Tales of Rails

Durango is perhaps best known for the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Each year thousands of people ride the train to Silverton. The line was built in the 1880s by the Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad to serve the silver, gold and lead mines. By the 1950s freight had declined to a trickle and the line faced abandonment but it was already a favorite of railfans. Charles Bradshaw, a citrus grower from Florida, stepped up and bought the railroad. The coal fired narrow gauge locomotives are classics of the steam age. The towering San Juan Mountain scenery of the Animas River canyon is accessed by no other means. Hikers, rafters, skiers and zipline adventurers regularly hitch a ride on the Silverton train. If you ever visit Durango, plan on a day for the train.

D & S locomotive 481 blowing out the cylinders on the high bridge

D & S May 20th

D & S on the high line. Workers were lowered by rope to blast a shelf in the canyon.

Our train in Silverton

400 feet down to the river

the Galloping Goose was an economical solution to providing minimal rail service during the Great Depression.

Getting there is fun too

We are thoroughly enjoying our time in and around Durango.

We also had great fun on the road getting to Durango. Here a few tidbits from our road trip.

The exotics really started when we got too Texas. Amarillo was 100+ degrees on May 7th! And the wind was fierce and of course in our face. So we stopped at the Visitor Center/ Rest Area and inquired. The nice folks there said you're more than welcome to spend the night in our lot. "Security comes on as soon as we close." We said OK. In Texas anyone can sleep in their vehicle at any rest area for up to 24 hours. Then we learned of Palo Duro State Park - the grand canyon of Texas - an hour away. And the Cadillac Ranch just off the Interstate on private ranch land open to the public. Our little Saturn dinghy ducked under the wind and we explored North Texas. It was great.

Check out the roadrunner. Running!

Another highlight was our first trip to Sante Fe and Taos New Mexico.
We love the lesser known National Parks and Monuments and Pecos National Monument was perfect. We experienced a blend of clear dark blue skies and dark adobe structures as we explored Pecos Pueblo an historic trading center abandoned hundreds of years ago.

Then we arrived in Sante Fe. What a great blend of art and architecture.
The Native American art is displayed and for sale at the Palace of Governors daily. We sampled the city and vowed to return. We may return via Amtrak's Southwest Chief which roared by near our campground.

Taos was our next stop. It is much like Sante Fe but on a much more intimate scale. The plaza was beautiful. The San Francisco de Asis Mission is probably the most photographed buiding in town. For good reason. We were told the church is refinished and painted annually.
We plan to go back to visit Taos Pueblo the native American village which has been continously inhabited for over 1000 years. They have ceremonial dances several times during the year which are open to visitors - but no photography.

Onward and upward to Durango we visited Albuquerque - too much desert city -although Petroglyph National Monument was interesting. Ancient puebloan pictographs carved into piles of basalt boulders.

Then we traveled NW from Albuquerque to Durango. On the way we found a Federal site called Angel Peak. Great place for a picnic. A Badlands landscape after a short bone rattling drive off the paved road. Great views and a friendly Bullsnake.

We love the road. The RV lifestyle affords unexpected adventure almost every day. By the way, our former RV was known as Wilma, a gas unit that was not too heavy duty. Our new diesel RV is now named FRED - F***''' Rear Engine Diesel, now thats heavy duty.

More super adventures from Durango soon. Keep in touch.