Hang on folks, we are almost done with Colorado. On the morning of Day #6, we packed up our belongings and got back into the white Toyota Camry. On our itinerary for the day was driving back to Denver where we would stay a night and then catch our flight back to St. Louis. We knew it would be a day full of miles and time spent in the car, there was just no way around it, but we did break the drive up a little.
Our first stop was returning a movie at the resort Activity Area...just kidding, well, we actually did return a movie, but that wasn't really part of our adventures. Our first real stop was at a little rest area so-to-speak with two outdoor bathrooms because we were about to bust. There was a line to the bathroom, of course, because you drive forever on these mountains to get anywhere! And since our kids never tire of pictures...just ask them...I had to take one with the elevation sign. Somewhere along these mountains in here, I was about to puke...there are NO shoulders or guardrails up here. There are two lanes with a centerline, a white fog line on each side and then on my side of the car...NOTHING. It was sickening. I didn't care if the kids and Jay thought I was a wimp, it was nauseating. Funny thing, at one point a little later, Jay was on the side without ANYTHING and he found it quite disturbing too. Haha.
We came around a mountain and looked down in a valley and there sat a little mining town, Silverton. This is where the train that loads in Durango comes twice a day. And might we say, that is a good gig for little Silverton. Twice a day those trains dump off a couple hundred people to shop, eat and explore, and then they leave. What a good deal! Silverton was everything I pictured in an old mining town out west. It wasn't rundown or anything like a ghost town. They still have a mine and give tours. We were going to go down into the mine on the little railcars, but when we got there...those little railcars had just slid off the track. The miners assured us they would get it fixed, but at that point I felt pretty confident that my family was not going down into that cold, dark mine in that railcar.
We did all we could do...we panned for gold, silver, copper and lead, and it was kinda fun! I figured it was a hoax and we wouldn't actually find anything, but sure enough, the kids and Jay found some very small pieces of copper and I think Lane found a piece of silver. If you look hard, you can see the miners working on the yellow railcars behind us. I kept laughing because these guys were probably in their mid-sixties (three of them) and they were acting like it was some kind of a reality show. I really thought that the Alaskan Gold show crew would come walking out any moment. We left right before they called out that the railcars were fixed. We thought we better sneak the kids out before they wanted to go down into the mine. I am sure it was a neat experience, but so was panning for treasures in that water...on land...in warmth...with the sky and sunshine overhead...
We shopped downtown and a local suggested a local eatery called Mother Cluckers for lunch. It was yummy and a good atmosphere. Thankfully, we were settled in there before the second train unloaded. The picture on the left is Lane standing way in front of the trains, with the hills and mountains in the back. Isn't it beautiful? The picture on the right is Mad in front of an old car (I love those) and kind of shows the shops in the background. After eating, we shopped again and got back in the car. I think we all enjoyed our Silverton pitstop. We got some gas before leaving and bought some Colorado Cherries. We ate the whole bag before we reached Glenwood Springs. They were delicious.
We left Silverton and then traveled up through some gorgeous scenery. The picture on the left is just a view through the windshield of what we drove through. We passed through Ouray, Colorado, which is dubbed "The Switzerland of the U.S." and it is absolutely gorgeous. We didn't stop there and look around, but I had to take a picture standing on their main street looking up. This picture on the right is what these people look out and see every single day. Isn't it amazing? God creates some pretty cool stuff, doesn't he? Ahhh.
Jay tried to take us up to where he has elk hunted in the past, but the way the GPS was taking us...well, let's say we ended up in someone's driveway so we turned around and drove back down. I didn't tell Jay, but I was kind of glad...I think it would have added like two hours onto our already long day of driving!
The picture on the left is just another neat shot out the car window. I couldn't help myself with the picture-taking, in case you hadn't noticed. We stopped in Glenwood Springs and ate Mexican (again) and finished our drive to Denver at a Drury Inn (of course) not too far from the airport. They were booked, but they gave us a good deal on a "meeting room" which I actually liked because it was so big. It had one double bed and a very large conference table. They brought us a roll-away bed and Lane slept in a recliner. It was perfect...and we got the free, yummy breakfast we love so much at a Drury Inn. Their free popcorn is good too! We were just a day from being home and we were ready!
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