Trip Report: The Perfect Family Trip!
EDIT: I wanted to add this link here at the beginning. Ragusa's Summer 2014 Trailer Hello friends! We have been home for two months, but I am just now feeling like getting to the trip repo...
Forum Discussion
Durango
Like I said, we left Mesa Verde a day early, having seen all we were interested in. To us, it was one of those, glad we saw it...won't go back.
It was a short drive into Durango, where we stayed at Junction Creek? Can't remember the name now, but it was a Forest Service campground off a gravel road about 5-6 miles north of town. You had to drive through a neighborhood and then down a terrible gravel road. It was nice, quiet, and cheap.
We were in Durango for two nights. Mainly to give us a day on the train to Silverton. But we were there early enough in the day to spend an afternoon walking downtown Durango. It's a great little town, but shopping, etc. isn't our thing. However, we stopped in at the Strader Hotel and talked the bellman into giving us a little tour. It was great! For the price of a small tip, he spent a half hour with us and took us through 4 or 5 of the most famous rooms. The Louis L'Amour room, Will Rogers, President Ford... Certainly wasn't a Motel 6. Met some fellow in the lobby that talked about all the secret passages and hiding places in the hotel. Interesting stuff.
We went back to camp, grilled burgers and got some rest. Next morning, we were up before the sun to board the train by 7am. I had been eaten alive by mosquitos the night before. So much so, that my legs were swollen and I had to take Benedryl. Those bites stayed with me for the next month. It was terrible. Being from south Louisiana, I thought I had seen the best of mosquitos...but Colorado is a close second.
We had reservations in one of the open car gondolas, which was a great choice! We really, really enjoyed the trip. The scenery is amazing, and it was a better experience than we had expected. However, the day was long, long, long. About 7.5 hours on the train, plus 2 hours in Silverton. We would recommend one way and take the bus back. Folks on this forum have mixed opinion on that. I don't. ;)
With the two hours in Silverton, we walked most of the town. It was cool, but a tourist trap for sure.
Like I said, we left Mesa Verde a day early, having seen all we were interested in. To us, it was one of those, glad we saw it...won't go back.
It was a short drive into Durango, where we stayed at Junction Creek? Can't remember the name now, but it was a Forest Service campground off a gravel road about 5-6 miles north of town. You had to drive through a neighborhood and then down a terrible gravel road. It was nice, quiet, and cheap.
We were in Durango for two nights. Mainly to give us a day on the train to Silverton. But we were there early enough in the day to spend an afternoon walking downtown Durango. It's a great little town, but shopping, etc. isn't our thing. However, we stopped in at the Strader Hotel and talked the bellman into giving us a little tour. It was great! For the price of a small tip, he spent a half hour with us and took us through 4 or 5 of the most famous rooms. The Louis L'Amour room, Will Rogers, President Ford... Certainly wasn't a Motel 6. Met some fellow in the lobby that talked about all the secret passages and hiding places in the hotel. Interesting stuff.
We went back to camp, grilled burgers and got some rest. Next morning, we were up before the sun to board the train by 7am. I had been eaten alive by mosquitos the night before. So much so, that my legs were swollen and I had to take Benedryl. Those bites stayed with me for the next month. It was terrible. Being from south Louisiana, I thought I had seen the best of mosquitos...but Colorado is a close second.
We had reservations in one of the open car gondolas, which was a great choice! We really, really enjoyed the trip. The scenery is amazing, and it was a better experience than we had expected. However, the day was long, long, long. About 7.5 hours on the train, plus 2 hours in Silverton. We would recommend one way and take the bus back. Folks on this forum have mixed opinion on that. I don't. ;)
With the two hours in Silverton, we walked most of the town. It was cool, but a tourist trap for sure.