A long weekend, and it happened to be …..

February 24, 2023By 14

We spent a long weekend in Durango, CO. We like Durango a lot, so driving up to the New Mexican/Colorado border was a pleasure. It is a beautiful scenic drive, passing Abiquiu with the Ghost Ranch, Chama, and then arriving in Durango.
 


 
HOTEL STRATER
 
We stayed at the Historic Hotel Strater. It is a real jewel and puts you back in time when horses were outside, saloon women swirled around, and rugged cowboys entered the bar. It is also where John F. Kennedy and many more celebrities stayed.
 
1887-1893: When Durango’s future still hung in the balance – would it remain a mining camp or become a metropolis – a Cleveland pharmacist named Henry Strater had the vision and faith that Durango would prosper. With its prosperity, it would need a grand hotel. Construction was quite a challenge, but Henry’s dream was realized with the help of his brothers Fred and Frank, his father Antone, and a lot of enthusiasm. The Strater Hotel opened after an expenditure of $70,000 and the placement of 376,000 native red bricks and hand-carved sandstone cornices and sills, which began the Strater Hotel’s history.
 

 
DURANGO AND SILVERTON RAILROAD
 
Durango was founded by the Denver & Rio Grande Railway in 1880. The railroad arrived in Durango on August 5, 1881, and construction on the line to Silverton began in the fall of the same year. By July 1882, the tracks to Silverton were completed, and the train began hauling passengers and freight.
 

 

PURGATORY (Fegefeuer) Ski area.
 
Thirty minutes away from Durango is the Purgatory Ski area. It is great skiing, more on the relaxing side. It is less demanding than Taos Ski Valley or even Ski Santa Fe. It is wide open with a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains.
 

 
MESA VERDE
 
On Saturday, we explored Mesa Verde. Mesa Verde is a place where you can experience the heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people. About 550 CE, long before Europeans explored North America, ancestral people moved onto the Mesa Verde. For over 700 years, these people and their descendants flourished here, building stone communities in the sheltered alcoves of canyon walls. It is a spectacular reminder of this ancient culture. Archeologists have called these people Anasazi, from a Navajo word. If you want to learn more about the Anasazi, the “House of Rain” by Craig Childs is a great book.
 
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Oh, I forgot to mention … and all this happened over my special birthday. I love celebrating my birthdays quietly with Cindy, with fine breakfasts and dinners in a remote area.
 

 

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February 26, 2023: THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH MY SLIDESHOW. After 4 pictures it gets stuck. I am trying to solve the problem.

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