Durango and Mesa Verde

When we rolled into Durango CO about 6:30 PM on Tuesday, I'm not sure what I expected to see, but it was not a 4-lane highway lined with big box stores and other national chain establishments, and bumper-to bumper traffic.  Eventually we made it through town, and headed north on US 550. Just before leaving the central district we turned left onto W. 25th St, which became Junction St, which became Junction Creek Rd, which became County Road 204.  Actually they all looked the same to me, at least until the pavement ended.  5 miles after turning off US 550 we arrived  at Junction Creek Campground, where we had a reservation for the next 7 nights.   The campground is situated on a south-facing hillside, a quarter-mile above Junction Creek. A forest of Ponderosa pine and gambel oak covers the campground, which sits at an elevation of 7,300 feet, about 800 feet higher than the town of Durango.

We were very lucky to get a reservation here; it is a very popular campground.  The first few times we checked all the sites were booked.  Later the campground was closed due to wildfires in the area.  We just happened to check back on the day the campground reopened after the fire closure and scored 7 nights. SWEET!

It was like being a rat in a maze to get to site E-12

All the sites in E-loop at Junction Creek Campground have 50 amp electric, but there is no place in the camp to fill our fresh water tank or to dump our waste tanks.  All in all I'll take the power.    E-loop was at the very end of the campground and was the highest section of the camp, and our site E-12 was one of the highest sites on E-loop.  Consequently, we had a decent 4G data signal, whereas most other sites had no internet connectivity.  The sites were spacious and well separated. Unfortunately, there was this one tall Ponderosa pine that was right where my satellite antenna wanted to see, so we had no DirecTV.  DANG!  Well you can't have it all.  We were able to pick up over-the-air TV that was a local station in Albuquerque NM, which was apparently re-transmitted from a tower near Durango.  Gotta have my evening network news and Jeopardy!

Our camp at Junction Creek

I'm not sure why there were 5 camp host RV's (probably 10 people) to manage a campground with only about 45 sites.  Maybe they needed that many hosts to man the shifts to guard the firewood pile.

One of 2 wood piles at the Host's camp compound

The owner of this teardrop camper had added an aftermarket air conditioner/heat pump unit.  Pretty neat.

I can't really put it in words, but this arrangement in the nearest potty to our site struck me as interesting.

One for Papa Bear, one for Momma Bear and one for Baby Bear

We had more time to sleep in and relax this week than the week before in Colorado Springs.  A few mornings I broke bad and cooked a big breakfast.

Myron's camp stove fiesta omelet and cheese grits

The day after arriving in Durango we visited town.  Durango was founded in 1880 to serve the San Juan Mining District and has a current population of about 18,000.  The Historic District was much more quaint and interesting than the eastern approach to town.

The Animas River passes along the edge of town

 Every chance we get we stop into a local brew pub and enjoy a meal and sample the adult beverage du jour.  This day we went to Steamworks Brewing Company

Brew flavors change frequently and all brew pubs seem to have chalk board advising what is currently on tap.  I ordered the Lizard Head Red, but I lucked out.  She brought me the Porter and later a complimentary Red.  Life is good!

This is where the magic happens

I think I know this floozie!

The historic Strater Hotel originally opened in 1887 and is an iconic landmark in Durango.

The old and the new

• "One of the West’s iconic hotels, the Strater Hotel is the center piece of Durango in every way. Located two blocks from the Historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, it is also the heart of fun and entertainment. The interior is adorned with beautiful handcrafted woodwork, period wallpaper, and the largest collection of American Victorian walnut antiques. Everywhere you look are high quality features of the Old West. The world-famous Diamond Belle Saloon features nightly entertainment including top rated ragtime piano players."   Louis L'Amour found the atmosphere so inspirational that he frequently booked rooms 222 and 223 to work on his western novels.

Following are some photos from the interior of the Stater Hotel.

Click HERE to read more about the history of the Strater Hotel.

Durango is home to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.  Durango depot was built in January 1882 and has been preserved in its original form.   More on the railroad later.  We have tickets for Sunday!

Near the depot is the D&SNG Museum.  The museum is made up of a number of stalls that radiate from the historic railroad turntable, such that the engines and rolling stock in the museum can be rolled back out onto the turntable.

Dead animals on the wall

She looks so real!

The tracks in the foreground lead into the museum

George, this one's for you

Interior of "The Harper's Private Car"

More dead animals

Drive-in theatre on the HO scale model train layout

 Mesa Verde National Park is about a one-hour drive from Durango.   Our visit to Mesa Verde represents the third of the four Colorado National parks we have visited on this trip.  Number four is scheduled soon!

Mesa Verde National Park Visitor Center

 Created by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, the park occupies 52,485 acres near the Four Corners region.  With more than 4,300 sites, including 600 cliff dwellings, it is the largest archaeological preserve in the U.S.  Click here to read about the inhabitants of Mesa Verde.  The Puebloan inhabitants disappeared near the end of the 13th century, due to a number of reasons, but primarily drought, resource depletion, and overpopulation.  They apparently dispersed into other areas of the southwest, and remnants of their language and culture exist today in the Four Corners area. 

The Mancos Valley

We purchased tickets for two ruins tours. The first was a tour of Balcony House.  When you buy tickets for Balcony house they warn you that it is a very strenuous tour.  The route includes a number of steep and uneven steps, a 32' ladder and a narrow, low tunnel.

Our tour guide at Balcony House

Steps up to Balcony House

This 32' ladder must be climbed to get into Balcony House

Dorcas, they said don't look down!

To exit Balcony House one must crawl on their hands and knees through this tunnel.  The width is 2 inches narrower than my shoulders.   The builders were a small people.

I hope this gal did not mind me taking her picture.  Thankfully she never knew. 

Our second tour was to Cliff Palace. Cliff Palace is the most famous of the ruins in the park. 

Cliff Palace

 It is believed that about 150 people lived in Cliff Palace.

Peek-a-boo!

A Kiva at Cliff Palace 

Dorcas at Cliff Palace 

Kivas on the mesa

Soda Canyon

Soda Canyon again

On another day back in Durango we visited Carver Brewing Company.

Carver Brewing has the "Biggest Bike Ever"

The beer menu at Carver Brewing

Two of my favorite things

Instead of a mirror behind the bar, Carver Brewing has their brewery

The highlight of our trip to Durango was a ride on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, perhaps the most renown scenic railroads in the country.   A month ago we weren't sure any of this would ever happen.  There were a number of wild fires in SW Colorado and several key area highways, as well as the D&SNGR were closed.  However, by the time we arrived in Durango the fires were out and the roads were open.  We must be living right.

The route was originally opened in 1882 by the Denver & Rio Grande Railway (D&RG) to transport silver and gold ore mined from the San Juan Mountains.  The line from Durango to Silverton has run continuously since 1881, although it is now a tourist and heritage line hauling passengers, and is one of the few places in the U.S. which has seen continuous use of steam locomotives.

This Indy 500 Corvette pace car was parked at the station in Rockwood

The route follows the Animas River from Durango to Silverton, however, the rails were washed out a few miles outside Durango.  Consequently, we boarded a bus at the Durango station, and the bus took us to Rockwood, about 20 miles up the line to board the train.  Folks we talked to said the section we missed was the least scenic part of the trip.

Our engineer

It is a tight squeeze

It' a long ways down to the Animas River

Narrow gauge rails are spaced 36" apart, vs. 56.5" for standard gauge.  Narrow gauge rails were necessary to lay tracks through the narrow Animas River gorge.  A consequence of riding on narrow rails is a rockn' and wobble ride.  Click HERE for a video illustration of the "Rockin' Ride!

I hope the roadbed is stable!

Dorcas looking up at the mountain

At one point, as the attitude of the engine changed while climbing, the engineer had to release water

One of our conductors

Click HERE to view a video of the train and the Animas River.

 

The train made several water stops

After I viewed this photo of the trestle I was surprised to see this rainbow.  Not a cloud in the sky!

Historic mine near Silverton

Approaching Silverton

Downtown Silverton

Four wheeling is big in this area.  Four wheelers of all kinds are on the streets. 

We visited the Golden Block Brewery in Silverton

Their specialty food is brick oven pizza

I can't believe I drank the whole thing. (Dorcas says it was just water)

I met Floyd, owner and brewmaster at Golden Block Brewery

We only had about 1 1/2 hours in Silverton before we boarded the train for the return trip to Durango.    When we leave Durango next week, we will spend 2 nights in Silverton.   I'll talk more about Silverton then. 

The End

Our next camp is Silverton Colorado, only 48 miles away, but over two major passes: Coal Bank Pass and Molas Pass.  Wish us luck and stay tuned.