What a wonderful week I had in Durango! As I mentioned previously, my condo was right downtown and I could walk nearly everywhere. I finally got adjusted to th
e altitude, so walking wasn't as difficult and, besides, it was good exercise! I attended to alot of "duties" this week, including getting the oil changed and tires rotated in the Roadtrek, getting a pedicure, a haircut, and doing some laundry. I think I visited every sh
op in Durango at least twice, bought a couple pieces of jewelry, had a couple of drinks at the Diamond Belle Saloon and list
ened to the Ragtime Piano Player. It's a really fun place that we enjoyed during our summer in Durango and we took all our guests there, too. On Wednesday I took a van trip to Silverton which is about an hour and 10 minute drive over some of the most beautiful scenery in the country, but on some very dangerous roads with lots of horseshoe curves, and no shoulder! It is not a drive I would do by myself, especially in the Roadtrek! I had lunch in Silverton at Handlebars, which was always a favorite of ours, did a little shopping, and then took the train back to Durango. The Durango Silverton Railroad is a coal based narrow gauge railroa
d and takes 3 1/2 hours to return to Durango. It's a beautiful ride through the mountains, close to the snowcapped peaks, past many waterfalls, and rocky canyons. Some of us saw a brown bear which was a real treat! It was a gorgeous day and even at the higher elevations, I only needed a coat for a short period of time. Durango had unusually warm weather at the beginning of the week, but the nights were always pleasantly cool. I left Durango this morning and it was cool all day long. I know this won't last, so I'm enjoying it while I can. I went to the Trimble Hot Springs one day which has a heated Olympic Size Pool and two natural hot springs, one at 110 degrees which is too hot, and one at 104 degrees which is just right. While there I decided to get a massage and what a treat that was! My neck and shoulders were really tense, probably from all the driving I've been doing, and a soak in the hot springs afterwards made me relax even more.
e altitude, so walking wasn't as difficult and, besides, it was good exercise! I attended to alot of "duties" this week, including getting the oil changed and tires rotated in the Roadtrek, getting a pedicure, a haircut, and doing some laundry. I think I visited every sh
op in Durango at least twice, bought a couple pieces of jewelry, had a couple of drinks at the Diamond Belle Saloon and list
ened to the Ragtime Piano Player. It's a really fun place that we enjoyed during our summer in Durango and we took all our guests there, too. On Wednesday I took a van trip to Silverton which is about an hour and 10 minute drive over some of the most beautiful scenery in the country, but on some very dangerous roads with lots of horseshoe curves, and no shoulder! It is not a drive I would do by myself, especially in the Roadtrek! I had lunch in Silverton at Handlebars, which was always a favorite of ours, did a little shopping, and then took the train back to Durango. The Durango Silverton Railroad is a coal based narrow gauge railroa
d and takes 3 1/2 hours to return to Durango. It's a beautiful ride through the mountains, close to the snowcapped peaks, past many waterfalls, and rocky canyons. Some of us saw a brown bear which was a real treat! It was a gorgeous day and even at the higher elevations, I only needed a coat for a short period of time. Durango had unusually warm weather at the beginning of the week, but the nights were always pleasantly cool. I left Durango this morning and it was cool all day long. I know this won't last, so I'm enjoying it while I can. I went to the Trimble Hot Springs one day which has a heated Olympic Size Pool and two natural hot springs, one at 110 degrees which is too hot, and one at 104 degrees which is just right. While there I decided to get a massage and what a treat that was! My neck and shoulders were really tense, probably from all the driving I've been doing, and a soak in the hot springs afterwards made me relax even more. Saturday night I went to a Melodrama called "The Tavern." A melodrama is a Victorian stage melodrama featuring a hero, the villain, the heroine, an aged parent and a comic man. "The Tavern" was ex
ceptionally good, well acted and very entertaining! Rafters and kayakers were everywhere over the weekend for "Animas River Days" a
nd the water is still flowing freely from the melting snow. The water was really brown at the beginning of the week but has started to clear.
ceptionally good, well acted and very entertaining! Rafters and kayakers were everywhere over the weekend for "Animas River Days" a
nd the water is still flowing freely from the melting snow. The water was really brown at the beginning of the week but has started to clear. On Friday I went to Bayfield, a small town about 20 miles from Durango, to visit my cousin Jackie Hanson and her husband, Ted. I met her through my genealogy research about 10 years ago and she's a third cousin. Ted was a country western singer years ago and Jackie was the vocalist for his band. They traveled all over the western part of the country in a bus for 20 years and then settled in Colorado. They maintain a 300 acre ranch now that belongs to a woman and her family from Chicago. Jackie and Ted have their own house on the ranch and the family owned home has 6 bedrooms and, of course, is much larger. Ted, with the help of some ranch hands, takes care of the property and Jackie takes care of the guest house. They had an elk come to visit them this past winter that stayed in the barn with some of the horses. He still appears regularly, but he was nowhere in the sight the day I was there. I hadn't seen them for six years and we had a really nice visit. Jackie broke her hip about a month ago, but she's doing well, although moving around slowly.
As I begin my trek home, I leave with mixed emotions. The mountains here are so beautiful and look more like a picture than a reality. It was a wonderful trip, but I'm looking forward to going home and spending some time at the beach now that summer is in full swing! I just wish it wasn't so far from the East coast to the rockies! Depending on WiFi service along the way, I will try to send another Blog; otherwise, I will send one after I get home.
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