The 4th in Ouray

Ouray (U-Ray) is a little town just thirty miles to the south of us that is nestled in the San Juan Mountains and is called the Swiss Alps of America (Ouraycolorado.com). I love to go there for the 4th of July because of the history and old west feel. More than anything I love the water fights. You may think of squirt guns and watter balloons but its a little more than that...they use fire hoses.

There are two, two person teams and they have it out with big fire hoses. They wear protective gear and helmets with face masks that come down to their chests. More than one person has been carted off when the water blast went under his helmet and instantly drowned him. Who knows why they do it, but I guess this is the Wild West. When the lead guy on a team gets sprayed in the head and can't see what he's doing he usually misses the other team and sprays a jet of water into the crowd. The whole experience is a blast and has come to be a 4th of July tradition around here.

Here are a few pics from the day. I hope your 4th was just as much fun!