Coming home from my sister's at the end of May, Sister Suzy wanted to take a different route home than the ones we have taken in the past, to see something new. After consulting the
Trucker's/Motor Carrier's Road Atlas, I decided that a route across Southern Colorado might work. If we stayed on US-160, it would dump us at Tuba City, AZ. Then you take US-89 into Flagstaff catch I-17 to Phoenix. Or we could head south out of Cortez, CO or Durango, CO and head down to I-40 and across.
I really wanted to head to Globe, AZ and spend the night. Then head over to Roosevelt Lake and down the Apache Trail but Sister Suzy and my sister weren't feeling well after spending 2 nights in Durango, Co. So, we stayed on US-160 as we left Durango, came across the Navajo Nation, into Flag and on into Phoenix.
I think it was the altitude, because after a night here at the apartment they were both raring to go, again. We went up the Apache Trail to Tortilla Flats to the souvenir shop, had Prickly Pear Ice Cream while we were there shopping for trinkets for my sister to take back with her to Wichita. I ask my sister if she wanted to go the rest of the way up to Roosevelt Lake. She said she had seen enough of the Apache Trail and wasn't interested in the windy-ass dirt road above Tortilla Flats. Wuss! We did stop on the way back to the apartment at
The Fry Bread House for Navajo tacos. Yum!
Since my battery charger for the camera was acting up, I only got a few pictures of our ride on the
Durango to Silverton steam train.
Some of the curves are tight enough that you can see the engine from where you sit. We choose to sit in one of the refurbished passenger cars because we weren't sure how cold it would be. Come to find out, if you sit in one of the gondola cars (open air) you will be covered in smoke-n-soot and could be hit with sparks. We were very glad we were in an enclosed car!
This is the train after they have turned it around and we are ready to go back down to Durango. Interesting fact: the conductor told us it takes 5 tons of coal to make the climb from Durango to Silverton and only a half-ton for the trip back down. We stopped going up and coming back down for day-hikers and people rafting the Animas River. My sister and I want to ride the train up to the drop off point for hikers. Wonder off a ways, whip out our folding chairs, sit in nature for a few hours, then get back on the train and ride back to Durango.
It was interesting to look at the valley that Silverton sets in. We were huffing and puffing at that elevation (9300'). If we had had a vehicle, we could have been a lot higher (13,500').
I would recommend if you want to go across Southern Colorado the week-end before or around Memorial Day to make any room reservation well in advance. The desk clerks told us that everybody graduates that weekend, which explains why there were very few (if any) rooms available at the inn.
I hope everyone is having a lovely day.
Judy
