This episode is gonna be a toughie. We have seen so much this week. How do I tell you all about it without boring you to death?
Oh well… just quit reading when it gets too long for you. At some point, this blog is going to become my journal anyway!
We started this episode of Amandus on the Loose in Durango, where we stayed just outside of town. We had a great campsite, although we were VERY close to our neighbors. After the luxury of all that space at Ridgway State Park, we were ready to move on after our four days there.
Of course, one of the first orders of business was to find BBQ. We ended up at Serious Texas BBQ, right along the Animas River. So fun! We sat outside, enjoyed some good food, and soaked up a nice cool evening.
The next morning, bright and early, the three of us made our way to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
What a thrill ride!
For 3½ hours, we wound our way toward Silverton through immense mountains, alongside rivers and streams, and above some incredible gorges.
The gorges were gorgeous… but scary!
At times, the tracks seemed to be hanging right on the side of the mountain, and when you looked out the window, it was straight down to the river below.
I comforted myself with the thought that this railroad has been running since the 1880s. Surely if it was going to go amiss, it would have done it already. Right???
We absolutely loved the trip.
And Miss Ruby? She was an all-star dog. The noise and rumbling of the train startled her at first, but as long as she could curl up in my lap, she was happy. Before long, she settled right in and did great.
The next day we had a scheduled soak at Durango Hot Springs.
Now Jim searches out the BBQ and pie.
Me? I search out the hot springs.
This was a great one, with so many different pools to choose from. I even met a wonderful gal in one of the pools, and we spent our soaking time chatting about all things sewing and quilting. Great fun!
Then it was time to rumble on to our next stop: Cortez.
It was an easy drive, and we checked into a very nice RV park. From there we explored Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and Hovenweep National Monument, both places preserving the history and ancestral homes of Pueblo peoples.
I must admit, though, after seeing Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction, these were a little bit of a sleeper for us. We looked at some ruins, watched the movie at the visitor center and finally decided…
Okay. That’s enough.
Besides, Mesa Verde was still to come.
And come it did—on September 23rd.
MY BIRTHDAY!
As a child, I remember my grandparents having a book about Mesa Verde, and I was fascinated by it. I have wanted to see this place for years, so getting to finally visit—and on my birthday, no less—was really special.
We got an early start and headed into Mesa Verde National Park. We checked Ruby into the kennel at the park, which was incredibly handy, and then made our way through the park toward Cliff Palace, where we had tour tickets.
What an amazing place.
Our tour was fascinating, and one of the things that struck me most was how much we still don’t know. Archaeologists have learned a tremendous amount, but there are still mysteries surrounding the people who lived here and why they eventually left these remarkable cliff dwellings.
And here we were, centuries later, standing in the places where they had lived.
Amazing.
We spent most of the day exploring Mesa Verde before heading back to Cortez. That evening, we celebrated my birthday with dinner at a little restaurant called Shiloh. It was very nice and a perfect ending to a great birthday.
I also got lots of calls and messages from our kids and grandkids, my sister and brother, and dear friends.
Thank you, everyone, for making my birthday so much fun!
Oh—and I almost forgot one VERY important birthday tradition.
I started the whole day with my free Starbucks birthday drink!
Priorities, people.
Today was our last full day in the area, and it turned out to be another great one.
We drove down to New Mexico and finally got to stand at Four Corners, where Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico all meet.
There are Native American vendors set up around the monument, and of course my mind immediately went somewhere strange:
If each vendor is sitting in a different state, do they charge sales tax according to the state they’re sitting in?
These are the things I wonder about.
I found some beautiful handmade jewelry for the kids and even a sweet little necklace for my GREAT-GRANDGAL, Alethia! There were so many pretty pieces made and sold by Navajo artisans that it was hard to choose.
And now we are back at Big Bertha.
I walked Miss Ruby over to the dog park to get her some exercise, and along comes Jimbo.
Where has he been?
Wigglin’ Pig BBQ.
AGAIN?????
Oh my.
I think the man is seriously missing his smoker at home.
Tonight we’re emptying tanks, cleaning up Big Bertha and getting everything ready to roll in the morning.
Another chapter of Amandus on the Loose is in the books.
So… did you actually make it all the way through this saga?
If you did, YOU ARE A CHAMP!
Or maybe you’re sitting there thinking…
“We need to do this grand adventure ourselves.”
And if that’s the case, all I can say is:
Do it. There is an awful lot of America out here waiting to be seen.
The Amandus Report
Miles traveled: Plenty
Mountains climbed: Thankfully, mostly by truck and train
Hot springs soaked: 1 very good one
Ancient ruins explored: A bunch
Birthday drinks: 1 free Starbucks
States stood in at one time: 4
Ruby’s train performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
BBQ stops for Jim: Apparently never enough
Memories made: More than we can count
Until next time…
Unhitch Big Bertha. Find the water. Make the memory.
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