Durango, CO

We rolled in to Durango yesterday around two in the afternoon after a very pleasant drive up from Albuquerque. It was a gorgeous day and the views of Georgia O’Keefe’s favored countryside were magnificent.

We are staying at the Alpen Rose RV Park on the north side of Durango near the Animas River. This is a very nicely maintained campground staffed with friendly folks. Our neighbors are great, too.

The Durango-Silverton train passes our site twice a day.

The views from the campsite are great, and there is a huge dog park where Bella has romped with the other dogs in the park. She has been having a ball. Today we visited the historic downtown where there are several nice restaurants and shops, as well as the station from which the Durango to Silverton narrow gauge railroad departs. While in town we stopped for lunch at the roof top Balcony Bar & Grill where we had a nice view of the main drag.

This is a college town, so there are lots young folks around. Transportation by bicycle is encouraged and the town is very bike-friendly. There is a nice bike/walking path that runs along the river, and we took the time to stroll along a good bit of it. Kayakers were running the mild rapids and there were lots of runners and cyclists on the path itself. Bella walked it with us and went nuts over all the new smells!

The Durango area is well worth a visit if you have not been before. It is a great stepping-off point for visiting the San Juan Mountains and the back country mining towns such as Silverton and Ouray.

We leave in the morning for the relatively short hop over to Moab to meet up with other members of the Family Motor Coach Association 4 Wheelers for a week of off-roading in the jeep. We are looking forward to a lot of fun.