From the moment we crossed the border to Colorado, we were delighted. We were only able to explore a small section of the southwestern part of the state, but each day was an adventure. We used our Boondocker's Welcome membership to boondock two nights in Yellow Jacket, then spent six nights at Oasis RV Park in Durango. Part of our stay was spent learning about the history of the area, from ancient Pueblo dwellings (which you can read about in this blog post) to old mining towns from the early 1900's. The rest of the time, we enjoyed local shops, especially our new favorite Animas Chocolates (which you can read about here). We spent a special evening trick or treating in downtown Durango. Dusty is already trying to convince the kids to go to school at Ft. Lewis College so we can retire here. Here's a little taste of our explorations. Durango to Silverton Train RideThe Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has continuously been hauling passengers and freight since 1882, and has won awards for the best scenic train ride in the United States. In it's 141 year history, the railway transported over $300 million in gold and silver. Wow! This attraction is a thing everyone must do in Durango. In fact, you really can't come across anyone local who doesn't recommend it, or tourist who haven't done it. Luckily, we were able to reserve a spot on the steam train on the second to the last day before it closed for the season! The train travels 45 miles from Durango to Silverton at average speeds of 15 miles per hour. Y'all, the scenery was pretty, but this was probably the longest 7 hours of my life! We scheduled to take the train to Silverton and back, as opposed to taking a bus one way. We highly recommend the bus...unless bouncing for 7 hours while gazing out the window at the beautiful scenery suits you. It's highly possible that spending the last three months driving across the country has skewed our opinions on passively riding in any modes of transportation. We also just missed fall foliage by about two weeks, and nearly everything in Silverton had closed down for the winter, aside from very few dingy restaurants and souvenir shops. Thus, our exciting day didn't exactly pan out, but I'm sure it's just as good as people say it is, given other circumstances. Animas Forks Ghost TownAt elevations of 11,200 feet, Animas Forks isn't an easy place to access. But in the late 1800's, someone found gold! The first cabin was built in 1873 and this little burg became the highest gold mining town in the U.S.. Ten years later, there were 450 people, a hotel, general store, saloon, post office, and newspaper. Many people lived in tents on the south side of town, and come fall, there was a mass exodus to Silverton, at a much lower elevation. Some people stayed to brave out the winters, with snow reaching up to 25 feet! By the early 1900's the earth had given all the gold it had to give, and by 1920, Animas Forks was a ghost town. For decades, the Bureau of Land Management and San Juan County Historical Society have managed what's left of the dilapidated cabins, allowing visitors to roam in and out freely. I found out that my Aunt and Uncle's family have been visiting this eerie town since the late 80's. He texted photos from 1988, 1995, and 2006, and it was kind of neat to compare changes over the decades. The Historical Society does the minimum to keep these buildings standing, which is kind of the charm in it. The town is 15 miles down a dirt road. Up to Eureka is well maintained, but as you continue up the mountain, the road gets pretty rough and four wheel drive is recommended, though we've heard people do it in the summer time with 2WD. We hit snow on the roads for the last three miles, give or take, so parts of the drive along steep cliffs became fairly adventurous. Beautiful views, though, and we all had fun creeping through the spooky houses on the eve of Halloween. Million Dollar Highway to OurayWe drove the Million Dollar Highway from Durango to Ouray with a few fun stops on the way, one of which was Animas Forks. We came across Pinkerton hot spring just north of Durango. We were excited to visit Ouray, the "Switzerland of America." One thing needs to be made very clear here: Ouray is a cool little town in it's own right, but it is no Switzerland. It does have a neat history and several outdoor spas with pools fed by natural hot springs. Box Canyon and Cascade Falls are both short hikes with big rewards. We slid along the icy paths to see the waterfalls and the three children got to do some climbing. We didn't have a whole lot of time there, but it's certainly worth a visit and we'd love to explore more someday. Halloween in DurangoWe couldn't travel around the U.S. and miss important traditions like pumpkin carving and trick-or-treat night! We made time to carve pumpkins on the morning of Halloween. Both kids came up with their own designs. Banana made a bear in front of the mountains, which was so fitting for our time in Colorado, and Brickhead created a scary, shaved jack-o-lantern. Main Street hosted Downtown Durango Children's Halloween and the dreamy trick-or-treating was fit for a movie. Shopkeepers dressed up and several of them decorated their storefronts. The police, fire department, and even the town maintenance crew showed up to pass out candy, also blocking the streets to any cars trying to pass by. We walked through the beautiful Third Street, lined with trees of fall colors with mountains in the background. There were churches on nearly every corner and some of them had trunk-or-treats with games and free food. Durango sets the bar pretty high when it comes to celebrating Halloween. After trick-or-treating, we met up with friends from Maryland, as their RV route matched up with ours again. We had a delicious dinner at Carver's Brewing Company and afterwards the kids had a blast playing with their dogs back at the campground. It's always fun meeting new people in our travels, but catching up with old friends feels pretty good! This part of Colorado seems to have everything. It's the perfect combination of high desert and forested mountains. The people are friendly. The air is fresh and there are outdoor activities galore. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and can't wait to come back again. Maybe, just maybe, the Ramseys will find a nice retirement home here in the future.
3 Comments
11/2/2022 08:55:02 pm
It is so nice to see you enjoying this trip. I have always heard Colorado is a lovely state. Kind of far away but where ever you are happy.
Reply
I’ve enjoyed more of your exciting travels and have learned more about our United States thru your eyes .
11/2/2022 09:09:03 pm
Thank you for sharing all your fantastic experiences !
Reply
Joni Ramsey
11/2/2022 11:07:37 pm
Thank you for following along!! Wish we knew wrote this.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
October 2022
Categories |