so here are some more pics from my most recent cross country journey. my buddy and i took back roads from kansas to california and that definitely proved best! this was quite a drive we got up early one morning and drove from Montrose, CO to Durango. I'll let the pics do the talking.
before that here is some info from wiki: "The original portion of the Million Dollary Highway was a toll road built by Otto Mears in 1883 to connect Ouray and Ironton.[1] Another toll road was built over Red Mountain Pass from Ironton to Silverton. In the late 1880's Otto Mears turned to building railroads and built the Silverton Railroad north from Silverton over Red Mountain Pass to reach the lucrative mining districts around Red Mountain, terminating at Albany just eight miles south of Ouray. The remaining eight miles were considered too difficult and steep for a railroad. At one point a cog railroad was proposed, but it never made it beyond the planning stage.
In the early 1920's, the original toll road was rebuilt at considerable cost and became the present day US 550. Today the entire route is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway.
Highway 550 was part of the original 1926 federal highway system. The original highway extended 110 miles (177 km) from Montrose, Colorado at U.S. Highway 50 to U.S. Highway 450 (now U.S. Highway 160) at Durango, Colorado. In 1934, Highway 550 was extended through Farminington to Shiprock, New Mexico. In 1989, the western end of Highway 550 was replaced with U.S. Highway 64 between Farmington and Shiprock. In 1999, Highway 550 was rerouted at Aztec, New Mexico to replace New Mexico State Highway 44 to Bernalillo, New Mexico, at which time all of Highway 550 in New Mexico was upgraded to four lanes.
after that we got to Utah and i'll continue with more pics later on! hope you guys enjoyed! if any of you get the oppurtunity to drive this road do it, its amazing, my friend who did the drive with me described it as "a life changing experience"!!!
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before that here is some info from wiki: "The original portion of the Million Dollary Highway was a toll road built by Otto Mears in 1883 to connect Ouray and Ironton.[1] Another toll road was built over Red Mountain Pass from Ironton to Silverton. In the late 1880's Otto Mears turned to building railroads and built the Silverton Railroad north from Silverton over Red Mountain Pass to reach the lucrative mining districts around Red Mountain, terminating at Albany just eight miles south of Ouray. The remaining eight miles were considered too difficult and steep for a railroad. At one point a cog railroad was proposed, but it never made it beyond the planning stage.
In the early 1920's, the original toll road was rebuilt at considerable cost and became the present day US 550. Today the entire route is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway.
Highway 550 was part of the original 1926 federal highway system. The original highway extended 110 miles (177 km) from Montrose, Colorado at U.S. Highway 50 to U.S. Highway 450 (now U.S. Highway 160) at Durango, Colorado. In 1934, Highway 550 was extended through Farminington to Shiprock, New Mexico. In 1989, the western end of Highway 550 was replaced with U.S. Highway 64 between Farmington and Shiprock. In 1999, Highway 550 was rerouted at Aztec, New Mexico to replace New Mexico State Highway 44 to Bernalillo, New Mexico, at which time all of Highway 550 in New Mexico was upgraded to four lanes.
after that we got to Utah and i'll continue with more pics later on! hope you guys enjoyed! if any of you get the oppurtunity to drive this road do it, its amazing, my friend who did the drive with me described it as "a life changing experience"!!!
"
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