Cliff's Notes unless they're notes on cliffs that you wrote on cliffs using Cliff's Notes.

South out of Tetons, & Jackson Hole, back into a corner of Utah, 'the geologic history trail', and back into Colorado for our 2nd time this trip. We rolled south to Montrose, CO and cooped for a delightful 3 nights in a motel, as opposed to the near daily 'moving' from joint to joint. Montrose is a fine little town and close to the remarkable, but seldom visited Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. And, Montrose is a ~30 min drive to Ouray, and the famous Rt 550 from Ouray to Durango. Thus, we shacked up and enjoyed both for a couple days.

The Black Canyon Nat Park is a mini-Grand Canyon that allows for right to the edge hiking, pic shooting, and has a few dozen cars per day as opposed to the literal hundred thousand a day to the GC south rim. Different geology and not quite as 'big' or expansive, but same process, and beautiful in its own way; though, like the GC, it is very difficult to 'capture' the large scale.

As for the Ouray to Durango road, Route 550, I have driven it 5 times on m'cycle trips, but it was a hoot and less nerve wracking in the Vette with 4 wheels. V drove most of the way, each way, and while it was 'crowded' with July 4th weekend tourists, it was as fine a road as I remembered. We are closing in on 'leaving' the Mtn States at this point, and bracing for the long easterly run across the 'fly over' states, heading for Fam & friends in MI, YYZ, NY and NJ...

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Ouray, CO to Durango, CO via Rt 550...had lunchola in Silverton: one paved road, mostly dirt roads, tiny town with a large group of ex-trust fund losers, waiting for the next free lift ticket, .

V learned to hammer the Vette through the gears, and trust its cornering prowess by this point of the trip.

Rt 550 goes from ~6,000 ft to over 10,500 several times on the run, with several acute switchbacks...the Vette never even breathed hard. What a car, esp for a 9 1/2 yr old C5 model. I did see that 248 deg F oil temp a few times in the traffic clogged, slow climbs with very high ambient temps.

The Scoot was a custom we saw in the Montrose motel parking lot; there were dozens parked there over the 4th Weekend, but this custom was unusual with its Right Side Drive off the S&S motor, and custom trans....

Out of Montrose & SW Colorado, and heading east and north toward Denver, and then, the Plains.
Thanks for reading & looking...
mD & V

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Thx again for continued photography and details of the trip! Lots of awesome stuff out there to see for sure.

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Previously owned: '03 4.6iS Dinan Supercharged

MD great photos, glad you had a good trip!

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Loving my BMW

Catching up...out of Montrose, CO on Rt 50 east, to US 24 North up the tall spine of the Colorado Rockies. Past the 'Collegiate Mountains', the highest set of peaks/range in the lower 48. They don't look tall as one drives by, but they are 14,400+ ft and simply set on 10-11,000 ft 'plateaus', and have enormous bases. Lunchola in Leadville, CO, 2nd highest populated town in the US, at almost 11,000 ft. Miners houses redone by local artists...just walking around presents some breathing problems.

Hauling azz north up US 24 to I-70, (helluva an interstate in that area), over toward Loveland Pass, on famous Rt 6, the highest road pass in the US, at just under 12,000 ft. That additional 1,000 feet of elevation even had some effect on the Vette.
V drove the hell outta Rt 6, and we finally waddled into Golden for an art quilt exhibit she wanted to see.

Fourth of July in Golden, and then bang out of Denver east, on I-76 to I-80, into Nebraska.

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