| Subject: Re: Ouray |
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The locals who live there in the San Juan Mts. love to scare the tourists with these tales. Unfortunately, they are based on fact. On occasion the snowplow drivers have been swept off the highway by avalanches. Other times while plowing through a massive slide area they've simply lost their bearings and driven off the road. Extremely hazardous duty for those employed by the Colorado Highway Dept. In addition to the plows they also use howitzer cannons which lob shells up into the avalanche troughs in order to force a slide.
I've been over those passes dozens of times, including driving in whiteout conditions, but crossing in a motor home with a berserker [not to mention a loose tick, ;-) ] takes the cake. I'm glad you can smile about it now Connie. They don't have mountains like those down in Oz, do they? John Rule San Diego, CA |