Our Itinerary: Thursday, August 24 - Sunday, August 27
Thursday, August 24
We left my BIL's house around 8:00am for a long day of driving. Without stopping, the drive would've been 7.5 hours but we pulled off many times for picture-taking, food, gas, bad weather, and to let people pass. I don't know why people feel the need for speed when they're winding around tight curves and hanging off the edge of a mountain! We weren't in a rush so it took us about twelve hours total.
We went west on I-70 to Grand Junction and then south on U.S. 550 taking the Million Dollar Highway from Ouray to Silverton and the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway from Silverton to Durango.
Stopping for a quick break on the Million Dollar Highway:
The weather really started to deteriorate when we were about two hours outside of Durango. While I was standing outside taking this picture there was a roll of thunder so startling that I scurried back to the shelter of the car like my scaredy cat Gretchen runs under the bed.
After the storm:
We rented a very nice two-level condo in Downtown Durango but I wasn't overly impressed with our experience in town. First of all, our condo building had one of those automatic fragrance sprayers in the lobby and it REEKED. I had to hold my breath every time we went in/out of the building. Very unpleasant.
Also, we noticed that there's a very rowdy element to Durango. There are a lot of bars and therefore, a lot of late-night partying, drinking, and noise. Additionally, it's very touristy. Everywhere has a touristy element but I didn't really get a sense of an authentic community outside of that. And, every meal we had in town was terrible!
That being said, it's really pleasant and beautiful during the daytime. The Animas River also flows through town and there's a seven-mile trail that adjoins it. I'm sure you'd find plenty to do if you go to Durango to hike and/or fish. We opted out of taking the famous train ride from Durango to Silverton because it's exorbitantly expensive and makes for a very long day. One way is 3.5 hours. We benefitted from similar views in the car on the way down and also on the way out of the city.
Friday, August 25
Today we went to Mesa Verde National Park, only forty minutes from Durango. The drive there was gorgeous and the park, itself, was gorgeous. I had the complete wrong impression of Mesa Verde. I only ever pictured the famous cliff dwellings so I had no idea how much amazing flora and fauna surround the area. The park is vast and frankly, we got far more out of the scenery than we did out of the cliff dwellings.
On the way we pulled off on this side road to La Plata Canyon:
Inside the park:
Some artwork outside the Visitor's Center:
At Park Point the highest point in the park:
There were charred trees from wildfires all over the place. It added an eerie but interesting element to the landscape.
The famous Cliff Palace:
It's extraordinary, of course, but made a little less so when you discover that it's been restored since its discovery in the late 1800's.
As you can see, people are welcome to explore the Cliff Palace up close but only through ranger-guided tours. We did not do a tour because it was a) very hot and b) the hike to/from the cliff dwellings is treacherous and not for the faint of heart.
We even saw some wild turkeys, not to be confused with the bourbon:
And yet another chipmunk! Those cute critters are all over the place.
Another view of the Cliff Palace:
There are cliff dwellings throughout the park - big and small, well-hidden and visible, well-preserved and falling apart. I will say that the more you see, the more they start to blend together.
Summit Tree House, the "best-preserved" of the cliff dwellings:
And some nearby turkey vultures:
The indigenous people who made their homes in Mesa Verde were an exceptional bunch. They had everything they needed there - water, food, and a good climate. The shade of those cliffs was a good antidote to the heat. They sure did pick a beautiful place to call home.
A magnificent view on the way out:
Saturday, August 26
We were lazy bums so we got a very late start to the day.
We drove a little ways from Durango to James Ranch for lunch. While there we had our third and final set of delicious burgers while in Colorado. This was a literal farm-to-table meal at a picnic bench under the shade of a tree. It was an extremely pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
Not far from James Ranch is Pinkerton Hot Springs. We got out and touched the water to benefit from its healing properties but were surprised at how not hot the water was. It was more lukewarm, almost cool to the touch.
Today was based entirely around getting back to Denver so we could fly home in the evening. We were pleasantly surprised, however, by how beautiful the drive back was. We took Route 160 and then Route 285 and passed through some of the most awe-inspiring scenery of the trip. Truly breathtaking. We had amazing mountain views up until the last thirty minutes of the drive when we arrived in greater Denver.
I wish I could've taken more pictures but there weren't a lot of opportunities for pull-offs. You also realize at some point that no picture is ever going to capture what must be seen in person.
We drove through Pagosa country, San Juan National Forest, Rio Grande National Forest, and finally, Pike National Forest. If you're limited on time but want to drive through some amazing scenery, I highly recommend the routes we took to/from Durango.
I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to return to Durango but the surrounding mountains, flora, and fauna are just amazing. I'm glad we made that trek for them.
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