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. ๐
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. ๐
With the two hours in Silverton, we walked most of the town. It was cool, but a tourist trap for sure.
Mesa Verde
Really glad folks are enjoying the thread. I enjoy sharing. Moreso than my wife. I'm sure she wouldn't want these photos on here. Shhhhh.
This was the longest drive we'd had in a few weeks. Took most of the day to go from Arches to Mesa Verde. Not a very exciting drive either. However, we were just discussing our cravings for seeing green again. And we were just about to get our fix!
We had scheduled two nights here, but after seeing the campground, and how much there was to see, we opted out after one night. The campground itself was just about empty, and it was obvious why. It hasn't been updated since the 50's, and it was not being maintained well. They did have a laundry, so we were able to get that done. We used our stop here as more of a housekeeping stop with the Cliff Palace and the museum thrown in.
We had no problem getting an early morning cliff palace tour. Which was good, because, it was HOT right about when we were finishing.
We enjoyed the tour. We made friends with another family, and after the tour, spent an hour in a shady spot talking about travel. As we left, we stopped at the roadside Navajo Fry Bread stand. They weren't busy at all, and we enjoyed stories of the history of fry bread and their ancestry. The bread was like funnel cake at your local fair. Wish we had tried a Navajo taco somewhere, but the one place we stopped they were too pricey.
We had gotten a lot of books from the library for the trip. One was about Mesa Verde. The boys immediately recognized some of the relics from the book. They got a kick out of seeing them in person.
To those that complimented how much we did, I'll let a dirty little secret out. When we hit this museum, and the air conditioning was feeling so good, I found a bench in a dark, quiet corner and took a one hour nap while they looked around. Hahahaha... I had to cry uncle after a month of running and gunning.
Really glad folks are enjoying the thread. I enjoy sharing. Moreso than my wife. I'm sure she wouldn't want these photos on here. Shhhhh.
This was the longest drive we'd had in a few weeks. Took most of the day to go from Arches to Mesa Verde. Not a very exciting drive either. However, we were just discussing our cravings for seeing green again. And we were just about to get our fix!
We had scheduled two nights here, but after seeing the campground, and how much there was to see, we opted out after one night. The campground itself was just about empty, and it was obvious why. It hasn't been updated since the 50's, and it was not being maintained well. They did have a laundry, so we were able to get that done. We used our stop here as more of a housekeeping stop with the Cliff Palace and the museum thrown in.
We had no problem getting an early morning cliff palace tour. Which was good, because, it was HOT right about when we were finishing.
We enjoyed the tour. We made friends with another family, and after the tour, spent an hour in a shady spot talking about travel. As we left, we stopped at the roadside Navajo Fry Bread stand. They weren't busy at all, and we enjoyed stories of the history of fry bread and their ancestry. The bread was like funnel cake at your local fair. Wish we had tried a Navajo taco somewhere, but the one place we stopped they were too pricey.
We had gotten a lot of books from the library for the trip. One was about Mesa Verde. The boys immediately recognized some of the relics from the book. They got a kick out of seeing them in person.
To those that complimented how much we did, I'll let a dirty little secret out. When we hit this museum, and the air conditioning was feeling so good, I found a bench in a dark, quiet corner and took a one hour nap while they looked around. Hahahaha... I had to cry uncle after a month of running and gunning.
Canyonlands
We took only a half day to go over to Canyonlands. I'm sure there is lots more to do, but we enjoyed what we saw in just a few hours.
First, went all the way out to the end of the island in the sky and did the overlook. It really was the same view we had from the Hurrah Point drive the day before.
As I said before, ALL of the Ranger programs were OUTSTANDING! Here, the boys just did a special lesson on the biological crust that protects the desert sands. The Ranger said they did so well that she gave them pins that not everyone gets. She asked them to wear the pins and be advocates to teach folks not to step off the trail. They are so proud of those pins.
We then went to Mesa Arch. This was our favorite arch of all! Absolutely gorgeous, and worth the drive over to the park just for this one site. However, stupid people are all around. For anyone that's been here, you know that the arch itself is completely out over a very far drop. When we were there, a mom and her two children (younger than 6) were walking across the top of the arch. The little boy, actually sat on the edge and let his feet dangle!!! I had to turn away and couldn't even watch. In hind sight, I should have said something.
And lastly, there are miles and miles of dirt roads in Canyonlands as well. Here we are on one of them.
Next up, Mesa Verde...
We took only a half day to go over to Canyonlands. I'm sure there is lots more to do, but we enjoyed what we saw in just a few hours.
First, went all the way out to the end of the island in the sky and did the overlook. It really was the same view we had from the Hurrah Point drive the day before.
As I said before, ALL of the Ranger programs were OUTSTANDING! Here, the boys just did a special lesson on the biological crust that protects the desert sands. The Ranger said they did so well that she gave them pins that not everyone gets. She asked them to wear the pins and be advocates to teach folks not to step off the trail. They are so proud of those pins.
We then went to Mesa Arch. This was our favorite arch of all! Absolutely gorgeous, and worth the drive over to the park just for this one site. However, stupid people are all around. For anyone that's been here, you know that the arch itself is completely out over a very far drop. When we were there, a mom and her two children (younger than 6) were walking across the top of the arch. The little boy, actually sat on the edge and let his feet dangle!!! I had to turn away and couldn't even watch. In hind sight, I should have said something.
And lastly, there are miles and miles of dirt roads in Canyonlands as well. Here we are on one of them.
Next up, Mesa Verde...
tragusa3 wrote:
All great photos, but this one especially is an outstanding family portrait!
Thanks again for sharing your adventure with us.
