Day 5

Day 5 was a great day. We took the Durango Silverton Narrow Guage Railroad from Durango to Silverton and back. The day started with a bit of stress. We arrived at the station right on time to board. As we got there, Tim realized that he left the coffee pot on. It seemed that the only option was for him to go back and turn it off, thus having to miss the train and stay in Durango the entire day. He decided to call Mark to see if he knew if the pot had an automatic shut off. Mark did not know, but he had the perfect solution. He suggested we call the KOA and have them unplug the camper from the outside. NICE. Since we were stressed and are not seasoned trailer people, this idea never occurred to us. Thanks, Mark, for saving the day.

Here is Mallory's favorite part of the trip. In the car we were in, each of us got a refillable cup to use all day. I bet she made 8 or 9 trips to the snack car to get drinks.

Balancing on the way to the snack car was interesting. We were in the last car, so we had to go through 4 cars to get there. You walk outside between the cars. It was tricky not to fall over on the people as you went through the aisles. Speaking of the train's movement, I thought I was going to have serious problems. I forgot to bring Dramamine and the back and forth movement started to do me in from the beginning of the trip. Thankfully, they sold it in the snack car for $1. That was another thing that saved the day. Being in the last car was the best. We had great views out the back of the train, where everyone else just looked at other cars if they turned around.

The scenery was amazing all day.

This is the same shot that both Julie and Jodi have. (Jo - Julie confirmed it.) So pretty.

It was so neat that we were in the back with the Brakeman. He was so nice and he told us interesting things all along the way. They try very hard to keep things on the train as they were in the 1800s They use the pocket watches to keep on schedule, and they don't use radios or phones to communicate unless there is a problem. The Conductor would walk car to car to relay information.

We saw some beautiful waterfalls. They are having warm temperatures here and the snow is melting fast.

We stopped in Silverton for 1 1/2 hours. The elevation of Durango is 6,200 ft and Silverton is 9,500 feet. It was a bit cooler up there (in the 60's) but still warm according to them.

It is a really cute old mining town. We did not get to see it all, but we will be back there to rent jeeps on Wednesday.

After lunch, we hopped back on the train for the ride home. It is only 45 miles from Durango to Silverton by car, but each way on the train takes 3 1/2 hours. The time goes by fast as you enjoy the scenery and talk to the people around you. We became buddies with the Brakeman, the Conductor, and of course the snack car lady.

The river was moving really fast. We saw several rafter and kayaks, but each time we saw them, they were stopped on the side. We were told they were class 5 rapids, and quite difficult to raft along this part of the river.

Since we were buds with the Conductor, we got a heads up on the event that occurred when we were 1 1/2 hours away from Durango. The train in front of us hit a rock and we had to stop. All along the way we saw the rocks and kept wondering how often they fell on the tracks and stopped the trains. We were so lucky that we could stop at a flag station and get out. The damaged train was stopped with a cliff on one side and a wall of rock on the other. They had nowhere to get off. They were using the radios to get information at this point, so we stood with the conductor to get the scoop. The rock lodged under the engine and ripped off the ash pan (these are coal burning trains and the ash is a fire danger.) The crew was able to dislodge the rock, but they needed maintenance to come with a blow torch to remove the damaged pan. The little car in this picture goes before and after the trains to look for dangers, but the rocks can fall at any time.

Just hanging out......

The Conductor pointed out that this house is the house in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid where the bicycle scene was filmed. It is now owned by the owners of the railroad.

You'll never guess how Tim passed some of the time.

When it was not clear how long the delay would be, the Conductor called for buses to take passengers back. By the time the buses got there, we knew that the delay was almost over. Several people took the buses anyway since the bus ride was 25 minutes and the train ride was still 1 1/2 hours. We were having fun and stayed on the train. The total delay was 1 1/2 hours.

When we got back on, Mallory said she would have rather have had the delay than to not have had it. It was a fun diversion and we really enjoyed talking to the crew. There are many stories about our conversations, but too long to write. There is a fun story behind this, but I even scored a free Snickers from the Conductor based on some joking we had during the delay.

Day 6 holds some biking around Durango.