Durango: Silver and Coal

We enjoyed our 2-night stay at this comfortable hotel. As the name implies, the accommodations here are suites. Our suite had plenty of space. It had a sitting area that included a couch, desk, television, sink, microwave oven and refrigerator. There was a door to the bedroom where items included a queen-sized bed, television, and other furniture. In-room internet connection is free.

A daily breakfast buffet is included free of charge. There was a nice selection of items such as eggs, potatoes, breakfast meats, waffle station, hot/cold cereals, juice, fruit, and pastries.

The hotel is conveniently located a mile from downtown Durango where the city’s major tourist attraction, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad can be found along with nearby stores and restaurants. We had no problems finding our way to this area on the morning of our train ride.

I thought the hotel was very reasonably priced (approximately $80/night). I have no complaints about our stay at the Quality Inn & Suites.

In order to appreciate this magnificent park, you really need to plan your visit - especially if you will only be there for a few hours. I found this out the hard way. I had done no research on Mesa Verde.

Mesa Verde is Spanish for green table. The park is on top of an 8500-foot flat-topped green (and red and yellow at the time of the year we visited) mountain called a mesa. The park is known for its multitudes of ancient Anasazi Indian dwellings - some dating back to 500 AD. Many of the pueblo sites remain 90% - 95% intact today. There are various styles of Anasazi architecture ranging from pit houses to homes built into rocky cliffs.

The first unexpected experience I had at Mesa Verde was driving the 15 miles of a two-lane, winding road from the park entrance up to the visitor center at the top of the mountain. This was nerve racking at times since some of the road edges have steep drop-offs with no guardrail. We encountered some road construction during the drive, so I had a chance to take in some of the awesome views while waiting for the flagman to wave us through.

With ears popping from the elevation, we pulled into the visitor center parking lot 30 minutes after entering the park. Now here is where a bit of planning would have benefited us. There are a variety of ranger-led tours sold at the visitor center. Some are leisurely and some are more strenuous requiring you to sign a fitness waiver since you may be required to climb tall ladders or negotiate challenging paths to observe Indian dwellings. The line for tour registrations stretched outside the visitor center. However, if you are not signing up for a tour, you can bypass this line and enter the building to visit the information desk or take a quick walk through the museum containing artifacts found in the park.

We decided to visit the Spruce Tree House on our own since it is a short drive from the visitor center and we were pressed for time. Some of the other sites are as far as 45-minutes away.

There is a paved walkway leading down to the Spruce Tree House dwelling. Due to the park elevation, make sure you pace yourself on the return walk. We passed several winded people during our walk.

Spruce Tree House gave us the opportunity to examine Anasazi cliff dwellings carved into volcanic rocks between 1200 and 1300 AD. The homes were typically entered from the roof using a ladder. We were given the opportunity to do this as well. More information can be obtained about Spruce Tree House in the museum at the top of the path leading to this site.

I wish we had allocated enough time to visit some of the other sites in the park but it was getting late and we still had a 300-mile drive to Albuquerque including a stop at the Four Corners Monument. If you are considering a trip to Mesa Verde visit their website first to plan your visit. You’ll need at least a full day or more to enjoy the park.

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad offers a scenic train ride between Durango and Silverton, Colorado on a restored steam locomotive train. The railroad has been in operation since 1882 when its original purpose was to transport silver and other ore from the mines of Silverton.

After paying $7 to park in the gravel lot and picking up our pre-purchased train tickets, we boarded. The traditional coach car I booked cost slightly more than the open-air gondola car but I am really glad we paid the extra fare. The 45-degree morning air would have been a bit too chilly for us to ride in the open-air car.

With the crescendo of the steam whistle and clangs of the bell, our train pulled out of the station at 9 AM sharp. Smoke from the coal-powered engine billowed into the air. It was quite a spectacle. People stood along the tracks waving and pointing. There were cars stopped on streets and overpasses as we moved through the town. People with very expensive-looking cameras on tripods were perched on hills and bridges trying to get the perfect shot. Even the prairie dogs in the fields seemed to come out of their holes and stand on their hind legs to catch a glimpse of this blast the past.

As our journey continued, the temperature rose to a comfortable level for us to open the windows of our coach and take in the full train experience. The car squeaked as it rocked side to side. The wheels clattered and squealed. We could smell the smoke from the locomotive as it chugged its way up the mountains. Looking of out the window revealed forests with rushing streams. We traveled around steep, breath-taking cliffs. The right-hand side of the train seemed to have the best scenery during the ride to Silverton. Occasionally, the train stops. When this happens, make sure you are seated or holding onto something because the train sometimes resumes with a strong jolt.

There is a concession car but I recommend bringing your own snacks. The line to purchase snacks in the concession car was long and the prices rather high.

About 3.5 hours after leaving Durango, our train pulled into the station in Silverton which is nestled between the tall, picturesque San Juan Mountains. Reminiscent of it mining past, Silverton looks like an Old West town with saloons, general stores, and dirt roads.

We were given about 2 hours to wander the souvenir shops before everyone needed to be back onboard for the return trip to Durango. For variety, I had purchased tickets for the bus return trip option instead of the train. The 1.5-hour bus ride back to Durango was absolutely captivating. It gave a different perspective than the train ride. The contrast of the fall colors and snow-capped mountains was postcard-worthy. The left side of the bus seemed to have the better views.

You’ll need at least 8 hours to do this scenic excursion. Check their website for operating times and availability. They also offer vacation packages that include hotel and nearby Mesa Verde National park in addition to the train ride.

This museum pleasantly exceeded my expectations. It is located in downtown Durango across the tracks from the train station. Our ticket stubs from the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad excursion gained us free admission.

Inside the museum are full steam locomotives with loaded tender (coal) cars, old passenger cars, and an obsolete caboose. You are allowed to enter the cars (including the locomotives) and learn about the function and design of each. The locomotives were impressive with all their complex valves and controls.

In addition to the train vehicles, there are other items in the museum such as switches, ore, various gauges of track, and even examples of the type of luggage people used in the 1800’s. We spent time browsing these exhibits and watching a video on the restoration of the Durango & Silverton train we had ridden earlier that day. We also observed and operated an impressive model railroad layout.

The museum can be seen within an hour. You will need more time if you decide to watch all the video presentations. Some of them are rather long. Additionally, some videos go pretty deep into the technical details of steam locomotion. Overall, my visit to Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum was a pleasant, informative experience. I’m sure most visitors can find something of interest by spending a short time here.

Although it took us out of our way, this was a fun detour during the Durango, Colorado to Albuquerque, New Mexico leg of our road trip. The Four Corners Monument marks the only place in the U.S. where the borders of four states meet at a single point. You can actually be in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah at the same time!

The monument is a small gated area in the middle of the desert. To reach it, we drove an hour southwest from Mesa Verde National Park on a mostly two-lane desert road. Upon arriving, we were charged $3 per person to enter the parking lot. The monument is a slab of concrete engraved with the boundary lines of each of the four states. There is an elevated platform above the slab that can be used when taking photos. There were only a handful of tourists visiting the monument that September afternoon. We all took turns taking pictures of each other posing in all four states simultaneously.

The Four Corners Monument is surrounded by vendor booths of an Indian market. Jewelry and souvenirs are sold here. Despite the impromptu look of the place, we were impressed with the variety and uniqueness of the items being sold. The items ranged from cheap trinkets to quality craftsmanship. My wife kicked into shopping mode and visited each of the booths (in all four states). She had made several jewelry purchases by the time she was finished. She got better deals here than she had gotten anywhere else during our trip.

If you decide to visit the Four Corner Monument, make sure you visit their website to determine closing time. It would be a shame to make this desolate drive only to be greeted by a closed gate.

Finally, the only lavatory facilities at this site are port-a-johns. They were clogged and smelled horrible. Plan your restroom stops accordingly.