June 2007
We camped at Turquoise Lake with Gail and Tom and two other couples that we had not previously met. Angling was high on the menu for two of our party and the result was two beautiful trout - rainbow and lake - for starters one evening.
Apart from hiking we determined to take our jeep right up to the top of the Hagerman Pass. This was old mining country again and the first part of the trip is on old railroad grade. Approaching the summit the railroad went through tunnels but a rough 4x4 track runs right over the summit. This is a bumpy trip but the views are marvellous. We later discovered that the snow drifts had only been dug out a few days earlier when the plough could not get through. It was a clear morning and the views from the top were well worth the effort of getting there!

Turquoise Lake looking eastwards towards Leadville
Looking up the valley towards the Hagerman pass which is off to the right
Looking back from the snowdrifts near the top...
...with much more snow to travel through on the way up
The Skipper and Mate at the summit of the pass
Looking down the far side of the pass towards Aspen to the north west
Our guide around the Salt Works Ranch in South Park

Our last trip out before we returned to the Chesapeake Bay was a visit to the Salt Works Ranch. This is just down the road from our property and someone had organised a tour for residents of the area.
The Salt Works Ranch was an original homestead in 1862 and it is remarkable to consider that the Civil War was in full swing during this period. The West seems detached from all this conflict and the gold rush had not yet come.
South Park is a huge and beautiful hanging valley that owes its form to the glaciers coming south from the main mass of the Rockies to the north where the fashionable ski resorts are now.

The log cabin was the ranch house in 1862 and the big house was built in the 1880s
A photograph of William Cody with Native American friends
This is a three hole privy with a child seat - another compartment next door is a two holer
Bunk house labelled as the casino and it probably saw plenty of gambling
The stables complete with aging tack
The newer ranch house is going to be renovated and looks typically Victorian inside
The blacksmith shop has the name of Jesse James carved in the wall - it may well be genuine as he was in the area when the carving is known to have been made
The salt spring with salt crystals where water has evaporated
The remains of the salt works - the base of the collapsed chimney can be seen on the left - a recent event

The ranch extracted salt from a salt spring by evaporation in kettles over a fire. The demand was huge for a few years until the railroad arrived and salt could be brought from mines, when the ranch reverted to cattle and horses.
There were actors in the family as well and one of these gave rise to the Toni (Antoinette) awards. One of the great great grandsons acted as our guide and the ranch is now preserved as a trust although still working.

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