Like others, I once drove up to the East Portal before it was closed to vehicles, with my wife and 2 young daughters. Two things stick in my mind -
In areas where aspen grew on both sides of the ROW, roots had grown into the ballast (?) between the ties to the extent that they pretty well displaced the dirt. Then the ties rotted out, leaving the roots, and the dirt eroded away. Like a negative versus positive print. Rather amusing.
Also, we had to drive in lots of places with the right side tires on the down-slope ends of the ties, and the left tires bounced up and down on the uhill ends of the ties, giving quite a rock to the car. The kids were too young to get excited, and my wife just looked out the window and down the talus slope, without a word. She was raised in Durango, with a father who loved to drive at the edge of the jeep roads, just to get a reaction from nervous passengers. I have never been able to make her nervous with my driving.
Steve
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