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The stretch of route 550 in southwestern Colorado that runs between Ouray and Silverton is a spectacular drive through mountain passes. Not for the faint of heart -- almost no shoulders. On one side - drop-offs into the valley below, and on the other, sheer rock walls.(Oh, and of course, no guard rails. Two days ago, an elderly couple survived a 200 foot fall when their car veered off the road.

The name? Some people say it's for the million dollar views. Others say there's a million dollars of gold in the rock ballast under the road. But the name actually came from a planning meeting in the 1920s where, while discussing rebuilding the highway, someone remarked that the project would cost a million dollars — an incredible sum for such a short span of road construction at the time.