The next stop on our adventure was Durango, CO. When we left Creede, we drove 130 miles following highway 149 to South Fork and then highway 160 to Durango. Highway 160 is the route over Wolf Creek Pass. So the first half of our drive was familiar. We passed through Pagosa Springs, the halfway point for our drive. Pagosa Springs is surrounded by the San Juan Mountains and is known for it’s hot springs. We did not stop for a soak today!
In the early afternoon, we arrived in Durango and checked into the Alpen Rose RV Park. Another familiar RV destination. Our reservations were for seven days. Our RV spot was next to another RV from AZ…fellow Arizonians trying to excape the desert heat!
Colorado’s Million Dollar Highway is often considered one of the greatest drives in the world and a ride everyone should experience before they die. It provides some of the best views imaginable!
Durango, CO
Why is it called the Million Dollar Highway? Nobody seems to really know the answer. That’s kinda weird!
Could it be the gravel they used to pave the road contained gold and was worth millions? Or, could it be that the road cost a million dollars? Maybe it got it’s name from it’s location in a large gold mining region? The views from the highway are definitely million dollar views. My favorite answer is; the locals call it the Million Dollar Highway because you couldn’t pay them a million dollars to drive that road in the wintertime.
Durango to SilvertonDurango to Silverton
In our Jeep, We hopped on the Million Dollar Highway and headed to Silverton. As we headed north, the mountains slowly got taller and the road was windier. We passed the Purgatory Ski Resort and went over Coal Bank Pass at 10,610 feet. Then the highway descended into the Silverton valley located at an elevation of 9,310 feet.
Silverton was a mining town in the late 1800s. While its mills and mining are no longer under operation, the town has kept its historic feel intact and it really feels as if you’ve gone back in time. If it weren’t for the Narrow Gauge Railroad, Silverton would probably be a ghost town.
One of the coolest things about Silverton is the explorations that lie beyond. One of the most popular rides to be enjoyed from Silverton is the Alpine Loop. Driving and exploring the Alpine Loop was our main reason for visiting the Durango area. So, with map in hand, we set out on the Alpine Loop heading towards Engineer Pass.
The Alpine Loop was not a leisurely Sunday-morning drive. It was a rugged and remote four-wheel-drive-only road. The road was very rocky, bumpy, narrow, and steep. Those conditions combined with lots of ATV, OHV, and Jeep traffic made the trip scary and exhausting. I was so busy trying to hold on that I didn’t really get many photos of the trail. We passed through meadows teeming with wildflowers and ghost towns and finally reached Engineer Pass. The pass is a high mountain pass at an elevaton of 12,800 feet. At the top, we stopped to take our pictures with the sign. I told Ken to take a photo of me, because, I was never coming back!
For our return trip, we had a choice to make. Drive back the same way we came up? Drive down the other side to Lake City? We had a short discussion and decided to take the trip to Lake City. The trip down was much smoother and the traffic was tremendously lighter. We passed lots of beautiful waterfalls and even a Wedding Venue. We even spotted a few deer along the way. Needless to say, I was much happier on this section of the Alpine Loop!The only problem…we were 178 miles from Durango! It was a long day!
During our stay in Durango, we experienced rain everyday in the afternoon/evening. The rain saturated the mountains and we started hearing about mudslides. The wet conditions made it unsafe to travel on the mountain jeep trails.
Durango is a picturesque town that was founded in 1880 by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad and it has a lot of old-town charm. We went to the historic district and looked through the shops. It is very unusual for us to go into gallery shops, but, we found a local Photography Gallery and a multi-media art gallery that we both liked. We didn’t purchase anything, but, we enjoyed our discussions with the owner. We have their business cards. Maybe a future purchase?
We tried 2 restaurants; Serious Texas BBQ and The Balcony Bar and Grill. Both were very popular and had great food.
Rain,Rain, Rain…
After another rainy night, we decided to check out of the RV park early and head for AZ. We weren’t able to do the things we loved in CO (because of the rain) and our daugher and kids from Germany were still at our AZ home. After a long day of driving, we made it back to AZ to spend time with family.
It is nice to be home, but, we will be on the road again in aprox 2 weeks as we head to the Midwest.
You must be logged in to post a comment.