Durango to Silverton

We passed through the “Four Corners” where you can stand in four states at the same time (Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico).

I wish someone would take charge and get this thing organized…

We had dinner that night at Randy’s Restaurant. We were lucky to find a place that could accommocate all 22 of us without advanced reservations…very nice restaurant.

Thursday night we stayed at the General Palmer Hotel, built in 1898, beautifully restored.

Group photo in Durango before boarding the train.

Get on the train! I’m not going to carry you up.

The Alamosa car. There were actually 2 others on the car. They had their tickets before we booked the rest of the car so they had to put up with us for 7 hours. It was nice to spend so much time surrounded by beautiful scenery and good company. We don’t get enough opportunity to visit.

A few of us stayed in Durango Friday evening for dinner at Francisco’s while the others went back up to Silverton.

En route to Silverton.

Snack time.

Duane, are you picking your nose?

Like father…like son?

How’s that for creative photography?

They had to stop three times on the way up to add water, kind of like Pettycoat Junction…

Don’t drop the camera!

Because it was “narrow guage” the train constantly rocked back and forth. At points like this you hope it’s stable and not going to jump the tracks.

We had lunch at Grumpy’s, in the Grand Imperial Hotel, in Silverton where they feature a Honky Tonk piano player. They make a nice Reuben sandwich.

Some of the group went back up to Silverton on Friday night and stayed at the Grand Imperial.

We ran into our long lost Uncle George in front of Grumpy’s.

Waiting to board again in Silverton.

Group photo on the back of the Alamosa car at Silverton, with the Engineer.

We stayed at the Far View Lodge in Mesa Verde on Friday night and toured the Cliff Palace on Saturday. The Puebloan people inhabited the sites from about A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300. Living in such concentrations (relatively) they eventually used up all the scarce resources (trees) and thereafter abandoned the sites. We used to refer to them as Anasazi but they find that term offensive because it is a Navajo (not one of the Puebloan tribes) word meaning Enemy.

Monument Valley is spectacular with the wide open spaces interrupted periodically with impressive red rock towers. You almost get a reverent feeling looking down on it from the visitors center. They offer guided tours – in the back of a pick up truck with some kind of platform attached with bench seats. They did have a roof to keep the direct sun off of the passengers. The wind was blowing and the incredibly rutted and washed out dirt road had 2 inches of fine dust on it. Most of the riders had either their shirt pulled up over their nose and mouth or a scarf or handkerchief wrapped around their head. We chose to drive and I’m glad I had an all wheel drive vehicle. I wonder if they keep the road in such poor repair so they can sell more guided tours. If that’s the case they should think about upgrading their “tour” vehicles. I wonder what it would be like when it’s 110 degrees out. When it’s raining I doubt even their 4 wheel dirve trucks could negotiate the roads.