The first thing that George wanted to do today was shoot video of something.
Can you guess what George would want to videotape?
Three guesses:
1) The picturesque Durango countryside?
No!
2) His very lovely wife?
No!
3) The local Wifi McDonald's?
No, again!
Of course, it's none other than the D&S train!
He wanted to capture the sound (and video) of the train departing the depot on its way to the Tall Timbers Depot and Silverton.
He shot video and I took some pictures.
This is the train switching tracks so it can
back up and hook to the rest of the cars.
A much different D&S train!
After our D&S photo shoot, we wandered through some of the downtown shops again. We thought about doing some more hiking but we weren't sure if there were any decent trails in Durango, and it was already much hotter than the day of our Piedra Falls hike.
We finally decided to go to Mesa Verde National Park and tour the ancestral Puebloans cliff dwellings. If it's too hot to hike, why not wander around in a desert atmosphere instead! When we approached the park, we were told that there was a bad accident on the road leading up to the cliff dwellings. The clean up would leave us sitting for at least an hour so we opted to forego that adventure. Not a problem!
Driving back to Durango, I got a wild hair, and suggested we pack up and drive to Colorado Springs. George was on board so we went back to our room, gathered our stuff, and headed east.
It was approximately 300 miles
and took us four hours or so.
I posted on Facebook that our wild hair was taking us to Colorado Springs. In response, my friend, Crystl V., left a comment suggesting that we check out Manitou Springs, and the nearby train that could take us up to Pike's Peak! A train? That's right up our track!
We had to head back to Texas the next day, but before we did, we explored Crystl's suggestion. It was a great one too, especially the Manitou Springs part! It's a very hip, artsy, funky town, and I loved it!
The streets were filled with many very cool shops!
A pottery contest of some sort
was taking place under a pavilion.
Check out the bike this guy is riding!
Now that's what I call front wheel drive!
We bought tickets for a 1:20 ride on the Cog train to Pike's Peak, so after a very yummy lunch at the Townhouse Lounge, we headed to the nearby train station. The train climbed the mountain very slowly!
The critters were close to the
top of Pike's Peak, and the snow
and scenery were at the top.
It was cold & windy up there too!
We saw cars arriving at Pike's Peak, and decided that if we ever had to do it again, we'd drive because we would probably see more that way!
When we got off the train,
we headed back to Texas!
It was a fabulous trip!
We both loved it, and can't wait to go back!
My favorite parts of the trip: Zip lining, hiking, and Manitou Springs.
George's favorites: Zip lining and hiking!
With Durango Smiles,
D~~~~
Great description & beautiful photos. Sounds like Manitous Springs is a place you'd want to stay for a least a day or two.
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