Waking up in a Wigwam

Thursday, June 11 - Sleeping in a wigwam was like sleeping in a bomb shelter. That thing is solid concrete. The very busy Santa Fe Railroad runs right behind the wigams (see photo at right), with several trains an hour even at night, and once we were asleep, we didn't hear a thing. Daylight allowed us to get the full effect of all the wigwams, and the rusty old vintage cars they have parked in the lot to give the place some more ambiance.

Also wanted to give you a feel for the interior. Classic 1970s carpet (obviously an upgrade from the original...), nice rustic homemade bedspreads (with matching curtains), and, most interestingly, the original bentwood furniture from the 50s. While we don't have a picture of the bathroom, the walls were slanted, and the shower was an ideal height for anyone 4'11" and shorter.

All in all, it was a great once-in-a-lifetime experience. We'd even do it again. But you wouldn't want to stay there two nights in a row...

Pit Stop in Silverton

Saturday, June 6 – After the 3-1/2 hour ride on the train from Durango, we had about two hours of free time in the old mining town of Silverton, which now has a year-round permanent population of about 400. For lunch we stopped at Grumpy’s Saloon in the Grand Imperial Hotel, which was complete with the man playing old sing-a-long classics on the tinny piano. In the video, make sure not to miss the guy in the red jacket at the bar who, out of the blue, just started playing his harmonica along with the piano. Also note the fine artwork on the walls.



And, talk about a literal 4-way stop, right behind the hotel…

All Aboard!

Saturday, June 6 – Today was a big day: A full day excursion on the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. We had originally wanted to do one of their adventure packages, which included a several-hour-long zipline tour through the Ponderosa pine treetops. However, when we looked at the weather forecast the day before, it looked pretty bad with high winds and thunderstorms in the forecast. So, we decided not to book it. We ended up regretting that decision the next morning, when it was sunny and pleasant at 8:30am. That was a bummer, but the day was still great.

We literally took about 300 pictures as the train cut through Animas River valley along the rocky cliffs. The train took 3-1/2 hours to get to Silverton, which is about a 46 mile trip. We went about the same speed as it did back when the railroad opened in 1881 – no faster than 18 mph. However, you didn’t really want it to go very much faster, since everyone was hanging out the windows trying to take the perfect picture.

This video captured one of the more picturesque moments of the train ride.

And for whatever reason, there is some sort of biological urge to wave at a train when it passes by. No matter who you are, young or old, trains are just fun.