Below Ophir

Below Ophir, on the other side of the highway, is the Ames Power Station, the first commercial power station in the world, that's right, the world, the sign says so.....

 

If you need more proof, here is the wikipedia page...

 

 

Why was the first hydro, current generating power plant here you ask? Simple, "Elecricity flows up hill towards money."...

 

 

Jon says that about the water diversions around, if rich people want water on the other side of the mountain, or the ridge, by George it happens and in the late 1800's there was a lot of silver and other minerals that a group of wealthy men decided needed to come out of the mountains, and electricity made it a whole lot easier. So it was not London, Paris, Washington D.C. or New York who first had power, it was Ames, Colorado and you are looking at it!

 

Now down in the bottom of the canyon, some 1,000 ft below the highway, we headed towards Ilium, which the web doesn't even have much info on, other than a place on a map, just a geographical spot, locals use as a reference point, we explored the river...

 

 

"planked" on the observation deck, (she is going to kill me for putting this up!) Then headed down the road, taking the long loop around, up to the highway on the other side and onwards to Telluride.