Placerville is a handful of buildings beside the San Miguel River in the southwest Colorado mountains, and it is barely more than a name on the map, but it has a good one. The word placer refers to a deposit of gold in a streambed that can be washed out by hand, and the hunt for it brought prospectors here in the 1870s. Later, the Rio Grande Southern Railroad ran through the village, carrying ore and passengers down the canyon, and some of the old railroad buildings and grades can still be seen.
The setting is lovely. The river runs clear through a narrow valley of red cliffs, cottonwoods and aspen, with high peaks of the San Juan Mountains to the south and the mesas of the Uncompahgre Plateau to the north. At roughly seven thousand feet, the air is dry and clear, summer days are warm, and nights are cool. Nearby, a mountain called Lone Cone stands apart from the rest of the range, a solitary peak above the plateau, and is a landmark from many miles around.
The Unaweep-Tabeguache Scenic Byway runs north-west from the area through country that few travellers see, passing through Unaweep Canyon, an odd, wide valley with a peculiar secret. In the middle of the canyon, there is a divide, and the two creeks on either side run in opposite directions, one to the east and the other to the west, and geologists still debate how the canyon formed. The road is quiet, with long curves, red cliffs and ranch land, and it is a very relaxed ride. The Tabeguache name comes from a band of the Ute people.
Telluride and Mountain Village, about twenty-three kilometres south-east, have services, and the small town of Norwood, to the west, has basic supplies. Weather can change quickly, with summer thunderstorms and early snow at higher elevations. Autumn is wonderful, with golden aspen on the hillsides and clear blue skies, and wildlife, including deer, elk and wild turkeys, can be seen. Keep an eye out for cattle on the road in places.