ROF= Ring of fire Odyssey MEF-H = Marine Expeditionary Force- Hargus
ITW= Into The West Journey
May 30, 2010
Durango & Silverton RR Durango COLO
Durango Koa. Train @ 7;30. wake up 5am. & rush to be on time. A McDonalds
breakfast YEAAAA !!!! 1st biscuit in a month... & I'm excited already. Gimmie 2
Bacon, egg, & cheese to go & don't get stingy w/ the Lard. 1 block RR station.
cool 58* morn. Shorts inside coach ok. Durango & Silverton RR is a narrow guage
RR -- slightly narrower tracks than todays big trains use. smaller equipment
back in 1882. RR was for Coal to Silverton. ore & supplies back to Durango.
Slow 15 to 20 mph train. old coaches look neat w/ oak seats & woodwork. click
clack sounds good. coal soot ash blows back & can smell the sulphur from burning
coal. puffs of black / gray smoke from engine look neat. steam whistle at
crossings.
Followed canyon of Animus River all the way up to Silverton, CO. Durango city
1st, then suburbs, then eccentric farms / bldgs &on up valley to Mountains . Red
/ white rock strata. vivid colors. going into rockies San Juan mtns. Gray /
black basalts & layered strata in red soil. Rockies forest ponderosa pines.
stands of white /grey bark birch trees. Animus river
Animus River gorge
River runs all of valley from Silverton to Durango, cois muddy brown & much
whitecaps in rapids.
Train bumps & rocks side to side sway. Windom peak 14, 082' . Thru Coal Bank
Pass @ 10,640 & on into Silverton. Mtns 2-2,500' surround valley floor. Town
about 2 sq miles. Mining town w/ 5 to 10 streets / blocks. Bldgs 2 -3 stories. 3
- 4 blocks / streets spruced up by chamber of commerce for tourism. Some old
bldgs w/ new western.... rafting ect... western restaurants... saloons....
Grumpys had a piano player.
Arv 11;45 Lv 2pm.... just enough time to grab a bite & spend some money & then
get the hell out of our town! Boarding... kids selling rocks -- fools gold for a
buck . a bargain ... I like to see young kids hustle for a buck.
Back to Durango was just as good going back.. Long day, tiring. Bike races in
downtown Durango-- streets blocked off. Albertsons, ribeye on grill. eat in
dark... moon is going down & late in sky... so this is what I call a Western sky
-- where sky is black & stars are BRIGHT. Saw a shooting star. Laundry /showers.
tired after 3 day hump.
You never drink twice from the same stream.
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