I stepped up to the corner just in time to see this colorful motorcycle cruise through the green light. The pop of red looks great against the backdrop of this historic town!
Red In Durango
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Tag Archives: Durango Colorado
Finding Great Books And Fortune’s Frenzy At Maria’s Bookshop
Independent bookstores are my absolute favorite places in the world. They all have their own style and character making many feel like old friends.
That’s how I feel about Maria’s Bookshop on Durango’s picturesque Main Avenue. I visited Maria’s during my first trip to Durango last year and spent the last twelve months thinking about the place.
Housed in a historic downtown building, Maria’s has been around since 1984. I badly wish I had thought to take pictures here. Unfortunately, I was in some kind of weird book fueled frenzy and totally forgot to take a few snaps. Instead, I wandered through all my favorite sections, grabbing and considering, putting back and finding more to add to my pile.
Friends, I acted like I would never step inside another bookstore again. I got some great stuff because of it – so there are no regrets.
It’s bright and airy. If I remember correctly, there was art and maybe some vintage stuff decorating the walls. They have a robust collection of books related to nature and outdoors, mental well being and people who inspire. I loaded up so much from the non fiction side of the store that I didn’t shop much in fiction but it looked nice. They also have a great selection of journals and other notebooks as well as stuff for kids.
My blogging friend Eilene, who lives in that area, has a new book being released today. I was lucky to purchase an early release copy from Maria’s during my visit. Their friendly staff helped me find it and were excited to share how good it is.
I haven’t read it yet but Eilene is an excellent researcher and writer so I’m excited to dive in soon. You can buy your copy from Amazon or, better yet, from Maria’s online.
Incidentally, Eilene’s book was reviewed by the New York Times this week. If you’re interested, check that out too! Just click here. I’m so proud of my friend for her hard work and accomplishments and hope you will support her. Click here to read her blog Myricopia.
Durango Rugs
Welcome to the Durango Rug Company, an open air store where you can admire the wares from the sidewalk. I delighted in all the beautiful colors and textures but ultimately kept walking. They sold nothing that would fit in my carryon bag!
It was, however, a feast for the eyes. Not to mention, their sign offers great advice!
“Life’s short. Buy the rug. Eat the cake. Take the trip.”
Why, yes! Those are all stupendous ideas!
Quick Meal On The Road
When we left Durango and started our journey north toward the Denver airport, we needed to find a quick dinner. Fast food options were slim and we really wanted out of the car since we had spent most of the day in a train, bus or car.
So I nosed around online while Johnna drove and located a Chinese restaurant that was along our path.
The place was nice but empty so we were seated quickly and drinks came fast too. We ordered some Cheese Rangoon to split as well as entrees. The Rangoon came within perhaps three minutes and our entrees came a few minutes after that.
Here’s my piping hot Veggie Delight which was, well, delightful.
I tell you that to tell you this. Just ten hours before that, we opted for a fast food breakfast from the McDonalds in downtown Durango. It is located between the train depot and their large parking lot so it made sense to grab something here. I ordered an Egg McMuffin without the meat, a hash brown and Diet Coke (Yes, yes. Breakfast of champions, I know but it’s a guilty pleasure for me so don’t judge) and Johnna got some kind of sandwich, apple pie and coffee.
For these culinary masterpieces, we waited well more than ten minutes. It took longer to get “fast food” that seemed overpriced to me than it did to get drinks, appetizer and entrees from a sit down place.
Obviously, it doesn’t always work out this way but I’m seriously losing my appetite for fast food and so very happy to support the small mom and pop businesses that make up the backbone off American towns.
So, thanks and best wishes to the Shanghai Chinese Restaurant of Pagosa Springs, Colorado! You guys rock!
What do you think? Are you ready to break the fast food habit?
A Ride From Durango To Silverton
Since 1882, trains have made the climb through the San Juan Mountains from Durango, Colorado to Silverton. While this was once a vital route for practical purposes, it is now a scenic railway for tourists.
The 45 mile route takes about 3.5 hours at a top speed of 18 mph. It begins in downtown Durango, traveling through nice rural areas, into the San Juan Forest and along the Animas River.
I cannot even fathom what it took to lay this track. The crew, made up mostly of Irish and Chinese immigrants, worked in precarious places to carve out space for this narrow gauge line.
There are places so narrow that you can almost reach out the window on either side and touch granite. There are also places so close to the edge that you can see no flat ground but only a sheer drop off to the canyon below.
It was both awe inspiring and occasionally terrifying from my window seat.
At the end of the line, passengers have a couple of hours to explore Silverton while they turn the train and prepare for the return trip.
I will be completely honest with you. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip but it is a very long ride. So when we learned that it might be possible to upgrade our return train ticket to a bus ticket, Johnna and I jumped right on the opportunity. The bus took significantly less time, allowing us to get on with our evening.
Clearly, we wouldn’t have made good pioneers. To be fair, the bus ride was a terrific experience, partly because our driver was knowledgeable and friendly and the bus views were great too.
Check back tomorrow and I’ll tell you about Silverton.
The Very Best Place
If you’re looking for a place to visit with an emphasis on the outdoors, with a pleasant climate, lots of neat shops and restaurants and with numerous interesting things to see along the way, Durango, Colorado is the very best place I can recommend.
The temperature hovered around 90 during our visit but the dry climate made those 90 degrees a walk in the park compared to the same temperature here in Ohio where the humidity ruins everything.
We didn’t have a ton of time here but we squeezed as much out of the time we had as humanly possible. That meant rising early and basically never slowing down!
We hiked at Horse Gulch.
We browsed all the cute little shops.
We ate at sidewalk cafes. This quinoa burger was amazing.
We took a ride on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Train.
We looked at a lot of random stuff.
We laughed a lot too. I like Durango. It’s a college town with history and culture. It’s a walkable place that welcomes visitors of all ilk. It’s the kind of place that makes me want to browse job and real estate listings. It’s the kind of place I don’t mind revisiting again and again. It’s the kind of place I would recommend to anyone.
Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about a favorite experience!