Colorado - Ouray County Road 5 - Video Travel Guide

[JimFox]

Colorado - San Juan Mountains - Ouray County Road 5 - Video Travel Guide

Creating Travel Guides is something that I have desired and done to a limited degree in the past. This last summer though it hit me that doing a Video Travel Guide as opposed to using just still photos is the real direction that I wanted to go.

Two reasons for it. 1st, I love to share and educate others on photography and the beautiful locations around us. 2nd, it would be a great way to share FocalWorld with other photographers who may not know about us since the Video's will be hosted on YouTube.

I have done processed 3 video's so far. I recorded about a dozen places during my fall color trip, but I picked 3 to process first to get a feel for how to process them since this is all pretty new to me.

It took me a while to find a competent easy to use Video Editor since I am way to busy as it is, so I needed something simple with enough bells and whistles to accomplish the task. After some research I settled on Movavi. It has some quirks and glitches, but seems the most stable for being an inexpensive editor ($39). I had also bought an inexpensive Action Cam ($50) to start with. I didn't want to throw a ton of money away at the beginning incase this turned out to be something that wasn't going to work out or something I wasn't going to enjoy.

So if you are still reading, here is what I need from everyone.

Please view the 3 videos (I am copying this text to all 3 to start), and give me feedback.

I need feedback on everything. From the Titles, transitions, to the text used in the video. Any suggestions for the disclaimer also is desired. Just anything that comes to your mind, share it. It's been a journey just editing these 3, as I have refined my process with each one. But now, I don't want to edit anymore until I get the feedback and determine the exact look and wording of each one.

This first batch is a real learning process, and the video's I do a year for now will probably look nothing like this first set, but a guy has to start somewhere.

Thanks so much.

 

[Ben Egbert]

I was not sure if you went up 5 or 5A, You identified the two, but I did not hear you specify which to take.

 

[JimFox]

Thanks Ben. I thought I was pretty clear, but that section I will add some text on the video to make sure it’s clear.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Hey Jim, these are great, that's the only thing that stood out in the three. I have shared them all on my Facebook Page.

 

[JimFox]

That’s great Ben! Thanks. Hopefully as these grow in number and with using YouTube it will help make more people aware of FocalWorld.

 

[AlanLichty]

This is the second one I have watched and in this case it seemed like there was a bit of crosstalk as you were doing the transitions. You might want to insure that the audio of at least one of the pieces is fully blanked out during the transition. The video still seems a bit on the bright side. Any way you can tweak the exposure with these? Again - I am not a voice of experience on how to edit video at all.

I knew about Ben's question and it looked to me like County Rd 5A was the fork on the left where you went right and stayed on 5. Not sure if you had edited things before I watched this.

 

[murali]

@JimFox - Love the guide. Have never been to CO but that will change this fall. Changed my rental reservation from a standard SUV to a Jeep

A question about the mileage marker: where is Mile 0? County Rd 24 or 62 or somewhere else in Ridgway? The reason I ask is that the distance from 62 to the intersection of 5 and 5A is about 1.5 miles according to Google Maps while your narrative says it is just past Mile Marker 7. Just curious.

murali

 

[JimFox]

@JimFox - Love the guide. Have never been to CO but that will change this fall. Changed my rental reservation from a standard SUV to a Jeep

A question about the mileage marker: where is Mile 0? County Rd 24 or 62 or somewhere else in Ridgway? The reason I ask is that the distance from 62 to the intersection of 5 and 5A is about 1.5 miles according to Google Maps while your narrative says it is just past Mile Marker 7. Just curious.

murali

@murali Thanks so much. I cringed while watching the video again as it's an older one and hopefully the quality of my newer video's has grown.

In regards to your question, It does look like 5A on Google Maps is just outside of town, so that wouldn't be 7 miles in at Mile Marker 7. It's been 3 or 4 years since I had recorded that video, I must have had a reason I specifically said 5A at that point, but I don't recall now. I will post a screen shot from my phone in a sec that shows that Mile Marker 7 area, and that road to the left is Aspen Drive. In the video it's perhaps not clear, but I continue on CR5 on into where it goes into National Forest land.

I should be back in that area in the middle of July to do backpacking up into the mountains for wildflowers, I can drive back out there on CR5 and see what I was referring to exactly.

An SUV without 4x4 will get you most places out there, but 4x4 in a Jeep will be very welcome if you go very far back on any of the roads.

One of my favorites for fall colors back there is CR7, and they have not been maintaining it. And once you get back to where the National Forest land starts (back as you get closer to the Blue Lake Trailhead) the road is so rough I saw several regular cars, a minivan get stuck in the ruts or slide off the road and get stuck and need to get pulled out.

How long will you be there in the fall? Before the pandemic I was leading fall color workshops in that area. Since the pandemic I have switched to just going to the Upper midwest, Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc to photograph fall colors. It's my poorman's Vermont for fall colors.

 

[JimFox]

This is the area where I mentioned 5A at just before the 4 min mark in the video.

 

[JimFox]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/nPfWqZfkqhPfFjm9A?g_st=i

 

[JimFox]

That's the link from Google Maps to that spot.

 

[murali]

thanks. Got it.

62 to 5/5A intersection is 0.4 miles. 62 to 5-Aspen Dr intersection is 5.4 miles.

Your video gave me a good feel for the types of roads I'll encounter.

4 of us will be in the area from Sep 28 thru Oct 5. Flying in/out of Denver. Denver -> Colorado Nat Monument -> Black Canyon -> Ridgway/Ouray/Telluride -> McClure Pass -> Bear Lake -> Denver. Cant wait to experience County Roads 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 and the Last $ Road.

Not sure why it took so long to consider visiting CO. Makes no sense. Better late than never.

 

[JimFox]

thanks. Got it.

62 to 5/5A intersection is 0.4 miles. 62 to 5-Aspen Dr intersection is 5.4 miles.

Your video gave me a good feel for the types of roads I'll encounter.

4 of us will be in the area from Sep 28 thru Oct 5. Flying in/out of Denver. Denver -> Colorado Nat Monument -> Black Canyon -> Ridgway/Ouray/Telluride -> McClure Pass -> Bear Lake -> Denver. Cant wait to experience County Roads 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 and the Last $ Road.

Not sure why it took so long to consider visiting CO. Makes no sense. Better late than never.

That will be a fun trip, and you picked the right times historically.

A few suggestions.

Skip Colorado National Monument. it's okay, but it's not worth spending your time when there is a million things more beautiful further south.

Black Canyon is awesome. Plan for a day or half a day there. The Southern Entrance (East of Montroe) gives you the most bang for your buck.

The best spots for the Fall is:

CR7 (it's the best) - All day long
CR9 (Next best)
CR10 (It's a lot of fun and a great meadow) - Typically Sunset
CR5 (last) - Almost always done at sunrise, parking is very limited. It's a narrow road. Mostly people people off to the side of the road as much as possible, once you get past that Y in the road at the 4 min mark. You will decend down into an area that will have a cow pasture on the right side. You will see lot's of people parking there next to the road. There is more room to park if you get all of the way down the road to the meadow).

The Last Dollar Highway is great and it will lead you to Telluride.

I would also add in going down the Million Dollar Highway south past Ouray. It has an awesome mountain road with no guard rails. There are some nice view points on it just South of Ouray before it gets too windy. After you get past the area with the 1000' drop offs, you will top up the hill and come to Crystal Lake. It's a great place to get reflections. Continue south to Silverton. If you want fun, book the train from Silverton down to Durango and back. Near Silverton is Molas Pass, you get some great views of the mountains there.

That's it off the top of my head.